Johnny Yaps: Recent Episodes
Johnny Yap
In this episode I sit down with Andrew Flynn, a Jiu Jitsu black belt, Tai Chi Chuan advocate and accidental fightwear company owner.
Andrew is one of the guys behind alchemical fightwear (https://www.alchemical.com.au/) a healthy living company that also sells natural, plastic free option for martial arts / grappling apparel.
It was a fun conversation as we also went deep on Andrew's journey, from project management to Tai Chi Chuan, to Jiu Jitsu, cafe's and more.
Traditional martial arts often get a bad rap in modern martial arts discussions and it was nice for Andrew to articulate his experience with it.
We also go through his experience in building up a business to selling it, engineering / project management and of course the reasons why Alchemical focuses on Hemp / natural fibred fight wear.
Links:
https://www.alchemical.com.au/
Alchemical Fightwear on Socials: https://www.instagram.com/alchemicalfightwear/
Hemp history, uses, benefits and more.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15440478.2024.2435047#d1e199
Invention of Synthetic fibres and textiles
https://www.greenhive.io/blog/synthetic-fabrics
Chemicals From Textiles to Skin
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6133113/
What Does Plastic Do To The Endocrine System
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-chemicals-in-plastics-impact-your-endocrine-system/
Microplastics found in artery plaque buildup of stroke survivors
https://www.heart.org/news/2025/04/22/plaque-buildup-in-the-necks-of-stroke-survivors-may-be-loaded-with-microplastics
Nanoplastics that enter human cells cause cell death via trojan horse principle
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32786567/
In this episode I sat down with Anouska Firth to talk about her experiences battling her insecurities around self worth, eating disorders, drug addiction and also coming to terms with the consequences of her actions from the choices she had made.
It's a fairly contentious topic to discuss some of the things we do in this episode, however I hope people can enjoy this episode for it's openness to dealing with some difficult topics. Anouska is someone who has really felt the brunt of her choices and part of her journey to finding peace with those choices has been through facing them, having close friends who have told her some fairly uncomfortable truths and having the willingness to try pull herself out of the pit she had fallen into.
No matter how difficult the challenges your facing, there is always someone who has probably had it worst. The great news is that you can get through it and I hope this episode is an example of this.
Links:
Bird Flip: https://www.instagram.com/birdfliporg/
Anouska on Socials: https://www.instagram.com/__anouska/
Dr Joanna Howe: https://www.instagram.com/drjoannahowe/
In this episode I sat down with Ben Smith of Deepwater Performance to chat about life, jiu jitsu and his experience with Testicular Cancer.
Turns out, April is actually Testicular cancer awareness month so it’s kind of fitting for us to talk about this issue.
That said, I hope you can enjoy this episode, and laugh along with us as Ben recounts his story and shares some valuable information everyone should be aware of. For such a heavy topic I’m glad that Ben can talk about it so openly and share his experience with the whole process.
We go through the whole thing from synthetic nuts to hormone replacement therapy, chemotherapy as well as Ben’s work, from the NRL to his coaching business and how watching a schoolyard fight in the toilets helped him to find Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Enjoy!
Links:
Deepwater Performance: https://www.instagram.com/deepwater.performance/
Know Thy Nuts: https://au.movember.com/men-s-health/testicular-cancer?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-yxMzbD8A6YGhu-N0M1fiUCyHIs&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2ZfABhDBARIsAHFTxGyDkN_Qkumu1s495NbYJUU3sDj5izvcVZbZgdSOvUIY1sHEqqvvqOoaAjOQEALw_wcB
SMH Article on Orchidectomy: https://www.smh.com.au/national/cancer-patient-ben-smith-lucky-to-be-alive-after-gp-told-him-he-was-fine-20180616-p4zlu5.html
Feel Good Nation: https://feelgoodnation.com.au/
Nuts & Bolts: https://nutsandbolts.movember.com/
In this episode I caught up with someone who I trained with many years ago.
Kai used to train with me as a teenager and it's always interesting for me to think about where some of the kids I have coached over the years have ended up.
That said, there was actually a sadder reason why I caught up with Kai for this podcast. Last year, he actually lost his life partner after she had a medical episode that caused her to collapse, fracture her skull and end up in the ICU.
I didn't reach out to Kai when I found out about it, however a few weeks before we recorded this, the thought of Kai and Wendy popped into my mind and that was my sign to reach out to Kai and check in with him.
We cover a huge range of topics on this from Parkour to Cryptocurrency, to starting your own businesses, not to mention his story with Wendy, dealing with grief, coping with loss and much more. There are some pretty heavy themes in this one, however I hope you all find something good in this episode.
Links:
Stunner Boutique: https://www.instagram.com/stunnerboutique/
Saiyan Evolution: https://www.instagram.com/saiyanevolution/
In this episode I sat down with Craig Kelly, no doubt a somewhat controversial guest depending on your political leanings or maybe even your social media algorithm.
That said, people often only see the person portrayed to them by the media they consume. In that regard I always try to take people in terms of my interactions with them and I generally think that's a better gauge of a person's character.
With the Federal election announced for the 3rd May 2025, it's time for Aussie's to go to the polls again to have their say on the direction that they would like the country to go towards.
In full disclosure - I do have a current General Membership in the Libertarian Party however the nature of this episode wasn't to say you should do this or that, more to share Craig's story and to allow him to articulate his perspectives and some of the things he has gone through in recent years.
Likewise, some of the information we discuss in this episode deserves citations as we were talking off the cuff so some of the numbers might be slightly off (for e.g. me and the government debt number!)
Australian Gross Debt (see pg 6): https://budget.gov.au/content/overview/download/budget-overview.pdf
Gross debt at $1,022 bn for 25-26 Fiscal Year
Global Greening: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/carbon-dioxide-fertilization-greening-earth-study-finds/
Australia contributes just over 1% of global emissions: https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-QA/Sources-of-CO2#:~:text=Australia's%20contribution%20to%20global%20greenhouse,waste%202.9%20per%20cent.
Rising construction costs and Insurnace costs: https://tridentinsurance.com.au/protecting-your-commercial-property-the-impact-of-increased-building-costs-on-insurance-coverage/#:~:text=Building%20costs%20have%20been%20on,or%20even%20cover%20necessary%20repairs.
https://www.corelogic.com.au/news-research/news/2025/annual-change-in-construction-costs-picks-up-pace#:~:text=Research%20News%20%E2%80%A2%2021%20Jan,shifting%20the%20annual%20trend%20higher.
Impact of smaller sized boxes for Stevensen Screens: https://www.waclimate.net/stevenson-sizes.pdf
Impact of the Liddel Power station closure: https://www.macfarlanegenerators.com.au/blog/Liddell-power-station-closure-risk
AGL's rejection of Alinta offer and closes Liddell: https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/agl-rejects-alinta-offer-for-liddell-power-station-20180521-p4zghf.html
Ivermectin for COVID-19: Addressing Potential Bias and Medical Fraud https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/9/2/ofab645/6509922?login=false Pharmaceutical companies made billions from the pandemic: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/REVENUES/znvnbkldqvl/
Hate Crimes Bill: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fems%2Fr7240_ems_5018e217-732d-4cdc-8c9d-45c46fd58bd1%22
Links:
Craig Kelly on X: https://x.com/craigkellyxxx
Libertarian Party: https://www.libertarians.org.au/
In this episode I sat down with Chris Casaceli at Gracie Sutherland Shire.
Chris has probably had the most Subversion matches and is back in action this Saturday at Subversion Paradigm.
That said it was great to chat with Chris and share some of his stories from grieving the loss of his father through to his experience on the TV show - 'The Crew'.
Enjoy!
Links:
Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscasaceli/
Akuma fightwear: https://www.instagram.com/akumafightwear/
Gunamatta Constructions: https://www.instagram.com/gunnamatta_constructions/
Doyle Electrical: https://www.instagram.com/doyleelectrical/
Loan Options: https://www.instagram.com/loanoptions.ai/
Think Again Tattoos: https://www.instagram.com/thinkagainlaserclinic/
In this episode I caught up with Josh Allsopp from Kumite Jiu Jitsu prior to his match at Battlegrounds in Perth, Western Australia.
Josh is a jiu jitsu coach and competitor who basically trains so he can eat. Jokes aside, Josh has always found a way to learn things efficiently, from getting good at Call of Duty to getting to experience the UFC through winning a competition from gaming.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.kumitejiujitsu.com.au/
https://www.patreon.com/secretkumite?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaavTks_SsQz8gsp_IGsd0NLcR5Rlmc7iDUBqBipNTVAL-ma-M_7Gxz7H6s_aem_eGK3js4OmG40mPFh9mc1NA
In this video I sat down with Jennifer Gurry, the CEO and founder of Diamond Women Australia.
Diamond women is a not for profit that aims to support women through unplanned pregnancies to find a village of support and assist them through their choices in a safe and welcoming environment.
Jenny has a great story and it's a pleasure to be able to share this episode about the work that Diamond Women do and the genesis story of the organisation.
If you want to support them please check out the links below: https://www.diamondwomen.com.au/
https://heidigroup.org/
In this episode I sat down with Junda Khoo one of the minds behind the Ho Jiak restaurants in Sydney.
Originally from Malaysia, it was nice to chat with Junda and have him share his stories from being bullied to getting involved with gangs and leaving Malaysia, to coming to Australia and learning by doing.
Without classical 'chef' training, it goes to show that if you have the drive to do something you can get it done.
We cover a wide range of topics in this discussion from building business to relationships, cooking, franchise / licensing models, 'Young and Dangerous' and much more.
Enjoy!
Links:
Junda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jundakhoo_hojiak/
https://www.hojiak.com.au/
Junda's Book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Ho-Jiak-Malaysia-Junda-Khoo/dp/1743799357
https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/city-file/article/why-will-people-pay-30-pasta-not-char-kway-teow
In this episode I sat down with Dr Emma Wood, a PhD of Philosophy to chat about a wide range of topics from Women's rights to Moral error theory to abortion & more.
Emma is a wealth of knowledge and it was great to listen to her articulate her thoughts and ponderings on a huge range of issues.
It gave me quite a bit to process (and I'm still processing!) but I hope you all enjoy this conversation and if your head hurts, that's ok, you're not alone - I hope it gives you some things to philosophize on!
Links:
Dr Emma Wood's Paper on Moral Error Theory: https://independent.academia.edu/EmmaWood103
Article from Women's forum: https://www.womensforumaustralia.org/facing_unthinkable_challenges_about_the_meaning_of_love
Sophie's World (Book recommendation): https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-au/products/sophie-s-world-book-jostein-gaarder-9781857995879?sku=GOR001273579&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAh6y9BhBREiwApBLHC65wpjhAJhRGDNWepBBqiMV52bPrJ2h73Pf0KdGG3bKDisQQ0dxNJhoCAHMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The Rights of Women: Reclaiming a lost vision: https://www.amazon.com.au/Rights-Women-Reclaiming-Lost-Vision/dp/0268200815
Campion College: https://www.campion.edu.au/
Womens Forum Australia: https://www.womensforumaustralia.org/
Maiden Mother Matriarch: https://www.louiseperry.co.uk/
Hi Everyone!
Here's an episode I recorded with Hope Tabak!
Hope is a parent, a coach, a competitor and so much more.
It was great to be able to sit down with her to share her journey through faith, jiu jitsu, health and so much more.
Health is one of those things that when there's no glaring problem in our life we often take for granted however when we do experience a health issue there's no greater gift than to get healthy again.
I hope you all enjoy this conversation!
Links:
Hope on Socials: https://www.instagram.com/hopebjj/
Hope's Sponsor: https://www.instagram.com/alchemicalfightwear/
Kumite: https://www.instagram.com/kumitejiujitsu/
Hope's Health Consulting: https://www.instagram.com/functionally.well/
Australian Girls in Gi: https://www.instagram.com/australiangirlsingi/
In this episode I sat down with Raphael Rodrigues at the new Grappling Education 2.0 Pit!
Raph teaches classes at Grappling Education and is a wealth of knowledge & experience having decided early on to make Jiu Jitsu a career.
From Rio to Singapore to San Diego, Rafael has been fortunate to travel, learn, compete and now coach Jiu Jitsu.
Raphael actually started Jiu Jitsu because he has a fraternal twin (who stole all the physicality genetics) and so had to keep up by training.
We talk about what makes ATOS special, jiu jitsu training, competing and much more.
Enjoy!
Links:
Raph on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raphaelrodriguesbjj/
Grappling Education on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grapplingeducation/
Locals Jiu Jitsu: https://www.instagram.com/localszetland/
Raphael's Gi Sponsor: https://www.instagram.com/fightaestheticau/
Raph's S&C: https://www.instagram.com/electrum_performance/
Raph's Twin: https://www.instagram.com/theprogressiveoverlord/
Hi Everyone!
In this episode I headed out to Partizan Grappling in Kingsford to chat with Lachlan Jarrah & Benjamin Marks!
We talk about the transition from Compound Grappling to Partizan Grappling, building a social media presence, content strategy as well as delve into topics around jiu jitsu learning, teaching methods and more.
The guys run a mastergroup for athletes looking to grow their socials and it was great to have them share some of their stories.
