I sat down with Andrew 'Atto' Atkinson, nearly 29 years in Victoria Police and a lifetime of stories that sound like a Netflix series but come with very real scars. We talked about the covert surveillance work that had him breaking into houses, planting listening devices, tracking cars, heart racing, sometimes while the occupants were still home. High risk. High reward. Calculated, but never casual.

Then we moved into the part people do not see.

Atto was deployed as a UN peacekeeper in East Timor and Iraq. He was stabbed in East Timor and that moment set off a chain reaction. Lifelong medical complications. PTSD. Cancer. Chemo. A brain tumour diagnosis. Joint replacements. And years of complete denial because back then you just did not talk about your mental health. You punched on.

Work was his purpose, his tribe, his happy place. It was also the thing he hid behind. Leaving the job meant losing belonging, losing self, losing structure. And that loss can be brutal.

We talked about self-blame, about the 'bucket filling up' until it overflows, about how healing really began when he stopped pretending he was fine. And yesssss, we talked about Sophie, his service dog funded through DVA, trained to detect seizures five minutes before they hit. Absolute superstar.

SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS

Website: www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au 

TIFFANEE COOK

Linktree:  linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches

Website: tiffcook.com

I sat down with Andrew 'Atto' Atkinson, nearly 29 years in Victoria Police and a lifetime of stories that sound like a Netflix series but come with very real scars. We talked about the covert surveillance work that had him breaking into houses, planting listening devices, tracking cars, heart racing, sometimes while the occupants were still home. High risk. High reward. Calculated, but never casual.
Then we moved into the part people do not see.
Atto was deployed as a UN peacekeeper in East Timor and Iraq. He was stabbed in East Timor and that moment set off a chain reaction. Lifelong medical complications. PTSD. Cancer. Chemo. A brain tumour diagnosis. Joint replacements. And years of complete denial because back then you just did not talk about your mental health. You punched on.
Work was his purpose, his tribe, his happy place. It was also the thing he hid behind. Leaving the job meant losing belonging, losing self, losing structure. And that loss can be brutal.
We talked about self-blame, about the 'bucket filling up' until it overflows, about how healing really began when he stopped pretending he was fine. And yesssss, we talked about Sophie, his service dog funded through DVA, trained to detect seizures five minutes before they hit. Absolute superstar.
SPONSORED BY TESTART FAMILY LAWYERS
Website: <a href="https://www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au">www.testartfamilylawyers.com.au</a>&nbsp;
TIFFANEE COOK
Linktree: &nbsp;<a href="https://linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches">linktr.ee/rollwiththepunches</a>
Website: <a href="https://www.tiffcook.com">tiffcook.com</a>

Life hits hard. Good. So do we.
Roll With The Punches is a front-row seat to the messy, beautiful, brutal bits of being human.

Hosted by Tiff Cook - former boxer, coach, speaker, rascal, and someone who’s copped a few uppercuts from life and keeps getting back up. She sits down with global survivors, scientists, rebels, rockstars, and everyday legends to ask one thing:

What does it really take to get back up when life drops you?

We talk breakdowns, breakthroughs, big truths, and the bullsh*t we all carry. Behind the masks. Beneath the armour. Real conversations that crack something open in all of us.

We’re built to break.
And we become dangerous by design.
Honest work over hard work. Every damn time.

Life hits hard. Good. So do we. Roll With The Punches is a front-row seat to the messy, beautiful, brutal bits of being human.
Hosted by Tiff Cook - former boxer, coach, speaker, rascal, and someone who&rsquo;s copped a few uppercuts from life and keeps getting back up. She sits down with global survivors, scientists, rebels, rockstars, and everyday legends to ask one thing:
What does it really take to get back up when life drops you?
We talk breakdowns, breakthroughs, big truths, and the bullsh*t we all carry. Behind the masks. Beneath the armour. Real conversations that crack something open in all of us.
We&rsquo;re built to break. And we become dangerous by design. Honest work over hard work. Every damn time.

Roll With The Punches

Aussie host Tiffanee Cook is an athlete, performance coach, speaker and self-proclaimed eternal student of life. Making an impact through storytelling and science as she invites you to join her in exploring the human experience. From real life encounters with tragedy, vulnerability and trauma to exploring all things human experience with world renowned experts, scientists, psychologists & thought leaders.

 

Aussie host Tiffanee Cook is an athlete, performance coach, speaker and self-proclaimed eternal student of life. Making an impact through storytelling and science as she invites you to join her in exploring the human experience. From real life encounters with tragedy, vulnerability and trauma to exploring all things human experience with world renowned experts, scientists, psychologists &amp; thought leaders.
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When Work Breaks You | Andrew Atkinson - 993

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/d8ff15d5-1299-4475-bf49-b3fb00472f7a/transcript