Good Humans with Cooper Chapman

This week I sat down with Matt Formston AM, and I genuinely don't know where to start with this one.

At five years old, Matt was told he would go blind and never hold down a job or play sport. The doctors were half right. Matt did go blind. But everything else they said? He has spent his entire life proving wrong.

Matt is a four-time Adaptive Surfing World Champion, a World Champion cyclist, an Australian Paralympian, and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed by any para-athlete in history. He has had an award-winning Netflix documentary made about him — The Blind Sea — and has just released his debut book Why Not? through Wiley, out now.

We talk about what it actually takes to trust someone with your life on the biggest waves in the world, the mental health challenges that don't always make the highlight reel, what resilience really looks like when the odds are stacked against you from the age of five, and why the word "can't" has never really stuck with Matt.

We also get into his next chapter — Matt has become a world class free diver and is heading to Tonga in August to freedive with humpback whales. Because of course he is.

This is one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the privilege of sitting down with. This one will change the way you think about limits.

In this episode we cover:
Being told at five he would go blind and never work or play sport
Four-time Adaptive Surfing World Champion and Guinness World Record holder at Nazaré
World Champion cyclist and Australian Paralympian
The Netflix documentary The Blind Sea
The role of trust on the biggest waves in the world
Mental health, resilience and life at the edge
His new book Why Not? and the message behind it
Freediving shipwrecks and swimming with humpback whales in Tonga

Matt's Book — Why Not?
https://www.amazon.com.au/Why-Not-Breaking-Limits-Business/dp/1394434626
Matt's Website
https://www.mattformston.com/
Follow Matt
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/mattformston/?hl=en

Connect with Cooper
Workshop and Speaking Enquiries
https://form.typeform.com/to/DSPSnvEH
1% Good Club Book
https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/e1xrkr
https://amzn.to/46ve1i2
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperchapman_
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/
The Good Human Factory Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhumanfactory/
The Good Human Factory
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com
THE GOOD HUMAN FACTORY™️ 2020
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I sat down with Declan Edwards, known as That Happiness Guy, and this one is going to make you rethink everything you thought you knew about happiness.

Declan is a happiness researcher, founder of BU Happiness College, holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, and has shared his work everywhere from TEDx stages to the United Nations. His brand new book How To Be Happy is out now through Wiley, and it challenges a really powerful assumption — that happiness is something you find, achieve or stumble into if the circumstances are right.It isn't. Happiness is a skillset. And most of us were simply never taught how.

We get into why Australians are pouring billions into the self-help industry yet becoming less happy, not more. We talk about the real predictor of happiness — and spoiler, it isn't success or money. We dig into why small daily actions matter far more than big life milestones, and Declan walks us through the five practical, science-backed skills that actually move the needle.

This is one of those conversations that is equal parts challenging and practical. Declan is warm, sharp and genuinely walks the talk. I think you are going to love this one.

In this episode we cover:
Why we have been sold the wrong idea of happiness
Why global happiness levels are dropping despite record self-help spending
The real predictor of happiness — and it's not success
Why chasing happiness is actually working against you
The five skills to create happiness in everyday life
Working with your emotions instead of fighting them
How to train your brain to notice the good without ignoring the hard stuff
Getting clear on your values and building a life with direction and purpose
Why small daily actions matter more than big life milestones
How To Be Happy — Declan's new book and what's inside it

Declan's Book — How To Be Happy
https://www.amazon.com.au/How-Be-Happy-Chasing-Happiness

Follow Declan
Website
https://declanedwards.com.au/
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/declanedwards_bu/
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/declan-edwards-bu-happiness-college/

Connect with Cooper
Workshop and Speaking Enquiries
https://form.typeform.com/to/DSPSnvEH
1% Good Club Book
https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/e1xrkr
https://amzn.to/46ve1i2
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperchapman_
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/
The Good Human Factory Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhumanfactory/
The Good Human Factory
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com
THE GOOD HUMAN FACTORY™️ 2020
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I sat down with Simmo Braun, and this one is a little different — and I love it.

Simmo is a father of three, a committed blood donor, wellness advocate, workshop facilitator and the man behind The Bloody Good Tour — an adventure around Australia on a mission to save 100,000 lives through blood donation.'
This conversation really got me. We talk about the power of contribution as one of the most underrated pillars of wellbeing, and how something as simple as giving blood — which takes less than an hour — saves three lives every single time. Three lives. From one donation.

I also share something I didn't realise until speaking with Simmo — I always assumed my tattoos meant I couldn't donate blood, and it turns out that hasn't been the case for years. If you've been sitting on the same assumption, this episode is for you. There are thousands of Australians in exactly the same boat, and this conversation will change that.

We are also doing something really special off the back of this chat. I have signed up to give my very first blood donation on July 31st — Bloody Good Human Day — and I want you to come with me. We have set up a team called the Bloody Good Humans Factory and I want our community to be part of something that could genuinely save hundreds of lives together.

Doing good feels good. Let's go.

