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ABOUT

About us

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs to schools, sports clubs and businesses, providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. Through presentations, school curriculum, events, the TRP App, and Wellbeing Journals, we share the benefits of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness, and easy ways to practise these in everyday life. We also incorporate Emotional Literacy, Connection and Physical Health education and activities as they are foundational contributors to positive mental health.

Our Story

In 2008, I was fortunate enough to spend a few months living and volunteering in the far north of India. In this desert community, there was no running water, no electricity and no beds; everyone slept on the floor of their hut. Despite the fact these people had very little to call their own, I was continually blown away by how happy they were.

It was this experience, and subsequent post graduate studies, that led me to some pretty simple conclusions about the things that we need to be doing here in Australia if we want to be happier. I learnt from this village that practicing Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness leads us to a happier more fulfilling experience. Once I discovered these three principles were also evidence-based, I decided to share these simple and highly effective wellbeing strategies in  a program for schools. Ten years on, having worked with over 1,000 schools, it turns out it wasn’t just schools that wanted to hear this message! I am grateful to work with teachers, students, parents, workplaces, community leaders and sporting clubs every day.

Hugh van Cuylenburg, Founder and Presenter, The Resilience Project

Who have we reached?

Over 1000 Schools
1,000,000+ Australians
Australian Cricket, Netball & Soccer Teams, all NRL clubs, and multiple AFL teams
Over 500 workplaces

MEET THE TEAM

Hugh van Cuylenburg

Founding Director & Facilitator

Martin Heppell

Partner & Lead Facilitator

Ben Waterman

Chief Executive Officer

Education Team

Whitney Beseler

School Partnership Manager

Courteney Boulter

School Partnership Manager

Lucy Cutts

School Partnership Manager

Sam Downward

School Partnership Manager

Luke Davis

School Partnership Manager

Ben Fosten

School Partnership Manager

Elias Karageorgiou

School Partnership Team Leader

Belinda Galloway

Education Manager

Sam Korsch

School Partnership Manager

Emma Peters

Early Years Partnership Manager

Helenor Regester

Head of Education

Phoebe Smith

School Partnership Team Leader

Lillian Walsh

School Partnership Team Leader

Connor Whyntie

School Partnership Manager

Rachael Tabb

Education Coordinator

Finance Team

Helen Frost

Head of Finance

Lisa Powell

Accounts & Administration Assistant

Operations Team

Mia Adams

Marketing & Comms Coordinator

Sarah Gillooly

Office & Operations Manager

Dawn Maxa

Operations Manager

Maddie McMaster

Head of Operations

Alisha Min

Marketing & Comms Manager

Ashlee Naismith

Operations Coordinator

Leah Stevenson

Project Advisor & Facilitator

Aretha Peethamparam

Web Developer

Strategy & Development Team

Laura Ng

Partnership & Development Manager

Kim Smiley

Head of Strategy & Development

Victor Wozniak

Strategy & Development Manager

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT

  • 81 Sackville St
    Collingwood VIC 3066
    Note: no stock held at our office
  • We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live.
    We pay our respect to Elders: past, present and emerging.

Copyright © 2022 THE RESILIENCE PROJECT PTY. LTD.

Website developed by Macedon Digital
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Hugh has been working in education for over 15 years, teaching both primary and secondary in a range of educational settings. The highlight of his teaching career was the year he spent in the far north of India volunteering and living at an underprivileged school in the Himalayas. It was here that he discovered resilience in its purest form.

Inspired by this experience Hugh returned to Melbourne and commenced working on his own program for schools. ‘The Resilience Project’ was born. Having completed his post graduate studies, looking at resilience and wellbeing, Hugh has developed and facilitated programs for over 900 schools Australia wide.

In 2015, the National Rugby League asked Hugh to run workshops at every club in the competition. Since then, he has worked with the Australian Cricket Team, the Australian Netball Team, the Australian Women’s Soccer Team, The Jillaroos and 10 AFL teams. Beyond the team environment, Hugh has been lucky enough to work one on one with individuals such as Steve Smith, Dustin Martin and Billy Slater. He currently works closely with the Port Adelaide Football Club.

