Roll With The Punches

Well, as an athlete (especially a boxer) this one sure hits a bit close to home… and I don’t just mean physically.
I sat down with Professor Alan Pearce and we got right into the stuff most athletes don’t really want to look at too closely. Concussion, CTE, brain health, and what actually happens when you spend years copping hits… whether you realise it or not.
We talked about the difference between getting knocked out and the thousands of smaller hits that quietly stack up over time. The stuff no one tracks, no one remembers, and honestly… sometimes no one wants to know.
There were moments where I found myself thinking, 'Yeah… I’ve definitely ignored that.' And I reckon a lot of athletes will feel the same. This isn't a doom and gloom chat though... It's real, insightful, honest and with one of Australia's leading CTE & concussion experts, it sits at the leading edge of what we know and where we are headed with brain research.
Join us for a chat about risk, responsibility, and the tension between loving a sport and facing what it might cost you.
If you’ve ever played contact sport… or you love someone who has… this is one of those conversations that might make you pause for a second.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
PROFESSOR ALAN PEARCE
Website: https://neuropearce.com
Website: brainbank.org.au
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I might start calling him 'No-Bullsh*t LeBusque'... Mark's back for a chat and we went straight into the messy middle of self-awareness. Where you realise you’re actually part of the problem. You know, the moment where you sit there reading your own behaviour back at yourself and go… “well, sh*t.”
We got into why most of us only become self-aware when something breaks… why we’re wired to justify our behaviour… and why curiosity might just be the most underrated skill in the game.
Mark also shared some of his latest insights about burnout, doing the hard internal audit on where he was placing his worth, and the brutal honesty it takes to actually change something instead of just talking about it. No shortcuts and quick fixes. Just small, uncomfortable shifts over time.
There were moments that landed. Moments that made me laugh. And moments where I got called out in real time… which, turns out, is exactly the point, aye!

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
MARK LEBUSQUE
Website: Human Manager Experience
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I went in thinking we’d have a cheeky yarn about policy (yep, a very un-Tiff-like topic, I know)… and instead got my brain flipped inside out.
Salli (The Policy Pig... and what a cracking title that is) dragged policy out of the dusty, boring corner we all shove it in… and made it personal. Like, everything you do, everything you experience, every system you bump into… that’s policy at play.
We got into kids on the street, homelessness, violence, government decisions, and the uncomfortable truth that most of us are living inside systems we don’t understand… but are absolutely shaped by.
There were moments that made me laugh, moments that made me go quiet, and moments that genuinely pissed me off and drop a few f-bombs!
And underneath it all was this simple but confronting idea… if we actually gave a sh*t, if we actually paid attention… things might look very different.
SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au
SALLI COHEN
Website: thepolicyroom.com/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes within seconds of 'meeting' someone on the show I realise I'm going to have an absolute ball for the next hour or so... Mick Marshall sure was one of those humans!
This bloke fell 120 metres inside a wind turbine, had his legs absolutely wrecked, got rescued by mates who’d barely trained for it… and that was just the warm-up act. What followed was years of pain, identity loss, medication overload, and some properly dark moments.
In this chat we got stuck into trauma, labels, addiction, hope, comparison, and the messy business of figuring out who the hell you are when everything you knew gets ripped away. There’s something beautifully simple about his message too… no fluff, no rah-rah… just do the work, know yourself, and stop waiting for permission to live your life.
Also… if anyone ever tells you that you can’t do something… Mick’s probably the bloke you want in your ear!
Ripper dude, ripper episode... Enjoy!

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au
MICK MARSHALL
Website: mickmarshall.com.au/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ohmigoodness, this one got me. I sat down with the absolute legend that is Leah Ashton, founder of Hand in Hand Ballarat, and what started as a chat about her incredible foundation (and a laugh about my inevitable wardrobe malfunctions and high-heel dramas at the recent gala ball we met at) turned into one of the most raw and brave conversations I sure didn't expect to be having today...
Leah runs under the Sebastian Foundation banner, funding programs in local schools, giving kids from kinder through to year 12 the tools, the language, and the awareness to navigate the hard stuff before crisis hits. But then... amidst all this she shared something that stopped me in my tracks. Her own son... A 1am phone call... A car accident that was not an accident.... And the moment she realised she knew nothing about mental health at all.
This episode is everything. It is brave, it is honest, it is heartbreaking in parts and full of hope in others, and it landed with me at the timeliest of moments (as I share in the conversation). Leah is doing the most important work and she is doing it with her whole heart.
Go listen and then go give Hand in Hand Ballarat a follow because these guys are a pack of legends!

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au
LEAH ASHTON
Website: handinhandballarat.com.au/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.