Hugo Toovey
Resilience Under Pressure, Australian Army Major, Founder of 25 STAY ALIVE
An Australian Army Major, founder of 25 STAY ALIVE, and Australian Mental Health Prize recipient who equips audiences with practical tools to make better decisions, handle pressure, and have the conversations that matter - early.
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Hugo Toovey is an Australian Army Major, founder of 25 STAY ALIVE, and recipient of the 2025 Australian Mental Health Prize (Lived Experience). In his early thirties, he has faced life-threatening illness twice, multiple major surgeries, and ongoing uncertainty—experiences that underpin his practical, no-nonsense approach to resilience.
Hugo’s keynotes focus on one core idea: when circumstances are uncontrollable, your next decision isn’t. He equips audiences with simple, actionable tools to maintain standards, make better calls under pressure, and have the conversations that matter – early.
Blending humour, honesty, and a calm, direct delivery, Hugo connects quickly with corporate, government, and frontline audiences. His sessions cut through jargon and defensiveness, creating space for real conversations around pressure, performance, and mental health.
Topics
Resilience Under Pressure, How to Keep Going When the Hard Part Doesn’t End
Resilience is not a heroic moment, it is what you practise when pressure becomes normal. Hugo shares the mindset shifts and daily behaviours that help people stay steady through uncertainty, change fatigue, and sustained stress. This Keynote is designed for whole-of-organisation audiences who want practical strategies, and the motivation to act on them. It is uplifting, practical, and highly relatable.
Key Takeaways
- How to stabilise when you cannot fix the situation yet
- Simple habits that protect energy, focus and perspective
- A practical reset process for tough weeks and high workloads
- How to stay optimistic without pretending everything is fine
Resilient Leadership Under Pressure, How Leaders Set the Tone When It Matters Most
In high-pressure periods, teams watch leaders for cues, not speeches. This Keynote shows how resilient leaders create calm, clarity and momentum when information is incomplete, emotions are high, and outcomes matter. Drawing on Hugo Toovey’s experience as an Australian Army Major and founder of 25 STAY ALIVE, Hugo outlines practical leadership behaviours that hold teams steady through uncertainty, setbacks and change fatigue. Audiences leave with a clear model for how to lead themselves first, communicate decisively, and keep standards high without burning people out.
Key Takeaways
- The three leadership signals teams look for under pressure, clarity, steadiness, and consistency
- How to make and communicate decisions when there are no guarantees
- Practical ways to lift standards without creating fear or fatigue
- How to stay human and accountable, even in hard conversations
- Daily leadership habits that build resilience across a team, not just in individuals
Decisions Under Uncertainty, Staying Clear When There Are No Guarantees
When information is incomplete and stakes are high, people either freeze or rush. Hugo shares a simple decision approach that helps audiences move with clarity, reduce rumination, and take the next right step. This keynote works well for teams facing change, ambiguity, customer pressure, or complex projects. It is resilience in action, not theory.
Key Takeaways
- A simple decision tool for uncertain, high-pressure moments
- How to reduce overthinking and increase clarity
- Language that helps people communicate decisions cleanly
- How to rebuild confidence after difficult calls
From Setback to Momentum, Turning Adversity into Forward Movement
Setbacks can shrink your world or sharpen it. Hugo shows audiences how to convert adversity into clarity, priorities and progress, without toxic positivity. This is a strong mainstage keynote for organisations navigating disruption, restructure, rapid growth, or recovery. The focus is forward movement, done sustainably.
Key Takeaways
- Turning pressure into priorities, and priorities into action
- What to do when motivation drops but expectations stay high
- Reframing that supports performance and wellbeing
- How to regain momentum after a setback
25 STAY ALIVE, Men’s Health and Mental Fitness, Early Action That Changes Outcomes
Designed for internal events, wellbeing programs and key calendar moments, this keynote shifts behaviour without lecturing. Hugo speaks with honesty and humour about mental fitness, men’s health, and starting conversations early, before a problem becomes a crisis. The message is inclusive for mixed workforces, with clear tailoring for men’s health initiatives when needed. Audiences leave with practical next steps and the confidence to act.
Key Takeaways
- Early warning signs and what to do next
- Simple ways to start the conversation, without getting it wrong
- Practical habits that improve mental fitness and help-seeking
- How workplaces can support early action through everyday behaviours