In addition to his work in schools and elite sport, Hugh has presented to over 500 corporate groups as a keynote speaker and developed comprehensive programs for a range workplaces across different sectors.

Hugh is a best selling author and co-host of the popular podcast, The Imperfects.

Hugh van Cuylenburg

Founding Director & Facilitator

Martin’s background is unique. He spent a considerable amount of time growing up in Borneo living with a Dayak headhunting tribe. He was also educated in different parts of South East Asia and has been heavily influenced by the morals and values that he and his family were immersed in whilst living with the Dayaks.

After finishing high school in Melbourne, Martin spent 6 years in the AFL and SANFL systems playing for the St Kilda, Melbourne and Norwood Football Clubs. Following this, he travelled the world backpacking for nearly 3 years. Upon return to Australia, Martin studied primary teaching at Melbourne University. After completing his degree, he taught 1/2 and 5/6 year levels for 4 years before being promoted to Assistant Principal at Auburn Primary, where he focused on Student Wellbeing, Educational Leadership and Change Management.

After 4 years as Assistant Principal, he joined The Resilience Project. Since 2016, he has conducted over 1,700 presentations across Australia to key stakeholders at schools and their communities, corporations and elite sporting organisations including the AFL, NRL and the A-League.

He especially enjoys situations that present challenges and require an optimistic focus to address. He is passionate about children being raised in a supportive and encouraging environment that evokes self-confidence and a zest for life. His presentations are original and energetic.

Martin Heppell

Partner & Lead Facilitator

Ben joined TRP as General Manager in 2017 and was excited to have the opportunity to positively impact the wellbeing of young people and school communities all across Australia.

Prior to joining TRP, he was an executive at SEDA Group as General Manager Marketing & Communications. Throughout his time at SEDA, Ben played a lead role in seeing the organisation grow from 160 students to over 2000 students nationally. Ben has also held a broad range of senior leadership and executive roles throughout his career in the education and sports industries including teaching, educational leadership, student admissions, marketing and communications.

Ben has a genuine care for people and is passionate about helping them to achieve their full potential.

Ben Waterman

Chief Executive Officer

Whitney has worked as a Physical Education & Health teacher in Primary and Secondary education over the past 12 years. Beginning her career in rural Victoria, she then travelled to Austria to work in an International School in a small village east of Salzburg. This is where she fell in love with Europe and developed a passion for student wellbeing and connection.

Whitney has spent the previous six years working in Melbourne and her hometown of Ballarat working in girls’ Catholic schools, running the whole school sport program. She has a passion for all sports; particularly watching the footy and supporting the St Kilda Football Club, so this has also been a source of much heartache over the years!

Outside of TRP, Whitney loves spending time with family and friends, particularly her six adorable nieces and nephews and she loves a morning coffee and going for walks with her gorgeous Whippet.

Whitney Beseler

School Partnership Manager

Courteney has been teaching for ten years, in both the Secondary and Primary sector. She spent many years developing and coordinating alternate-curricular programs aimed at cultivating resilience, empathy and life-skills, which really ignited her passion in the wellbeing space.

Courteney also coached competitive Aerobics teams for the past decade with many making, and even winning, the National Championships. Supporting her students to grow in confidence, push themselves out of their comfort zones, work together as a team and beam with pride on stage is something that fills her cup to the brim!

Courteney loves kicking the footy, playing board games and is passionate about inclusivity, celebrating diversity and spreading positivity.

Courteney Boulter

School Partnership Manager

Lucy has been an educator for the last 12 years, working across Victoria, NSW and internationally. While connecting with students and focusing on their wellbeing had always been a priority for Lucy, it was her move to San Francisco to teach that made her realise the true impact of improving student wellbeing outcomes. 