If you're interested check the links below:
https://www.youtube.com/@Partizangrappling
Partizan Grappling on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/partizangrappling/
Lachlan Jarrah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lachj89/
Ben Marks on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjamin_marks1/
Partizan Grappling Website: https://partizangrappling.com/
Free Partizan Grappling Newsletter: https://partizangrappling.kit.com/6286852799?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZFBzhggSbm-ESerYexiRKNAMjK7LjptJ1LeXkEKtFLsQskvCN41CvDETU_aem_1Ir-4nDhu4XdxCJ4D8lvBw
In this episode I sat down with Samuel Beatty, an Actor, Hip Hop Dancer, Martial Artist, Rapper and more!
Sam and I first met working on a fight show in commentary together and Sam is so full of personality that there was bound to be some stories behind him.
From growing up in New York to losing his family when he was young through to finding Chinese Kung Fu Cinema, Hip Hop Dancing, Ballet and more we still have so much more to the story to cover (stay tuned for part 2!).
That said, it was great to listen to Sam's recollection of growing up and his experience of what that time of life was like.
Enjoy!
Links:
Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/internalchineseboxing/
Sam on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0NReVvfHxlNOZrXbXkFfHG?si=ak4S77liRuK4DMeBaD2Apg
Alpha Medici: https://www.aliveshoes.com/alpha-medici-7?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYwIU9d5cKJ8sh9G-lcsSywE91GnO1NDkJsDwnwALv2T976bOtjqMxJEOw_aem_qQTbct2Gueb8prbVcG74TA
Mad Monkey Kung Fu Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3UXdlbrcFk
In this episode I sat down with Katie Rose Mitchell, the current #6 WBC Ranked in the World (61kg) & the #1 Ranked in Australia at 61kg!
Katie recently won the Hardcore Promotions 8 Woman Eliminator, securing herself $20,000 and the 60kg Muay Ying Title!
As such it was great to be able to sit down with Katie and chat about her story, her mindset and the moments that have gotten her to this point.
This chat was a lot of fun and I hope you all enjoy thi episode!
Links:
Katie Rose on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katierose144/
WBC Rankings: https://www.wbcmuaythai.com/female
Hardcore Promotions 8 Woman Eliminator: https://www.livecombatsports.com.au/live-ppv?id=4937074
In this episode I sit down with a training buddy and friend of mine - Tony Tran.
It's always amazing the people you meet on the mats and the stories they have behind them. Tony shared a few snippets of some of his experiences in policing and I wanted to get him onto the podcast to share his stories.
Policing is one of those occupations where you can have a very strained relationship with the public with people who may not respect the line of work, yet it's an absolutely necessary role in society that I think deserves a lot of respect and commendation for.
I hope that in Tony sharing these stories more people can appreciate the things our support services face on a daily basis.
There are some pretty morbid stories in this one so I guess this is my little warning for the listeners.
The other important outtake from this episode is the importance of jiu jitsu or martial arts training in relation to policing.
Tony admits himself that without his Jiu Jitsu training that perhaps some things may not have gone the right way to keep him alive today.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/tonzbjj/
https://www.instagram.com/grapplingeducation/
https://www.instagram.com/the.grappling.lab/
https://www.instagram.com/ganbaru_kimonos/
In this episode I sat down with the freshly minted 2 x ADCC Gold medalling Adele Fornarino!
Adele's accolades speak for themselves however it was really good to sit down with her and chat about her journey including navigating coach / student relationships, people pleasing, mindset and more.
Just as how we as people grow, our relationships grow with the people around us and I felt like this was an important theme that Adele and I discuss.
Adele takes a very professional approach to the sport, bringing on board people in specialised capacities that allow her to focus on what she does best.
Enjoy!
Links:
Adele on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adelefornarino/
Jake O'Driscoll's Episode with Johnny: https://youtu.be/a3qAUiJjXIg?si=IvmEkuDGB31O2i83
Adele's Manager - Sara Rafferty: https://www.instagram.com/a_rafferty/
Bulletproof for BJJ: https://www.instagram.com/bulletproofforbjj/ Stay tuned for Adele's Instructionals: https://submeta.io/ The Fight Dietition: https://www.instagram.com/the_fightdietitian/
In this episode I sat down with Aaron De Castro, of Boxclass Smithfield / Smeaton Grange!
I first met Aaron from being referred to MC their in house boxing challenge event. It was an amazing vibe and a true credit to the vision that Aaron and his team want to achieve.
In this episode Aaron and I discuss Personal training and discuss the most important things about running a coaching business which may not be what people would think of is important when running a fitness business.
We go through the journey all the way to the genesis of Boxclass and I appreciate Aaron for sharing his stories with us!
Enjoy!
Links:
Aaron on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach.azza
https://www.boxclass.co/
Boxclass on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boxclassau
Top Spasojev: https://www.instagram.com/topspasojev/
In this episode I caught up with rising One Championship contender - Isi Fitikefu.
From growing up in South Auckland to moving to Australia to pursue Rugby League, Isi is a soft spoken athlete who definitely prefers to let his fists do the talking.
That said, it was great to be able to chat with him and have him open up about his experiences, from getting bullied on his first day of school (and the repercussions for his bully) through to his first attempts at trying to go to Jiu Jitsu.
As stable mates with fellow Aussie Middleweights Jacob Malkoun and Robert Whittaker, It was also great to talk about his most recent outing at One 168 in Denver Colorado against Hiroyuki Testuka and how his coach Alex Prates was able to get Isi into another frame of mind by knowing what's important to Isi and fighting.
One of the most beautiful moments of this podcast was being able to bond with Isi around being a father, I hope you all enjoy the episode!
Links:
Isi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isidoxz
Isi's Tapology: https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/61092-isi-fitikefu
Gym: https://camdenvalleywrestling.com.au/
Gym: https://graciesmeatongrange.com.au/
In this episode I sat down with Trekko before the Australian Grappling Federation's Event #1
This was an event designed to put more money in the Athlete's pockets with 4 x $1,000 Jiu Jitsu 8 man brackets.
As such, the event was inspired by Trekko's own experiences doing it tough trying to make ends meet whilst competing, to try and create something that would put more money back into the competitor's pockets.
If you're interested to see some of the best grapplers compete for the $1,000 prize you can rewatch the action here: https://kombatants.com/videos/australian-grappling-federation/agf-1/
Trekko was one of the early generation MMA fighters in Australia so it was awesome to be able to sit down and listen to his stories, from growing up in Rio de Janeiro to coming to Australia, training, competing and much more.
I had the pleasure of MCing and Commentating for this event and I look forward to being involved with more Australian Grappling Federation events in the future.
Enjoy!
Links: Australian Grappling Federation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausgrapplingfederation/
Event #1 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/event1_aus/
Trekko's Sherdog: https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Bernardo-Magalhaes-26495
Event #1 website: https://event1.com.au/
Life BJJ: https://www.instagram.com/lifebjjau/
In this episode I catch with Coach Ray Morcomb!
If he sounds familiar, he should! He was on the podcast back in Episode 99 where we spoke about his life and growing up as a legally blind karateka.
If you missed that episode you can check it out at the links below.
In this one, we chat about his recent experiences cornering fighters in One Championship and the UFC and talk about a lot of the stories behind the scenes. It's amazing the amount of experiences Ray has had in a year and it's a pleasure to catch up with him.
Enjoy!
Links:
Ray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raymorcomb/
MMAFFT on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmafft
Episode #99 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FHTp273wUQ
Episode #99 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Wbl0Ug976WeFDDDJsmxmK?si=722b4be5188f48d9
Episode #99 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ray-morcomb-para-karate-world-champion-being-the/id1491005647?i=1000617134960
In this episode I sit down with Jakub Kacenak, an amazing wrestling coach who coaches at Grappling Education and Origem BJJ in Sydney, Australia.
Jakub grew up in Slovakia and after getting introduced to wrestling by getting 'schooled' in his first session, fell in love with the sport.
We go through what life was like chasing the wrestling dream in Slovakia, from his experiences going to the Ossestian school of wrestling and experiencing world class talent and coaching, to competing and being recognised as Slovakia's top wrestler in 2011.
Jakub is the first to say he didn't have the 'traditional' wrestlers body, so it was really good to discuss how the influence of certain coaches helped him to find his own style that suited his body type which helped him to find his success in the sport.
It's also these experiences that shape Jakub's coaching style and his approach to the sport.
Even if you're not interested in wrestling, I hope you enjoy the insights into what life was like for Jakub going through what he did to get where he is today.
Enjoy!
Links:
Jakub on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakubkacenak/
In this episode I sit down with Ari Tabak from Kumite Jiu Jitsu. It was great to visit his new facility and roll 'in the woods' (much better than the 'cemetary') and chat with Ari about life, learning difficulties, Jiu Jitsu and much more in this episode.
One of the things that stuck with me from this podcast is how the time we spend with other people is a real exchange of 'spirit'. Put the right energy into your actions and you can really have a profound impact on people.
From training rooms to making Instructional videos with BJJ Fanatics, Ari has experienced a wealth of life in Jiu Jitsu, however more importantly, recognises that there is a wealth of life that comes not from what you do but how you do it.
Links:
Ari on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arieltabakbjj/
The Secret Kumite Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SecretKumite
Kumite jiu jitsu: https://www.kumitejiujitsu.com.au/
Ari on Youtube: @ArielTabak
Alchemical Fightwear: https://www.instagram.com/alchemicalfightwear/
In this episode I sit down with Tye Collier. From growing up in the small community of Tinonee to coming to Sydney and becoming a Shipwright, Tye was exposed to competition at a young age through field hockey.
It was great to chat with Tye and listen to his story, including some of the more difficult moments of life of dealing with drugs and alcohol.
Sometimes we take for granted how our environment can really shape our actions and it's also important to realise that we can change our environments and change our actions too.
We all love a good 'martial arts changed my life' story (or at least I do, so I hope you all enjoy this one!)
Links:
Tye on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyecollier.bjj/
Sponsor: https://www.instagram.com/kakutoculture/
Sponsor: https://www.instagram.com/benchmarkcanterbury/
Sponsor: https://www.instagram.com/hyperflyaustralia/
In this episode I sit down with an old training partner in Jason Augustine!
When I first met Jason he was a BIG dude. He's still big now, but mainly tall (and much skinnier).
That said, Jason definitely stands out due to his style, complexion and I guess most people nowadays would say he is a fairly confident guy.
Let's just say it wasn't always that way, from being around 130kg's and lacking confidence, losing all that weight through Mixed Martial Artsand bearing the scars of that on his body to gaining confidence and making his way onto the 'Sis is this your man' Facebook group (3 times).
That said, Jason has always been a really nice guy so it was fun to catch up with him, talk about his upcoming TV debut & more!
Enjoy!
Links:
Jason on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreadedmmaguy/
Marko has been a guest on the podcast before, however it's been a couple of years and we thought it would be great to catch up again to chat about all the things that have changed over time!
Marko is a wealth of knowledge and experience and it's great to listen to him break down his thoughts and ideas on a range of things, from business, to health and life.
If you have any health concerns that you'd like another opinion on, reach out to Marko and his team to see what kind of help you might be able to get.
Links:
Previous episode with Marko on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uA-B6M6otp0
Marko on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markosdailydose/
Marko on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC38xPiOYFWy2JJnkoTYbnQA
Health check: https://go.humanliwellness.com/healthcheck
Humanliwellness on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanliwellness/
Humanliwellness Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/539770719787941
In this episode I caught up with Steve Perceval - UFC Official, Martial Arts Coach, Grandfather and more!
Steve shares his story from growing up as one of five siblings to a single mother, to his different working careers through to becoming Australia's first official UFC Referee.
It's always difficult to be in positions where everyone can scrutinise your actions and I don't envy any Judge or Referee in combat sports! That said, Steve takes it all in his stride and really focuses on the people around him in life.
I also found it interesting to hear his stories from pawn broking, sign writing to starting in Hapkido to the impact that a 'friend' can have on your life. Everyone needs an 'Eddie' that ignites that little bit of fire within them.
We cover a lot of ground and I hope you all enjoy Steve's story!
Links:
Steve on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Steve-Perceval-MMA-Official-100063746582317/
UFA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ufamartialartsacademy/
Alta: https://www.trainalta.com/
Steve on Sherdog: https://www.sherdog.com/referee/Steve-Perceval-1091
In this episode, I sit down with 'Asian Street Jesus' aka Winston Hong, a fairly noticeable guy if you've ever been to the Sydney Jiu Jitsu comps.
Winston and I actually have some common friends so it was great to finally sit down and chat.
From growing up in Singapore and the expectations of Asian parents, through to leaving a potential career in Engineering to pursue Jiu Jitsu, Winston was really bitten by the Jiu Jitsu bug and found a way to make ends meet through doing additional hours with side gigs and refereeing.
We also talk about his experience in Military Service (which is mandatory in Singapore) and his serendipitous experience of finding someone who was involved in a psyche study at University.
We also talk about his mindset of competing and his approach to coaching, pizza making and much more, enjoy!
Links:
Winston on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winstonhbjj/
Ace Academy Jiu Jitsu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aceacademyjj_/
https://www.aceacademyjj.com.au/
PS. I realised when I listened back to this episode I mentioned me running from Serangoon to Bishan, it was actually from Serangoon to Ang Mo Kio (a little bit closer 😅) my recollection was off oops!
PPS. I missed mentioning a couple of other training partners when Winston was asking me about my martial arts background, so sorry! You guys know who you are though and I'm so grateful to have spent time with you all on the mats! 🙏
In this episode I sat down with Ian Schaffa, a pioneer of Australian MMA who had a storied career and fought in K-1 against one of my favourite fighters - Genki Sudo.
From Karate to the early days of training for MMA, Ian shares a bunch of stories from Australian MMA History, fighting in Japan, the Yakuza and much more.
