Better AroundUs: Finding Your People and Building a Better Memphis

Making friends as an adult is weird. When you were a kid, friendship could begin with something as simple as, “Do you want to play?” Five minutes later, you were best friends, had matching imaginary horses, and already knew who was invited to whose birthday party.

Adult friendship? Now we have calendars, jobs, kids, errands, and approximately 47 text messages that begin with, “We REALLY need to get together soon!” Then six months pass. Oh, and did we mention errands? For women in Memphis who are ready to turn “we should totally hang out sometime” into actual friendships, Better AroundUs is working to make that a whole lot easier.

          Better AroundUs is a Memphis-based social club and community created to help women build genuine, lasting relationships while improving their overall well-being. The organization combines social events, wellness programs, personal development opportunities, community resources, volunteering, and good old-fashioned friendship. In other words, somebody is finally doing something about the adult version of: “But where do I actually go to meet people?”

More Than a Social Club

          When we sat down with Better AroundUs founder Brooklynn White, she explained that the organization revolves around three main goals. The first is improving women's mental and physical health through community. The second is helping women form genuine relationships with other women and creating a space where they feel comfortable consistently being themselves. The third is connecting women with businesses in their own community, with a particular focus on supporting local businesses owned or operated by women.

          That same philosophy runs throughout Better AroundUs. Its official mission is to create stronger, more connected communities that can contribute to positive health outcomes for women while helping women access the tools, training, support, and relationships they need to thrive. And Brooklynn isn't interested in creating a room full of people staring at their phones while occasionally making awkward eye contact over a cheese tray. The goal is actual connection.

          Wait... Friendship Is Good for Your Health? Apparently, yes. So, the next time someone asks why you're going out with your girlfriends, you can confidently respond: “For my health.” You're welcome. Brooklynn is studying public health, and that background plays an important role in the philosophy behind Better AroundUs.

          During our conversation, she explained that her studies led her to research the relationship between community connections and women's health. She became fascinated by how having dependable people around you can affect everything from access to healthcare and childcare support to stress and postpartum support.

          The Better AroundUs website points to the same broader idea: strong friendships and social connections are associated with benefits including greater happiness, reduced stress, better self-esteem and a stronger sense of belonging. So Better AroundUs isn't built around the idea that women simply need more things to put on their calendars. Brooklynn sees community itself as a resource.

          A friend might be the person who celebrates your promotion. She might also be the person who watches your child while you finally go to the doctor, brings food when life falls apart, listens when you need to talk, encourages you to get out of the house, or simply sends the perfectly timed: “Girl. Are you okay?” Sometimes community looks like a big event. Sometimes it looks like someone showing up with dinner. Both matter.

So... Who Is Brooklynn?

          If you're going to create an organization centered around community and events, it probably helps to know a thing or two about bringing people together. Brooklynn does. Her experience with community organizing started when she was just 16 years old.

          She was hired by BRIDGES and organized an event called Youth Ignite, where young people pitched business ideas and local businesses could connect with them as potential donors, sponsors, or investors. The event was expected to attract around 60 people. Approximately 400 showed up. At sixteen!

          Most of us at sixteen were just trying to remember whether our homework was due Tuesday or Wednesday. Brooklynn was suddenly finding extra tables, chairs and food for hundreds of people. She had arranged for Corky's Bar-B-Q to donate food and found herself calling to ask if they could possibly send more. Chick-fil-A participated with goody bags for the young people pitching their ideas, and Brooklynn even hired a DJ.

Instead of terrifying her into never organizing another event again, the experience had the opposite effect. She loved it. That first oversized event eventually led to years of project-management and event experience. One of her later events at Shelby Farms drew roughly 800 people throughout the day.

          Eventually, Brooklynn realized something. She had ideas. Big ideas. And she wanted the freedom to actually execute them. After years of contributing ideas to other organizations and businesses, she decided it was time to build something of her own. Enter Better AroundUs.

Bringing a Little Bit of Everywhere Back to Memphis

Travel also plays an unexpected role in Brooklynn’s creativity. When she visits places—particularly New York and Washington, D.C.—she pays attention. Really pays attention. If she experiences something interesting, she writes it down. If she eats something incredible, she might ask for the recipe. And apparently sometimes they actually give it to her. Which means the rest of us have clearly not been asking enough questions at restaurants. Her goal is to take interesting experiences and ideas she encounters elsewhere and find ways to reinterpret them for Memphis.

