From overcoming tragedy to building empires: The 40 men driving change
A neurosurgeon who’s also a CrossFit champion and an amputee mentoring others lead the line-up of Brisbane’s most inspiring men. SEE THE FULL LIST
They are the survivors, the innovators and the community champions.
From overcoming cancer and addiction to building business empires and saving lives, these 40 men are transforming their communities.
Driven by success and armed with sharp business minds, they are using their influence and skills to make real change.
ERIC BAILEY
Eric Bailey is a pioneer of the NBL, starting his professional basketball career in 1983 with the Hobart Devils before playing for the Melbourne Tigers and finishing with the Gold Coast Rollers. Following his sporting career, Eric transitioned into motivational speaking and has now spoken in 13 countries.
He has earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, the highest credential awarded to professional speakers worldwide. Eric has shared stages with prime ministers, global thought leaders, celebrities and sports stars, delivering messages that empower and transform audiences.
Eric is also the chief executive of NLR Group, a Brisbane-based organisation specialising in water, fire and mould restoration for construction sites, homes and property owners.
NATHAN BARDEN
Nathan is a marathoner and ultra-marathoner who lives and runs with type 1 diabetes.
He is a two-time Australian middleweight kickboxing champion and competed at the 24-hour Mountain Bike World solo championships in 2010.
Nathan has also cycled twice from Brisbane to Townsville. He shares his journey openly through his running podcast and YouTube channel, Ultra Diabetic.
Nathan also takes care of his family’s farm and horses on Brisbane’s northside.
GLEN BAXTER
Glen Baxter was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 1995 and experienced a gradual loss of vision over eight years, eventually becoming legally blind.
In 2011, Glen ventured into tandem cycling, participating in the Brisbane BMW Ride For Life.
In 2015, he embraced indoor target rifle shooting, establishing himself as one of Brisbane’s top shooters, before venturing into archery and competing in national championships.
Glen and his wife Carmela launched Not Boring Supports and The Not Boring Kitchen, two initiatives creating opportunities for people living with a disability to build skills and confidence.
The Not Boring Kitchen and NBK Espresso Bar provide opportunities for people with disabilities to work and learn.
BEN BLUE
Ben Blue is one of Australia’s leading TikTokers, redefining what masculinity can look like. Ben creates comedy satire, how-to videos, skits and makeup tutorials, and is best known for his signature high-heel boots, curly ginger hair and expressive dancing.
He built momentum through radio and YouTube before exploding on short-form platforms, amassing more than 4.5 million TikTok followers and 278,000 Instagram followers.
His talent has earned partnerships with major brands including TikTok, Sony Music, V Energy, EA Games, Telstra and Warner Bros.
Ben has been nominated for Best Beauty, Fashion & Style Creator in the upcoming 2025 AiMCO Awards.
DR MICHAEL CARROLL
Michael Carroll is regarded as one of Brisbane’s most respected Catholic school leaders, working in a variety of schools across a 43-year career.
Currently the principal of St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace, Michael has announced his retirement.
He was recognised as a recipient of the Spirit of Catholic Education Award for 2025.
Michael has undertaken a range of undergraduate and postgraduate studies, including a PhD focused on multicultural learning environments.
He is a graduate of the AICD program and has coached school rugby teams including First XV sides.
He played more than 200 games for Souths Rugby Club and is chair of the Queensland Rugby Union nominations committee.
DEAN CLEMENTS
As a veteran, Dean Clements is inspiring ex-service men and women to discover purpose outside military service.
Dean had a distinguished 20-year career in the Defence Force, where he was deployed to multiple operational theatres and received awards for exemplary service.
Despite battling mental and physical health issues stemming from his time in Defence, Dean built a successful career supporting security and intelligence operations, as well as counter-child exploitation.
He continues his service through charity organisations and contested the 2024 state election for Pine Rivers for the LNP.
JAMES CLUNE
James has been a barber and owner at The Barber’s Den in Kippa-Ring for more than a decade.
His story is one of resilience; in 2021, his wife of 16 years, Ange, passed away from cancer.
James stepped into solo parenting their four children while continuing to run his business.
James started a local band called The Antidote, performing songs that touch on love, loss and healing.
He is a strong advocate for survivors of domestic violence. In October, James also lost his father.
TODD COMMONS
Todd Commons is the founder of Better Than Before Boxing & Fitness and the driving force behind the Better Than Before Mental Health charity.
Todd opened BTB in 2020 with a mission to help everyday people become “better than before”.