One of the things I've kept reflecting on since this episode is the 'duality' of things, how things that are bad can also be good and so on.
Ian also speaks openly about fighting and some of the levers behind why he went down some of the pathways he did. That said, sometimes it's just one little thing that can click and lead to a life change.
The Street Buffet is also a great initiative that Ian started and there is some real insight in that the you can't necessarily 'help' other people who might be in less fortuante situations, but you can connect with them.
Ian has also started 'Goshu Promotions' - a combat sports promotion looking to put on exciting matches across mixed disciplines.
Links:
Ian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ianschaffa_smmash/
The Street Buffet on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestreetbuffet/
Brian Ebersole on the Lytes outs Podcast talking about the street fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncjAF38EkC8
https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/ian-james-schaffa-goshu-hurricane
Ian Schaffa vs Genki Sudo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq3OIbufsvE
In this episode I sat down with Jessica Troy of female Professional Wrestler.
Pro wrestling is a fairly niche sport - especially in Australia, however I definitely remember getting into wrestling as a kid and loving the acrobatic displays of athleticism that the wrestlers would showcase.
We go into her genesis story of how she got into wrestling and discuss the scene, the little things that you learn along the way, from costumes to the industry and the balance of performance and athleticism.
PS. I've been a bit behind in getting episodes up, however Jessica is a regular feature on PWA shows so make sure you check her out!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/jessicatroypro/
https://www.prowrestlingaustralia.com.au/events
In this episode I sat down with Ryan Dunstan of Ignite Sunshine Coast.
Ryan has been building his team the Dunstan Death Squad for a while and it was great to be able to it and chat with him to learn about his background and the influences that inspire his coaching and approach to it.
From being in a metal band to the 51 Elite system, we talk about a range of topics that include fighting, cricket, coaching and more.
One of the things I really like about Ryan's approach is the focus on depth in his training room. With fighters competing all around the country at different shows, Ryan made a point of ensuring that his senior team members were capable of cornering and assisting the junior members of the team to ensure that when he was unavailable the show could always go on and opportunities were not missed.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/dunstandeathsquad/
https://www.discogs.com/release/26378597-Astroboi-Astroboi
https://www.instagram.com/ignite.sunshinecoast/
https://www.instagram.com/gamebredacademy/
In this episode I sit down with the Head Coach of Freestyle MMA, Joe Lopez to chat about a bunch of different topics from the Freestyle MMA origin story, to Fr. Maurie Crocker a former Pro Boxer, soldier and priest who fought to expose abuse in the church.
Joe was kind enough to share his time to talk about his experiences starting a security company through to his experiences coaching MMA GOAT Alex Volkanosvki, building up the team at Freestyle and their relationship with the worlds second best grappler - Craig Jones
One of the things that really stands out for me, is that despite all the achievements and accolades that his students have had, Joe is so down to earth and focused on wanting the best for his students.
I know Joe doesn't often do these kinds of podcasts so it's my honour to be able to share this conversation with you all, enjoy!
Make sure you tune into Wollongong Wars 11 this Friday 7th June 2024!
PS. if anyone speaks Spanish, you will probably appreciate Joe's massive grin at the end
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/freestyle_mma/
https://www.instagram.com/wollongong_wars/
https://www.facebook.com/crockersgym/
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1813760/wollongong-whistleblower-priest-treated-poorly/
In this episode Kaine Wilken joins me to chat about life, arborism, jiu jitsu and more!
Kaine has recently started his own Jiu Jitsu Academy - Reign Grappling Club in the Sutherland Shire so it was a good opportunity to see his space and chat to him about his own experiences with martial arts, life and more!
From growing up in a small town and experiencing bullying to bodyboarding, dealing with anger, history and more, we chat about a whole range of topics in true podcast fashion!
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/reigngrapplingclub/
https://www.instagram.com/wilkojiujitsu/
I first met Perry a couple of years ago at his second MMA fight. It's amazing to see how much people can grow in a short period of time. I actually did a little interview with him backstage and he was such a quiet kid that Josh Culibao (as his corner) was there poking fun at him.
From living in Japan & starting his own little backyard fight promotion to deciding to come back to Australia by himself to find his own way, Perry is a committed guy chasing his goals.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/perry.jamesprivate/
I recently caught up with Jake O'Driscoll when he was in Sydney for Subversion.
It was great to be able to sit down with him and chat about life, from family to his experience leaving AFL to pursue Jiu Jitsu, starting his own academy, picking a fight with Sonny Bill Williams and much more
I'm really blessed to have conversations like this, I apologise for the technical issue with the video, the most important thing is that the audio is all there, so I hope you enjoy this conversation and listening to the insights that Jake shared.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/jakeod_essencebjj/
https://essencebjj.com.au/
https://linktr.ee/essencebjj
Hi Everyone!
In this episode I sat down with Coopar 'Rush' Royal. A talented mixed martial artist who is fighting this weekend at One Championship!
People often think that Coopar has a traditional martial arts background, however his 'style' is actually from him incorporating the movements of his favourite fighters into his own game.
Growing up in Rockhampton and not having the best influences around him as he was going through school and it's the realisation that he was always chasing the 'rush' that led him to find martial arts.
Anyway, make sure you tune in and watch Coopar in action again this Friday!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/rushthefighter/
https://www.onefc.com/athletes/coopar-royal/
In this episode I sat down with Josh O'brien, a young hungry MMA athlete who is not afraid to chase his dreams.
I enjoy chatting with people at all different stages of the journey as anyone who has chased something would know that feeling of dreaming big and trying to find a way to put it together.
I actually commentated Josh's first fight alongside @SonnyBrown at Wollongong Wars and it's interesting to reflect on Josh being so active despite being early in his career in the sport.
If anything, I also found that this conversation made me even more interested to follow his journey. There are plenty of people who would dismiss other people for having big aspirations, however I think one of the exciting things in life is that there are no guarantees of how it all pans out.
Shout out to Rival Gym Castle Hill for letting us use their space to record - apologies if there is a bit of background noise!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/joshobrien11/
https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/386163-joshua-o-brien
In this episode I sat down with James O'Leary of Undisputed Performance & Rehab, a qualified physio, PT and strength and conditioning coach who also runs these 'project' style challenges that allow people to build strength / skill, get fit among likeminded individuals.
The other guest in this episode was Cameron Scott, a registered Nurse who is a Bobsled (bobsleigh) pilot who is looking to compete at the olympics in this crazy sport.
I think for most people our introduction to the sport is the movie 'Cool Runnings' and it was really cool (pun intended) to chat with the boys to talk about the sport, how the strength & conditioning / training impacts their performance in the sport and also to just see 2 guys who have been friends for a long time interact with each other.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/cameronscott333/
https://www.instagram.com/jamesolearyphysio/
https://www.instagram.com/undisputedpr/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/670687475206765/?ref=share&mibextid=K35XfP
https://undisputedpr.com/
In this episode I sat down with Janice 'Ling Ling', a training partner and friend who I've had plenty of great conversations with.
It's always interesting to find out more about people so aside from knowing her skills in the training room it was fun to chat with her about a broad range of topics, from her experiences with skydiving to motorbikes, Janice is the kind of person to go deep when she gets into something.
She's also full of great stories from punching her skydiving instructor in the face to having a motorbike getting set on fire to writing articles for a men's magazine.
Janice also creates some ridiculous (yet informative) jiu jitsu content and is available for jiu jitsu coaching!
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/cutiep1e666/
In this episode I sat down with Rebecca Fitzgerald, an engineer, potter, mother of twins, time traveler (jokes!) & more.
I know Bec through Jiu Jitsu as she's a serial competitor who just loves the sport. It's great to see people getting bitten by the combat sports bug at any stage in life. That said, life isn't always easy. From experiencing difficulties with fertility to going through rounds of IVF to a pleasant shock of ending up with twins, it's nice that Bec was willing to share her experience on such a difficult topic.
Bec also started her working life as an accountant, before walking away from a career with a 'big 4' accounting firm to pursue engineering.
We also chat about sustainability, her pottery ventures and a whole bunch more!
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/becfitzjitz/
https://www.instagram.com/hi_there_chuchu/
Hi Everyone,
In this episode, I got to sit down with Ben10 Nguyen, a former top 8 UFC Flyweight and it was really cool to actually be able have Brian Ebersole sit in with us at the start to talk about this crazy moment that changed the trajectory of Ben's entire life.
From growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to being the non-academic sibling, Ben had been fighting for a while and was at this point of deciding whether he was going to settle into a more 'normal' life when he received a call from Brian Ebersole at Tiger Muay Thai.
Ben also went viral for his fight against Julian Wallace and was featured on Lawrence Kenshin's Striking Breakdowns and it was cool to listen to his mindset going into that fight.
Nowadays Ben spends most of his time coaching and is a great wealth of knowledge for MMA - if you're interested in those things check out the links below!
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/ben10mma/
https://www.instagram.com/strykemma
In this episode I sat down with Danie Dynamite, a content creator who also has an upcoming Combat Jiu Jitsu match at Fusion Fighting Championship.
From a negative experience in school that led her to working in hospitality and event management to getting into rave music, DJing and through to dog grooming, Danie eventually found her way to Wimp 2 Warrior (now called Train Alta)
Little did she know that this little program would change her life and ignite her passion from combat sports and Jiu Jitsu.
It's always difficult to align the things you love with the things we have to do for work, so it's also pretty cool to see other people making a go of the things that they love. As such, seeing Danie get opportunities from something she enjoys is a great example for people to realise it can be done!
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/danie__dynamite/
https://www.instagram.com/fusionchampionship/
Hi All!
In this episode I sat down with the 'Duke of Canberra' - Duke Didier.
It was awesome to listen to his journey of pursuing the Olympic dream from grieving a missed goal and self-medicating to re-framing and setting new goals.
Duke is currently signed to One Championship and should be returning to the big stage again soon.
We also discuss starting a Martial Arts & Fitness gym - Progression MMA in Canberra to fixing the vein structures in his legs and so much more.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/duke_didier/
https://www.instagram.com/progression_mma
In this episode I sat down with Colby Thicknesse, a professional mixed martial artist fighting out of Freestyle Fighting gym in Windang.
It was fun to chat with him about life, from being a twin to having the competitiveness of wrestling drive a small wedge between them to his mindset, approach to injuries, his mindset and so much more.
With an upcoming bout at Hex Fight Series against Michael Mannu, I'm excited for 'Slickness' to get back in there and do his thing.
It was also cool to chat about the early days at Freestyle, before Alex Volkanovksi was the champ and it was a small room of core people grinding away from the shining lights to having some of the best martial artists in the world coming to the gym to help and share their knowledge and insights.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/colbythicknesse
https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/166902-colby-thicknesse
https://hexfightseries.com/
In this episode I sat down with Gabriel Antonio Teixeira Dos Santos (a mouthful of a name right).
I didn't realise part of the reason the names could get so long was due to the inclusion of the parents surnames in the kids names, it's always interesting to come across these cultural norms.
There was a particular memory that Gabe shared with me of seeing his mother crying and tearing up photos when he was a young child that brought this memory to the surface for me of seeing a very similar thing with my own mother when I was maybe 16 or 17.
There's something so raw about that memory that it definitely forms a part of my person today.
Anyway, Gabriel is a really great person to train with and it's always admirable to find people who are pursuing a better life.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/gabreubjj
In this episode I sat down with Dori Duncan, a professional female Muay Thai athlete (#13 in the World Female Featherweight rankings) who has an upcoming fight against the #1 contender Judy Humber on the 24th February 2024.
Shout out to Kristof from Strive Dietetics who connected Dori and I, it was great to sit down with Dori to talk about all things life, mindset, training, working, having a sibling 11 years older and delving deep into the world of being a Professional Female Muay Thai Athlete.
It's always difficult for an athlete to balance pursuing their competitive goals wholeheartedly and having some form of a living at the same time and it's probably even more difficult for female athletes, as such it was great to talk with Dori about the balancing act she plays whilst also doing her best to promote female participation in the sport.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.wbcmuaythai.com/female
https://www.instagram.com/duncbuns
https://www.instagram.com/muay.thai.league/
https://www.instagram.com/teamedmondsoncoaching/
In this episode I sat down with Fran Bavaro, a female jiu jitsu athlete who coaches, competes and also works in aged care.
Fran describes herself as the 'slightly more forgotten' middle child which no doubt has played a role in her perspective on things and it was really interesting to talk about how she had to analyse herself for her tertiary studies.
We often forget how fortunate we are in a 1st world country, so it was interesting to listen to Fran's perspectives on humanitarianism and 'volunteerism'.
One of the other things I really appreciate about this conversation is the candour that Fran provides in sharing her own stories and struggles.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/franbavaro/
https://www.instagram.com/australiangirlsingi/
PS. The book I was referencing was the Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley
In this episode I sat down with Finn Canning the 'Guardian of Gi' and Frederick Daniel.
I always enjoy chatting to younger athletes as they pursue their goals. From Jiu Jitsu to general degeneracy, betting on the UFC to finding lucrative side hustles in the Sneaker game, this was a really fun conversation with a couple of guys who really love the sport.
Finn, despite being a serial guard puller actually started with Judo. As a smaller kid, he was looking for a way to not get pushed around and found his way into combat sports.
