The Sam Project was founded by husband and wife, Scott and Florence Harrod, in 2016.

They were so confronted by the statistics of mental illness that they were compelled to personally do something about it. They ended their careers and sold everything they owned to establish and fund the Sam Project. Since its inception the Sam Project has been focused on helping all Australians, both current and future, lead the best lives possible, mentally and physically.

To achieve their goals they knew that they would have to go “to the people” and so they built an expedition truck, that they called Sam. They travel throughout Australia, going to cities, regional centres, country towns and remote areas bringing education, focused on mental health.

Their focus is to help people get the best possible outcome out of the existing health system. The practical information they provide is aimed at helping those people who may be experiencing a mental illness and/or those people that may have someone they care about who they believe may be experiencing a mental illness. Fundamental to the Sam Project is the issue of prevention, they see that prevention is for the “well population’, rather than intervention or treatment, which is for those that are already sick. They provide practical information to help people understand what real prevention is and how to work towards it. That information is relevant for the individual, the people they care about, including the very young and most importantly, the future generations.

Scott Harrod

Whilst Scott is an entrepreneur and business developer, creating several successful businesses from fruition, it was his experience as a single father that shed light on what was really important in his life and a deeper understanding of himself.

In order to be more present for his daughters and for them all to be connected to people that led a life with the values of caring, understanding and respect for others, he made the conscious decision to forgo his business career and become a large scale farmer on the Liverpool Plains of New South Wales.

Whilst others may see him as a leader he sees himself as simply a member of the team, where the success of the team can only be achieved by helping all members of the team be the best that they can be. It’s those beliefs that Scott has brought to parenting, business and sport and he now brings to the Sam Project; helping others be the best that they can be.

Florence Harrod

Born in France, Florence migrated to Australia in 2002. “Right away I felt aligned with the culture and the atmosphere in Australia. It was like I had come home”, shares Florence.

As the International Human Resources Manager of a Global company, Florence had the amazing experience of travelling worldwide and to her current home in Sydney where she began to recognise that her constant push in her professional life was literally making her ill. In 2008 she developed septicemia and this severe illness was her wake up call. It was yoga that helped her see the value of slowing down, living in the present and taking the time to reflect on her own needs.

Willing to escape the corporate world, Florence finally changed direction and became a professional business coach. She pursued her love of yoga in parallel and today, Florence is a yoga instructor as well as running her consulting business.

An avid traveler, Florence has been to over fifty countries but it is Australia that awakened in her the need to be more of her true self. Florence’s life today is very much about helping people, would it be through her professional coaching by helping business owners become the best managers they can be, through teaching yoga helping students develop self worth and mental strength or through her volunteering activities with the elderly helping them stay independent in their own home.

The Sam Project is a natural transition for Florence to create awareness with mental health based on personal experience and to bring her professional expertise, yoga education and love of community together.

Scott and Florence

We met serendipitously in 2012 at a wine tasting event and we knew straight away that we connected at a deeper level. We married in 2014 and the theme of our wedding was “Two becoming One”. This a metaphor that our married life is more important than our single lives and the more we contributed to our combined life the happier and more fulfilled we are in our individual lives. It is those similar beliefs that have been instrumental in the creation of the Sam Project. Contributing to and being part of a community that cares about the individual, through understanding and encouragement, to enable the individual to be the best that they can be and through that, building a stronger and healthier community.

Whilst others may not understand why we sold everything we owned to establish and fund the Sam Project for us it is simply an extension of ourselves. We saw a significant problem, one which impacts all Australians, both current and future. We could not look away. We love people, we care about people and together we are going to try and help as many people as we can.

Sam

Our expedition truck is called Sam, based on the character from the “Lord of the Rings” book and movie, as we thought Sam’s qualities represent everything we would hope for from a travel companion: unwavering loyalty, down to earth, humble, but also courageous when needed be, underlying it all was a selfless love to do what was important.

One of the characters in the story says, “where there is life, there is hope”. It is this hope that we want to bring to others. Life has taught us that there is one thing that people crave for, understanding. Understanding of themselves and understanding from others. We have also learnt that one of the greatest gifts you can give someone is time. By selling all of our assets to live a life on the road with Sam, we are committed to genuinely helping as many people as we can through providing understanding, sharing our own experiences, respect for others, care for others and a love for others.