Good Humans Factory
An Aussie ex-pro surfer is on a mission to end the wave of stress, burnout, and poor mental health sweeping through the country.
With one in five workers reporting high or very high levels of psychological distress, Cooper Chapman, from Narrabeen, NSW, wants to improve the nation’s mental health.
For Cooper, the work is personal, after seeing relatives suffer from depression and his sister lose two high school friends to suicide.
That’s why he founded The Good Human Factory – an organisation which runs workshops in schools and workplaces to help make a difference to participants’ mental health.
Since 2020, The Good Human Factory has reached more than 35,000 students and 10,000 corporate employees.
And it’s won support from a host of high-profile ambassadors including snowboarder and Paralympic bronze-medallist Ben Tudhope, extreme athlete Alex Hayes and New Zealand inspiring influencer Tayla Clement.
A spokesperson for The Good Human Factory said, ‘Unlike traditional seminars that often feel clinical or disconnected, The Good Human Factory workshops are designed to connect on a human level. Through storytelling, science, and real-world strategies, participants are introduced to a new way of thinking about wellbeing..
‘In addition to values, the workshops focus on practical, science-backed daily habits. Participants learn tools to support their nervous system and mental health, including breathwork, meditation, physical activity, reducing screen time, and spending more time in nature.
‘These tools are easy to implement, cost nothing to adopt, and can create lasting positive change.’
Workshops are either 60-minutes, 90-minutes or half-days. They cover responsibility, gratitude, mindfulness, empathy and kindness, and include insights from Cooper’s 15-year career as a top 100 surfer and his learnings from more 200 mental wellness experts he’s spoken to over the years.
And businesses have an incentive to invest in their staff’s mental health. According to NSW Health, a $1 investment can give returns of up $4 through better productivity and reduced workers compensation claims.