Freddie never surprises me with some of the stories he pulls out, from talking to women or his sneaker hustle, to watching endless amount of Jiu Jitsu.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/grapplingeducation/
https://www.instagram.com/finncanning/
https://www.instagram.com/frederickdaniel3/
https://www.instagram.com/grapple.mania/
In this episode I sit down with Gase Sanita - a Female Professional Mixed Martial Artist who in her amateur career won IMMAF worlds 2 years in a row.
It's amazing the different journeys people take in life, from being a mum early in life to finding martial arts as a way to get fit, fighting her way down from 95kg+ divisions to the Bantam / Feather divisions she competes in nowadays.
Gase is an amazing person, who grew up as one of the only Polynesian families in Christchurch, New Zealand.
There's so much in this episode that makes me appreciate the attitude and work ethic that Gase has, from her experience with post natal depression to her commitment to the sport.
I hope you enjoy this episode and support Gase in her career (if you like the fighting stuff)
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/gase_sanita11/
In this episode I sit down with Brian 'Bad Boy' Ebersole.
I remember watching Brian's fights and thinking that he must be such a wild dude that it's a little bit crazy to think how twists and turns and we've become good friends through working together.
I suppose when the guy used to shave an up arrow into his chest hair and throw cartwheel kicks in cage fights, what other impression are you meant to get?
I still remember at a local Showdown Fight night when I was getting involved in the local scene that I grabbed Brian backstage for a short interview and I asked him 'Have you got any advice for aspiring fighters?' and the response he gave me was something like 'dont do it how I did it'.
Brian is such a gentleman with a big heart that it's amazing to be able to share a conversation like this with him about his life, wrestling, travelling and much more.
Enjoy
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/brianebersole/
Hi Everyone!
In this episode I sit down with John Luhr, a father, jiu jitsu enthusiast, General Manager at a digital web and app development company and much more.
John is a great example of not judging a book by its cover. Despite his 'viking' like look, he works in a very intellectual field and always seemed to be a bit of an entrepreneur despite some fairly humble beginnings (to be fair, that's probably a product of circumstance).
I think that's fairly obvious when you see all the different businesses he's involved with from Puppi Lovers (dating apps) through to Oktion (Charity / donation apps)
It's always interesting when I do episodes like this to understand how people get to where they are in life and these episodes are such great snapshots of this particular moment in time.
Anyway, Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/thehalfguardprince/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-luhr/
https://digiground.com.au/
https://smartb.com.au/
https://oktion.com.au/
https://puppilovers.com/
Hi All!
In this episode I sit down with Luke Pezzutti, an OG of the MMA scene in Sydney. From his involvement in Cage Fighting Championship to the running of Lion's Den Academy, Luke has been involved with the sport for a very long time.
t was great to sit down and listen to his stories, from the early days of trying to learn Jiu Jitsu from the 'seminar' circuit, to his experiences with Hector Lombard, to the pressures of running the biggest promotion in Australia at the time - Cage Fighting Championship.
Today, Luke has a great promotion he runs - Superfight, however is focused on getting his current crop of athletes to the pinnacle of the sport.
Links:
https://www.lionsdenacademy.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSuperfight/
https://www.instagram.com/lions_den_academy/
In this episode I sat down with Cem Onur from Champ Mouthguards.
I always recommend that people who are getting into contact sports to have a fitted mouthguard.
Oddly enough, I had reached out to Cem a while back to do a podcast episode and it was a 'chance' meeting that allowed us to actually meet in real life to connect over business opportunities and to actually sit down and do this episode.
Shout out to Jesse from Legends gym who kindly lent us the space to do this.
I always find family dynamics to be something so intriguing, one of the beautiful things in life is the relationships we share with people and Cem has definitely got a special relationship with his mother.
I think this episode is also a great example how in life we're going to experience a range of careers - for Cem, logistics, real estate, finance and the dental prosthetics industries!
Anyway, enjoy!
Hi Everyone!
In this episode I sit down with Ali El Kheir from Sydney Wrestling Academy.
Ali also coaches one of my friends and teammates Gase Sanita (shoutout Gase!) and I remember years ago when lots of people in the Jiu Jitsu scene were talking about this blue belt on the scene.
As such, it was great to catch up to talk about a range of topics, from a talking parrot to family, his martial arts story as well as his upcoming match with Thalison Soares at the next Subversion event.
In an age where people are told to be 'all in' it's important to recognise that the 'what' we do in life should never be the 'first' thing in order of importance in our life.
Enjoy!
Links:
https://www.sydwrestling.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/gingjitsu/
https://www.instagram.com/subversion_jiujitsu/
In this episode I sit down with Anthony Doueihi to chat about his experience traversing the Camino de Santiago with no training.
To put this in perspective, Anthony walked around 1200 kilometres on his pilgrimmage.
There's obviously a lot of time for reflection when you're walking long distances by yourself so it was nice to chat with Anthony after his return and having the opportunity to reflect on certain parts of his journey.
From working as a Pastry chef through to Remedial building, faith, gratitude there are so many themes in this episode that I enjoyed and I hope you enjoy it too.
Hi All,
It would be kind of difficult to summarise all the topics of discussion in this episode. However if you like listening to stories, random talk about Jiu Jitsu, discussions around teaching, competing and some fairly crazy tangents, well this episode is for you.
Shout out to Hayden Limebeer for a little cameo towards the end as well.
Note: I got it wrong in the podcast it was actually Kevin Kelly who talked about the 1,000 true fans idea (link below:)
https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/jeremypaulskinner/
https://www.atomicdojo.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/bobbysandhubjj/
https://app.athletesocean.com/members/bobbybjj/
https://www.instagram.com/frederickdaniel3/
https://www.instagram.com/grapplingeducation/
Hi Everyone!
In this episode I chat with Josh Majdalani aka Locomotion Massage as he does some work on me.
One thing I realised after doing this episode is how hard it is to maintain your train of thought when you're in pain, however it's a good pain that needed to get worked on anyway.
Josh is an interesting guy and despite appearances is a massive teddy bear who with the advantage of weight is able to do good work with his massage therapies.
That said, Josh's story of how he came to this point is even more interesting, having worked as a corrections officer before getting in trouble for a bad habit with the white stuff.
From getting in trouble to sorting through PTSD and reflecting on his own journey, I think it's important to accept certain things that have happened in your life as they put you in frame for the things in your future.
As such, regret is one of those things that whilst a valid emotion, it doesn't help you to grow as a person if you repeatedly hang onto it.
Anyway, I tried my best to edit out the dead moments in this episode so I hope you all enjoy it!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/locomotion_massage/
https://grapplingeducation.com/performance/
https://www.instagram.com/joshie_trav/
Hi Everyone! In this episode Richy Walsh and I are in the car heading down to Canberra for a visit to an MMA gym, so it was a great opportunity for us to chat and record a podcast!
Apologies if the audio quality is a little different, I've tried my best to cut out all the background noise etc. (I actually find it a little odd trying to do a podcast without the microphone and the headphones on, but I'm trying to get better at it)
From fighting in the UFC to his work with the UFC Performance Institute, Richy has experienced some pretty amazing things and to be able to share his insights experiencing life after fighting is definitely something for all athletes to think about.
I'm really blessed to be able to spend time with not only great martial artists but just great people. This episode in reflection didn't really feel quite like a podcast and more like the kind of conversations Rich and I often have as we share ideas and perspectives on a whole range of issues.
There's something about getting to the tip of the spear in any given field that I think will resonate for a lot of people, enjoy!
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/richufc
In this episode I sat down with Sami Baki, a Jiu Jitsu Black belt, father, co-owner of Bankstown Martial arts.
I met Sami through commentating at one of the local MMA shows and I dropped in to visit him at Gracie Humaita Bankstown to chat.
Sami grew up as the middle child of 7 siblings and although it would be a fairly uncommon thing nowadays it was great to listen to him share his experiences growing up in a big family.
There's no shortage of stories in this one and it was great to listen to Sami share his experiences and also his thought process as things unfolded along the way.
Goal setting is also an important theme from this episode and Sami shares how approaching life in 5 year blocks allowed him to focus on Jiu Jitsu and subsequent life goals.
https://www.instagram.com/chewbakibjj/
https://www.bankstownmartialarts.com.au/
In this episode I sat down with Reid Reale - Director of Performance & Nutrition at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China during his recent trip to Australia to assist athletes for UFC 293.
Now if you're expecting a masterclass in weight cutting and nutrition for combat sports....
This episode won't be it, to be fair, Reid would have done more than his fair share of talking about nutrition and performance in other podcasts so the real takeaway on that front is that you simply can't overlook the basic pillars of eating good food, sleeping right and putting in the work.
If you did want to get these kinds of insights, you can find plenty of those resources in his published works here:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mXaxPcgAAAAJ&hl=en
Reid is widely considered an authority on the science of combat sports nutrition, however as you all know I'm interested in finding out the stories of how people actually end up where they are.
There's plenty of great stories in this one, so I hope you all enjoy it!
https://www.instagram.com/reidreale/
In this episode I sat down with Keller Locke-Sodhi of @grapplingeducation
I've built a bit of a relationship with Keller through Grapple Mania and Grappling education and part of the reason for us getting together was to talk about this idea he had to find some uniformity when we think of what 'distinction' would be in jiu jitsu.
I've always found Keller to be really thoughtful and always willing to invest himself to develop ideas to further the development of the sport. It was also interesting that despite us coming from polar opposite experiences in Martial Arts we have come to such similar conclusions.
I hope you enjoy this conversation!
Links:
https://grapplingeducation.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaENeSlNBt-vA5-kHY9DGWA
https://grapplingeducation.com/grapple-mania/
https://www.instagram.com/___kellerls__/
In this episode I chat with Meer Awny of Ethos Performance - a dedicated Strength & Conditioning facility for combat sports athletes.
Meer is a fairly intense guy, I think we nailed this down to his Kurdish heritage so it was interesting to chat with him and hear his experiences that led him to the pathway of focusing on S&C for combat sports.
Enjoy!
https://www.ethosperformance.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/ethos.performance/
In this episode I sit down with Voytek Szczepanik to talk about life, anxiety and so much more.
I remember Voytek mentioning that he had a gun pointed at him when he was 9 so when I had the opportunity to sit down with him I had to find out the reasons why.
Apologies for the delay in releasing this episode, life has been a little bit crazy of late, however I hope you all enjoy this episode!
In this episode I sat down with Michael Lyons and we spoke about some pretty heavy topics in this episode.
Most people would be familiar with the term PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, however Michael shared some insights into 'Moral Injury' that really made me think.
If you wanted to learn more about this topic see link below: https://moralinjuryinternational.com/about-us
That aside, as trivial as this might sound, I had never heard of the term '10 pound poms' so it was insightful to find out it only cost Michael 10 pounds to get to Australia (by plane I might add!)
Michael and I also shared a lot of common experiences having both being involved in the automotive industry, however I found his story of getting into Pastoral care work to be really interesting.
You all might have realised I enjoy talking about faith as a topic and this episode was fairly confronting to listen to Michael share his emotions at the loss of a son who was in his late 20's.
I hope you enjoy the listen.
In this episode I sat down with Martin Stark. A Keynote speaker, LinkedIn Top voice, boxer, founder of World Gay Boxing Championships and more.
I've always welcomed the chance to talk with people from all walks of life and it was interesting to listen to Martin's experiences and perspectives.
Often people are quick to judge someone based on a view they may have, or how they look or speak, however it is only through discussion we can break down the process of 'othering' people and foster real discussions.
I've no doubt there will be a range of perspectives on this conversation and I hope that people can listen, think critically and evaluate their own perspectives.
At the end of the day, we are all human beings and by starting with the things that we know are common to the human experience, we can appreciate how other people can formulate their perspectives as well.
Enjoy!
Martin Stark on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-stark-au/
In this episode, I sit down with Jude Kean and Hayden Limebeer for a quicker hour long power podcast.
Both of these guys are professional jiu jitsu athletes working their way through the scene. I often comment that one of the things I love about martial arts is the people that you meet and I feel like we got pretty deep in fairly short period of time.
We cover a lot of ground in this episode and I plan to do more of these to share a wide range of stories in a fairly fast style of podcast.
Enjoy!
Find the boys on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/judekeann/
https://www.instagram.com/haydenlimebeer/
In this episode I sat down with Kate Mclaren, NSW & Australiasian Welterweight Champion to talk about life and her journey from being the 'dumb' kid at school, to cutting hair to becoming a professional boxer.
Kate was fresh from calling the action on Fox Sports for the Female No Limt boxing night on the 26th July 2023.
For someone who has found boxing later in life, it's great to see the impact that movement had on her mindset and then her motivation (the pillars she espouses for her not for profit work)
I think another thing I really enjoyed about this episode is how Kate got herself away from the expectations of 'cutting hair is all you're capable of' to find her own pathway in life (in coming to Australia)
Anyway, enjoy!
If you wanted to find Kate - links are below: https://www.instagram.com/katemclarenboxer/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/itsher_ig/?hl=en
In this episode I sat down with Alexander Lattouf of @attapix
Inspired by Will Harris and @AnatomyofaFighter Alex has a love of combat sports and realising that there was a gap in the Australian scene, there' was no reason why he can't help to fill some of that voice.
You may have seen some of his work with Australian-Filipino UFC fighter Josh Culibao, or you might not know about him yet, however subscribe to his channel, give him a follow and it's always interesting to follow people as they grow and mature in both their abilities and as people.
I think this episode is also a great testament to going after things, with Alex putting a lot of his own money into following these fighters and sharing in these experiences with them.
