Roll With The Punches

Well, strap in, team. Because this one’s an epic!

Tammy van Wisse is not your average swimmer... unless your average swimmer has clocked over 65,000km in the water, swum the Bass Strait (yep, the ONLY human ever to do it), broken records in honour of childhood heroes, and oh yeah… has a day named after her in New Jersey. No biggie.

But this chat wasn’t just about world records and wild ocean swims. We dove deep into the heart of endurance and what drives someone to keep going when every cell in their body is screaming to stop. Tammy opened up about being the kid no one picked in PE, to becoming a force of nature in open water. She talked about her mindset, her grit, and what happened when life threw her a challenge she didn’t choose (breast cancer).

From the Bass Strait to the chemo chair, from saltwater stings to the quiet moments that crack you open… this episode is about resilience in its rawest form.

One stroke, one moment, one shift at a time!

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

TAMMY VAN WISSE

Website: tammyvanwisse.com

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This one was a bloody ripper. I sat down with the legendary Essendon ruckman, Simon Madden - business coach, speaker, and all-round top bloke, and as expected, we covered a hell of a lot more than just footy.

We talked about aging without getting old, the art of staying relevant, and what it means to still be growing, pushing, and learning well into your sixties. We shared stories on failure, grit, and the sneaky little power of the word 'yet'. We unpacked identity, purpose after retirement, and why so many people lose themselves when the jersey (or job title) comes off.

Simon dropped gold on truth-telling in a world full of noise, the role of care in leadership, and how real resilience isn’t just about bouncing back – it’s about learning to take the hit, then getting up and doing it all again (preferably with a sense of humour and a glass of trusty h2o).

Whether you’re a sports tragic, a business owner, or just someone navigating your own “what’s next?” moment, this one’s full of laughs, reflections, and a whole lot of gold.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

SIMON MADDEN

Website: simonmadden.com.au

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well… this one punched me right in the heart. And honestly? It still hasn’t let go.

Tracie Lund is someone I’ve crossed paths with before. She's nothing short of a powerhouse in her community, someone who speaks up, shows up, and gets sh*t done. But nothing could have prepared me for the conversation we had this time around.

Just over one week after we recorded this episode and before bringing this to air, Tracie’s husband Simon passed away.

Simon had dedicated 26 years to serving on the front lines with the CFA. But when he was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer... a diagnosis that was aggressive, terminal, and fast.  The Lund family found themselves not only navigating devastating personal loss, but also uncovering a painful gap in the very system Simon served.

Despite working side by side with firefighters, despite breathing the same toxic smoke, despite responding to the same critical incidents, Simon’s role wasn’t recognised under the current presumptive legislation. Which meant no automatic support. No protection. No justice.

This conversation is emotional, raw, and powerful. We talk about love, legacy, the brutal reality of terminal illness, and the sheer courage it takes to stand up and speak out when you're already carrying more than anyone should have to.

Tracie shows us what it really means to be resilient. Not the neat, polished version. The real, messy, human kind. The kind that keeps fighting when it hurts. The kind that demands change, even in your final days, so no one else has to go through the same thing.

Please listen. Please share. Please sign the petition (link in the episode show notes). Let’s help Tracie finish what Simon started.

This one’s for him.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

SIGN THE PETITION

Website: parliament.vic.gov.au/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What IS courage?

I’ve been getting increasingly curious... mainly because I talk about it a LOT. I talk about how, when I reflect on ‘young Tiff,’ she thought she was courageous for doing the things that scared other people (while artfully dodging the stuff that really scared her). Solid little facade, really.

I talk about how the world seems to throw being fearless and being courageous into the same bucket, when really, they’re just second cousins who rarely show up at the same family function… because if you take fear out of the equation, courage kinda ceases to exist. I talk about all the things I reckon have to come into play to be courageous. And yet, I still wasn’t satisfied with my own understanding of it.

So off I went on a bit of a quest… and found Professor Cynthia Pury to help encourage a deeper understanding #SeeWhatIDidThere. Cynthia’s a Professor of Psychology and a pioneer in the study of courage, with her work widely cited across personality and positive psych.

Oh, and that thing I used to do? Turns out there’s a name for it. It’s called accolade courage, as opposed to process courage - which is actually doing the scary thing. So there you go.

Enjoy!

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geez, I thought I'd met some bad eggs in the online dating world... Tracy Hall's experience sure takes the cake though. In 2016 she met Max Tavita online and for the next 18 months they built a seemingly solid relationship with great plans for the future. Until... she woke up one morning to a Crime Stoppers video of him being arrested. 

