In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde is joined by former professional surfer and mental health advocate Cooper Chapman, founder of The Good Human Factory, for a grounded and practical conversation about mental health, resilience, and leadership in a high-pressure world.

Cooper shares how personal loss, family experience, and years as an elite athlete shaped his commitment to mental health education. What began as a small school initiative has grown into a global wellbeing movement, a bestselling book (The 1% Good Club), corporate programs, and an invitation to speak at the United Nations.

Together, Julie and Cooper explore why mental health is not something to fix when life falls apart, but something to strengthen daily through small, intentional habits. They unpack the power of the 1% rule. Just 14 minutes a day dedicated to mental wellbeing can significantly shift how leaders manage pressure, ambition, burnout, and identity.

This episode dives into the link between self-leadership and mental resilience, the danger of tying identity to performance, and why adaptability, self-kindness, connection, and time in nature are essential practices for modern leaders. Cooper also reflects on what surfing taught him about failure, emotional regulation, and staying grounded when things do not go to plan.

If you are a leader, high performer, or ambitious professional looking to build sustainable mental strength heading into 2026, this conversation offers perspective, calm, and practical insight without overwhelm.

Topics Covered in This Episode

• Mental health and leadership in high-pressure environments
• The 1% rule and daily mental wellbeing habits
• Burnout, ambition, and identity
• Self-leadership and emotional resilience
• Failure, adaptability, and performance
• Mindfulness, gratitude, and micro habits
• The role of nature and connection in mental health
• Building mental strength before crisis hits

Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome and introduction
01:05 Cooper’s background and early experiences with mental health
04:20 How family loss shaped his interest in wellbeing
07:30 The moment that sparked The Good Human Factory
10:40 Building workshops, podcasting and educating thousands
13:20 How The 1% Good Club was born
17:50 Why 14 minutes a day can change your mental health
20:10 Leadership, identity and the danger of tying worth to performance
23:40 What surfing taught Cooper about failure and adaptability
28:40 Self-talk, kindness and the relationship inside your head
32:00 Ambition vs self-destruction and where people cross the line
36:50 Habits that support mental resilience
40:20 Nature, grounding and nervous system regulation
43:30 The one behaviour people need to stop
47:20 Small shifts and the power of 1%
49:50 Final reflections and where to find Cooper’s work
51:00 Outro and call to review the podcast

Links

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

Connect with Cooper:
Website: https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/