Since then, he has coached four Australian professional boxing championships.
His charity focuses on raising awareness for men’s mental health, raising more than $25,000 for local initiatives.
This year, Todd and BTB won the People’s Choice Award at the Nudgee Small Business Awards.
STEVEN DAHL
Steven Dahl has founded and led multiple businesses.
The 52-year-old founded Revelian in 1999, which has psychometrically tested more than a million job applicants.
The father of three started as a chartered accountant with KPMG before moving into recruitment.
In 2011, Steven founded the SmartClinics network, which grew to 20 medical clinics employing 200 staff.
Most recently, Steven launched Evercare, membership-based GP clinics in Mitchelton and Jindalee.
He has completed a Company Directors Course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
CLAY DAWSON
Clay Dawson is a dedicated high school near Ipswich and decorated marathon and ultra-marathon runner who has achieved great success.
This year the father-of-two broke the course record at the Toogoolawah Dusk Till Dawn ultra-marathon, running 133 kilometres in 12 hours, with no support crew.
In 2024, Clay ran 250km over three days in the Trail to Triumph from Moranbah to Mackay, raising funds for lung disease research.
He won the Australian 100km title in 2019 and 2021
In 2017, he won three marathons in under two months – the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, and Gold Coast Marathons – winning the Australian Masters title with a personal best of 2 hours and 26 minutes.
HEYSEN DENNIS
Heysen Dennis spent nearly a decade as a diver servicing commercial reservoirs in Australia and the Middle East.
Back home in Samford, Heysen works for the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) in emergency dispatch and volunteers as a first responder.
He runs his own business, Water Tank Rescue, specialising in rainwater systems.
He is also working with local government agencies to improve rainwater infrastructure for bushfire resilience.
CHE FELL
Che Fell is a prominent award-winning business personality in Ipswich.
Working alongside his wife, Che owned Cafe Kalina in Springfield, which won the Hospitality Award at the 2024 Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce Marquee Business Awards.
Che sold Cafe Kalina and opened The Cafe Providence in Ripley, which has won the Cafe of the Year Award from the Ipswich City Local Business Awards.
Che’s cafes have been a major sponsor of the Mater Hospital Chicks in Pink initiative.
He also works with an organisation on the Sunshine Coast infiltrating the sex industry involving minors in Asia.
BEAU HAYWOOD
Beau Haywood, along with his partner and sons, founded Nourish Street, a grassroots response to the lack of support for people experiencing homelessness.
The charity provides meals and tents to more than 100 people a day across Moreton Bay and Pine Rivers.
Beau is a former mechanical fitter and welder with lived experience of homelessness and addiction.
The father of three was unable to work for four years after surgery and is now more than 18 months clean after a 25-year meth addiction.
TARON GEYL
Taron Geyl started dancing at age five under the tutelage of his mother, a former Australian Ballet Company artist.
He graduated from the Queensland Ballet Academy in 2021 and was offered a position as a young artist in 2023.
Taron’s highlights include the principal male role in Paul Boyd’s Le Nouveau Classique.
The ballet star is a black belt in taekwondo and has amassed more than 240,000 followers on TikTok.
STEPHEN HIRST
With a vision of bringing men out of isolation, Stephen Hirst left a corporate job to establish Dads Community.
The not-for-profit has a Facebook group with more than 3100 members, organising dad-only activities like sports, barbecues and hikes.
Stephen has faced setbacks, including a heart condition that required hospitalisation.
He hosts men’s circles to provide a safe space for real conversations, work that has been credited with preventing suicide.
He was recognised as a Brisbane Lions Community Champion in 2023.
PRINCE JACKSON
Prince Jackson is one of Australia’s most remarkable emerging sprinters.
In his first full season, he was selected as the anchor runner for the Australian Men’s 4x100m team at the World Relay Championships in China — only the sixth race of his life.
Facing Olympic gold and silver medal teams, Prince delivered the third-fastest fourth-leg split in Australian history during his second-ever relay.
Prince recently overcame a serious hamstring injury to return to the track.
DR DAVID JOHNSON
David Johnson is a neurosurgeon and world-class CrossFit athlete.
He has been a pioneer in establishing multidisciplinary spinal practices and holistic care for more than 20 years.
The neurosurgeon is an Olympic weightlifting coach and functional fitness athlete, finishing in the top 10 in Australia from 2021-2025 in the CrossFit Games Worldwide Open.
He established functional movement training centre affiliates nationwide, delivering movement therapy for back and neck pain.
