In Australia, around 1.5 million men report lifting weights regularly, with countless young guys in their teens, twenties and beyond structuring their lifestyle around building their body in the gym.

For many, the gym is a safe haven providing structure, growth and community providing huge physical and mental health benefits. But there is a dark side… with research showing one in ten gym-going men may experience muscle dysmorphia, a body image disorder based on an obsession with not being muscular enough.

The dramatic rise of young fitness influencers, and constant exposure to extreme, often steroid-enhanced physiques on social media, has raised the standard of what’s now considered impressive to heights that would’ve been unthinkable a few decades ago. Making it harder and harder for young men to separate their expectations from what’s realistically attainable.

For gym rats, bodybuilders, and teenagers just starting their fitness journeys, the drive to get bigger and leaner can easily become all consuming if not tempered with a healthy perspective.

Oli and Rayan are 21-year-old natural bodybuilders prepping to compete for the first time. Their journey started like many others — as overweight school boys chasing confidence and control. Years later, they’ve built the bodies they used to wish they had, but it’s hard to love the way you are when the goal posts keep moving.

This is Oli Wright and Rayan Abou-Hamdan.

Research shows around 30% of male suicides are linked to separation, and men who are separated or divorced are up to 3 times more likely to die by suicide compared to those in stable relationships.

Scott knows this pain all too well. Enduring a brutal six-year divorce, he was dragged through the family court, given limited access to his children, and found himself stuck in a storm of depression and pressure that threatened to consume him.

Exhausted, with suicidal thoughts running rampant, Scott was at the end of his tether when he made a commitment to rebuild — starting by finally opening up. It’s the reason he’s alive today, and a big part of why he founded Kokoda Centurions — a community-driven project that’s much more than a trek through the jungle.

This August, Scott will lead a group of 100 on a transformative journey along the Kokoda Trail, building resilience, fostering emotional strength, and taking a stand for men’s mental health. At its core is a movement promoting healthy masculinity and putting the responsibility on men to speak up and call out disrespect toward women.

This is Scott Matthews...

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...