With Alex being off to London to follow Josh Culibao and the Igor team in his upcoming fight against Lerone Murphy, it's always great to take an inside look at the behind the scenes action and the memories they encompass.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Kristof Szanto, a performance dietition with a masters in Dietetics.
Kristof grew up in Hungary before coming to Australia and it's often interesting to see what the difference in education systems are between different countries. Kristof made a comment about how in Australia, a lot of sport is extra curricular, whereas it was just a daily practice in Hungary.
Our parents sacrifice so much for us to give us a better life and Kristof's mum came to Australia first to try and establish herself to bring the family over and it was nice to reflect with Kristof on his appreciation for his mum.
From running a PT business to getting into the wharves, Kristof is a great example of niching yourself down to where your interests are to become a specialist.
It's also important to think about how you want your life to look as the key to any success is just being able to stay at it for a prolonged period of time.
Anyway, enjoy!
In this episode I sit with Steven Tripp, co-host of the Ex-Candidates Podcast.
Steven also ran in the 2022 federal election when I did and we talked about his experience with One Nation through campaigning and also about the value in having gone through the campaign and learning through the process of conversation.
I think another interesting thing that came up in this episode was to do with the lenses that we use as people to try and make sense of our lives and the things that happen throughout it. I had never really heard of the process of past life regression however I think it's an interesting concept especially if you think about things from a buddhist perspective.
All that aside, I hope that even if you're not politically minded that you do listen to this episode, irrespective of what your experience was throughout the pandemic it's so important that we can share perspectives, ideas and really challenge each other to grow.
The Ex-Candidates podcast links below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9zCjE0ZXfpvQcydqHSF6-g https://open.spotify.com/show/4GIXhHBogM1McL5EPGP3DT
In this episode, I sat down with Ray Morcomb of Evolution Martial arts.
Born with a vision impairment, Ray tried his best growing up to 'fit in', going to a regular school and trying to do what he could despite his lack of vision.
I met Ray through martial arts and when you see Ray move, the fluidity of his striking and the control he has over his body is a great thing to watch.
Most people today would only notice he might look a little cross eyed but have no idea that he would struggle to see who you are.
Being a smaller kid would make him the target of bullying and the way Ray is able to reflect on it is so admirable. Even to get together for our podcast, Ray caught the train, walked to where we recorded because he isn't allowed to drive.
Despite all of this, Ray never gave up on pursuing Martial arts, from his parents pushing him to Karate to help with the bullying, to training with boxing Australian royalty like Johnny Lewis, Kostya Tszyu and Gairy St Claire to not being able to find someone to sanction him to fight due to his vision.
I made this comment that although he may have been born with his eyesight as a 2/10, he has been blessed to really have great relationships in life.
Ray even runs a program at a local high school to offer Mixed Martial Arts to high school students as part of their sport program.
I really enjoyed this episode and I hope you all do as well.
Ray on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/raymorcomb/
Evolution Martial Arts:
https://www.instagram.com/binspiredmma/
Video about Ray:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulv0dzo5eeE
In this episode I sat down with Coach Hao from Ethos performance to discuss all things Strength & Conditioning in relation to combat sports.
A wealth of knowledge it was great to find out more about Haoson and his experience across Rugby League, Basketball and combat sports that informs how he tries to assist athletes find their optimal performance.
In a time where all athletes are looking to be at peak physical performance, it's great insurance to be well prepared - as the saying goes 'better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it'
Enjoy!
Ethos performance:
https://www.ethosperformance.com.au/
Coach Hao on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/coach_hao/?hl=en
In this episode, I sat down with Tarkyn Loloselo, a Jiu Jitsu athlete who actually found his way to Australia for Rugby League.
After getting injured in the sport young, he moved to Touch football before gaining opportunities to play for the feeder clubs to the NRL.
It was great to listen to Tarkyn's perspectives especially around getting out of his comfort zone to put himself in difficult situations to grow and also how his faith informs his journey as he moves into new chapters.
I also enjoy trying to see the parallels between industries and I never would have thought someone could use the mindset of tiling in Jiu Jitsu. Enjoy!
In this episode I sit with Jon Leven, owner of Customised Fitness Solutions, a Martial Arts Gym and training facility in the Shire.
Jon and I share a common background in that we trained in a more traditional background of Kung Fu and it's always fun to reflect on the lessons and mindsets that the different philosophies offer us.
This was a really wide ranging conversation talking about the various experiences from Jon's life, from cycling, working in security to fitting out trailer bodies to fighting mma in his late 40's!
Enjoy!
'The Maker Jack' looks to make his pro debut at the upcoming Beatdown Promotions event on the 24th June 2023.
Coming from Zimbabwe, Alfred didn't realise how much of a culture shock life in Australia would be and funnily enough, the way he spent the time to deal with it, was being holed up in his room on forums reflecting on what the other keyboard warriors would say and how they would interact with each other.
That said, Alfred definitely doesn't have an issue talking with people, this was a really fun conversation, I hope you all enjoy it!
In this episode I sit down with professional boxer Youssef 'Uwee' Dib.
Although he found it difficult to find fights in his amateur career, likely due to the success of his brother in the Professional Boxing scene (Billy Dib), Uwee has also had the passion for boxing for a long time as well.
The youngest of 7 siblings, we talk about a whole range of topics, from religion / faith through to having a son born prematurely and coping as a father when the doctors tell you your son will never be able to walk...
It's always amazing the road that life will take us, and I often think at every step of the way we are challenged to question whether we walk away from faith or closer to it as a result.
There are many pathways to the top of the mountain and for someone like Uwee who is aspiring for the top, I'm really interested to see what is in store for him in the coming years.
If you aren't already following him on socials his link is below: https://www.instagram.com/uwee_dib/
In this episode I sit with Liam and Dylan Resnekov, brothers who founded VT1 Martial arts. It's always interesting to watch the dynamics between siblings and I cut out an awkward moment between these 2 in the episode (see if you can guess where!)
That said, for 2 brothers with parents who were passionate martial artists, they both invested heavily into their own martial arts journeys, funding numerous trips overseas to try and obtain the best knowledge they could find.
One such trip almost cost Dylan his life, if not for Liam losing his credit card.
We cover a lot in this episode but I always find that we could no doubt have covered more if not for the sushi joint closing in 20 minutes.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this conversation...
If you missed my other podcast episode with Liam previously, you should check that out here:
https://youtu.be/ywwn9HsiDPI
Deacon Joshua Whicker MGL (Missionaries of God's Love) is being ordained to priesthood on the 28th April 2023.
I joked with Josh that he must be a popular guy at social gatherings as politics and religion are often the last topics people want to discuss given how conflicting different ideals could be.
That said, we talked a lot about his personal journey to pursuing faith and I think that most people will find in life a time when they either choose to come closer to faith or walk away from it.
Despite this, I think that all humans have this innate desire to find something faith based and in the absence of faith we fill these desires with varying ideologies, or disciplines.
Irrespective of what your position is on religion, I hope that there are some great thought starters here to ponder on.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with @stanleemma7833 Zach Stanley, a coach at VT1 Martial Arts Academy in Chatswood, Australia.
We got into a conversation about ADHD and Zach was very open and thoughtful about his experience with it and deciding that he needed to get back onto medication to assist him in managing it.
That said, Zach was also a military man and stumbled upon some youtube success with his martial arts videos.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with @bbma-barrabenamartialarts4518 and we talk about life, from growing up in a mixed environment of 2 extremes - Sweden and Chile to getting out of a negative environment and trying to find structure, martial arts and more.
Johnny is a sought after striking coach in Sydney, Australia, working with current UFC athlete Josh Culibao and many of the team through BBMA at both Igor's Martial Artsand Legends Gym.
Sometimes in life we don't get dealt the easiest hands however there are always positive influences we can draw from and negative ones we can learn what not to do from.
Enjoy!
In this episode, Renato and I caught up for a recap of IMMAF 2023 as well as a huge discussion around the current MMA scene in Sydney / Australia
A bit of a different episode as we covered the Renato's childhood and upbringing in the first episode, this one was more focused on current happenings and developments in MMA.
If you wanted to hear more about Renato's life check out the first episode (#46)
I feel like it is a really exciting time in the sport given the rapid rate of technical development we have seen and if you're interested in the Australian scene this is one to watch! Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Josh 'Kuya' Culbiao, a Filipino Australian Mixed Martial Arts fight currently contracted to the UFC's Featherweight division.
Coming off the high of a win at UFC 284 in Perth we had a wide ranging conversation that touched upon Josh's life growing up as the youngest of 4 brothers, the loss of his father and more importantly the support that his father gave him, becoming an expectant father through to just being like everyone else in the training room.
Although 'Kuya' is no stranger to media with everything he does to support his fighting career, I am so grateful to be able to share a different kind of conversation that I really enjoyed being a part of.
Enjoy!
Josh's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/joshculibao/
In this episode, I sit down with Orson McComish, a young teammate of mine who recently made his debut at XFC 63.
I really enjoy talking to people at all stages in life and chatting with Orson at this amazing juncture in his life where there is so much potential and so much opportunity ahead.
Despite being a smaller kid and being bullied throughout school, I remember talking to Orson at training after the video of him standing up to a bully went viral again and I asked him if he was still in contact with the kid that bullied him or had reached out to him, as often sometimes people have the alternative reaction of making the bully a new victim.
Thankfully Orson has a great head on his shoulders and despite being bullied he never became the bully with the martial arts skills he developed. If you're interested in following his journey follow @orsonmma on instagram!
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Vanessa Hadchiti, candidate for the Liberal Democrats for Canterbury at the upcoming State election in NSW 2023.
Vanessa and I first met through the UAP and we have such a great group of people who all still keep in contact and support each others endeavors.
What I really enjoy about Vanessa is that she has such a big heart and a beautiful smile, not to mention she's a smart woman as well, with a degree in Podiatry and a masters of infectious disease and international public health.
So if you want to learn about feet, or listen to her stories from her various Humanitarian trips or our perspectives on life and more, Enjoy!
I also bumbled a few references in this episode because I have too much in my brain... the recommended books / works from this episode I brought up are:
The Almanac of Naval Ravikant The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley the Dune Series of books from Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Enjoy!
In this episode I catch up with @logancole owner of All Out Gym in Bellambi (Wollongong).
Logan was actually my second guest on the podcast and if you haven't already seen the first episode check it out as it will give you a bit more an idea of who Logan is link is here:
https://youtu.be/Dw7UQjSgmmk
It's amazing what a difference a few years make given we last caught up in like December 2019 and now, in March 2023 so much has happened.
It's always fun to sit with people as we delve into their lives and share experiences and I think both Logan and I came away with some extra motivation to push ourselves a little bit more down the pathways we walk.
Apologies about the video cutting out in a couple of spots - don't worry the audio is all there (and that's the most important part!) Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with a very talented Hannah Baek Wha, a folkstyle artist who is actually holding her first exhibition later this month at Tea Angle in Marrickville.
We talk about her upbringing as an adoptee and some of the challenges she faced growing into the person she is now, having wrestled with her Korean / Asian heritage whilst growing up in a Caucasian household in Tasmania.
I never know what to expect when I speak to people, because the surface level conversations we make during small talk are definitely no comparison to getting into people's stories of how they have come to be where they are and I'm so grateful that people feel comfortable enough with me to share these things.
I think there are a lot of immigrants who did find it difficult growing up in western society, trying to 'fit in' but also trying to understand their heritage, so I hope this resonates for some of you!
Enjoy!
In this episode I sat down with Alex Carioti and Jacinta 'The Juggernaut' Austin ahead of her upcoming clash with Josefine Knuttsonat UAE Warriors 35.
It was fun to be in the room with these 2 and seeing the bond they have as athlete and coach.
Alex and I resonate on so many levels having had a more traditional martial arts style upbringing and we both enjoy the analytical aspects of the sport.
Jacinta is a very fun and driven athlete, something that would be quite innate to her given her ability to question things for herself when she was growing up.
I hope you enjoy this chat as we discuss the important things in their life that have led them to this point of the journey and don't forget to watch UAE Warriors 35 on Fight pass to see Jacinta in action!
Enjoy!
In this episode i sit down with Marko Papuckovski of https://humanliwellness.com/
Marko is a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and I met him through our training at Integrated Combat Centre. I really enjoyed this conversation as we talked about so many things, from the gut microbiome to holistic health, mindset, motivation, sales, faith and so much more
When we started talking about diet and health, there was something Marko commented on about sometimes it's not about what you add in, but what you take out and I've been thinking about how this actually parallels so many things in life.
As we get older and 'busier' with life, far too often we try and fit more and more in when the right action might be to take something out. It struck a chord with me...
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this wide ranging conversation as much as Marko and I enjoyed having it! You can find Marko at @markosdailydose on instagram.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit with @SonnyBrown to talk about his new venture in Apex MMA Brookvale.
We also talk about the genesis of the Sonny Brown breakdown, IT, & customer service, wrestling / jiu jitsu, fighting and our passion for study and commentary.
It’s always interesting how skills can transfer between industries and teaching in school and teaching in Martial Arts have such great synergies.
Sonny is also such a thoughtful guy that I really enjoy listening to his podcast as well.
Enjoy!
Hi Everyone,
In this episode I sit down with Alan 'Super Ali' Philpott at hte IGOR MMA Gym in Sydney. Alan is actually competing at Eternal 73 on the 11th February 2023 so it was nice to be able to sit down with him as his camp was winding down.
We talk about his travels as well as his growth and maturity as a person and as a fighter, having fought in the One Championship Warrior series and also the low points of his career as well.