CLINTON KEMPNICH
Clinton Kempnich serves as chairman of the junior management committee at Valley District Cricket Club (VDCC) and is the junior director of coaching.
He co-founded the All Abilities Cricket Program at VDCC, the largest cricket club in the southern hemisphere.
The program is the only all-abilities cricket initiative in Queensland. Clinton manages programs from under-8s to under-17s and was appointed coach of the Queensland Intellectual Disability squad.
He recently reached 933 career wickets for VDCC.
JOHN KENWORTHY
In 2020, Senior Constable John Kenworthy responded to a family trapped in a car in Mackay when his motorcycle hit gravel, sending him through a barbed wire fence.
The accident cost John his eyesight.
Determined to remain at work, John transferred to North Lakes station to assist the Road Policing Group with a motorcycle education project.
He is a regular guest speaker for Project Booyah and road safety events.
Since his accident, John has learned to play the piano and guitar.
JAKE KNIGHTON
Jake Knighton, 10, is an emerging motocross star from Ipswich.
In 2024, Jake became the Queensland champion on his 50cc bike.
This year, the 10-year-old placed third for Queensland and nationally in the 65cc division at the Australian titles.
In September, Knighton was selected to represent Queensland at the Australian Junior Motocross Championship.
DANE LAM
Dane Lam is a University of Queensland alumnus who completed postgraduate studies at the Juilliard School in New York.
He is currently the music and artistic director of the Hawaiian Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director of State Opera South Australia.
He regularly holds guest conductor roles with companies including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Dane recently spent time in Brisbane mentoring students in the MOST program.
DAVID MCKAY
David McKay founded The Younity School in Burpengary last year to cater for students at risk of slipping through the cracks.
David has held school leadership roles for 15 years. In the school’s infancy, he was on the tools renovating the old church building to bring the campus to life.
Beyond the school, David volunteers as a football coach with the Bribie Bulldogs, started a Milo Cricket program and supports the Bribie Island Swim Club.
JUSTIN MCNELLIE
Justin McNellie has spent more than 25 years in the community services sector, delivering programs that support Brisbane’s most vulnerable people across aged care and disability services.
Beyond his professional role, Justin spent 10 years caring for his grandmother, who recently passed away at 100.
He also has a longstanding love of wildlife and frequently assists injured animals.
KALKA MITCHELL
Kalka Mitchell is a former Muay Thai kickboxing champion and bodybuilding champion.
He brings more than 35 years of experience as a personal trainer, working in Aboriginal communities throughout Queensland.
One of his most powerful achievements involved a program sponsored by the Cherbourg Aboriginal Tribal Council, where he helped 12 community members lose a combined 180kg.
A former police liaison officer, he has worked across watch houses for Murri Watch, mentoring Indigenous youth.
He also served as chief executive of a not-for-profit organisation leading cultural camps.
LIAM MILES
Liam Miles is the founder of Better by Miles in Brisbane’s western suburbs.
A QUT graduate with 10 years of experience in clinical exercise delivery, Liam supports clients of all ages and needs.
He regularly runs exercise classes for veterans and volunteers his time to mentor up-and-coming sports stars, including junior basketballers and boxers.
SHANE MILLAR
Shane Millar, the director of Millar’s Plumbing Service, is a changemaker dedicated to creating pathways for women to access trade careers.
Shane has been plumbing for 19 years and has run his own business for nine.
He advocates for gender equality in the construction industry. Shane also volunteers at Bunnings BBQs to raise funds for Women of Trades and Industry.
DARREN PLAYLE
Darren Playle co-founded The Tukka Project, a registered charity he runs as a volunteer alongside his full-time work as general manager of GPSI Group.
The charity provides free lunches to schoolchildren who would otherwise go hungry.
Using a “kids feeding kids” model, students from Brisbane high schools make the lunches.
Darren recently won a Westfield Local Hero award.
The charity has provided more than 10,000 lunches to kids in need this year.
SIMON PENROSE
Simon Penrose has been president of the Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce for more than 20 years, earning life membership.
The father of two has had an extensive career in technical sales across telecommunications and property.
He is currently a real estate agent and holds committee positions with the Brisbane Airport Community Aviation Consulting Group.
After losing his mother to cancer in 2023, Simon was diagnosed with throat cancer and has undergone chemotherapy and 50 rounds in a hyperbaric chamber.
DR NAVID TOOSI SAIDY
Navid Toosi Saidy is the founder of Propel Health AI, a Brisbane start-up helping hospitals deploy AI safely.
