Roll With The Punches

Why are so many of us are unknowingly blocking ourselves from feeling loved whilst desperately trying to chase it?
Harry Reis is a renowned social psychologist and Professor at the University of Rochester who has spent decades researching love, intimacy, vulnerability, and what actually makes humans feel connected. He recently co-authored the book 'How to Feel More Loved' with Sonja Lyubomirsky, who is one of the world’s leading happiness researchers. Ripper collab right there, huh!
We spoke about online dating checklists, social media validation, the weird performance of modern identity, AI relationships, conflict, growth, and the fear most of us carry that if people really knew us… they’d leave. Harry also dropped one idea worth pondering... that love isn’t just romance. It’s belonging... it's being seen, understood, valued, and safe enough to be fully human around other people.
There’s also a lot in this one about the tension between comfort and growth too. Why relationships that never challenge us don’t actually deepen us. Why rupture and repair matters. Why conflict isn’t failure. And why the things that shape us most are usually the hard conversations, awkward truths, and moments where we stop hiding behind the polished version of ourselves.
Also… we somehow ended up talking about robot partners, Star Trek, and whether AI could ever replace human love. So, there’s that...

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

Bloody hell… this one smacked me right in the chops.
Stephen Jenkinson (my favourite guest, just quietly) is back on the show and this conversation was nothing like the others… and somehow also exactly like the others. We talked about Parkinson’s, terror, identity, regret, suffering, joy, and what happens when the bloke who helps people understand death and life gets blindsided by his own brutal reality.
There were moments in this chat where I genuinely forgot to breathe. Stephen spoke about the collapse of certainty, the illusion of control, the strange grief of losing parts of yourself while still being alive… and whether we’re actually supposed to remain the same person forever.
We got into regret, awe, suffering, old wounds, childhood survival, dancing with trembling hands, and the active pursuit of joy. Not happiness. Not comfort... Joy.
This isn’t a neat conversation with tidy answers. It’s raw, confronting, beautiful, deeply human… and as it always is with Stephen, it's honestly one of the most important chats I’ve had.
Enjoy, legends.
SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: testartfamilylawyers.com.au
STEPHEN JENKINSON
Website: orphanwisdom.com/
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches
Website: tiffcook.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Maryellen MacDonald, she's joining me in this ep and we're talkin' about talkin'. Turns out talking isn’t just about getting words out… it sharpens how we think, helps us regulate emotions, and even slows cognitive decline.
We got into why talking is actually hard work (even if it doesn’t feel like it), why Gen Z are low-key avoiding it, and why retirees might be losing more than just social connection when conversations drop off.
You might leave this ep feeling inclined to start naming your emotions. Not just feel them, not just react to them… actually put words to them. As simple as it sounds, generally most of us humans are pretty average at that, and learning to do so makes all the difference.
Also… we covered journaling, self-talk, conversations with strangers that turn into something weirdly meaningful… all of it matters more than we think.
Moral of the story… stop just consuming. Start talking. Even if it’s just to yourself.

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

A little over a year ago I sat down at my mum’s kitchen table with my Pop, Frank Cook, and recorded what would become one of the most special conversations I’ve ever had. At the time he was 101 years old... sharp as a tack, funny as hell, still telling stories and cracking jokes like a bloke half his age.
And now, after saying goodbye to him at 102 just this year, this episode is even more special... so here I am sharing it again.
Pop was born in 1924. He grew up on a farm in Tasmania when people still travelled by horse and cart, when school was too far away for many kids to attend, and long before television ever reached Australia. His father carried shrapnel in his leg from WWI, WWII broke out when Pop was just 15, and life was built on hard work, community, resilience, and character.
This is a chat with a legend of a man who made it to 102 without ever becoming bitter. A bloke who proudly said he’d made “thousands of friends and not a single enemy.” A husband, father, grandfather, sportsman, farmer, and one of the most rock-solid humans I’ve ever known.
Instead of saying "I'm sorry to lose him", I'm going to say "let's celebrate a long, happy, healthy life lived like the perfect fairytale right to his last moments. Honestly... if there’s a better way to leave this world than peacefully surrounded by family after 102 years of love & laughter... I ain't sure what it is.
I feel incredibly bloody proud to call him my Pop.
I hope ya'll love listening to his stories as much as I do.

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.

Bloody hell, I knew this one was going to be a ripper the second I got off the phone with Mark the first time. You know when someone just has that energy and you’re like yep, this is gonna be a wild ride. Aaaaaand that it was. He's an epic communicator, incredible storyteller, and someone who has seen and done a thing or two.
This is the first episode in a series I'm producing for The Code 9 Foundation dubbed the Bravery Series - and of course, we want to share it here for you pack of legends to hear it too.
Anyway, back to Mark (or 'Trigger')... he's lived more than a few lives! We’re talking getting deported, locked up, running around with poachers… and somehow that was before policing even began for him.
We chat about what defines courage, bravery, and resilience. What actually happens in your body, what goes through your head, and the bit I keep coming back to… that you don’t get to choose who you are in those moments... You just meet yourself.
So, buckle up for some wild tales, kids! We're talkin' pyjamas, samurai swords, three blokes, and absolute chaos kind of wild.
But underneath all of that… this is a conversation about instinct, training, fear… and the decisions you make when there’s no clean or safe option.
I LOVED this one. You will too.

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