After returning from the United States, she was excited to learn more about how to enhance the wellbeing of young people, completing a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology. During her Masters, Lucy developed her knowledge and understanding of how individuals and organisations thrive, with a focus on Positive Education in schools. 

Outside of TRP, Lucy loves nothing more than being in the ocean and most mornings, you will find her swimming across Bondi Beach. She loves to laugh, enjoys being active, catching up with friends and when she can, traveling and visiting her family outside of Sydney.

Lucy Cutts

School Partnership Manager

Sam has worked as a Physical Education & Health teacher for 6 years in a secondary school in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Teaching Physical Education, Health, Business and Applied Learning across all year levels, she developed a passion for working with students to educate them about mental health and wellbeing. 

In her second year of teaching, she moved into a Student Engagement leadership position before moving into a Head of Domain position. After leaving teaching, she worked as a Physical Activity Advisor, working with government schools to implement the Active Schools Framework before joining TRP in 2024. 

Sam loves pilates, snowboarding, walking her dog Rafa, cheering on the Melbourne Vixens and Carlton, and spending time with her friends and family.

Sam Downward

School Partnership Manager

Luke has been a primary teacher for the past 5 years at a school in Geelong. He has worked with children across a variety of year levels with a great passion for building strong relationships with students and educating people about mental health.

Growing up with 4 younger siblings, he formed a strong passion for working with children and helping others. Through his teaching and personal experiences, he developed a love for learning more about mental health and well-being and sharing this with others. Luke enjoys jumping on board causes such as Dry July, Polished Man, and in particular, Movember, which he engages in each year.

Outside of TRP, Luke plays football for his local club Barwon Heads, and is a keen Melbourne supporter. He also loves basketball and cycling, supporting the Lakers and getting out for rides down the coast. He is competitive and loves people telling him he can’t do something as a driving factor.

Luke Davis

School Partnership Manager

Ben has spent 13 years teaching in Queensland Primary schools, where he gained valuable experience as a Deputy Principal. Throughout his career, he’s worked in diverse school environments, inspired by his students to foster a sense of belonging and a safe space for growth. Ben is passionate about promoting well-being for both students and teachers, and he actively advocates for it. He’s committed to collaborating with school communities to foster resilience and well-being, aiming for long-term positive change.

Outside of work, Ben cherishes time with his young family, embracing the joy and chaos that comes with raising toddlers. They often embark on family adventures to parks, beaches, and local coffee shops for babycinos. Supported by loved ones, his friends, and family are central to his purpose at TRP.

Ben has a range of interests, including hiking, gardening, and sports. As a proud Queenslander, he’s a staunch supporter of the Brisbane Broncos and the Maroons. You won’t have to twist his arm to kick the footy, but above all, Ben enjoys connecting with people and building new relationships whenever the opportunity arises.

Ben Fosten

School Partnership Manager

Elias is a qualified teacher who worked in Melbourne for several years before having the opportunity to live and work in a remote indigenous community in the Tiwi Islands for two years before joining TRP in 2021.

Whilst up north, he worked with a range of at-risk students and made some incredible inroads in helping the mental health and wellbeing of his students and the wider community. Prior to this in Melbourne, he taught at a primary school where he co-led the Student and Wellbeing team.

Elias’ passion for helping young people and making a difference drives him immensely. He loves his sport and is a diehard Richmond supporter. He also plays and coaches cricket and enjoys getting out for a fish and some camping during his down-time.

Elias Karageorgiou

School Partnership Team Leader

Belinda has spent her working life helping at risk young people and their
families. She began her career as a family services worker in child protection and Mackillop family services. After seeing first-hand the incredible impact that schools and teachers had on the families she worked with, she was inspired to complete a Graduate Diploma in Secondary education and moved into the education sector as a teacher and Student Wellbeing coordinator.

Belinda’s passion for prevention and health promotion grew and she went on to complete further studies in health promotion. She has since been involved in several community education programs including the AFL Respectful Relationships program and Baby Makes 3. Belinda’s role provides the perfect mix of working in prevention and education. She has been able to apply her cross sector experience and knowledge to lead the Education Team in the development of quality school curriculum and education materials.

