Hugh van cuylenburg
BIOGRAPHY
Educator / Speaker / Author
Hugh has been working in education for over 17 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 to create his own program for schools, and ‘The Resilience Project’ was born. Having completed his post graduate studies, looking at resilience and wellbeing, Hugh has developed and facilitated programs for more than 1000 schools across Australia.
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 sport stars including 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 of workplaces across various sectors.
In 2018 Hugh began bringing his expertise and inspiration to a broader audience, selling out three national tours in the process.
Hugh’s first book, The Resilience Project, was released in 2020, selling more than 200,000 copies in Australia and New Zealand and topping best-seller lists. His second book, Let’s Go, was released in November this year.
In 2022 Hugh embarked on his biggest tour to date, taking in New Zealand, Asia and Australia, including a date at the iconic Sydney Opera House to sold out audiences.
Hugh co-hosts the acclaimed podcast The Imperfects with his brother Josh and Ryan Shelton. In 2023 and 2024, The Imperfects captivated audiences across Australia with a sold-out live tour, bringing one of the nation’s most downloaded podcasts to the stage.