How ‘embracing imperfection’ has changed Hugh van Cuylenburg’s life | Australian Story

Confronting family secrets can be difficult but for Hugh van Cuylenburg, it was the key to setting him free.
Warning: This story contains reference to child sexual abuse.
Hugh is known as the founder of the Resilience Project and co-host of the hit podcast, the Imperfects.
For years he’s helped students and sports people learn simple strategies to prepare them for life’s ups and downs, winning fans with his self-deprecating storytelling.
Underpinning Hugh’s work was his own family’s experience with mental illness; his sister Georgia battled an eating disorder from her early teens.
Then Hugh hit his own mental health hurdle and he realised he had to untangle his complex relationship with Georgia and make amends.
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endED: support and information on eating disorders
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Пікірлер: 15

  • @adriannepeterson6347
    @adriannepeterson634711 ай бұрын

    Beautifully told in its honesty and rawness. My child's primary school delivered The Resilience Project to my child and the student cohort in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic and I am so grateful how this assisted in the transition to highschool during the same period 😍😍

  • @joelnduncan
    @joelnduncan11 ай бұрын

    thank you so much for your beautiful podcast Hugh!

  • @prasannameemaduma3687
    @prasannameemaduma368711 ай бұрын

    Absolutely - Empathy, Gratitude and Mindfulness teachings from India - Great philosophy like Buddhas teaching.

  • @Lucida1818
    @Lucida18189 ай бұрын

    This video is very healing and inspirational Hugh. I relate to the story greatly. My goodness there is so much synchronicity between your story and my story. I am also a former tertiary educator. It would be great to work with you.

  • @melusine826
    @melusine82611 ай бұрын

    I won't deny there's some uncharitable feelings I have to hugh from this story.... but I also know what shame and trauma can do

  • @aussiemumlovesmusic

    @aussiemumlovesmusic

    11 ай бұрын

    I think he's great. My family of origin has had the same issues, and everyone deals with it differently. Very hard to face.

  • @lesperonis1146
    @lesperonis114611 ай бұрын

    ❤🎉 Amazing story ! Thank you Hugh for your honesty in this telling of this story 👏 authenticity at its best ! well done mate 👌

  • @Kruse1
    @Kruse111 ай бұрын

    So brave.

  • @MrRamanuja88
    @MrRamanuja8811 ай бұрын

    I wonder where that little Indian boy is today. Did he grow up to be as resilient as he has been portrayed in this documentary.

  • @aussiemumlovesmusic

    @aussiemumlovesmusic

    11 ай бұрын

    Yes that would be good to know. I'm curious too. Whatnhappened to him and so many in his situation? I recently watched a documentary about Barak Obama's brother (same father) lives in a slum. He is a very positive guy. But his life options are very limited. Somebody asked "why did your brother never take care of you" his reply " my brother took care of the world, and I am in the world". Not an Obama fan particularly, but his brother's attitude was amazing. I think the richer societies are falling down due to too much entitlement. Feeling no entitlement can make us more content.

  • @andrewthomas695
    @andrewthomas69511 ай бұрын

    Rather than seek perfection in oneself and in the world, instead just try to make them slightly less shit every day. 🙂

  • @posmosis63
    @posmosis637 ай бұрын

    Hugh, Sure you are not a psychologist, the Wright brothers wer'nt pilots..... however they were the best pilots in the world at that moment. This is an emergent problem,, we are litterally making it up as we go, socially and legislativly. There is no parent right now who can ask their father or mother on advice to raise children in the current leap society is having around technology.... I am sure this whole wave you have been riding for a decade and a ½ is incredibly hard in itself, keep riding it please !!! You are changing lives (and therefore society) for the better, one mind at a time.

  • @ABCNewsIndepth
    @ABCNewsIndepth11 ай бұрын

    Watch more Australian Story documentaries over on our playlist 👉 kzread.info/head/PLDTPrMoGHssDzqF7spxT_VH3Zd266tSEp

  • @Amped4Life
    @Amped4Life10 ай бұрын

    I am visiting this beautiful part of Australia next year after seeing this. It is so hard to choose where or which at risk environment to visit with inflation, but I need to see this (and so many other beautiful and the few untouched ecological wonders of the world before they are gone forever and permanently impacted by cars, jobs, pollution, trash on the ground, etc. like 99.9% of the world is today). It's so sad how our world is a garbage dump. I am for humans avoiding reproduction and allowing animals and the environment to thrive and re-take what belongs to them - the world without human negative impact and natural processes of evolution and survival.