Roll With The Punches

Here's a bloke who was told he’d have a couple of years to live… and he’s now in his 40s, travelling the world, speaking, and might I add... bench pressing 150 kilos!!
But here’s the thing… his skin literally tears just from movement. Like… existing is enough to cause damage. So, everything he does is quite calculated. And yet… he’s not sitting around feeling sorry for himself. Not even close.
His condition is called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB)... often referred to as butterfly skin or cotton wool babies, because the skin is so fragile it can tear or blister from even the slightest friction… literally like tissue paper.
Dean has one of the most severe forms, and he's one of the longest living people with this condition... He sure knocked that 2–4-year prognosis out of the park!
We talked about what it's like living with constant chronic pain… And how instead of numbing it or avoiding it, he’s built an insane ability to work with it. We also talked about what it’s like growing up knowing you might not be here for long… and how that changes the way you live. There ain't no room for "I’ll do it later” with Dean. If it matters, it happens now.
And something I loved… you see him, right… and yeah, it’s confronting for about half a second. And then all that just disappears and you’re just chatting to Dean. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s who he’s become.
Enjoy it.
SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
DEAN CLIFFORD
Website: deanclifford.com/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This one wasn’t planned… I woke up ready to record with Stephen Jenkinson… only to realise I’d stuffed the days. So instead of wasting a perfectly fired-up brain, I jumped on the mic and went for a wander through something that’s been quietly running the show in the background… the rules we make for ourselves.
The sneaky ones. The unconscious ones. The ones that sound like logic but feel like pressure.
I unpacked my own weird little rules around money, time, productivity, networking, and even fun… and how quickly I default back to outcome-chasing, even when I know that’s not where the magic lives.
There’s a bit in here about the podcast, the pandemic, accidentally building something incredible by not trying to force it… and why some of the best things in my life have come from following energy, not strategy.
It’s messy. It’s honest. It might poke you a bit.
But if you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things and still feel a bit off… this might be worth a listen.

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

This is an episode with Don Gillies I recorded for the Conversations With Code 9 Podcast which I, of course, love to share with you legends on this show too.
We kicked off chatting about his time in Victoria Police initially followed by 37 years as a paramedic… and the reality of what that kind of life actually does to you. Not just mentally, but physically too.
PTSD, yeah… but also years of chronic pain that he just pushed through like most first responders do. Shoulder gone. Neck issues. Constant pain sitting at a low hum every single day… until one day it wasn’t a hum anymore, it was a full system crash on the side of the road. A moment that changed everything.
Don talks about the impact of chronic pain and it's relationship with mental health... He's just had FIVE surgeries in a short window. Neck fusion. Knee replacement. Eyes done. Thumb rebuilt. Basically, a full body overhaul… a process that was done with his psychiatric team in his corner every step of the way.
And surprise, surprise… when the body started to feel better, so did everything else. A pretty powerful reminder that we can’t separate our physical health from our mental health… no matter how much we try.
SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kate spent 24 years as a NSW police officer, right in the thick of trauma, chaos, and humanity at its messiest. And instead of hardening into someone cold or shut down… she made a conscious decision to stay kind.
We got into trauma, coping, why so many people in high stress roles lose themselves, and what actually helped her not just survive it, but come out the other side still intact. Kate talks about creativity literally switches off anxiety in the brain… and what avenues she uses to practice it.
We also explored the not-so-comfortable stuff. The people we struggle to forgive. The tension between gratitude and resentment. The reality that sometimes you don’t get closure… you just choose who you’re going to be anyway.
This one’s about doing the work. Owning your reactions. And choosing kindness, even when it would be way easier not to.
Oh, and 'Hey Siri... thanks for the intro' (that'll make sense when you tune in!)

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

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.