In this episode we cover:
Simmo's journey and the mission behind The Bloody Good Tour
Why every blood donation saves three lives
The importance of contribution as a pillar of wellbeing
Why so many Australians wrongly think they can't donate
Tattoos, hereditary traits and other myths around blood donation
Cooper's first ever blood donation on July 31st
How the Good Human Factory community can get involved together
Why Bloody Good Human Day on July 31st matters
The power of small acts creating massive collective impact

Join the Bloody Good Humans Factory Team & Donate
https://my.donateblood.com.au/app/myteams_home?org=Bloody%20Good%20Humans%20Factory&orgId=209416&search=factory
The Bloody Good Tour
https://thebloodygoodtour.com.au

Follow Simmo
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/simmobraun/

Follow Cooper and TGHF
1% Good Club Book (use code PODCAST for 25% off)
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com/products/1-good-club-book
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperchapman_
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/
Workshop and Speaking Enquiries
https://form.typeform.com/to/DSPSnvEH
The Good Human Factory Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhumanfactory/
The Good Human Factory
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com
THE GOOD HUMAN FACTORY™️ 2020
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

⚠️ Content Warning
This episode contains discussions about a near-fatal accident, traumatic brain injury and the challenges of recovery. Please take care of yourself first. If you're not in the right headspace, come back to this one when you're ready.
If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (available 24/7) or visit lifeline.org.au

This week I sat down with Alexa Leary, and honestly this one gave me chills.
At 19 years old, Alexa was a champion triathlete heading downhill at 70km an hour when she clipped the wheel in front of her. She says she died that day. She wasn't expected to survive. She spent 111 days in hospital learning to walk and talk again, living with the impacts of a severe traumatic brain injury that changed the course of her life forever.

What followed is one of the most extraordinary second acts in Australian sporting history. After re-learning to walk and talk, Alexa jumped back in the pool and found a new purpose — and within two years was representing Australia at the World Para Swimming Championships. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics she won two gold medals and a silver, breaking the world record in the 100m freestyle. She then went on to repeat that same medal tally at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore. She has since been awarded an OAM for her extraordinary achievements in sport.

We also get into the sides of Alexa that don't always make the headlines — her deep love for house music and Fisher, her journey into DJing and music, and what swimming really means to her beyond the medals. And we talk about her brand new memoir Sink or Swim, where she tells the full truth of her two lives for the very first time.

This is a conversation about resilience, identity and what it really means to rebuild yourself from zero. Alexa is joyful, honest and completely magnetic. This one will leave you fired up.

In this episode we cover:
The bike crash that should have killed her and how she survived
111 days in hospital learning to walk and talk again
Living with a traumatic brain injury and what that looks like every day
Finding swimming and making the Australian Paralympic team
Two gold medals and a silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics
Breaking the world record in the 100m freestyle
Repeating the medal tally at the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore
Her love for house music and Fisher and her journey into DJing
What swimming means to her beyond sport
Her new memoir Sink or Swim and why she wanted to tell her full story

Alexa's Book - Sink or Swim
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/sink-or-swim-9781761354601

Follow Alexa
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/alexa_leary/?hl=en

Follow Cooper and TGHF
1% Good Club Book
https://www.amazon.com.au/1-Good-Club-Transform-Minutes/dp/1394332823
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperchapman_
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/
Workshop and Speaking Enquiries
https://form.typeform.com/to/DSPSnvEH
The Good Human Factory Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhumanfactory/
The Good Human Factory
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com
THE GOOD HUMAN FACTORY™️ 2020
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

⚠️ Content Warning
This episode contains open discussions about sexual assault, trauma, and the legal system's treatment of victim-survivors. Please take care of yourself first. If you're not in the right headspace, come back to this one when you're ready. There is no rush.
If you need support, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (available 24/7) or visit 1800respect.org.au

-

This week I sat down with Sarah Rosenberg, and this conversation genuinely stopped me in my tracks.

Sarah is a victim-survivor advocate and Executive Director of With You We Can, and her work sits at the intersection of lived experience and real legal and policy change. But before any of that, there is her story.

At 23, Sarah reported a violent assault by someone she had been dating. What followed wasn't just a legal process — it was a complete loss of control over her own story. Without her knowledge or consent, the defence accessed thousands of pages of her private medical and counselling records, including deeply personal notes from when she was a teenager. Doctors she hadn't seen in years were contacted. Sensitive details about her health and her life were read aloud in court. She describes it as a total free-for-all.

What is striking, and not widely understood, is that at no point was she automatically given a lawyer to represent her own interests throughout that process. For a long time, Sarah thought this was just her experience. It wasn't.

Now her work is dedicated to making sure others understand their rights, and pushing for the systemic protections that should have been there from the start. She speaks about all of it without polish — thoughtfully, honestly, and grounded in what it actually feels like to go through something like this.

This is a conversation about trust, agency, and what happens when the systems we assume will protect us simply don't. It is one of the most important episodes I have released, and I think it will stay with you.

In this episode we cover:
Sarah's experience reporting a violent assault at 23
The defence accessing thousands of pages of her private medical and counselling records without her consent
What it felt like to have her most personal history read aloud in court
Why victim-survivors are not automatically provided legal representation
How she came to realise her experience was far from unique
Her work as Executive Director of With You We Can
The legal and policy changes she is fighting for
What real agency and justice should look like for victim-survivors
What she wants people to know about their rights

If this episode brought something up for you:
📞 1800RESPECT (sexual assault and family violence counselling)
1800 737 732 | 1800respect.org.au
📞 Lifeline
13 11 14 | lifeline.org.au

Learn more about the justice system, and support Sarah’s advocacy at www.withyouwecan.org
Follow With You We Can on IG @withyouwecan_ to better support someone who might need it

1% Good Club Book (use code PODCAST for 25% off)
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com/products/1-good-club-book
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperchapman_
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/
Workshop and Speaking Enquiries
https://form.typeform.com/to/DSPSnvEH
The Good Human Factory Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhumanfactory/
The Good Human Factory
https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com
THE GOOD HUMAN FACTORY™️ 2020
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.