It's only when we face these experiences head on can we find 'peace' within ourselves.
I first met Alan when we commented the first Silver Back Fight Series event held last October 2022 so I'm really looking forward to tuning in to his fight against Abdullah Biaydia!
Enjoy!
In this episode I'm back at Sydney West Martial Arts, this time to sit with Bobby Sandhu @bobbysandhubjj on instagram.
Bobby is a comedian and a grappler who I found has a very profound perspective and a real thoughtfulness to his approach to life.
From delivering value, to making people laugh, we cover a lot in this episode so I hope you can all kick back in the moment and just enjoy this conversation.
Enjoy!
In this episode I'm back out at Sydney West Martial Arts chatting to Josh Saunders (@) hpucoaching an Australian Jiu Jitsu athlete who after a very brief period in the sport qualified for the olympics of submission grappling - ADCC 2022
Josh is no stranger to podcasts, however it was interesting for me to sit down with him and ask the questions that interest me and we cover a lot of ground.
This is one to probably watch back a few times and take notes if you're interested in the topics we cover as these include: business, sport, coaching, performance enhancing drugs, relationships, religion and so much more.
I find it somewhat hilarious that at one point in life Josh wasn't the biggest kid around so it's one of those be careful who you mess with because you don't know what will happen when you get older!
That said, despite the look and the intense mindset, Josh is by no means jaded - in fact, his mindset is so focused on his goals, that it's only a matter of 'when' and not 'if' he achieves them.
These are the kinds of conversations that should light a fire within you (if you're so inclined) so it's time to knuckle down on the discipline you need to chase what you're going for!
Whether you believe you can or you can't, you're absolutely correct.
Check out Josh's linktree: https://linktr.ee/hpucoaching Enjoy!
In this episode, I sit down with Faine Mesquita, a software developer who is also going to represent Australia at the IMMAF worlds in Serbia in February 2023!
She has this quiet resilience about her that has no doubt been forged from her experience with bullying in her younger years, so it was nice to be able to sit down and find out more about her.
If you would like to support Fa as she goes to Serbia, make sure you reach out to her on Instagram @mesquita_mma
In this episode I sit down with Samir 'Tank' Ali, an upcoming fighter who will be representing Australia at the IMMAF Worlds in Serbia in February 2023.
It was interesting to sit with 'Tank' as he has a very stoic attitude about everything, guided by his faith, we talk about his martial arts journey, to him starting a business so that he could support himself to train and pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Daniel Mitchell, Australia's Bantamweight representative for the upcoming IMMAF Worlds in Serbia (2023)
We talk about how he got into Martial arts, how having a learning difficulty impacted his early years and led him down a pathway of sports and athletic endeavors
It's always interesting to see the different things people get involved with and there is no weirder combinations than bull riding / rodeo and plumbing.
The beautiful thing about finding an obsession early in life, is that by channeling that same energy you can apply it to so many other challenges.
If you would like to support Daniel, reach out to him on socials @daniel_thestorm_mitchell you never know - you might be sponsoring a future star of the Australian martial arts scene.
In this episode I sit down with Diogo from the the five 8 take.
Diogo and I have common friends and it was great to sit down, talk about a lot of things from podcasting to Jiu Jitsu, marketing, building a business, what it was like growing up in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and the move to Australia.
We caught up at Braddah Jiu Jitsu in Artarmon and it was fun to roll together afterwards to get some work in too (I'll do another video on this at a later point)
Enjoy!
In this episode, I sit down with Luke Martin from Sydney West Martial Arts academy.
Sydney West Martial Arts is one of the best BJJ schools in Sydney / Australia at the moment, having recently had 2 of their team members qualify for ADCC 2022 and compete in the olympics of no-gi grappling.
Luke is a very direct and to the point style of guy and I think that that ability to articulate to the point is a part of what makes him an excellent Jiu Jitsu coach. We went through a lot in this conversation and I apologise to all you listeners that I had to cut it short so I could fulfill my daddy day care obligations, however I hope you enjoy the topics of our conversation accordingly.
Luke is also competing in a submission cage grappling match at Wollongong Wars December 4th 2022 so be sure you check it out to watch him in action.
Woo boy,
In this episode i'm joined by Liam Resnekov from VT1 Martial Arts Academy in Chatswood, Australia. Liam is a BJJ Black belt who was born in South Africa, had parents who were Karate instructors and funnily enough made his MMA debut at XFC 2 many many years ago (for reference, I just competed recently at XFC 60)
In this conversation we go through a lot of things, from Combat to Kanye West, Fighting, Coaching the UFC and much more.
It's a long episode and we didn't even really get into the nuts and bolts of film making, writing and chiropractic science, however if you stick with us there's plenty of nuggets in this conversation.
Enjoy!
In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Anthony Redward, owner of Grange High Performance boxing gym in the Illawarra, one of the people behind the scenes of the Southern Fighting Championship promotion and also a disability support services provider.
We cover a lot of ground in this conversation and one of the greatest things about sitting down for a podcast with someone is that you get a real appreciation for some of the influences and experiences that shape us as individuals.
I also find it amazing how when we sit down to discuss and reflect upon things that sometimes people realise how some of these things have influenced their lives and their perspective on things. I'm grateful that I could be there to see people click and recognise the impacts certain things may have had on their lives as they reflect with me.
I hope you enjoy this episode!
In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Anthony Redward, owner of Grange High Performance boxing gym in the Illawarra, one of the people behind the scenes of the Southern Fighting Championship promotion and also a disability support services provider.
We cover a lot of ground in this conversation and one of the greatest things about sitting down for a podcast with someone is that you get a real appreciation for some of the influences and experiences that shape us as individuals.
I also find it amazing how when we sit down to discuss and reflect upon things that sometimes people realise how some of these things have influenced their lives and their perspective on things. I'm grateful that I could be there to see people click and recognise the impacts certain things may have had on their lives as they reflect with me.
I hope you enjoy this episode!
In this episode I sit down with Mikey Sassine - a boxer who recently made his pro debut.
We cover a wide range of topics in this discussion from boxing to becoming a teachers aid and much more
It's always interesting to catch people at different stages in their life and I was impressed when I first met Mikey at the JNI promotions fight night as he was so polite, soft spoken and unassuming.
I look forward to seeing where the future goes for him as he works towards his future goals!
Enjoy!
In this episode I catch up with Julian Fayad, a tech savvy business operator who saw opportunity in the finance space to have AI do more for consumers.
Julian and I became friends through our time campaigning together in the Federal Election and with that now behind us, it was great to just catch up and talk about life.
It's funny how sometimes the smallest things you may notice about a person may actually have a deeper story behind it. I noticed that Julian was never a 'big drinker' so to speak but he was always courteous enough to just accept if someone wanted to buy him a drink and always buy one in return.
It's a great reminder of how the lessons we learn from our loved ones aren't just from what they taught us, but what through their actions taught us what we don't want.
It was also great to see the parallels in our journeys in the Automotive industry and so I hope you all enjoy this episode.
If you're interested in Julian's brokerage services please checkout loanoptions.ai (Australian residents only)
In this episode I sit down with Rob Fletcher, someone I was fortunate to meet through my foray into politics.
I didn't know this when I first met Rob, however despite having had terminal cancer, Rob felt strongly enough about his convictions that he would still campaign and do his best to shape the discussion in the lead up to the federal election in Australia.
I only found out after everything was done and dusted that Rob had actually been facing some health tribulations throughout the campaign and I was truly in awe of his drive and his strength.
As such, it was an honour for me to sit down with him to discuss some of these pretty heavy topics of mortality, medical treatments, health etc as we reflect on some of the stories and insights from Rob's career.
There are other topics that we didn't get to cover however I look forward to catching up with Rob in the future to discuss these topics and gain more insights from him.
In this episode I sit down with Inspirational Speaker - Peter Di Prinzio as we go through a whole range of stories that Peter experienced in his life.
I really enjoyed having the opportunity to sit with him one on one as I've always wondered what the life of a public speaker was like.
In reflection it's funny how he comments it's like 39 years of training to get to this point today. I think it reflects in how many of us approach things that we expect to have an immediate pay off or outcome and we become demoralised or demotivated when they take a little longer than we anticipate.
Perspective and gratitude are powerful tools and I would really encourage everyone to listen to this episode, check out Peter's shows if you want to get the full experience and most importantly - 'Never Give Up'
https://peterdiprinzio.com.au/
In this episode I sit down with Inspirational Speaker - Peter Di Prinzio as we go through a whole range of stories that Peter experienced in his life.
I really enjoyed having the opportunity to sit with him one on one as I've always wondered what the life of a public speaker was like.
In reflection it's funny how he comments it's like 29 years of training to get to this point today. I think it reflects in how many of us approach things that we expect to have an immediate pay off or outcome and we become demoralised or demotivated when they take a little longer than we anticipate.
Perspective and gratitude are powerful tools and I would really encourage everyone to listen to this episode, check out Peter's shows if you want to get the full experience and most importantly - 'Never Give Up'
https://peterdiprinzio.com.au/
In this episode I sit down with Lenna, owner of Alternative Fitness Wollongong and one of the founders of Southern Fighting Championship.
Lenna used to operate out of a gym that I trained at and it was nice to reconnect with her and commentate the SFC's second event this year.
You might appreciate that Lenna doesn't like talking about herself very much so I was grateful that she still joined me for a chat to share some of her experiences through business, life, fighting and coaching.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Tully Brown, a striking coach at VT1 Academy in Roseville, NSW, Australia.
I met Tully when I was commenting War on the North Shore 46 and this episode is a perfect example of why I enjoy sitting down with people to talk in a focused conversation to ask them about how they have gotten to this point in life.
Never did I expect him to tell me about how he fought for a state title whilst having tongue cancer, only to have it diagnosed after the fight and see him have half of his tongue removed and the process of recovery to the point where he is today.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
In this episode I sit down with Rodney Ellis from Southern Cross Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Cronulla, Australia.
Apologies as in this episode I was on daddy day care duties, so our conversation did get broken up in sorts as I had to tend to the baby who makes her first cameo appearance on an episode. I've tried my best to piece it together so you may notice there is a little bit of editing in this episode which is a departure from my usual 'up she goes' attitude to putting up podcasts.
That said, there are plenty of great discussion points in this episode and the only lament I have is not being able to ask all the questions I wanted to of Rod.
We will be catching up for another episode in the future, so don't forget to subscribe if you enjoy the content!
In this episode I chat with Percival (Perci) 'No Mercy' Mwambi, an up and coming talent on the local MMA scene.
I always find it interesting when I train with people to try and understand more of who they are as a person. Quite often we don't really appreciate the depth of each person that we spend time with, whether it's in a working situation, common hobbies / interests, friendship circles etc
That's why I always enjoy sitting down and actually talking about life with people in these episodes.
Perci spent the early years of his life in Kenya and I don't know what kind of imagery that brings to mind for those of us who have never been to Kenya however I think we often forget how innocent and happy we are as kids.
It was even more interesting to find out Perci is actually a verified artist on Spotify and was even starting a career in the music industry before realising it didn't seem 'real' enough for him
Per$i on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/10KfIlUzLY3dkMzMsosmL2
There's even moments where we talk about his mother's devotion and I think these are such powerful motivators that keep his fire burning brightly.
I hope you all enjoy this episode!
In this episode I sit down with Elvis Sinosic, owner of Kings Academy, UFC gym Macarthur Square, ex-political candidate & ex-professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter
I met Elvis through our time together as candidates at the Australian Federal election 2022 and as people may have heard me comment before, I have made friends for life in some of the people that were on the journey with me at the time.
A self-described 'nerdy kid' Elvis shares his stories as we go through his journey towards the UFC.
Elvis is a great communicator and no doubt this is reflected in how he approaches teaching his students.
We will have to get back together for another round as there is still so much to be covered however I hope you all enjoy this episode.
Woo-eeh! In this episode i sit down with Jack Alexander Norman-Pottinger for a chat about life and all the tangential things that come along with recounting the stories and experiences that shape us.
Jack is also about to make his pro-debut in the cage as a Mixed Martial Arts Professional.
I think this episode has some relatabilities to life, in that sometimes, things are random, crazy, wild and at others, lonely, depressing and demoralising.
That said, I hope you enjoy this wild ride of a conversation that touches on so many topics, drugs, mental health, parents, relationships and more
Fun fact: Jack was also involve in Shang Chi - we didn't meet on set however it is funny to realise how many martial artists were involved in the film!
In this episode I sit down with two gentlemen who were performing on the streets of Hurstville.
At the time I was doing some campaigning for the federal election and when I met these boys I thought 2 things.
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They have talent and they were good at what they were doing
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To have the confidence to be out on the streets evangelizing through hip hop must mean that it means a lot to them
As such, I connected with these boys again to join me for a podcast to share some of their experiences and we cover a lot of ground, from faith impacting your personal relationships, how your culture shapes your perspectives and why the gospel is so important to these guys.
I pushed them a little so that I could share some of their music with you all, if you like it, please support and encourage these guys to release their recordings for everyone to enjoy!
Find the guys on Tiktok: @7noble77 / @7scripture
In this episode I sit down with James Mollison, someone I met whilst doing some speaking engagements throughout the 2022 Federal Election campaign.
We go through some of the lessons he learnt in life, from almost dying at birth, to becoming the family's 'protector' through to a career in corporate advisory before encountering a major health crisis in Guillain Barre Syndrome.
I can't begin to imagine what it would have felt like, losing control of how your hands or feet operate let alone the amount of self reflection, loneliness and time spent with yourself throughout the recovery process.
