Two Feet Foundation

Warning - This episode covers sensitive topics such as suicide and child abuse.

In this episode I sit down with Adam to discuss his turbulent upbringing and how it lead him down a path of depression, drug dealing and anger. After having the choice to go to jail or join the Australian Defence Force, Adam spent many years in the army before being severely injured in a field exercise.

We talk about his traumatic upbringing where he suffered physical and mental abuse from his stepfather and the actions he took to come to peace with the trauma.

In this episode I sit down with Ryan Berwick, a gym owner from Brisbane. All through school Ryan was bullied forcing him to move to the Gold Coast. During his time between the Gold Coast and Las Vegas traveling with Thunder from Down Under Ryan fell into some self destructive habits. We talk about the realization of knowing when you're in a hole and what you can do to get out of it.

In this episode I sit down with Daniel Scali. After a fall from a trampoline at a young age, Daniel was diagnosed with having CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome). This meant that any slight touch of the skin on his left arm would leave him with extreme pain. After a tough childhood Daniel decided he was going to use the pain as motivation which lead him to joining the gym. In August 2021 Daniel broke the Guiness world record for abdominal plank with a mind blowing time of 9 hours and 30 minutes. Daniel is an extremely positive and motivating guy and now has his sights set on breaking the Guiness World Record for most push ups completed within 24 hours.

In this episode I sit down with Reece Castledine. We discuss the hardship of losing both of his parents to cancer at a young age and what it was like to navigate his life without them. Reece is an extremely positive individual and despite the devastating loss of his parents he continues to lead a fulfilling life taking up the combat sport of Muay Thai.

In this episode I sit down with Norm McGillivray who is the founder of Bed Down. Bed Down is a not for profit charity that turns car parks and unused areas into a functional, safe and comfortable environment for individuals who are doing it rough. Having had his own father suffer from homelessness, Norm knew that this was always going to be his calling in life. Bed Down now has 100's of volunteers which provide free cleaning, showering, health and well being checks with the main objective of giving the guests a sense of belonging while also giving them a well needed rest. By providing a safe, secure and comfortable place to rest Bed Down aims to restore health, dignity and respect for their guests.

In this short episode I discuss how I've been feeling very unmotivated. Sometimes in life we can hit a plateau and it's up to you to change when you want to change it. Something as small as a positive compliment or some uplifting news is enough to start getting back on track and to keep trying to be the best version of you. I also discuss how toxic social media can be and why it's a refreshing break to keep off it if you are struggling to keep motivated. 

In episode 20 I sit down with Josh McGuire. Josh is currently playing for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. With over 200 games under his belt he has gone through a fair few injuries but none bigger than in 2011 when his team mate accidentally poked him in the eye completing a tackle. His eye ball was completely detached from his retina and he is now officially blind in one eye. Despite the huge set back, Josh was determined to still play rugby league. He has since gone on to play over 200 games for 3 clubs, win multiple state of origin series and win the world cup for Australia in 2017. We also chat about the lesser known details behind the fame with online abuse, death threats and his mental health challenges leading him to delete social media in 2018. I had a great time to be able to sit down with a professional athlete and dig a little bit into his personal life. It's a great reminder that professional athletes are human just like the rest of us.

After experiencing a childhood trauma, Maddie's active life was subsequently turned on it's head. For most of her teenage years Maddie suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorders which affects 4% of the Australian population. Maddie spent the majority of her teenage life in hospital where she would find ways to sabotage ways for the doctors and staff to help her. Along her battle she developed very strict rituals with her eating habits including eating at a certain time, each piece of food had to be chewed a minimum of 20 times and she would not allow herself to eat during ad breaks. This was a real eye opening conversation to have as I believe there is very little education on how to talk or support someone with an eating disorder. Maddie now lives in Goondiwindi with her husband and is a dedicated personal trainer for those living with a disability.

In this episode I sit down with Kyal who suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth. CMT is one of a group of disorders that cause damage to the peripheral nerves—the nerves that transmit information and signals from the brain and spinal cord to and from the rest of the body, as well as sensory information such as touch back to the spinal cord and brain. Despite having these difficulties Kyal uses this as fuel to help shape a more positive lifestyle. We discuss the difficulties growing up with the condition, the bullying through high school and how he now has a keen interest in MMA.

In this episode I sit down with Thomas Dunphy. After celebrating the new that he was about to be a first time parent, Tom noticed that he had some irregular bumps underneath his armpit and that he was feeling much more lethargic during the day. Tom went to the hospital where they diagnosed him with a rare stage 4 blood cancer kicking off his journey of chemo, recovery and the mental health adversaries he had to face all the while trying to juggle the birth of his new born son. We also discuss the importance of getting yourself checked early, the absolute must of getting a second opinion and how Australia needs to implement a better approach to medicinal marijuana over opiate pain killers. Tom has since gone on to start his own business providing better and easier access to medicinal marijuana while also educating people on the importance of its use while going through major events such as battling cancer.