Before his chest was cracked open on the operating table, Nick Hudson was already battling something less visible — depression.

He refused to talk about it, pushed people away who tried to be there for him, and wouldn't admit the truth to himself...

Then came the life-saving open-heart surgery that forced everything to stop. Recovery was brutal. The silence got louder. And the darkness got darker before it got better.

Years earlier, Nick had kicked off a casual push-up challenge with his mates — just a fun way to stay active. But now, faced with his own mental health spiral, he realised it could be something much more.

He reimagined the challenge as a national movement to raise awareness and funding for mental health — tying each push-up to a powerful statistic, breaking down stigma one rep at a time.

Today, The Push-Up Challenge has raised over $50 million, engaged hundreds of thousands of Australians, and helped spark honest conversations in homes, schools and gyms across the country.

The Push-Up Challenge's success is rooted in it being a fun way to spark mental health conversations and foster a positive culture of looking after yourself and others - turning a physical challenge into a shared mission.

This is Nick Hudson...

In his early twenties Brodie felt invincible, approaching life like the world revolved around him as he chased one high to the next.

It wasn’t long till Brodie had his first child unplanned, at a time he was far from ready to accept responsibility, refusing to change his party lifestyle.

His recklessness carried on, and before long he fathered a second child with another woman, and then a third.

Still, it wasn’t the wake up call he needed to grow up and settle down and the tumultuous relationship ended with him walking out - much to his regret.

Brodie had never given his mental health the time of day, thinking it was a waste of time and living by the traditional Aussie throwaway line, “you’ll be right", but eventually he wasn’t…

When the party finally ended, the lights came on and Brodie was left with nothing but his mistakes, and the realisation that he had only himself to blame.

Living back with his parents, alone at 29 after another break up Brodie, was in such a hole he didn’t think he’d see 30, that’s when he finally reached out and started climbing.

This is Brodie Toomey...

He was labelled the best in the world at 12 years old — a tennis prodigy bound for greatness, striving alongside a father who was obsessed with his success.

Todd describes his younger years as Groundhog Day, an endless 24 hour cycle hell bent on high performance, in which every tiny detail was put under constant scrutiny.

After many years of knowing no other way to live, Todd hit a wall and had the realisation he was done with the sport that had made him a machine.

He soon spiralled into self destruction, trying to annihilate the identity he couldn’t stand.

Todd’s twenties were a blur dominated by alcoholism, with drinking becoming a foundation of the next chapter of his complicated relationship with his father.

Eventually Todd got sober and has managed to stay that way for 5 years, thanks in part to the environment provided by Alcoholics Anonymous.

He doesn’t have the answers and he hates the idea of telling anyone else how to fix their problems. What he does have to share is a real experience and he’ll give it to you straight.

This is Todd Ley...

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Find more info about Todd and order his book 'Smashed' here: https://toddley.com.au/