Hugh van Cuylenburg is a name that resonates across Australia today. From Melbourne classrooms to theaters full of audience, Hugh’s messages of resilience have resonated with Australians across the country. Through establishing The Resilience Project, publishing bestselling novels, and talking candidly of his own vulnerabilities, Hugh van Cuylenburg has reshaped the way Australians approach wellbeing, gratitude, compassion, and mindfulness.
Who is Hugh van Cuylenburg?
Hugh van Cuylenburg is a Melbourne-born teacher, writer and public speaker who has spent more than 17 years working in education, teaching primary and secondary children across a range of settings. He is postgraduate trained in wellbeing and resilience. His concern with wellbeing emerged early in his work and was explicitly influenced by personal experience, for example, his younger sister’s anorexia struggle.
How does the project of resilience start?
The Resilience Project is the group Hugh started to bring wellbeing principles into schools, sporting clubs, workplaces, and homes throughout Australia. The key highlights are:
- When he came back to Melbourne from India, Hugh was keen on bringing daily wellbeing into Australian young people.
- When teaching, he observed increasing anxiety and emotional distress among the kids. He introduced gratitude, empathy and mindfulness (GEM) into his classroom work.
- He created a systematic curriculum to assist teachers: lesson plans, activities from early childhood all the way through high school and support materials.
Hugh van Cuylenburg’s key ideas
Hugh van Cuylenburg’s writing is based on simple, practical ideas that resonate with plenty of Australians. A number of his main ideas:
- Gratitude: Shifting focus to what you already have, rather than what you lack. Not only “saying thank you” but cultivating an attitude.
- Empathy: Listening to others people’s emotions, more connection, less isolation. His books highlight listening, compassion, and generosity.
- Mindfulness: Being fully present and aware. He promotes small, accessible practices—slowing down, breathing, and noticing your surroundings.
These principles are embedded throughout The Resilience Project’s programs, books, and talks.
Hugh van Cuylenburg’s work: Books, podcast, schools
Hugh van Cuylenburg has made significant contributions across different mediums:
1. Books: The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness Through Gratitude, Empathy & Mindfulness and Let Go are best-sellers in Australia and New Zealand. They reach individuals who are not within workplaces or schools.
2. Podcast “The Imperfects”: Hosted by his brother Josh and Ryan Shelton, it discusses human vulnerability, mental wellbeing, and tales of imperfection. It is a bestseller among Australians looking for authentic conversation on wellbeing.
3. School programs and corporate addressing: Hugh has shared his programs with more than 900-1000 schools around the country, and spoken to sports teams, corporations, early learning centres, etc.
Speaking openly about adversity
One of the reasons Hugh’s message resonates so strongly with Australians is his authenticity when it comes to adversity. Some of the tougher lessons he’s absorbed:
- Pressure to be “the happy guy”: Hugh has confessed that part of his public persona became “always being positive”, even when he was exhausted. When there were the COVID lockdowns, he freely talked about being emotionally exhausted.
- Family trauma: His childhood family fights over mental health, and his sister’s anorexia influenced his sense of duty, shame, grief and ultimately honesty.
- Letting go: Letting go of perfection, shame, and unspoken burdens is a continuous process with him. Hugh stresses the value of letting go of things that are not in his control, forgiveness and accepting imperfection.
From these challenges, he highlights key lessons:
- Habits of small, everyday action accumulate: Gratitude, empathy, mindfulness aren’t “add-ons” but building blocks of wellbeing. You can begin with simple habits in the home or workplace.
- Openness is a two-way process: Discussing difficulties, weaknesses or flaws de-stigmatises and makes people less alone. Hugh’s personal confession to having been stretched spoke powerfully to many.
- Resilience isn’t about being unilaterally strong: It’s about recovering, receiving assistance, accepting being imperfect.
- Institutional integration: Schools, workplaces, sport teams are central to building wellbeing, not just reacting to crises. Hugh’s work shows that school programs and organisational change work.
- Self-care and boundaries: for those caring or teaching for themselves, establishing habits for coping with pressure, rest, reflection are necessary.
Hugh van Cuylenburg’s contribution in Australia
Since the establishment of The Resilience Project, Hugh’s influence has been felt far and wide throughout Australia:
- Reached hundreds of thousands of students through school programs.
- Worked with high-achieving sporting teams, corporate teams, and early learning environments. Australia wide.
- Developed resources for ordinary Australians through books, podcasting, media. His message regarding “imperfects” and how to navigate real life has resonated.
Criticisms and points to consider
Like many public figures, van Cuylenburg’s work isn’t without critique. Some points raised include:
- Messages of gratitude and positivity risk being oversimplified, ignoring deeper issues like poverty, inequality, or lack of access to mental health care.
- Risks of burnout for wellbeing leaders, as the life of Hugh illustrates himself, individuals who teach resilience require resilience themselves.
- Not all wellbeing programs and interventions work for everyone; individual differences, cultural differences count; effect relies on what comes afterwards, systems of support, not one-off discussions.
Conclusion
In 2025, Hugh van Cuylenburg’s message feels as relevant as ever. With the digital tsunami of the world, the increasing mental health epidemic, and social disconnect, his emphasis on gratitude, empathy and mindfulness presents Australians with pragmatic strategies for surviving and even thriving. For Australians seeking hope in the mundane, Hugh van Cuylenburg is a heartening tale of one man’s life inspiring thousands to change.
