The Paul Taylor Podcast | Expert in Hardiness and Mental Fitness

Today’s guest is a pretty amazing guy. Reg Crawford spent 22 years as an officer in the Australian Armed Forces, with the vast majority in the SAS, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded a Bronze star by the US military for leadership in the Iraq war.Since leaving, Reg has worked in a range of elite sports as a high performance consultant and has consulted to a range of corporate organisations in the areas of leadership and high performance.In this episode, we discuss Reg’s military training and career and the lessons that he took to apply in both sport and business – and there’s lots of take-outs for everyday life.If you want to get in touch with Reg to work with your business or for leadership coaching, email him at reg@crawfordross.com.auHere’s the flow:2:52     The SAS Selection process10:10   The ‘dislocation of expectation’ mind-F%#k12:44   On the verge of quitting17:48   Reg’s SAS career highlights21:30   “Getting to go” to war 27:21   The importance of discomfort tolerance for resilience and adaptability33:47   Cross-overs with elite sports and lessons for us all39:07   Cross-overs and gaps with business46:21   Links between leadership, Flow State and parenting51:14   The power of purposeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest is a mindset coach who uses a combination of Psychology and ACT (Acceptance-Commitment Therapy) to help her clients become better versions of themselves. She is also a university-qualified Nutritionist and personal trainer, and combines these modalities in her integrated approach to coaching. She also happens to be my better half, and her name is Carly Taylor.This podcast is a very practical one, where we get straight into 7 different tools or approaches that Carly uses with her clients and we discuss both their use and the science that underpins them. If you are enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review and if you're interested in coaching with Carly, contact her at Here's the flow;Start: Quick overview of Carly's coaching approaches5:57   Tool #1 - Arugamama12:22   Acceptance vs goals15:03   Tool #2 - The Choice Point22;27   Tool #3 - Characters exercise30:38   Tool #4 - AM/PM Bookends41:29   Tool #5 - Dropping anchor50:03   Tool #6 - Breathwork54:49   Tool #7 - AttentionCarly@mindbodybrain.com,auSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest is uniquely qualified to talk about all things to do with a performance mindset. Yvonne ‘Go-Go’ Gomez is an ex-professional athlete who competed in the Olympics and is now a sports psychologist who works with athletes from a whole host of different disciplines.  That said, our discussions are equally valid for anyone wanting to improve their mindset and parents who have kids in sport. We discuss growth mindset, redirecting pressure, confidence, imposter syndrome, outcome vs process, the power of breathwork and how mental imagery can change your life. If you'd like to book in coaching with Yvonne, Here’s the flow:contact her at heygogo@mac.com2:50     When the process of becoming an Olympic athlete started7:35     The impact of competence & autonomy9:27     The role of journaling & sports psychology18:52   Redirecting stress & pressure25:04   Self-doubt & the imposter syndrome29:33   Comparing self to others – how today is different 32:54   The big no-no’s – shame-based coaching and ‘try your best’38:24   You get what you focus on40:44   Key take-outs from Yvonne’s upcoming book47:27   Keeping your kids in sport as long as you can50:37   Growth mindset46:12   Waiting to be happy59:59   Outcome vs process1:03:17   Can you ‘get’ confidence?1:07:16   The power of breathwork1:11:23   The upside-down poem1:15:15   Mental ImageryHere's the link to the Harvard Professor Shawn Achor's Ted talk that we discuss:https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_workSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest is a real trailblazer in research into Alzheimer’s disease - the one disease that scares the crap out of me. Professor Ralph Martins is the Foundation Chair in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia and is also a professor of Neurobiology at Macquarie University. Today we discuss the current knowledge in both the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s, and talk about some exciting new developments that Ralph and his teams are working on that could be a real game changer in this area. There’s some pretty cool stuff, so stay tuned throughout. The major things we discuss are:Start - how Ralph started working on Alzheimer's disease5:35 - defining Dementia and Alzheimer's disease9:04 - early onset, familial Alzheimer's disease12:07  - late onset Alzheimer's disease15:10  - why drug treatments to date have not worked16:09 - insights from the AIBL study 19:08 -  a leap forward in early diagnosis26:18 -  an early detection blood panel31:02 -  The APOE gene and Alzheimer's disease risk35:45 -  cholesterol and Alzheimer's disease risk39:10 -  lifestyle factors for prevention51:15 -  blood sugar, Diabetes and Alzheimer's disease55:15 -  lifestyle changes for treatment59:50 -  benefits of a multi-modal prevention protocol1:08:08 -  when we can expect a commercial blood test for early diagnosisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest starting out as one of Australia’s first Personal Trainers in the 80’s & progressed to become the owner of the biggest PT studio in the Southern Hemisphere and a performance coach for professional sports teams. He’s now an exercise scientist, corporate speaker, radio show host, author of multiple books, amazing podcast host and now, a fellow PhD student.  He’s also one of the few people that I can call a mentor. My guest today is Craig Harper and in this podcast we discuss the condition of being human, exploring things such as self-concept, why we don’t change, the benefits of discomfort and finishing with both of our top tips for becoming a better you.  