We get bothered.
Feathers ruffled, gears ground. For change to happen, someone has to be.
The Mettlesome team posing for a photoThe Mettlesome team posing for a photo
Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good - Brave ventures for good -
Feda Adra speaking at an event to a room of people
Our Mettlesome team posing for a photo at an event
Our team members Susie and Viv posing for a photo at our Sticks and Stones event
Our team member Trish mingling with people at an event
The Mettlesome office building
Our team posing on stage at our Parley debate event
William Smith-Stubbs sitting on stage as a panel speaker
A woman putting posi-it notes on a whiteboard

Established in 2011. We've worn a lot of hats since then. And, carried a few names.

Spur Projects came first - a non-profit that began with little more than a couch office, a few laptops, and a vision for an Australia with zero suicides.

We launched Spur Labs next, a design studio for social good, with the non-profit as the parent entity. A social enterprise set up that made sense and wouldn't rely on just cents.

We see what humanity can be and we’re driven to advance human-kindness, valuing impact over awareness.

The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted, but the brave. We’ll take risks, blaze trails, defy conventional cynicism and preserve the enduring strength of kindness and idealism.

Today, we are Mettlesome.

people of mettlesome

Dr. Priyanka Naidu

She / Her

Wellbeing Designer

Through her work, she has created resources that share evidence-based practices to support health and wellbeing, goal-setting, behaviour change and confidence building. Priyanka’s work combines her experience as a researcher with her passion for supporting mental health practices. Priyanka holds a PhD in Psychology.

Feda Adra

She / Her

Chief Business Officer

An executive with more than twenty years experience, Feda has grown organisations to tens of millions in revenue, and balanced the impact and growth of non-profits. A former CEO of a large aged care provider, Feda left this role and joined Mettlesome to lead all things business and partnerships.

Susie Lee

She / Her

Executive Assistant

Our resident organisation expert. Susie is a soon to be graduate with a Bachelor’s of Business (Management) and Bachelor’s of Communications (Professional). Her passion for people and her desire for improvement is what allows Susie to drive herself. She believes that with the power of people, teamwork and an open mindset, we can all grow together.

Urusaro (Trisha) Rwagaju

She / Her

Design Strategist

Trish traded in a career in science - rocking an Honours 1 in Geological and Earth Science - to work in improving social outcomes through design and strategy. Trisha has worked with partners local and international, and has a particular passion for the arts. Also project lead for the Museum of Sticks & Stones.

William Smith-Stubbs

He / Him

Chief Executive Officer

William is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and Davos Annual Meeting panelist, Obama Foundation APAC Leader, Global Good Fund Fellow, and winner of the Jude Bugeja Mental Health Week award. Founding Global Talent for the UNLEASH Innovation Lab in Denmark 2017, innovation faciliator for the Singapore and Shenzhen labs.

Zinger

He / Him

Chief Pats Officer

Largely in charge of office morale. Has been known to steal slices of pizza and once ran off to the local fish and chips shop.

Vivian Vu

She / Her

Marketing Specialist

Vivian holds a Bachelor of Business, Marketing & Advertising and International Business - and a secret Instagram account full of her favourite homemade dishes. Viv has acted an ambassador for Study Brisbane and Brisbane Marketing, and nominated for the Women in Digital awards.

Benjamin Moriarty

He / Him

Financial Officer

Motivated by an interest for all forms of social enterprise, Benjamin is an experienced financial administrator having overseen financial functions in a wide variety of organisations. As a CPA, Benjamin is passionate about driving outcomes over simply reporting figures and a focus on sustainable initiatives to create social impact.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Toucan

Queensland State Government

Winner

Funding for innovative ideas

2022

Dovetail

Good Design Australia

Winner

Australian design excellence

2021

Toucan

Bolter Little Giant

Winner

Promising Australian startups

2021

#OLDMATE

Good Design Australia

Winner

Australian design excellence

2020

YouBeYou

Australian Marketing Institute

Winner

Nonprofit marketing excellence

2019

Mettlesome values

Artwork of BoudicaArtwork of Boudica

Be brave like Boudica

(30 AD – 61 AD)

"I am not fighting for my kingdom and wealth now. I am fighting as an ordinary person for my lost freedom, my bruised body, and my outraged daughters."

Boudica, also known as Boudicca or Boadicea, was a queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe who led a rebellion against Roman rule in ancient Britain in the 1st century AD. Her impact on society was significant and she is remembered as a powerful leader and a symbol of resistance against oppression.

Image of Peter FreuchenImage of Peter Freuchen

Be inspiring like Peter Freuchen

(1886 – 1957)

“They now advised me to stay at home, take a job and behave myself. Which meant to me, stay at home and be dull and never do a thing you have not seen thousands of others do in the exact same way.”

Lorenz Peter Elfred Freuchen was a Danish explorer, author, journalist and anthropologist. He is notable for his role in Arctic exploration, namely the Thule Expeditions.

Photograph of Katherine JohnsonPhotograph of Katherine Johnson

Be tenacious like Katherine Johnson

(1918 – 2020)

"It's not every day you wake up with a mission in your mind, but I had a mission and I was determined to accomplish it."

Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.

Photograph of Zaha HadidPhotograph of Zaha Hadid

Be curious like Zaha Hadid

(1950 – 2016)

"There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?"

Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid DBE RA was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as  one of the most influential architects of the 21st century.

Photograph of Wangari MaathaiPhotograph of Wangari Maathai

Be kind like Wangari Maathai

(1940 – 2011)

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught."

Wangarĩ Muta Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental and a political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

CONTACT

The Mettlesome team posing for a photoThe Mettlesome team posing for a photo

We work with good organisations to tackle big social problems.

Create change with us.

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