Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) is proud to announce
Hugh van Cuylenburg as our new Ambassador.
Hugh van Cuylenburg’s inspirational book ‘The Resilience Project’ remains on top of the best sellers list here, nationally and internationally.
Hugh’s own lived-experience of an eating disorder in the family goes back to his teenage years when his younger sister was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.
Hugh experienced first-hand how eating disorders impact the whole family.
After his sister’s hospitalisation, Hugh remembers the severe sadness around the dinner table., his parents crying and he and his little brother were sad and terrified.
It was at that moment that Hugh realised the family was ‘broken’, they were not what they used to be anymore and he wondered how would they ever mend again.
The eating disorder in the family profoundly affected everyone and has had ongoing effects in all their lives since.
Hugh wishes his family had an organisation like EDFA back then to turn to for support.
This experience underpins his motivation to create The Resilience Project!
Education is key
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 of workplaces across different sectors.
Hugh is a bestselling author and co-host of the popular podcast, The Imperfects.
