Roll With The Punches

Dave Greenberg is one of those blokes who has done more wild sh*t before breakfast than most of us will do in a lifetime.

Born in New York, he knew at eight years old he wanted to be a fireman, saved his first life at thirteen doing CPR on a stranger in the street, then somehow ended up in New Zealand doing more than 4,000 missions on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Ya know, just easing into life gently.

This chat went everywhere, which is exactly how I like it. Rescue helicopters, farmers finding wildly inventive ways to injure themselves, jumping into the ocean from a hovering chopper, crisis training, mindset, adrenaline, identity, ageing, pressure, and why chick flicks were apparently Dave’s emotional pressure valve. Sure didn’t see that one coming, but here we are.

What I loved most about this conversation was the bit underneath all the good yarns. Dave talks about the difference between assumed readiness and observed behaviour, which is basically what we reckon we’ll do under pressure versus what we actually do when life says, 'Righto superstar, your turn.'

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

DAVE GREENBERG

Website: thedavegreenberg.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winter punched me in the face this week, and it got me thinking about all the things that influence who we are, how we feel, and how we show up.

In this solo riff, I unpack the sneaky invisible shit steering the ship... from food, movement, recovery, stress, and hormones, through to the people we spend time with, the information we consume, and the environments we put ourselves in. I share why winter and perimenopause have forced me to get a lot more deliberate about my energy, why a yoga class reminded me how noisy life has become, and why cleaning up your social media feed might be one of the most underrated mental health strategies going around.

I also dive into tribe, belonging, accountability, novelty, and why sometimes the fastest way to change your mood, mindset, or momentum is simply to change what you're exposing yourself to.

Turns out, we might not control everything that influences us... but we can absolutely influence the things that influence us.

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.

In this ep Bobby and I wandered through ambition, expectations, creativity, performance, fear, trauma responses, authenticity, and the strange ways we can get in our own way. We talked about what happens when life gets chaotic, why some people thrive in a crisis but freeze over the smallest decisions, and how often we're trying to be who we think we're supposed to be instead of who we actually are.

We also explored why detaching from outcomes can sometimes make us more effective, why creativity doesn't respond well to force, and why some of the biggest breakthroughs happen when we stop trying so bloody hard.

As always with Bobby, we started somewhere sensible and ended up deep in the weeds of human behaviour, identity, and what it means to show up when life gets messy.

 

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.

Why are so many of us are unknowingly blocking ourselves from feeling loved whilst desperately trying to chase it?

Harry Reis is a renowned social psychologist and Professor at the University of Rochester who has spent decades researching love, intimacy, vulnerability, and what actually makes humans feel connected. He recently co-authored the book 'How to Feel More Loved' with Sonja Lyubomirsky, who is one of the world’s leading happiness researchers. Ripper collab right there, huh!

We spoke about online dating checklists, social media validation, the weird performance of modern identity, AI relationships, conflict, growth, and the fear most of us carry that if people really knew us… they’d leave. Harry also dropped one idea worth pondering... that love isn’t just romance. It’s belonging... it's being seen, understood, valued, and safe enough to be fully human around other people.

There’s also a lot in this one about the tension between comfort and growth too. Why relationships that never challenge us don’t actually deepen us. Why rupture and repair matters. Why conflict isn’t failure. And why the things that shape us most are usually the hard conversations, awkward truths, and moments where we stop hiding behind the polished version of ourselves. 

Also… we somehow ended up talking about robot partners, Star Trek, and whether AI could ever replace human love. So, there’s that...

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

HARRY REIS

Website: howtofeelloved.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloody hell… this one smacked me right in the chops.

Stephen Jenkinson (my favourite guest, just quietly) is back on the show and this conversation was nothing like the others… and somehow also exactly like the others. We talked about Parkinson’s, terror, identity, regret, suffering, joy, and what happens when the bloke who helps people understand death and life gets blindsided by his own brutal reality.

There were moments in this chat where I genuinely forgot to breathe. Stephen spoke about the collapse of certainty, the illusion of control, the strange grief of losing parts of yourself while still being alive… and whether we’re actually supposed to remain the same person forever.

We got into regret, awe, suffering, old wounds, childhood survival, dancing with trembling hands, and the active pursuit of joy. Not happiness. Not comfort... Joy.

This isn’t a neat conversation with tidy answers. It’s raw, confronting, beautiful, deeply human… and as it always is with Stephen, it's honestly one of the most important chats I’ve had.

Enjoy, legends.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

STEPHEN JENKINSON

Website: orphanwisdom.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Maryellen MacDonald, she's joining me in this ep and we're talkin' about talkin'. Turns out talking isn’t just about getting words out… it sharpens how we think, helps us regulate emotions, and even slows cognitive decline. 

We got into why talking is actually hard work (even if it doesn’t feel like it), why Gen Z are low-key avoiding it, and why retirees might be losing more than just social connection when conversations drop off.