I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope that you all get something out of this.
In this episode I sit down with Jamie Coutts, Crypto market analyst at Bloomberg intelligence.
Jamie started his foray into the world of finance as a stock trader for 'Porky' Morgan, with his induction including the bear market of the 90's.
We cover a lot of finance talk, including discussions on cryptocurrency, policy, the GFC and I really appreciate the insights Jamie shared in this episode.
Don't forget to reach out to Jamie and get on his mailing list to get the latest in 'Bloomberg' Intelligence at your fingertips for market.
Twitter: @jamie1coutts
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-coutts-cmt-cfte-39947413/
In this episode I chat with Ivan, a teacher in training as he shares his experience of moving here from Malaysia, facing depression and how through the help of his faith and his teachers received the help he needed to pull himself out from some difficult times.
It's amazing how the impact of good people in your life can leave such a strong impression that it impacts the direction you choose to take for your own life.
I think it's also great that we have inspired people trying to inspire the next generation of students to do more, achieve more and think critically to find their place in addressing the problems we face as a collective.
In this episode, I sit down with Paul Vallejo a former engineer at NASA, as we go through a series of discussions across many different areas of science, philosophy and much more.
Paul also details a life changing event in the passing of his brother and in a sense a finding of other purposes to achieve some of the things that may have more been his brothers goals than his.
Now this conversation would no doubt border on controversial for some and I welcome the opportunity to share in discussions that allow people to shape and formulate their own perspectives.
That said, I thought to include some links for people that might want to reference some sources for information discussed in this episode: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Exposure_chart-XKCD.svg
https://archive.ph/7ekGW#selection-801.81-801.89
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/thorium.aspx
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium.aspx
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/bayan-obo-rare-earth-mine/
https://www.ibtimes.com/chinas-mine-workers-higher-risk-cancer-heart-disease-study-439248
https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/01/technology/cobalt-congo-child-labor-car-smartphone-batteries/index.html
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/legislation/cho-public-health-directions-under-expanded-public-health-act-powers/revoked/revocation-of-prescribing,-dispensing-or-supply-of-hydroxychloroquine-direction
http://savvey.com/stopthisshit/redpill/Are%20we%20following%20the%20science%20v2.pdf
In this episode, I sit down with Linda Daniel, the United Australia Party Candidate for the seat of Mitchell in the upcoming 2022 Federal Election.
I have been blessed to meet people from such a wide variety of backgrounds and careers in this political journey and Linda was kind enough to share her experiences that have brought her to stand as a candidate in the federal election.
We go through a huge range of topics and I really admired how Linda has experienced so many things that could break a person's spirit, however she remains bubbly, bright, personable and in service of people (as opposed to jaded by them)
We covered quite a few heavy topics in this episode especially talking about the emotional toll of practicing family law and then some lighter topics on how culture is created which I think is a great thing to think about when looking at our current political institutions.
Enjoy!
In this episode i catch up with the Endre Hoffmann - the Dr of Self worth. Endre has lived an interesting life, growing up in Hungary we talk about the influences of communism in society and also the change when the regime changed as he entered high school.
It makes me think of the quote 'History is always written by the winners'
That said, Endre shares his story of chasing validation from his own father and only finding some peace with it later in life.
For those that may be interested we touch on Neuro linguistic programming as Endre shares his experience of trying to find his own self worth and his job is actually focused on helping people get more out of their own life.
We also discuss some of the ways his experiences when he was younger shaped his approach to life until he decided to make some changes (for the better)
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Natalie Dumer, a political candidate for the United Australia Party for the electorate of Wentworth for the upcoming Federal election for Australia (2022)
I have met some wonderful people through this political journey I'm currently on and I always find it interesting to understand how people have arrived at this particular point in their lives.
Natalie shares her experience of growing up in Ukraine under the former USSR and shares stories from her life that have compelled her to participate in the world of politics.
I really feel like debate is such a great mechanism to exploring ideas and often it's through exploring positions we don't necessarily agree with we can sometimes come to a better understanding of how to navigate difficult topics of discussion.
Enjoy!
In this episode I am joined by Cass McCulloch, an interior designer, mother of 3 and all round beautiful soul.
When I do these podcasts I never really know what to expect or what will come out in conversation so we cover a lot of ground in this episode.
Cass grew up in Western Australia and shares her experience of growing up with her grandparents, getting bullied and then leaving school to attend a business & deportment school.
We then go into a conversation around work, family, relationships and self discovery.
One of the hardest things in life, is to face things head on. Sometimes we don't really even realise what we are avoiding, however once we have the strength to face these metaphorical 'beasts' in our lives and tame them, we can enjoy life in a more full and complete way.
I hope this conversation can help anyone who may be battling these beasts and suffering silently or alone to know that everyone has their own beasts and sometimes we just need a little help to confront them.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with @Kieren Lefevre Jiujitsu and we have a wide ranging chat that starts with changing schools numerous times as a child to trying to joining the Navy to become a Navy Clearance Diver.
We cover a host of other topics along the way from submarines to navy culture and I found this chat really intriguing as Kieren was only to happy to share his stories openly.
There is a lot in this one that I felt bad I had to cut it a little short as I had to go pick up my kids. That said, I look forward to catching up with Kieren again in the future on the beyond jiu jitsu podcast in the future!
In this episode I sit down with Emi Tissera and his coach Joe Walker from Joe's Boxing in Five Dock, here in Sydney.
This was Emi's first time on the microphone and although English is his second language, it's great to give him an opportunity to express himself and share his journey so far as he hopes to represent the Australian Olympic team at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Joe also shares his story of getting into Martial Arts, and his journey from Karate to boxing.
In this episode I sit down with Daniel Karjadi at the Benzin Cafe in Dural, New South Wales in Australia. Daniel shares his experiences growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia before migrating to Australia with his family.
I really enjoyed this conversation as Daniel and I both share a love for cars and I appreciate him sharing his experiences running a business in hospitality throughout such challenging times.
Stick around because we actually came back to add another segment to the end as we were talking when the mic's went off about how it is so important to have support around you and even just having people to lend an ear makes such a difference.
In this episode I sit down with Patrick Nguyen, someone I had known since he was a little boy of 8 learning Martial Arts. That said, I wanted to catch up with him and one of the things I love about the podcast is that it is just a snapshot of where someone is at in this moment of their life.
A common thing people are always worried about is not being interesting or not feeling like they have achieved enough in their life to share this on a podcast.
I think that at some stage(s) in their lives, everyone has had these thoughts, so don't be disheartened if this resonates for you, use this as fuel to fan the flames of future opportunity.
I'm also grateful to Patrick sharing himself so openly whilst he's at this stage of uncertainty and I look forward to catching up with him again in the future to see what is next in store for him!
In this episode, I sit down with an old martial arts training partner and friend in Alex Goik. Alex is a really intellectual guy so apart from being great at Jiu Jitsu, I really appreciate his insights into China and Chinese culture, given the amount of research, discussion and investigation he has down as part of his studies in formulating his thesis on China's social credit system.
This conversation has also made me think about how cultural differences are also be driven by language and how our thoughts are influenced by the language we think in.
語言是文化的載體 (Yǔyán shì wénhuà de zàitǐ)- this very statement in Chinese alludes to how language is the carrier of culture, so when we think about governance in other countries perhaps we really do need to understand their language to gain a better insight into their thought process.
I also think this is why it is so important that we allow the freedom of expression, thought and allow open discussion to really review our ideas and perspectives.
Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Renato Subotic who is the head coach of MMAFFT (MMA Family Fight Team).
In this conversation I could really sense his passion for mixed martial arts and in reflecting upon his story, Martial arts was a way for him to prove himself as a kid, gain respect but most importantly it brought people together.
I think the commonality I have found in great coaches (like great leaders) has been their investment into the wellbeing and development of their people.
We talk about a range of topics in this conversation from his Serbian parents who moved to Slovenia for better opportunities to growing up in Monfalcone in Italy, transitioning from athlete to coach, coping with losses and much more.
In this episode I catch up with Adi, a father of five, who delivers customer service by day but has been working on his streetwear apparel brand at night. As someone who has always been passionate about clothes, I always enjoy hearing stories where people find things aligning for them to try and shift to things they have an affinity for.
Not to mention Adi also has some funny stories from customer service as well.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to check out CRSP apparel!
In this Episode I chat with Andrew McCulloch, CEO of Ray White NSW.
Andrew and I met through some car dealings (naturally) and I'm really fortunate to be able to sit with him, ask him questions and listen to his stories. The one about the tattoo business in Bali stands out for me however I'll let you guys listen to it!
Andrew embraces the wheeling and dealing life and I find that passion to be so infectious... Enjoy!
In this episode I catch up with Sel Berdie from CMBT, Sprout Organic, BSKT Wholefoods and the Hype Group Company.
A man who has invested his time into his many passions and built businesses off the back of them, I found Sel to really have this aura around him that brought a new intensity to 'getting things done'.
We cover a lot of ground in this episode, so from friendships to sport, to marketing, family and business there's a lot in this one... Enjoy!
In this episode I sit down with Brother Viknesh, a Missionaries' of God's Love priest in training.
I found this conversation to be really interesting as Viknesh grew up in Muttom on the Southern end of India. He was actually caught up in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 and was fortunate to survive.
We go through his life in India and his journey through faith and even talk about Varma - an Indian form of martial arts that I had to go an do some research on after our discussion. I actually found it has links to Shaolin kung fu and many other styles as well, however that's a topic for another day.
In this episode i catch up with a training partner and friend - Cass Hay.
I actually didn't expect the conversation we had to be what we had - however this is one of the reasons why I enjoy this long form discussion format.
I'm truly grateful to share in peoples memories both happy, sad and other as we are all humans searching for that 'something' in our lives.
That said, I really appreciate the gift of having someone open their heart to tell you things they have experienced and so I hope everyone enjoys our discussion.
Disclaimer: I also open up about an experience I had with Mescaline and I don't think Cass or I condone some of the things we discuss in this podcast other than doing physical activities like martial arts and yoga.
In this episode i sit down with my friend Monica Lu as we enjoy a conversation about life from travelling between Australia and Taiwan to going through a family break up, dabbling in a multitude of interests and so much more.
Monica messaged me after we did this episode and commented it is nice to reflect back on the memories. even the painful ones and that you're only capable of discovering new insights through age (and experiences).
In this episode I chat with a long time friend of mine - Steven Luu. A mathematics PHD, martial arts enthusiast who currently works for one of the big 4 banks.
We discuss a wide range of topics and at the end of the day, we're just 2 good friends enjoying each other’s company as we discuss a wide range of topics from relationship lessons, self reflection, applying mathematics to understand behavior to navigating the corporate workplace and so much more.
In this episode I chat with an IT guy turned PT - Jimmy Trieu.
Funnily enough, this podcast came about through another friend of a friend however Jimmy is actually my friends cousin who met another couple of my friends whilst on set of Shang Chi. Confused? listen to the episode and hopefully it will all make sense.
This was a fun conversation covering a wide range of topics from kung fu to careers.
Enjoy!
In this episode I chat with Ben Hedges aka The Credit Shifu.
Ben grew up in Hong Kong, the UK and studied in Taiwan, working on his language skills becoming a bit of a celebrity as the 老外 in 老外看中國 and then translating these skills along the way into a successful YouTube career running The Credit Shifu channel amongst others.
Now based in America, Ben has achieved many things from summiting mountains to authoring a book.
This is a very interesting conversation covering many topics so I hope you all enjoy it !
In this episode I chat with Randall Evans.
Randall is a film maker, free lance videographer and runs the Deactivist Youtube channel.
We cover a range of topics in this podcast from family dynamics to an in depth discussion on the current state of media / politics and what's going on in relation to Covid etc. in Sydney & Melbourne, Australia.
@deactivist_memes
@randydeactivist
In this episode I am joined by one of my earliest friends - Chris Chu.
I was one of Chris' first friends in Australia when his parents migrated from Hong Kong.
Chris and I reflect on growing up, as we go through his experiences studying law, moving back to Hong Kong, legal recruitment and building a successful network marketing business
In this episode, I am joined by Attorney on a Journey - Francesca Chang.
Francesca is a life coach, ex-attorney turned travel blogger who grew up in the USA but is now based in Taiwan
I really enjoyed this discussion as there are no doubt many people who feel trapped doing something they may not enjoy, if you're in this position then this episode is for you!
You can find Francesca on instagram @attorney_on_a_journey
In this episode I chat with with Jasmine Capell, a Minister at the Hurstville Church of Christ.
I am always fascinated by people who have thrown themselves into unfamiliar environments and experienced different cultures. It's in those experiences that we find wisdom.
We discuss a wide range of topics from negotiation to faith, language and culture... Enjoy!
In this episode I am joined by a professional Australian submission grappler, Absolute MMA BJJ Black Belt / Jiu Jitsu wizard Jeremy Skinner.
5 years ago Jeremy and I met in a Grappling Industries competition and it’s been great to see his progression as both an athlete and as a teacher in the sport.
We discuss his journey, his broad approach to developing his skills and understanding in jiu jitsu and teaching. I think there are some great parallels to questioning your assumptions in grappling to questioning your processes in life / business!
In this episode I catch up with my friend Tim Fung who has recently successfully IPO'd his company - Airtasker!
We talk about how achievement is often the sum of small wins and that if it started with a big audacious goal of an IPO in the first place, the task would have seemed monumental.