Belinda Galloway

Education Manager

Sam has been a Primary School Educator since graduating from Newcastle University in 2015. He began his teaching journey on the Central Coast of NSW, where he grew up, before moving to the North Shore of Sydney to live and work. This was where Sam took on various leadership roles within the primary school setting, and very quickly became passionate about the connectedness and wellbeing of students, staff, and the broader school community.

Sam has also continued to drive his passion for inclusivity through his coaching roles over the years in Women’s football and Aussie Rules.

Sam Korsch

School Partnership Manager

After beginning her studies to become a primary school teacher, Emma soon found her passion for the early years and went on to complete a dual qualification in primary and early childhood education.

Emma has 12 years experience working in the early childhood sector. Her experience includes 10 years as a Kindergarten Teacher and Co-Director of an ELC in West Gippsland Victoria and as a Sessional Lecturer in the Bachelor of Early Childhood for Victoria University.

Emma believes all children are competent and capable learners and recognises the unique opportunity that early childhood teachers and educators have to help them develop positive mental health practices to carry with them through life.

Emma Peters

Early Years Partnership Manager

Helenor started her career as an Economic Research Analyst working for the Property Economics company, Urbis. Realising her true passion was in Education she retrained as a primary school teacher. She has consequently spent the last 12 years in a school setting, assuming a variety of roles, from classroom teacher, International Baccalaureate, Primary School Program Coordinator and the last four years as an Assistant Principal.

Passionate about student wellbeing, she understands the impact positive mental health has in enabling students to reach their full potential and what a necessary component it is in all school curriculums.

Helenor is thrilled to have joined the TRP team in 2022 and is excited to continue to help provide, engaging programs, services and tools for teachers, students and parents, that help provide essential strategies to help people live a happier life.

Helenor Regester

Head of Education

Phoebe has been working at The Resilience Project since 2021 as both a Wellbeing Workshop Facilitator and Schools Partnership Team Leader.

Having worked across a number of sectors, including State Government, Real Estate and Education (school and university) in both Victoria and the United Kingdom, Phoebe has great experience in understanding the challenges faced by organisations, and the need for a strong wellbeing culture.

She loves that she gets to combine her passion for wellbeing and education through the facilitation of workplace and school programs at TRP.

In her downtime, Phoebe loves to be outside exercising, traveling to new places and spending time with her family and friends.

Phoebe Smith

School Partnership Team Leader

Lillian is a primary school teacher who has spent the past nine years teaching across Central West NSW and the inner west of Sydney as well as tutoring for Ronald McDonald House. The heart of her work is centred on positively impacting lives through inclusive, evidence-based preventative mental health programs.

From early on in her teaching career, Lillian noticed the impact of mental health on student behaviour, learning, engagement and relationships. This led Lillian to expand her professional and personal capacity in this field, where she eventually led the wellbeing team in her school.

Outside of TRP, Lillian’s love for health and wellbeing also saw her complete studies in Nutritional Medicine. She is a Sydney Swans enthusiast and loves nothing more than getting along to live sporting matches and having a hit of tennis.

Lillian Walsh

School Partnership Team Leader

Connor has spent the last decade working in primary school classrooms as a Classroom Teacher, Assistant Principal and most recently, Assistant Principal – Curriculum and Instruction. He has a deep passion for child wellbeing and helping children develop the building blocks of resilience so that they can face life’s adversity. He  joined The Resilient Project to make an impact and create change – to see children across the country, including his own, develop positive mental health strategies they can take into adulthood.

Before teaching, Connor worked in a variety of industries, including a stint as a real life ‘cowboy’ in rural NSW, where he found himself learning his own resilient strategies to overcome a significant workplace injury. He looks back on this with fondness and gratitude, knowing because of it, he is exactly where he’s meant to be, and wants to share this message with those around him.