You might leave this ep feeling inclined to start naming your emotions. Not just feel them, not just react to them… actually put words to them. As simple as it sounds, generally most of us humans are pretty average at that, and learning to do so makes all the difference. 

Also… we covered journaling, self-talk, conversations with strangers that turn into something weirdly meaningful… all of it matters more than we think.

Moral of the story… stop just consuming. Start talking. Even if it’s just to yourself.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

MARYELLEN MACDONALD

Website: maryellenmacdonald.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little over a year ago I sat down at my mum’s kitchen table with my Pop, Frank Cook, and recorded what would become one of the most special conversations I’ve ever had. At the time he was 101 years old... sharp as a tack, funny as hell, still telling stories and cracking jokes like a bloke half his age.

And now, after saying goodbye to him at 102 just this year, this episode is even more special... so here I am sharing it again.

Pop was born in 1924. He grew up on a farm in Tasmania when people still travelled by horse and cart, when school was too far away for many kids to attend, and long before television ever reached Australia. His father carried shrapnel in his leg from WWI, WWII broke out when Pop was just 15, and life was built on hard work, community, resilience, and character.

This is a chat with a legend of a man who made it to 102 without ever becoming bitter. A bloke who proudly said he’d made “thousands of friends and not a single enemy.” A husband, father, grandfather, sportsman, farmer, and one of the most rock-solid humans I’ve ever known.

Instead of saying "I'm sorry to lose him", I'm going to say "let's celebrate a long, happy, healthy life lived like the perfect fairytale right to his last moments. Honestly... if there’s a better way to leave this world than peacefully surrounded by family after 102 years of love & laughter... I ain't sure what it is.

I feel incredibly bloody proud to call him my Pop.

I hope ya'll love listening to his stories as much as I do.

 

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.

Bloody hell, I knew this one was going to be a ripper the second I got off the phone with Mark the first time. You know when someone just has that energy and you’re like yep, this is gonna be a wild ride. Aaaaaand that it was. He's an epic communicator, incredible storyteller, and someone who has seen and done a thing or two.

This is the first episode in a series I'm producing for The Code 9 Foundation dubbed the Bravery Series - and of course, we want to share it here for you pack of legends to hear it too. 

Anyway, back to Mark (or 'Trigger')... he's lived more than a few lives! We’re talking getting deported, locked up, running around with poachers… and somehow that was before policing even began for him.

We chat about what defines courage, bravery, and resilience. What actually happens in your body, what goes through your head, and the bit I keep coming back to… that you don’t get to choose who you are in those moments... You just meet yourself.

So, buckle up for some wild tales, kids! We're talkin' pyjamas, samurai swords, three blokes, and absolute chaos kind of wild.

But underneath all of that… this is a conversation about instinct, training, fear… and the decisions you make when there’s no clean or safe option.

I LOVED this one. You will too.

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

MARK TREGELLAS

Website: backupisthreehoursaway.com.au/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time for another ep where we pull back the curtain on the fitness industry and realise half of what we’ve been stressing about doesn’t actually matter.

I sat down with Lauren Colenso-Semple to talk all things hormones, training, protein, fasting, supplements, wearables and more… all the stuff that gets thrown at us daily and leaves most women thinking they’re doing it wrong.

We talked about why consistent, challenging training beats every shiny hack… why your hormones probably aren’t the villain you’ve been told they are… and why chasing perfection is often the thing slowing you down.

Lauren also gives us a spicy lil' reality check in here about supplements, cycle syncing, and the whole 'you need a special program because you’re a woman' narrative.

If you’ve ever felt confused or overwhelmed... the good news here is, there's every chance you're just overthinking and under executing. 

This one cuts through some of the ever-present noise. 

 

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

LAUREN COLENSO-SEMPLE

Website: drlaurencs.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a bloke who was told he’d have a couple of years to live… and he’s now in his 40s, travelling the world, speaking, and might I add... bench pressing 150 kilos!! 

But here’s the thing… his skin literally tears just from movement. Like… existing is enough to cause damage. So, everything he does is quite calculated. And yet… he’s not sitting around feeling sorry for himself. Not even close.

His condition is called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)... often referred to as butterfly skin or cotton wool babies, because the skin is so fragile it can tear or blister from even the slightest friction… literally like tissue paper.

Dean has one of the most severe forms, and he's one of the longest living people with this condition... He sure knocked that 2–4-year prognosis out of the park!

We talked about what it's like living with constant chronic pain… And how instead of numbing it or avoiding it, he’s built an insane ability to work with it. We also talked about what it’s like growing up knowing you might not be here for long… and how that changes the way you live. There ain't no room for "I’ll do it later” with Dean. If it matters, it happens now.

And something I loved… you see him, right… and yeah, it’s confronting for about half a second. And then all that just disappears and you’re just chatting to Dean. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s who he’s become.

Enjoy it.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au

DEAN CLIFFORD

Website: deanclifford.com/

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.