Story: Krissy Henry People N Places Magazine | Photos: Submitted | Published: October 2025
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For Harley Attard, the journey to creating the Grounded Warrior Project was born out of heartbreak and hope. Within just six weeks, four men from the same community had taken their own lives. Harley couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t being addressed properly. At the same time, he reflected on his years working with young people from foster care and disadvantaged backgrounds. Again and again, the children struggling most were those without a steady father figure.
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“At first, I thought maybe we could create better role models for kids,” he explains. “But it’s grown into something more. The men who came to us weren’t necessarily broken or lost. They were good blokes, working hard, raising families, living decent lives, but wanting more. They wanted to push themselves, to show up better for their families and communities, and to leave a legacy.”
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Nearly two years on, the Grounded Warrior Project has become a thriving community of men doing just that.
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When asked what being a Grounded Warrior means, Harley recalls a moment at one of their events. “Someone asked us why we call ourselves Grounded Warriors. One of the men said, ‘Because we fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.’ That stuck. It’s exactly what we do. We put ourselves through challenges so that others, women, children, vulnerable people—don’t have to suffer alone. Grounded in values, and warriors in action.”
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That spirit is nowhere clearer than in the project’s annual “Longest Night”. Each year, blokes trek 40km through the mountains from sundown to sunrise, carrying 20kg ruck packs. It’s brutal, and deliberately so. “We believe men were built to endure and suffer, but children were not,” Harley says. “Every year we take on the hardest night of our lives to raise thousands of dollars to rescue women and children from sex trafficking. Our suffering is nothing compared to theirs. It’s what we were built for, to protect and endure.”
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For the men, the night is both a mission and a metaphor. No matter how dark the night gets, if they endure, if they look after each other, the sun always rises again. Those nights alone have helped men fight their darkest demons, finding strength in brotherhood and purpose in hardship.
The Grounded Warrior Project
Forging Connection, Courage, & Character
At its core, the mission is simple: to help men feel alive again. Too many are just coping, numbing themselves with alcohol, drugs, or the grind of daily life. The project helps them thrive instead of survive, because when men thrive, so do their families and communities.
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The challenges these men face aren’t always dramatic. Most are providers, carrying the weight of responsibility, but they’ve lost themselves along the way. “They’ve given so much of themselves to everyone else that they’re running on empty,” Harley says. What they find in the project is a brotherhood, like-minded men who push each other to be better, creating accountability and camaraderie that changes lives.
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Unlike traditional support groups, the Grounded Warrior Project doesn’t start with talking circles. Instead, men earn each other’s respect by taking on hardship together, endurance challenges, community fundraising, missions with purpose. “Once there’s trust and shared purpose, conversations open up naturally,” Harley explains. “Men realise they’re not alone. That’s powerful.”
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The project draws on Harley’s experiences overseas in tribal and remote communities, where collaboration is essential to survival. Modern life, he says, has pulled people away from that. The Grounded Warrior Project restores it, building resilience through brotherhood rather than clinical labels.
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Practical tools are also key. Weekly self-mastery calls cover modern self-development, while real-world events challenge men to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally. “We give men the tools to become the best version of themselves, so they don’t need us, but they’ll want to stay because of the community,” Harley says.
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Looking ahead, Harley sees the Grounded Warrior Project setting the standard for men’s mental health in Australia, expanding across every state, hosting international events, and raising significant funds for those in need.
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And if a man is hesitant about joining? Harley doesn’t hesitate. “Just join. There’s nothing to lose. The value you get back is ten times what you put in. You’ll be pushed, supported, and surrounded by good men who want the best for you.”
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This December, the project will bring that spirit to life at the Grounded Warrior Project Family Day ‘For Dan’ at the Factory Precinct in Warwick. With live music, children’s activities, and plenty of food and fun, the afternoon and evening will raise funds to support Dan, a much-loved community member, and his family as he focuses on recovery.
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For Harley, it’s the perfect reflection of what the Grounded Warrior Project is all about: good people uniting, lifting each other up, and proving that when men step forward for their families and communities, the ripple effect of strength and solidarity goes far beyond themselves.
To find out more head to the_groundedwarrior_project on instagram or email Harley at harleyattard@hotmail.com
