The Pause Before the Next Chapter: Why Get Out Needs a Breath

Something has been shifting in me lately - not a wobble, not burnout, but a kind of quiet, insistent clarity. The same clarity I felt the night I first came up with Get Out.

And here it is, said plainly:

I want Get Out to feel like me, not like what everyone else is already doing.

Get Out was born because I wanted something different.

• Not another bar night.

• Not another sports team.

• Not another networking event for local businesses.

Those are all great - and there are plenty of organisations doing them well. But what I’ve learned on this journey is that our community doesn’t need another copy of what already exists.

What we need is something that feels human. Grounded. Intentional. A space where belonging isn’t a theme - it’s a practice.

And that’s why Get Out can’t keep coasting (and that’s totally on me!). It needs room to grow into what it’s meant to be.

Some things we built worked beautifully. Others need refinement. Some will shine when the community gets bigger. And some? I need to build them smaller first.

That’s the honest part.

When I look back at this year, I see the pieces clearly now:

• Some features landed perfectly - the newsletter, the events calendar, the weekly consistency.

• Some features need tuning - more depth, more story, more firsthand experiences.

• Some ideas need a bigger user base to truly take off.

• And some concepts, ironically, need to start smaller - more intimate, more specific, more “this actually feels like Get Out.”

That clarity is exactly why I’m hitting pause in December.

Not to step back - but to step forward properly.

I also need to take my own advice.

Geographically, everything has changed for me. I’m in Sydney now - in a city overflowing with queer organisations, arts programs, fitness groups, culture, activism, and community hubs. Things I didn’t have immediate access to in Hobart for over a decade.

And here’s the truth: If I want to build a platform that genuinely connects people to queer community, I need to be out there myself.

Showing up.
Joining in.
Trying things.
Meeting people.
Understanding what these spaces feel like, not just what they list on Instagram.

I can’t write about community from inside my laptop. I need to Get Out - literally.

And I’m excited to do that.

Professionally, life has changed too - in the best possible way.

My career has taken off this year. I love my job. I love the purpose in it. I love the people I work with. And that is something I’m not slowing down for anything.

Get Out is - for now - a side project. A meaningful one. A personal one.
But it can’t be built sustainably if I’m the only person holding every piece.

Which is why…

I can’t - and won’t - build the next version of Get Out alone.

I’m actively thinking about:

• a business partner,

• a small team of ambassadors,

• or an entirely new model - something like a syndicate, where people contribute time, skills, creativity, and vision, and grow with the platform as it grows.

No investors.
No selling out the mission.
Just a small group of people who believe in this as deeply as I do - and want to help build something our community doesn’t already have.

It sounds wild.
But honestly?
It feels right.

Get Out was always meant to be a gift to our community. Gifts don’t have to be free - but they should feel shared.

So here’s what December will look like.

Less content. More truth.

Less “here’s your weekly what’s on.”
More: What do you want this to be? What do you need? What would actually make your life better?

Less output.
More thinking time, testing, researching, exploring.

More early-stage events and pilot ideas:

• a monthly or fortnightly in-person brunch + connection event

• a monthly online meetup

• something new in the active/health space (the heart of your own life)

Small steps. Done well. Built with purpose.

Where I’m heading

I want to build Get Out slowly, intentionally, with the right people involved, in a way that reflects who I am and what I believe in:

• Connection over consumption.

• Purpose over performance.

• Belonging over branding.

• Depth over noise.

• People over platforms.

And I truly believe there are others who feel this too - tired of the same formats, the same spaces, the same options. People who are ready for something different.

December isn’t a pause.
It’s a reset.
A clearing of space.
A breathing-in before the next chapter.

Get Out isn’t going anywhere.
It’s about to get clearer.
And a lot more us.

Thanks for being here - and for believing in the kind of community that doesn’t need to be loud to be life-changing.

💛
Brodie