Nick Hudson and his friends had started a push-up challenge in 2017 to get fit and motivate each other. In 2018, Nick extended the challenge to more friends to raise awareness and funds for mental health.
Then Nick experienced depression himself following open heart surgery. While recovering, he focused on making The Push-Up Challenge a public event.
Fast forward to 2023 and The Push-Up Challenge has become an annual event. Individuals and teams across Australia aim to meet set push-up targets, learn facts about mental health and, if they choose, raise funds for mental health charities. To date the event has raised $40 million.
In 2023 alone, over 200,000 participants completed 315 million push-ups, making them fitter, raising $14.6 million for mental health and getting people talking and thinking about mental health.
Now an inspiring public speaker, ‘Chief of Push-ups’ Nick was awarded Mental Health Advocate of the Year WA 2021.