Highlights from today’s podcast are:Craig's tipping point as a fat kid (3:00)The sliding doors of potential (8:31)The world is your classroom (12:26)Craig's PhD in Neuroscience (13:10)The power of experiential learning & the external experience of you (16:18)The genesis and development of self-concept & self-esteem (27:30)The benefit of discomfort (34:40)Why behaviour change theories are M.A.D. (45:48)The "I'm full of shit" revolution (45:48)Craig & Paul's top tips for getting to You 2.0 (56:38)website: https://www.craigharper.net/Whiteboard lessons on InstagramSome links for more from Craig:See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is Dr Joanna McMillan - someone I consider to be Australia’s leading nutrition scientist & dietitian. She has appeared regularly in the media over the last 15 years, currently researches and lectures at University, has published 8 books, given heaps of corporate talks – and is a fellow Celt! Here's what we discuss;Why nutritional recommendations change  3:46 The diet wars  5:35The pro's and con's of a Paleo diet  7:55What the science says about dairy foods  17:45What the science says about meat  21:23The Game Changers documentary  27:06The benefits of plant foods  33:56Anti-oxidants and hormetic polyphenols  37:29Real food vs nutrients, supplements  39:29Some downsides of a vegan diet  41:40The risks of vegan diets in kids  47:30The microbiome: your super-ecosystem  58:13The social aspects of food  1:17:36Joanna's & Paul's treat foods and supplements  1:18:38Here are some links to Joanna:website: drjoanna.com.auGame Changers article: https://drjoanna.com.au/blog/the-game-changers-does-it-change-anything-blog-1096/Joanna's books: https://drjoanna.com.au/shop/Also look out for her Audible Original Book called Gutfull, which will be released next month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is a world leader on how to be a better human being in today’s challenging world through the application of Acceptance Commitment Therapy. Her work is equally applicable to adults and adolescents who are in possession of a human mind.  My guest today is Dr Louise Hayes. Highlights from today’s podcast are:1:12 Louise’s philanthropic work in the Himalayas7:40 Clinical psychology, ACT & psychological flexibility11:55 The problem with hiding from your feelings17:14 The western cultural shift towards controlling our experience19:49 The spilt between western science and eastern philosophy21:48 Contextural behavioural science – a philosophy of science26:36 How your past influences your present and future30:52 ACT as a process-based therapy31:30 Inside-skin versus outside-skin control strategies39:46 ACT for the whole developmental cycle47:06 ACT for mental health challenges for adolescents55:12 Evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety58:05 advice for parents with teenagers who are struggling1:01:00 How many questions is it ok to ask your kids when they get home from school?You can find out more about Louise and get some free resources from https://dnav.internationalHer awesome book for teenagers is: Your Life Your Way Another great book is : Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens: A Guide to Living an Extraordinary LifeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest today is the winner of this years’ Scientist of the Year for western Australia, Professor Robert Newton. He’s a Professor of Exercise Science & a trailblazer in the concept of Exercise as Medicine, he’s shown how exercise can prevent and treat many chronic conditions, and has done groundbreaking work in Exercise and Cancer. We discuss just why exercise is so beneficial for the body and the brain and how it impacts on a host of chronic diseases. Highlights include:Why muscular power & muscle mass is critical for older adults - 5:13Practical training strategies for health & longevity 13:15Our genome require us to be highly active: 14:36Why exercise is medicine: 17:35Type 2 diabetes - the disease we don't have to have: 20:30Insights from genetic twin studies: 23:55Exercise for your heart: 27:15Exercise & cancer: 29:07Exercise enhances chemotherapy effectiveness: 36:05Exercise and mood disorders: 45:10Why a pill will never replace exercise: 54:10Exercise & gene expression: 58:50The role of epigenetics in health & disease: 1:00:33Exercise & kids: 1:04:25What Rob does for exercise: 1:06:35See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest is an ex-professional triathlete & now Professor of Public Health, who has published hundreds of articles and several bestselling books. He is shaking up the world of nutrition with his evidence-based approach and for me, is the go to guy when discussing metabolic health. He’s also a mate of mine and author of a quite brilliant blog.Professor Grant Schofield runs the Human Potential Centre at Auckland University of Technology, where his research crosses disciplines such as psychology, biology, medicine, public health, and productivity management. The cornerstones are nutrition, exercise, sleep, neuroscience, psychology and wellbeing and we get into some of these things in this podcast. The main topics of discussion are:·      Raising free-range kids – straight off the bat·      Grant’s reflections on his ironman past and how it impacted his health: 11:07·      Metabolic benefits of low carb eating: 15:22·      The Good, the bad & the ugly of exercise 21:25·      Cardio, strength training, autophagy, telomeres and longevity 25:22·      Exercise, ice baths and saunas 32:26·      MAF – a shocking but evidence-based approach to aerobic training 34:00·      Why we all need to do resistance training: 44:02·      The nutrition wars: 46:43·      The guy who fasted for 382 days 52:20·      Grant’s dietary advice for metabolic health 54:30·      Nutrition, cholesterol & high blood pressure 57:00·      Fasting summary 1:00:22If you’re interested in finding out more about grant, go to profgrant.com to check out his blog and find links to his books, or click here for his amazon author page. Don’t forget to hit subscribe on the podcast to get notified of new releases and if you are enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor richard Ryan has been named as one of the most important Psychologists of the modern era, and for good reason. He is the co-founder of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the world's most researched theory of motivation with huge relevance to anyone who is a parent, teacher, coach or leader - or anyone who wants to achieve their goals.In the session, we explore the relevance of SDT for everyday life across a number of different domains, and Richard reveals what we can learn from his fascinating profiling of serial killers. Strap yourselves in for a tour de force on motivation from a true leader in his field. For those who want more, you can explore SDT and the different sections for parents, teachers, caches and leaders at selfdeterminationtheory.org and you can purchase Richard and Ed Deci's comprehensive book on SDT here on amazon.You can also find Richard on LinkedIn and Twitter (@richardmryan3).If you enjoyed the podcast, kindly leave us a review and don't forget to hit subscribe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.