Navid focuses on using technology to help patients access better treatments and recover faster.
He holds a PhD in biomedical engineering and previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher.
Immigrating from Iran at 16, Navid was a finalist in the Young Business Person of the Year category at the 2025 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards.
GEORGE SAMIOS
George Samios is the founder of Madd Loans, a Brisbane-based mortgage broking and financial planning business.
George leads 14 key charity initiatives each year, including the Madd Charity Ball, which has raised $646,522 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Through the Year 12 Madd Financial Literacy Program, George has educated more than 5000 students across Queensland.
This year, he donated $5000 to the Greek Orthodox Church to feed vulnerable community members.
NATHAN SCHUH
In 2022, Nathan Schuh’s life changed when he was involved in an accident on the Centenary Highway, causing life-threatening injuries.
Nathan underwent 14 surgeries before facing his first major amputation — a below-knee surgery.
In 2024, he underwent an above-knee amputation which, combined with the loss of function in his arm, ended his career.
Despite this, Nathan volunteers as a peer support mentor for amputees and shares his story with allied health students.
PAUL SLATER
Paul Slater founded Northwest Community Group in 2023 after seeing the demand for essential items to support the homeless.
Paul and his team organise a weekly BBQ at Musgrave Park and save more than 100kg of food from landfill weekly.
The Marist College Ashgrove graduate also volunteers at Pushing Barriers, ensuring refugee children can join sports clubs.
Paul is a team leader at ShiftCare, a software management firm for aged care and NDIS providers.
BRIAN SMITH
Brian Smith is the founder of engineering consultancy AMREP in Kenmore.
Prior to building his business, Brian served in the Australian Defence Force as an engineering officer.
Through AMREP, the father of two makes regular contributions to charities.
Brian holds an undergraduate degree in engineering and master’s degrees in law and business.
JOHNO SNAPE
After overcoming lymphoma and a bone-marrow transplant, Johno Snape dedicated his career to supporting others to overcome illness through fitness.
Johno is co-owner of CrossFit Torian in Bowen Hills and the Teneriffe Athletic Club.
He is the director of the Torian Pro, the Oceania qualifying championship for the CrossFit Games.
The event supports elite and community athletes and raises money for Small Steps 4 Hannah.
KEL STANTON
Kel Stanton built Kel Stanton’s Mobile Diesel Service from the ground up.
Last month he was awarded the 2025 TAFE Queensland SkillsTech Small Employer of the Year for his contribution to mentoring apprentices.
He is a major sponsor of the Kilcoy community, supporting the Christmas Carnival and local rugby league.
Kel and his wife have also established a local cattle business running 80 Black Angus breeders.
DR STAN STEINDL
Stan Steindl is a clinical psychologist in private practice and an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland.
He is also co-director of the UQ Compassionate Mind Research Group.
Stan has more than 20 years of experience as a therapist and is the author of three books, including Compassion in a T-shirt. Stan convenes the annual Compassion Symposium at UQ.
DAVID STEWART
David Stewart continues to overcome health challenges to operate DJS Cabinets, a small business he runs with his son.
He was diagnosed with stage 1 melanoma in 2013. By 2014, it had advanced to stage 4.
David obtained lifesaving immunotherapy treatment not yet on the PBS.
The treatment worked, but the melanoma returned in 2019 and David continues to suffer side effects requiring hospitalisation.
RARO TEVITA
Senior Police Liaison Officer Raro Tevita originally served in the New Zealand police before moving to Australia.
Raro has served his community for more than 40 years, providing support on issues including domestic and family violence and youth crime.
Raro has led QPS cultural tours to Samoa and regularly supports youth programs at schools on the Redcliffe Peninsula.
JOHNATHON WELCH
Award-winning opera singer Johnathon Welch AM formed the Sydney Street Choir in 2001, the first choir for the homeless in Australia.
He followed this in 2006 with the Choir of Hard Knocks. Johnathon launched the charity Play It Forward in 2012 and will launch the Brisbane Street Choir in 2026.
He was named the Local Hero Australian of the Year in 2008.
BRETT WILLIAMSON
Brett Williamson’s involvement with surf lifesaving began as a nipper in 1966.
He progressed to become the chief executive of Surf Life Saving Queensland for 15 years, and later Surf Life Saving Australia.
He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2004.
After retiring from executive roles, Brett served as president of the P&C at his grandchildren’s primary school.