Turns out, Max Tavita wasn’t Max Tavita at all. His real name was Hamish McLaren (or Hamish Watson, or Hamish Maxwell pending which day you spoke to him) and he was one of Australia’s most prolific con men. He’d stolen millions from multiple victims and Tracy Hall was his last. Her savings, her trust, her sense of safety, all gone in a blink.

We talk about the layers of betrayal, the grief of losing someone who didn’t really exist, the shame, the unraveling of trust - not just in others, but in herself. We unpacked shame and how it isolates us not just from the world, but from ourselves. And how, sometimes, telling the story is the only way to stop shame from tightening its grip.

This is one of those conversation that had me feeling like I was watching a movie, rather than speaking to a human about real life... But sometimes that is real life, isn't it?

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

TRACY HALL

Website: tracyhall.com.au 

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I sat down with Tim Haigh and walked through a life most people couldn’t even stomach watching in a movie. Born into violence, raised in poverty, consumed by addiction, and locked up by 17. Tim didn’t just survive the system, he walked straight through the fire and came out the other side swinging.

From gangs to grief, heroin to hope, Tim’s story is gritty, raw, and sobering... literally and metaphorically. It’s about the cost of belonging, the hunger for identity, and the power of owning your own story. 

This is about scars, not wounds. Ownership, not blame. Mess, not perfection. And the long road to becoming the kind of man your past never gave you a blueprint for.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

TIM HAIGH

Website: livedexperiencespeakers.com

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Cam McDonald is back in the hot seat and we’re rummaging around in his brilliant PH360 Precision Health brain and talking about those sneaky, silent stressors that pile up in the background of our lives and bodies without us even realising.

As we know different environments and different stuff affects different people. Dr. Cam is sharing some gold on why stress isn’t just about work, deadlines or a screaming toddler. Sometimes it’s the bloody cold air, the clutter in your lounge room, the wrong time of day, or that chatty co-worker when you’re not wired for small talk before 9am. It all depends on how you're wired. 

We unpack the six PH360 health types and how seemingly ‘normal’ stuff (like skipping rest, eating raw food, or exercising too early) can quietly wreak havoc depending on your unique biology. It’s wild. And honestly, so freeing to realise how many of our so-called 'issues' are simply mismatches, not personal failures.

The perfect convo for anyone wanting to better understand their own body, mind and emotional landscape without the overwhelm, guilt or generic (often bullshitty) advice that doesn’t fit.

Hit play. Take notes. And maybe... give yourself a little more credit for navigating life as the gloriously complex human you are.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

CAM McDONALD

Website: shae.group/dr-cam-mcdonald/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, I’m sitting down with Dr. Richard Tedeschi, he's the bloke who literally coined the term post-traumatic growth, and ya'll know that's a massive part of what this show is all about!

We’re pulling apart what resilience really means (and what it definitely doesn’t), why the ‘just do more hard things’ mantra can actually miss the point, and how sometimes what looks like strength is just unprocessed survival mode.

We talk about why real growth usually kicks off when life punches you square in the face... and how it’s the people around you (not the size of the fight) that can change everything.

From navigating trauma, grief and burnout to finding purpose and connection this one’s a ripping listen for anyone who's ever been stuck, struggling, or simply ready to step-up from the battleground.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

RICHARD TEDESCHI

Website: bouldercrest.org

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, this was one of those chats that takes a wild ride... from blind boxing bouts to the blind spots in how we see ourselves and others. We talk about the power of presence, the problem with performative self-help, what real resilience actually is, and why so many of us wait for a crisis to start living with purpose.

We go deep on all things from burnout to boundaries, and why sitting on the fence is underrated, and the importance of actually having hard conversations instead of just venting to your mate and sweeping it all under the rug. What it means to be seen, how our emotions are valid but not always helpful, and how sometimes the 'healing' work is just finally being honest about what’s under the hood.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches/

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook: facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

Instagram: instagram.com/tiffaneeandco

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when the stories we’re raised on become the shackles we need to break?

Today's guest, Dima Ghawi was born in Turkey, raised in Jordan, and is now living in the US... Her journey is one of defiance, resilience, and rebirth. From escaping an abusive marriage to shattering generational expectations (and quite literally, the metaphorical vase she was taught to be), Dima shares how she found freedom, purpose, and identity on the other side of survival.

We talked about the silent weight of shame, the power of questioning inherited norms, and what it really means to take the pen and rewrite your own story. Whether you’ve ever felt like a misfit, carried the invisible scars of conformity, or questioned who you truly are beneath the roles you've played… this one’s for you.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

DIMA GHAWI

Website: dimaghawi.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/tiffaneecook/

Facebook:  facebook.com/rollwiththepunchespodcast/

Instagram:  instagram.com/rollwiththepunches_podcast/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.