I always like catching up with Tim and this is the follow up conversation from our first chat so if you haven't listened to that please check that episode out as well!
Scott Yung is an education entrepreneur, politician, and all round nice guy.
In this episode we covered a range of topics from politics to learning to personal development and much more.
I think generally, the word 'politician' brings a certain image into peoples minds so I really appreciated being able to sit down with Scott and talk in a long form conversation to share our stories and perspectives with each other.
In reflecting on this episode, I also think it's interesting how people formulate their perspectives based on experiences and that similar experiences can lead to completely different opinions - this is actually good, because we can really challenge our thinking if we approach it open-mindedly.
Tony Ayoub is a Father, Physiotherapist, business owner and has had an amazing impact on athlete performance in Rugby League in Australia.
Extracting the best out of Athletes is not an easy feat and since having this conversation I have spent more time thinking about just how many ingredients go into producing high performance and also all the ones behind who scenes who have helped and shaped us on our journeys.
In this episode, I am joined by a previous student who I taught Kung Fu to as an 8 year old boy - Kelvin Tran. Over the years I have taught so many kids during my Kung Fu days that it is always really interesting for me to reconnect with people like Kelvin.
Kelvin is now a Personal Trainer, Coach, Lion Dancer and Entrepreneur chasing his goals and I enjoyed catching up with him to learn more about the influences that have shaped him along the way.
In this episode I am joined by the resilient and glamorous Helen Shields. Mother, entrepreneur, make up artist and so much more.
Helen and I connected via instagram and I was really curious to pick her brain... Little did I know that once I started picking, the threads of the conversation would form this amazing tapestry and it was my pleasure to be able to reminisce on her journey from growing up in the UK, to making her way to Australia to her drive in life to make things happen.
In this episode I am joined by Chris Duong - Co-founder of Duo Duo Ice Cream.
Chris and I met through martial arts and in this episode we cover a wide range of subjects from poker to ice cream and starting your own business.
I think there are a lot of good thought starters in this podcast for those that are interested in business, I hope you all enjoy it !
In this episode I'm joined by Edward Kim, a physiotherapist, businessman, connoisseur of bespoke men's fashion and much much more. There is definitely going to be another session as in this episode we go DEEP into languages, fashion, culture and Ed kindly shares a story about an event which changed the direction of his life. Rather than rush through the other topics we wanted to talk about Ed and I both agreed to get together again in the future to bring a second volume to this as there is still so much more to talk about. In reflecting upon this conversation, I hope people can appreciate the levels of obsession that come to the surface in this episode. To some, the subject matter in this podcast would probably be seen as a bit wanky or nerdy, however I think there is something that everyone could take away from it and apply to going deep in your own explorations of things you enjoy.
This episode here is almost a reverse Johnny Yaps podcast, where Cameron Cresswell of Automotive Talent reached out to me through a connection established by a mutual friend of ours who has been on my podcast previously - Michael Solomon. Cameron asked me to join me on his Automotive talent podcast and you can listen to the much neater version of our Podcast together here -https://anchor.fm/automotive-talent In my weird way of sharing essentially unedited audio with you all, feel free to listen to me ramble on about the Automotive industry, what it has in common with martial arts, how good coaching is good coaching irrespective of the discipline as I demonstrate how how to butcher time lines when telling stories.
Narada Kudinar is the co-founder circuit club, John Montagu and Yan Restaurant. In this episode Narada shares his journey from being a kid with a rebellious streak in high school to exploring his passion of cars through circuit club, starting John Montagu and then Yan restaurant. It always amazes me the relationships you can build through your hobbies and through those hobbies Narada found his next obsessions.
Grandmaster Ridvan (Rick) Manav of Australian Martial Arts academy joins me in this episode to share stories from his life. From being a child without a lot of fear to coming to Australia at the age of 7, to picking up martial arts to learn to defend himself from schoolyard bullies and racism to developing an ultra successful martial arts academy we cover a lot in this episode and I think anyone that listens can appreciate the impact that martial arts has made on our lives. One of the things I really enjoyed about this conversation with Rick was finding out some of the milestones in life that shaped Rick's own perspectives and his approach to sharing martial arts.
Don and I met about 8 years ago through a friend (shout out Jason Queue/Tran) when we collaborated on a music video project for Christian Joseph. In this episode we talk Krav Maga, podcasting, learning through experiences and passion projects. One of the themes that really stuck out from me was when Don was talking about iterative learning. We also butcher a plenty of concepts / stories in this podcast, however when Don commented to me afterwards that a childhood memory he shared on the podcast was actually a moment of self realisation for him I felt so grateful to have been able to share that moment with him. We had a lot of fun and I have no doubts Don and I will work on other projects in future. Check out thecheatcoders podcast and a special random mention needs to go to Joe Newman the author of the book 'Raising lions' which made me look at my own childhood differently.
Cassie To is a musical composer, martial artist and overall awesome person who was kind enough to join me on this podcast to share her journey. For most people, I think we watch TV shows and movies without really thinking too much into the music and how it influences our experience. When I first listened to Cassie's music there was a certain style to it that was really familiar to me, almost nostalgic. I think the reason being is that Cassie writes music from a place where the music is also story telling. This was a really fun conversation and I hope you all check out No-ke music and Cassie's other music as we talk all things from sibling rivalry to injuries to music to fighting to creating content. Enjoy!
Ivan joins me in this episode and we talk a variety of things, from the loneliness of a business owner, to kids, work life balance, circuit club and repeating year 3 as we reminisce on growing up together at the same high school. In this episode, Ivan and I reflect on someone important to us and share these memories of our youth we never want to forget because they are a part of us. A year ago, a brother we grew up with took his own life. He had been battling his own demons for a while and I guess ultimately, he made a choice as to what he thought was the best way to go forward.
I first met Laurence many many years ago when he first started doing Kung Fu at the school I was training and teaching at. It's so crazy to see how he has changed and grown over the years and it was fun to catch up with him
Stick around to the end, because I unintentionally cut him off from telling an important story and had to have him tell it because it was so important to the start of his business adventures.
Poke bowls, Kung fu, Lion dancing, weed and much more in this episode!
If you've ever wondered what Magic the gathering (the card game), Poker, wrecking yards and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu may have in common, you may find it here in this episode. I first met Aaron as a roaming martial artist, visiting different gyms / schools to experience different types of training. Over time those sparring sessions led me to form some great bonds with great people and Aaron is just one such example.
In this episode I caught up with a long time friend Jason Tran (aka Jason Queue), a videographer / film maker who has had an interesting journey to chase his creative passions. We reminisce on some old projects, talk movies and share some of the background behind some of the projects Jason has been involved in.
Tim Fung is the co-founder and CEO of Airtasker! We caught up at the Airtasker office in the city right before Covid-19 started to really gather momentum. Tim is definitely ahead of the curve (In business and in strategic thinking) as the next day his office was trialing working from home in preparation for any kind of lock down due to Covid-19. Unfortunately our conversation didn’t get full time to run it’s course however once things settle down a bit I have no doubt Tim and I will get together again and share more stories with you all
Oliver Lee is an actor, model, streamer, entrepreneur and I would affectionately term Oliver the ultimate wing man. The only problem is that Oliver is probably so charismatic that he would also be Mr steal yo girl (not intentionally). From growing up in Canada to venturing to a foreign country and starting a business, Oli has many experiences which he shares as we also tried to concurrently live stream this podcast.
In this episode I'm joined by Rachael White, a really interesting Youtuber who speaks Korean, Chinese & English. Rachael shares her experiences from participating in exchange programs to experiencing the entertainment industry in Korea / China. I have to thank Rachael for being the first female to join me on the podcast and it was coincidental we recorded this on International Women's Day!
Michael Solomon is a fantastic sales trainer / facilitator that I met when my dealership was doing a sales event. In this podcast, we talk about sales, the automotive industry and dealing with the loss of both of his parents in his early 20's.
Can you imagine moving to a new country with $300 in your pocket? What about being 1 of 10 siblings? In this episode I'm joined by Siraj Khan who grew up in Pakistan and has an amazing story of making the most of any and every opportunity. I learnt a lot in this conversation and I had to look up some of the things we talked about after the podcast so I could better appreciate the life that Siraj was living prior to coming to Australia. Siraj is a great example of the harder you work the luckier you get and I hope you all enjoy this episode.
In this episode I am joined by Ben Horwood. I describe Ben as the ultimate Aussie 'dude'. A handsome surfer / car enthusiast / adventurer / musician / comedian / personality who's ability to find and make the most of any opportunity is akin to a cat always landing on its feet.
In my eyes Ben really embraces the 'why not' philosophy and has no shortage of interesting stories to share,
Happy Lord's day everyone! In this episode I am joined by Fr Chris Ryan MGL the parish priest at St Declan's Catholic Church. I'm really fortunate to have opportunities like this to listen, learn and explore different perspectives and ideas. I often think that the world we live in highlights the differences and focuses on what separates us as opposed to focusing on what is similar between us. When I was listening back to this episode a couple of things stood out for me: 1. People of religion are still just people. Fr Chris is so down to earth and open in his approach and perspectives that I truly believe he is a great asset for religion.
2. There are so many parallels between being a good role model for religion to being a good leader in life.
I really enjoyed this podcast and think that no matter what experience you've had with religion before there is something in this conversation for everyone.
In this episode I'm joined by Alby Lam - MC, entrepreneur, radio personality and much more.
It was great to converse and cover a wide array of topics from education, social skills, public speaking, living and working in a Chinese restaurant.
Edward Labbad is a Hip Hop artist, writer, Real estate guy, father, businessman & enthusiast basketballer.
A few years ago he released a song called 'One Nation' on Australia day which resonated with many on social media so I thought it was uncanny when I was prepping this episode for release (and listening back on it) that it was the Australia Day holiday.
I also found it coincidental that we did touch upon Kobe Bryant when we spoke, as basketball fans worldwide mourn the loss of one of the greats.
In this episode, I am joined by Nicolas Wang, a stunt / circus performer, who speaks 4 languages, is built like an Adonis and is an all round nice guy.
Chinese people have a term called - 緣分 Yuan Fen, which is similar to the western concept of fate and for me to have met Nic and become friends with him through pure coincidence is such a great example of this.
I'm really blessed to get to have such interesting conversations and I hope you all enjoy this episode!
Marc Logarta puts people to sleep for a living (as an anesthetist) and for fun (as a BJJ enthusiast). He joins me in this episode as we discuss life, relationships, anesthesiology, car sales, motivation and much much more.
I really enjoyed this conversation as it was very honest as we talked through the positive and negative milestones that shaped the people we've become.
In this episode I'm joined by Sam Gabrielian from Gabriel Coffee. He kindly shares some experiences from his life as we have a wide ranging conversation encompassing coffee, mortality, family & business. Sam and I met through my work in the automotive industry and I am so grateful to be able to have these kinds of conversations with people like Sam who I consider more a friend than a client or customer. I hope you enjoy it!
When I started this Podcast, one of my main objectives was to have a conversation with my father so that I could find out more about our family history, his life and his experiences.
My dad's ability to recall people, places and history really brought this conversation come to life for me.
When I was younger I always thought my dad was long winded and I never really had the patience or the interest to listen to his stories.
I'm really grateful that I had a change of heart and became interested to find out more. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
In this podcast I sit down with Logan Cole. Please allow me to apologise for the cursing in this podcast - both Logan and I were once apprentice tradespeople and I didn't even notice how frequent the swearing was in this conversation until I re-listened to it.
That said, I do think there were plenty of gems in this podcast so I hope you listeners get some value from it.
Logan Cole is a fitness gear selling, strength & conditioning coaching, qualified electrician with a great perspective.
I really enjoyed this conversation and in an attempt to improve what I do, I've put together this episode guide for you all below:
00:45 | Everyone is interesting, experience is a story
04:10 | Getting into the zone & starting out
06:10 | Focusing on your own journey
08:10 | Appearance vs Reality
09:35 | Being in motion vs stuck in research
10:57 | Why mentality -> Why not?
13:00 | Pushing through & forming barriers
17:20 | Choosing to do something
19:30 | Logan's childhood / development
20:25 | Dealing with expectations & letting people down
22:30 | Getting injured & losing identity
26:42 | Changing environments to get out of your comfort zone
29:00 | ACL / MCL Injury
32:10 | Support of a partner
34:30 | Fruits of labour and recognising labour
38:00 | Pressure as motivation
41:32 | Path of least resistance / giving yourself no other option
45:17 | Health & Fitness - where's the shortcut?
47:35 | Beginnings of the fitness business & leaving a trade
56:25 | Culture and monkeys
01:00:00 | Reaching goals & self awareness
01:05:25 | The Gary Vee effect
01:10:40 | Having different personas and being authentic
01:16:00 | Self projection, gratitude and chicken
01:20:00 | Achieving specific goals.. now what?
01:22:28 | The difference between motion & action
01:27:40 | Plateaus in training
01:35:36 | Social media as a snap shot & nutrition
01:47:15 | Meal preps & the protein window
In this conversation i sit down with a previous work colleague Beau Rosser. It is a wide ranging conversation where we talk about life, horticulture, photography, kids and other random things.
When i originally completed this podcast I felt like I didn't do a very good job (relative to what, I'm not sure?). When I re-listened to it I actually felt better about it.
I think the hardest thing with starting any project is that sometimes we talk ourselves out of doing it because we worry about it not being perfect. In fact I've probably sat on the podcasts I've done a little bit too long. Anyway, they will all going up now, so i hope you people out there enjoy it.