I hadn’t really thought deeply about the impact that light has on me until I had this chat with Dr Shelley James. The type of light I’m exposed to (natural or artificial) and the duration of that exposure has an impact on everything from my cognitive function, mood, memory, emotional state and mindset to my physical health, nervous system, brain chemistry, productivity, creativity and the outcomes that I produce on Planet me. Shelley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and one of the consequences was that she spent years in darkness and quiet due to her extreme sensitivity to light, noise and various other stimuli. She is an international expert on light and well-being, TedX and keynote speaker, WELL Advisor and Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art. She is also a trained glass artist and electrician. Light is as important to the healthy function of every cell in our bodies as food, water and air and Shelley is on a mission to inspire others to harness the power of light to be healthier, happier and save the planet too.

ageoflightinnovations.com

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Dr. Marc Cohen prescribes cuddling, laughing, lying on the floor with your dog, yoga, dancing, barefoot walking, writing poetry, sunshine and every now and then, if there’s no other option, he prescribes a drug. Marc is a registered medical practitioner with degrees in western medicine, physiology and psychological medicine along with PhDs in Chinese medicine and biomedical engineering. He’s a doctor three times over. Literally. In 2002 he became Australia’s first Professor of Complementary Medicine and Head of the Department of Complementary Medicine at RMIT University, which was by far the largest such department in the country with around 100 staff and 1000 students. He has spent more than 30 years practicing and researching holistic health and published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books and technical texts on wellness and natural medicine. He is one of Australia’s pioneers of integrative and holistic medicine and has made significant impacts on education, research, clinical practice and policy. Enjoy.

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Bobby is always brilliant but sometimes when we chat, the best thing I can do for the podcast is shut the f*** up and try not to get in the way. He was in rare air for this episode (maybe my favourite with him) and once he hits that conversational flow state, I sit there with my face in my hands like a little kid, completely engrossed. Honestly, sometimes when he stops talking, I’m not ready because I’m out of ‘podcast host’ mode and into ‘captivated audience member’ mode. Fortunately, Melissa can edit out the awkward silences. Enjoy.

robertcappuccio.com

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Bobby is always brilliant but sometimes when we chat, the best thing I can do for the podcast is shut the f*** up and try not to get in the way. He was in rare air for this episode (maybe my favourite with him) and once he hits that conversational flow state, I sit there with my face in my hands like a little kid, completely engrossed. Honestly, sometimes when he stops talking, I’m not ready because I’m out of ‘podcast host’ mode and into ‘captivated audience member’ mode. Fortunately, Melissa can edit out the awkward silences. Enjoy.

robertcappuccio.com

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Andrew Hessel is a micro-biologist, geneticist, entrepreneur, author and speaker and this was one of those podcasts where I was just hanging in there by one or two neurons. The metaphoric ‘skin of my intellectual teeth’. And while it might sound too sciencey, the conversation is actually a fascinating (and mildly terrifying) peak into the future (and present) of genetic engineering, synthetic biology (it’s a thing), programming cells, the probability of (actually) winding back our biological clock and personalised drugs created specifically for your DNA. Amazing stuff. Enjoy. 

LinkedIn: Andrew Hessel

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Our favourite Anxiety Expert, Dr. Jodi Richardson, is back and as always, this was a fun and fascinating conversation. Among other things, we spoke about the idea of being open to feedback (in theory) versus the not-always-fun practical experience of receiving feedback. We talked about the idea of being teachable in a world where so many people seem to live in an echo chamber of thought,  belief and behaviour. We discussed the not-very-effective concept of ‘waiting to feel confident’ before we start something new. The idea of being comfortable with initially ‘being bad’ at something (including the ‘me in a Yoga class’ story) in order to ‘get good’ at it (skill development, confidence, competence, mastery). The power of story-telling to share what-can-be complicated and/or confusing information. The amazing ‘ability’ we have to waste potential. The awareness of ‘who we’re becoming’ in the middle of what we’re doing. And lots more. Enjoy.

drjodirichardson.com

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Talking with Celeste Headlee was a little like interviewing myself. We had never met (until this chat) but it felt like we are somewhat kindred spirits and it very quickly turned into an organic meandering conversation, rather than an ‘interview’ for a podcast. Celeste is an award-winning journalist, professional speaker, author of four best-sellers, TED presenter, radio host and producer and renowned expert in human nature. I loved this chat.

celesteheadlee.com

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Science can be overwhelming. Data. Studies. Research. Models. Graphs. Tables. Interpretations. Divergent theories. Confusing language and terms. And sometimes, it’s boring AF. In this chat, David and I discuss the ever-present challenge we have as speakers, authors and educators (of sorts) to share scientific information and ideas in a way which informs, resonates and connects (makes sense) with as many people as possible. He’s just submitted his latest book (to his publisher) and for the first time, he uses stories, examples and cases studies to explain and bring to life, the sciencey-stuff. Oh.. we also talk about psychopaths (of course) and David shares his thoughts on the potential good and bad of Artificial Intelligence moving forward. Enjoy. 

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Fergus Watts is a high-level problem solver. He’s an entrepreneur, team-builder, brilliant communicator, visionary and inspirational leader who asks great questions, makes hard decisions, thinks clearly, turns ideas into realities, leads with passion and most importantly, does great work with, and for, people who need it most. Fergus is a former AFL footballer with St Kilda and Adelaide Crows, the CEO of The Reach Foundation (empowering and supporting young people), the founder (and current Chairman) of the Bastion Agency (employing over 300 people across Australia, New Zealand and the USA), father of three (all under 4) and husband of one. No wonder he’s tired. I knew Ferg when he was a kid and young man, and to catch up with him twenty years later and see what he’s done, who he’s helped, what he’s created and who he’s become, was the highlight of my week. Enjoy.

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Russ Jarrett is back at TYP and this time we dust off our Exercise Science hats and discuss the ins and outs of training our bodies at a higher level. Specifically, we talk about strength and conditioning for people (competitive athletes or not) who are training at (or want to be training at) a level somewhere between intermediate and elite. That is, anyone who wants to optimise what they have to work with. Not the worst plan.

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