When he is not in his TRP shirt, he is spending time with his beautiful partner and two wonderful children. He is easy to find, as he will either be on his bike riding up hills or chasing wheels, following a sunrise to the beach, deafeningly cheering on his beloved Collingwood FC or watching the clock in an ice bath.

Connor Whyntie

School Partnership Manager

Rachael has been working in education for the last 11 years as a primary school teacher at various schools and in various roles. Through classroom teaching, leading teams and her role as a student welfare leader, Rachael’s passion for students’ wellbeing has grown over the years. She believes if students are happy, feel safe and supported then they can become resilient, lifelong learners who can reach their full potential.

Rachael has been involved with TRP as a curriculum reviewer and developer, and is beyond excited to continue this work to help educate and create awareness around mental health and wellbeing.

Rachael Tabb

Education Coordinator

With Bachelor qualifications in Accounting and a CPA , Helen brings a systems oriented approach to ensuring the finances of TRP are in order. After joining TRP mid 2017 Helen has seen TRP grow and develop and loves seeing the improvements the expanding team has made along the way.

Helen has a strong affinity with the positive and practical message of TRP and is pleased to be part of the team which enables it to be spread far and wide.

Helen Frost

Head of Finance

Lisa is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience working in public accounting practices, financial and most recently philanthropy services.

Passionate about kids being supported to thrive, Lisa is a Board Member of Friday Night School – an organisation that provides educational support and tutoring to students from non-English speaking backgrounds. She loves learning new things and being involved with organisations that are contributing to the greater good.

Outside of TRP, Lisa is a proud and busy Mum to her two children Hayden and Imogen.

Lisa Powell

Accounts & Administration Assistant

Originally from the Gold Coast, Mia completed her degree in Journalism, majoring in marketing. After graduating from university Mia worked for Australian beer company Balter Brewing as Marketing Coordinator, where she was able to craft her Marketing & Communications skillset. 

After her time at Balter, Mia embarked on an 8 month working holiday across Europe to expand her world view. She has since returned home & relocated to Melbourne in order to join the TRP team & help share our message with an even greater audience. 

Mia loves the power of great conversion & hopes to help create positive influence in her professional & personal life. 

Mia Adams

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Sarah joined TRP in April 2021 as the Office and Operations Manager.

With a background in operations, events and project management, Sarah has held management positions across a variety of businesses in the corporate sector. Having had her own business, she is passionate about working with people, delivering great service and business improvement.

Knowing and working with others with disability and experiencing homelessness, Sarah is driven to see an improvement in mental ill-health prevention, social justice, inclusion and would like to see an end to homelessness. She would like to see the world as an accepting place for everyone’s imperfections!

Sarah Gillooly

Office and Operations Manager

Prior to joining TRP in March 2021, Dawn had many varied roles in sales, marketing, project management, HR and workplace culture. She is an enthusiastic problem solver and skilled at creating space and organisation in a way that completely reduces overwhelm when large competing priorities are at play.

Having travelled extensively, Dawn is a keen adventurer and lover of the great outdoors and is passionate about the benefits this has on our mental wellbeing. She is driven to positively impact global communities, in particular to create a brighter future for women and girls. This passion ensures that she finds the time to volunteer for Free to Shine, an organisation working to educate young Cambodian girls and prevent them from being trafficked into the commercial sex industry.

Dawn Maxa

Operations Manager

As Head of Operations, Maddie aims to enable our amazing team to reach and impact as many people as possible. Maddie is passionate about wellbeing, travel, the planet and building a brighter future for everyone, including her two kids.

With international experience in general management, operations, HR and consulting (and a nerdy love for process and systems improvement!), Maddie is so grateful to now have the opportunity to help The Resilience Project spread happiness and change lives.

Maddie McMaster

Head of Operations

Bringing some great experience from previous roles in education and sport, Alisha came onboard at TRP in January 2020 as the Senior Marketing & Communications Coordinator.

