Roll With The Punches

I met Ali at the Global Speakers Summit this year… within about five minutes I knew we were going to get along like a house on fire (mainly because he called me ‘jacked’… instant favourite human).
But then he started sharing what life was actually like growing up as a refugee… and I knew straight away this was a conversation I wanted to bring to the show.
We got into identity, belonging, loneliness, purpose… and why knowing where you’re going might be the only thing that stops you getting swallowed by everything around you.
This one's about moving forward when there’s no map, no certainty, and no permission.
Enjoy. I did.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
ALI AHMADI
Website: aliahmadi.com.au/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Bouris grew up 'different'. He grew up with a visible birthmark covering a large part of his face and head. And get this… no one really talked about it. Not strangers, not family, not even him. For over 40 years.
So, what happens when the thing everyone can see becomes the thing no one speaks about? You get a bloke walking around in full defensive mode… overthinking every interaction, managing everyone else’s comfort, while quietly carrying a lifetime of unspoken stuff.
Today we banter about what it took for Steven to shift all that... The confronting conversations, the identity rebuild, the moment you realise you’ve been living from a 4-year-old’s fear in a 40-year-old body.
At the end of the day, like much of the stuff in our lives that sneaks up and gets us, it's about much more than a birthmark...
It’s about what we don’t say... What we assume... And what we carry.


SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
STEVEN BOURIS
Website: stevenbouris.com.au/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.