Roll With The Punches

I knew Stephen Seiler was going to be a bloody brilliant conversation, but I don't think I expected us to cover SO much ground.

For those who aren't familiar, here's a bit about him...

Stephen is a Professor of Sport Science whose work around endurance training and intensity distribution has influenced and catalysed international research into training intensity distribution and the 'polarised training model'. He's published a lazy 100+ peer-reviewed papers, written more than 100 science articles on exercise physiology and the training process, and is a founding editorial board member of the International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance.

So yeah... he knows a thing or two about training.

In this chat we get into training, recovery, stress, AI, wearables, burnout, being an introvert who spends their life talking to people... and why the world's best athletes often trust what they feel in their own bodies more than what their watch is telling them.

Stephen has spent decades researching how we actually get better at training, and one of the things I loved most was his take that training isn't a maximisation problem, it's an optimisation problem. In other words, more isn't always better. A lesson I seemed to want to learn the hard way in far too many areas of my life... and training is no exception.

We also get into the idea that all of our stress goes into the same bucket, whether it's a hard workout, work, kids, life or even exciting things happening. And honestly, this is a bloody good reminder for anyone who is constantly pushing, achieving and wondering why they're knackered.

Oh, and we have a pretty cracking conversation about AI in coaching, why your Garmin might actually be making your sleep worse, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is take the damn rest day.

Basically, Stephen made me question quite a few things I thought I knew about training, recovery and performance, which is exactly what I want from a conversation.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Burnout... Imagine if the fix was as simple as just pee when you need to pee.

Well, Cait Donovan (who I adored chatting with) has landed on the hypothesis that it very well starts right there. Cait's spent years pulling apart the research on burnout after the seemingly unlikely reality of landing there herself as a passionate Chinese Medicine practitioner.

And what she discovered is that burnout is a whole lot more complicated than simply doing too much and needing a holiday.

We get into why some of us become so disconnected from the signals our bodies are sending us that we don't even realise we're ignoring them, how the pathways we've spent a lifetime building become the easiest ones for our brains to keep taking, and why recovery isn't about finding one magic answer.

We talk resentment, self-abandonment, boundaries, trauma, athletes, emotional regulation, and why sometimes the thing that finally helps isn't THE answer... it's just the next piece of the puzzle.

And honestly, there were a few moments where I thought, well f*ckety f*ck... that's uncomfortably familiar.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

CAIT DONOVAN

Website: caitdonovan.com

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Vasiliou is back to chat with me today about boys, men, masculinity, algorithms and, lo 'n' behold, we even throw a lil' politics on the table... very un-Tiff-like indeed, huh!

Ben's spent years working with young people and now leads The Man Cave, so he's in the thick of these conversations every single day. And I dare say, I found myself nodding along for most of it.

His new book, Better Man, was what prompted me to ask him to come on for this chat about what healthy masculinity actually looks like when we stop looking at it through the loudest voices on the internet...

But I reckon this conversation is about way more than men.

It's about all of us, really. What happens when we stop trying to win arguments and start getting curious instead. About finding connection in a world that's becoming more divided by the minute.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

BEN VASILIOU

Website: www.simonandschuster.com.au

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I knew this one was going to be an absolute ripper, but I was so not prepared for just how much I'd laugh.

If you've ever wanted to learn about Yucatan micro pigs... and the breast implants Dr. Chris Winter gave them in the name of groundbreaking sleep research... then, boy oh boy, you're in luck. Because, as it turns out, when I hunted down one of the most reputable sleep experts I could find, little did I know he's also the world's foremost expert on the sleep habits of said pigs. Naturally.

Somewhere amongst all the glorious shenanigans and completely unnecessary detours that unfolded, we actually did manage to unpack an absolute stack of sleep gold. So hold off on the melatonin, kids, and stick with us...

We talk about why chasing the 'perfect' night's sleep often backfires, why one rubbish night doesn't mean tomorrow's ruined, what actually changes in women's sleep as our hormones start doing their thing, and why so many people spend years trying to fix their sleep, when what really needs fixing is the panic they feel about not sleeping.

Chris has a brilliant capacity to make complicated science feel ridiculously simple and remove the unnecessary overwhelm that often comes with this whole 'optimisation' saga. 

I reckon you might just come away from this chat wanting to sleep better... but caring a whole lot less about trying to get it perfect. And lo and behold, I dare that's the magic sleep elixir right there.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

DR. CHRIS WINTER

Website: wchriswinter.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I loved this conversation... partly because I learned a stack, and partly because it reminded me that no matter how much time you spend in health and fitness, you're never too experienced to discover you've been doing something a bit... dumb.

Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD has spent decades studying nutrition, sleep and weight regulation, and thankfully she isn't in the business of selling magic foods, miracle supplements or "this one weird trick..." nonsense. We got into why one crappy night's sleep can have you eyeing off every biscuit, chip and carb within a five-kilometre radius, why your brain basically turns into a dodgy wingman when you're sleep deprived, and why the answer is almost always less exciting than we'd hoped.

Then, as always, I accidentally turned the microphone on myself.

I've been down a proper nutrition rabbit hole lately while building a new strength program, and despite boxing for years, working in health and fitness for decades and generally feeling quite smug about how well I fueled this biological Ferrari of mine... turns out I dare say I've been running it on fumes. Specifically, not nearly enough carbs. Which is a little embarrassing to admit publicly... but ah well, here we are.

I reckon that's why I enjoyed this chat so much. It wasn't another conversation trying to convince us that seed oils are plotting our demise or that blueberries will solve all our problems (unless we combine them with banana #FML). It was about staying curious, looking at the evidence, questioning our own assumptions and remembering that sometimes the body has been trying to tell us something for years... we're just busy arguing with it.

So, if you've ever demolished the pantry after a rubbish night's sleep, wondered whether meal timing actually matters, or just enjoy listening to me discover, in real time, that I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did... I reckon you'll love this one.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

MARIE-PIERRE ST-ONGE

Website: marie-pierrest-onge.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ooooh look out... this one is going to make your brain itch!

This week I'm joined by the incredible evolutionary psychologist Professor Steve Stewart-Williams as we dive balls deep into one of the most fascinating, misunderstood and polarising conversations out there... sex differences.

What evolution itself might have to say about why men and women are different? Where does biology end and culture begin? And why do these conversations make people so uncomfortable? Are we really just arguing with millions of years of evolution without even realising it? Lots of interested questions to ponder here... and if we can just manage to put our bias's aside for a second, it makes for a much more compelling chat!

I also hit Steve up for his take on dating, attraction, masculinity, femininity, parenting, ADHD, gender identity, workplace differences, consent, mental health, and why understanding human nature isn't actually about 'limiting people'... it's about understanding ourselves a lil' better.

You don't have to agree with everything... which is kind of the point. But if you're curious enough to question your own assumptions, I reckon you're going to LOVE this one.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

STEVE STEWART-WILLIAMS

Website: stevestewartwilliams.website/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kel Holliday first shared parts of his story with me, I knew he'd lived a life. I just didn't realise how many times he'd had to rebuild that bad boy from scratch.

We talk about what happens when you lose almost everything (not to mention, doing so only days after reaching your life goal and retiring). Not just millions of dollars, but trust, identity, relationships and eventually your own will to keep going.

Kel opens up about betrayal, business, suicide, recovery, and the one phone call that quite literally saved his life. We also dive into why loyalty means everything to him, how growing up shaped his obsession with fairness, and why success without character isn't success at all.

If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to come back after life absolutely wipes the floor with you... this one's for you.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

KEL HOLLIDAY

Website: kelvinholliday.com

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ooooh buckle up kids... I knew this would be an interesting conversation, but I had no idea just how much it would stay with me.

Kat Rae's story is one of those rare ones that refuses to fit into neat lil' boxes. We talk about serving in the Australian Army, what twenty years in Defence taught her about courage, resilience and purpose... and how those lessons were tested in ways no one could ever prepare for.

After losing her husband to suicide while raising their two-year-old daughter, only days after escaping his violence, Kat found herself carrying grief, relief, anger, compassion and heartbreak all at the same time. We dive into the messy reality of complex grief, domestic violence, parenting through unimaginable loss, and why healing isn't about finding neat answers.

We also explore the stories Australia tells itself about war, sacrifice and service, and why Kat's work as an artist is challenging the narratives we've become so comfortable accepting.

This one left me with goosebumps more than once.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

KAT RAE

Website: katrae.net

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grab a notebook, whipper snappers... this one goes deep. I sure hope ya'll can keep up!

Dr. Eben Alexander spent years as a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon believing consciousness was created by the brain... until a near-fatal case of bacterial meningitis left him in a week-long coma and threw everything he thought he knew in the bin!

We talk about his near-death experience, why he believes consciousness exists beyond the brain, where science is starting to catch up with spirituality, and why meditation might be one of the most powerful tools we've got for exploring ourselves.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

DR. EBEN ALEXANDER

Website: ebenalexander.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I loved this chat with Harry Moffitt. After 30 years in the SAS, losing mates in combat, surviving an IED blast, becoming a psychologist and now working with elite teams, he's got a perspective that cuts through all the usual bullshit. We talked about grief, guilt, why some teams thrive while others fall apart, what actually makes a great leader, and why 'resilience' might be a useless term these days. 

There's so much practical wisdom in this ep, whether you lead a team, run a business or you're simply trying to become a better human.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

HARRY MOFFITT

Website: Harry Moffitt - harrymoffitt.com.au

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.