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/

In this episode of&nbsp;Leading You, Julie Hyde is joined by former professional surfer and mental health advocate&nbsp;Cooper Chapman, founder of&nbsp;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&nbsp;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
<ul>
<li>Mental health and leadership in high-pressure environments</li>
<li>The 1% rule and daily mental wellbeing habits</li>
<li>Burnout, ambition, and identity</li>
<li>Self-leadership and emotional resilience</li>
<li>Failure, adaptability, and performance</li>
<li>Mindfulness, gratitude, and micro habits</li>
<li>The role of nature and connection in mental health</li>
<li>Building mental strength before crisis hits</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Time Stamps
00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:05 Cooper&rsquo;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&nbsp;The 1% Good Club&nbsp;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&rsquo;s work 51:00 Outro and call to review the podcast
&nbsp;
Links
Connect with Julie: LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/" data-href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/</a> Instagram:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliehydeleads/" data-href="https://www.instagram.com/juliehydeleads/"> @juliehydeleads</a> Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://juliehyde.com.au">https://juliehyde.com.au</a>
&nbsp;
Connect with Cooper: Website: <a href="https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com/">https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com/</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/">https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/</a> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/</a>

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?

Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.

There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.

I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.

Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.

Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?
Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.
There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.
I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.
Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.
Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

A Podcast dedicated to business owners and leaders to inspire you to make it count

Leading You

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?
Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.
There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.
I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.
Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.
Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

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