With former positions at St Aloysius College (Adelaide), Vicsport, Carlton Football Club and the Victorian Amateur Football Association, teamed with ongoing work with Motorsport Australia, Alisha strongly believes in the power of community engagement and loves building meaningful connections with others.

Alisha Min

Marketing & Communications Manager

Driven by a desire to help others and encourage open & honest conversations, Ashlee has been drawn to TRP and its mission to teach mental health strategies and inspire happiness.

Ashlee started at The Resilience Project in October 2021 as an Online Shop Assistant and has since moved into the role of Operations Coordinator. While eagerly continuing to expand her skills in marketing at TRP, she is also currently completing her undergraduate science degree at The University of Melbourne.

Ashlee Naismith

Operations Coordinator

Leah made the move from Newcastle NSW to Melbourne to study Primary Education. She spent five years in the classroom whilst taking on various leadership roles and growing her love of teaching.

After taking a year off with her husband backpacking to all seven continents, she returned to complete her Masters of Education at the University of Melbourne to focus on Instructional Leadership, Trust, and Change Management. Moving schools to an Assistant Principal role, Leah’s passions lay in challenging and supporting staff and students to love learning, be curious and discover their full potential.

Working with The Resilience Project since 2020, Leah continues to bring that passion to life in the Mental Health space creating opportunities for people to reflect on, strengthen, and share their own wellbeing journeys, whilst also enjoying (mostly) the challenge of raising two small humans at home.

Leah Stevenson

Project Advisor & Facilitator

Aretha worked as a software developer and cyber security engineer in consulting and banking roles before joining TRP. She started her career designing and improving cyber security processes and tools. She then switched to software development where she wrote front and back end functionality for web applications. 
 
As a woman who has studied and worked in the tech industry, Aretha is passionate about encouraging young women to consider a career in tech. She has volunteered for high school and university led programs designed for female high school students to explore technology and innovation.

Aretha Peethamparam

Web Developer

Laura brings to The Resilience Project a very strong Customer Service background as well as highly skilled training capabilities and customer database expertise.

She is committed to the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents and outside of The Resilience Project she volunteers for 54 Reasons, supporting children to reach their full potential.

Laura Ng

Partnership & Development Manager

Prior to joining TRP, Kim worked in the corporate sector for 12 years, predominantly in sales and general management. She had the privilege of working with Nestle for eight of those years working across various business units, markets and customer segments.

She then joined The Reach Foundation in 2013, where she found her passion for proactively supporting young people to thrive. She worked in business strategy and corporate partnerships, before she developed a business case to launch a social enterprise (Wake by Reach) that would assist The Reach Foundation in becoming more self-sustainable and extending their programs to an adult audience. In the last 18 months with Reach, Kim also took on the role of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships, believing that the best and most sustainable support for young Australians comes through collaboration.

Kim looks forward to continuing her passion for supporting all people to become happier and more resilient through practicing critical life skills and human connection.

Kim Smiley

Head of Strategy & Development

Prior to joining TRP, Victor completed a Bachelor of Commerce/Arts at Monash University, which led him to a career in the sports industry predominantly working across partnerships & commercial growth for 15 years.

Vic has worked with the likes of Geelong Cats, Hawthorn Football Club & Nissan Motorsport building commercial strategies and delivering mutually beneficial partnerships with Corporate sponsors, Government bodies and community-based organisations based on deep collaboration, trust and excellent customer service.

He loves his sport, getting out in the surf and spending time with his beautiful family. Vic is so grateful to be working with the incredible team at The Resilience Project to support all people to become happier and more resilient through our positive mental-health programs.

Victor Wozniak

Strategy & Development Manager

Approved Provider

Victorian School Mental Health Fund Menu

Victorian School Mental Health Fund Menu

Victorian School Mental Health Fund Menu

The Resilience Project is an approved provider in several school mental health funding initiatives around Australia.

This means more kids, educators and families can benefit from positive mental health programs than ever before.

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