About Mood Active
Our mission is to empower individuals through structured exercise programs that help them manage their mental health and to encourage healthcare professionals – including GPs and psychologists – to prescribe exercise as a recognised treatment for anxiety and depression.
Our story
Mood Active was founded on the belief that exercise isn’t just good for the body – it’s a powerful tool for supporting your mental health. In 2012, psychology researcher Isabelle Granville-Smith and tennis coach Cameron Wilson (our founder) met at Sydney’s Black Dog Institute, united by a shared passion for boosting mental health through exercise. Together, they set out to develop a program that would:
- break down the barriers that prevent people from starting and maintaining an exercise habit
- apply a “dosage” of best-practice, research-backed exercise for mental health improvement
- implement an assessment process to track progress and outcomes
- help individuals make exercise a long-term part of their wellbeing strategy.
In July 2013, the very first Mood Active sessions took place: Cameron led a cardio tennis class at Eastcourts Tennis in Kingsford, while Isabelle ran the first Fitness Circuit in Centennial Park. And with that, Mood Active was born.
Since then, the program has grown and evolved, thanks to the dedication of key figures like Tania Curley (General Manager from 2017 to 2021) and Cameron himself. With expertise in coaching, psychology, business, and communications – as well as lived experience using exercise to support mental health – they’ve helped shape Mood Active into what it is today: a welcoming, evidence-based program that makes exercise accessible, enjoyable, and life-changing.
Our committee
Learn more about the remarkable people that make Mood Active possible.
