Hugh van Cuylenberg // Happiness, humanity and a cracking sense of Hugh-mour
RE-RELEASE // I know I yak on about it all the time but the weirdest thing about making this show is not being able to reach out to you at the time you’re actually listening, so sometimes bringing you yay the best way possible is a bit of guesswork. I’ve been noticing people posting about episodes with a longer lag time from its release than usual, and while I originally thought lockdowns meant more time to listen to podcasts, I’ve noticed for myself at least without travelling in the car all the time I’m listening less. Ini that light, dropping two episodes this year instead of one each week might be bombarding you a bit! So, for a few #yaysofourlives slots I’m going to re-share some episodes that you may have missed to let some of you catch up (but as always, if I'm totally wrong, please DM me right now to let me know!)
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While it happens a few times in every episode, I’m sure you can sometimes hear when I’ve forgotten that we’re recording for the entirety of an episode because I’m enjoying our guest so much. You’ve had a sneak preview of how much I admire Hugh Van Cuylenberg in #yaysofourlives a few weeks ago when Abbey Gelmi and I bonded over how obsessed we are with his wit and wisdom and this episode took that obsession to another level.
Hugh strikes the most beautiful balance between endearingly self-deprecating and calmly authoritative, navigating effortlessly between hysterical laughter and deep exploration of mental health and personal tragedy. His family’s journey with mental illness is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming and what he has turned that experience into with The Resilience Project is changing the world for the better from classrooms to AFL clubs to wherever you’re listening right now. Through presentations, school curriculum, events and his thought-provoking book (with a second coming soon), Hugh uses humour, vulnerability and storytelling to support the mental health of Australians through the pillars of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. With cricket references, puns and relatable stories aplenty, Hugh is changing the way we talk about resilience and wellbeing and he’s quickly becoming one of my very favourite people in the world.
Like all our guests, Hugh didn’t wake up one day with the clarity of purpose he has today and takes us through all the dots that didn’t connect until he looked back years later with hindsight. From professional cricket to school teaching and laying gas pipes before travelling to India for love, everything about this man is fascinating and I couldn’t be more excited to share his passion and energy with you all. Hope you enjoy and laugh as much as I did.
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