A women’s experiences community called Flourish lands on the Gold Coast this winter, hosted by radio personality Ali Plath. We talked to her about loneliness, late-blooming friendships, and why the best ones span decades.
Think about how you met most of your friends: the school your parents picked, your weekend job, your mothers’ group, your netball team. Almost by accident, we end up closest to people going through life at the same speed – same decade, same stage, same hopes and worries.
What we gain in shared perspectives, we can lack in new ones. A friend twenty years ahead has already survived the thing you’re panicking about. A friend twenty years behind will drag you to the silent disco you’d never have gone to (or even known about) otherwise.
“I have friends in their 20s and friends in their 80s and I love spending time and having chats with them all,” says Ali Plath, who will bring Flourish Experiences to the Gold Coast this winter. “Friendship and connection know no age limits in my experience. Sometimes we need that age-old wisdom, sometimes we need the endless energy of the 20-year-olds to get our older butts moving.”
A 2023 study by Ending Loneliness Together found that roughly one in three Australian adults were experiencing loneliness – even more (35 percent) in Queensland. But the biggest surprise was who’s struggling. Loneliness isn’t a retiree problem; the study found that young and middle-aged people reported the highest levels of loneliness.
Enter Flourish, founded in Tasmania by former tour guide Jacqui Jones, who built it over three years before bringing it here. Ali – who met Jacqui in 2017 when she moved to Tassie solo for work – signed on to host the new Gold Coast chapter.
There’s no membership, no pressure, with attendees ranging from their 20s to their 70s – mums, professionals, retirees and widows.
“Women aren’t lacking things to do, they are often just lacking people to do them with,” Jacqui says of her motivation to start Flourish.
“The Gold Coast has many women who have moved from interstate, overseas and other parts of Queensland who would love to create new friendships and connections,” Ali says. “As we get older, we’re often dealing with a lot of pressures, people and problems, and we don’t have much energy left to focus on ourselves. A bit of anxiety starts to creep in, making us more fearful to turn up to events solo.”
Some women, Ali notes, never had a sister, a child or a mother figure. Through Flourish, they find exactly those connections across the generations.
So, what does a Flourish session look like?
“Honestly, it looks like a bunch of friends having a lovely day out together,” Ali says, whether that’s a walk and a coffee or a bucket list trip. “I recently joined Jacqui and 20 women on a Flourish trip to Uluru, and several of the girls opened up to me about how these experiences have become a regular part of their lives. One told me that due to life circumstances, she had been a bit of a loner for quite some time and that Flourish has been totally life changing for her.”
If you’re hovering, Ali gets it – and you’re not alone.
“Many women have come to Flourish events nervous and apprehensive, and now wonder why on earth they worried so much,” Ali says. Women have described Flourish as ‘life changing’, crediting it with strengthening their friendships and even improving their health (though Ali makes it clear she’s #notadoctor).
Want to learn more about Flourish? Book in for their official launch lunch at River House on Saturday July 11, from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, right here.