          One idea she's been developing? A coffee omakase-style experience. Think small, carefully crafted coffee experiences paired with bites over multiple courses—a tasting experience centered around coffee rather than a traditional meal. The inspiration came partly from a matcha experience Brooklynn attended in New York. Now she's experimenting with ways to translate that concept into something unique for Memphis, potentially in partnership with a local coffee shop. Coffee tasting plus snacks plus an experience? Snacks and Suitcases officially volunteers as tribute.

What Does Better AroundUs Actually Do?

          Better AroundUs has several ways for women to get involved. One of the easiest introductions is through its SoSocial Hours. These aren't designed to be the standard stand-around-with-a-drink-and-figure-out-who-to-talk-to happy hour. Better AroundUs incorporates shared activities into the gatherings to help conversations happen naturally while partnering with restaurants to create a relaxed post-work experience.

          There are also Grow! Sessions, designed to help women connect with others they're likely to be compatible with. Better AroundUs says it uses a personality quiz and Flow Guides to help remove some of the awkwardness that can come with meeting new people. Because nothing strikes fear into an introvert quite like: “Okay, everybody! Find someone you don't know and introduce yourself!” No, thank you. Better AroundUs is trying to make that first step easier.

The Community Goes Beyond Social Events

          While friendship is at the heart of Better AroundUs, the organization isn't limited to social outings. Programs and community events can include wellness classes, mental-health workshops, financial-planning discussions, cultural experiences and other resources designed to support women throughout Memphis. Many community events are also open to non-members, allowing the organization's reach to extend beyond the social club itself.

          Volunteering is another piece of the puzzle, with opportunities envisioned around activities such as community cleanups, youth mentorship and food-bank support. It's an important distinction. Better AroundUs isn't simply asking: “How can we help women make friends?” It's also asking: “What happens when those women start helping one another—and their city?”

And Brooklynn Has Even Bigger Plans

          Better AroundUs is currently working toward something considerably larger: a permanent physical home in Memphis. The vision outlined on its website is much more than a clubhouse.

Picture a space that changes throughout the day: a mini-café and co-working environment in the morning, versatile areas for wellness classes, workshops and events, and eventually a sophisticated late-night lounge and speakeasy-style atmosphere. Essentially: Coffee in the morning. Productivity in the afternoon. Community in the evening. We can work with that.

          Better AroundUs is currently allowing women to register for free membership and indicate which future paid membership level they would be interested in. According to the organization, these pledges of intent help demonstrate community interest as it works toward establishing a permanent location. No payment information is required for the current pledge. Future membership concepts listed on the website range from weekend access to higher-level memberships offering benefits such as co-working access, discounts, credits, priority entry, guest perks, free events and VIP experiences.

Maybe We Really Do Need Our Village

          There's something refreshing about the premise behind Better AroundUs. We're constantly told to be independent. Handle it ourselves. Figure it out. Keep going. Be productive. Manage the career, family, appointments, errands, house, relationships and whatever mysterious password the streaming service has decided isn't correct anymore.

          But humans weren't really designed to do everything alone. Sometimes what we need isn't another productivity app. It's people. People who know us. People who notice when we're missing. People who celebrate when something wonderful happens and don't disappear when something terrible happens. People who say, “I'll go with you.”

          That's what Brooklynn is trying to build through Better AroundUs—not simply another calendar of things to do in Memphis, but opportunities for women to find the people they can eventually do life with. Whether you've lived in Memphis your entire life or you're still trying to figure out which interstate lane you need to be in before it's suddenly too late, Better AroundUs is creating another way to find community here.

And maybe making friends as an adult doesn't have to be quite so complicated after all. Maybe sometimes you just need someone willing to make the introduction. Better AroundUs is trying to do exactly that.

Want to Learn More?

          Visit Better AroundUs to learn more about the organization, upcoming events, programs and membership opportunities. And keep an eye on what Brooklynn dreams up next. If the coffee tasting happens, we'll see you there. We'll be the ones asking where the snacks are.