Ten years ago, Jonathan threw a birthday party so good that his friends refused to wait another twelve months for the next one. That singular problem - how do you keep the fun going between celebrations? - set in motion what would eventually become Utopia Rising, the monthly gathering Jonathan now runs on the second Saturday of every month at the Little BIG House.
"Our attitude towards the unknown plays a big factor in our life’s success (or lack of). Beyond trying new things – do you ever check in how to relate to new things or things done differently. If you want the best life has to offer, it is often outside of what you already know."
- Jonathan Lee
What started with no name, no brand, and a smoothie party evolved over years of experimentation, paused during COVID, then re-emerged in 2024 with renewed focus and a new name. By then, Jonathan was attending every event he could find across Sydney, surveying, studying, and building the brand. And somewhere along the way, a Facebook ad for a board games night caught his eye.
"I saw the house," he says. "And I like board games in general, but I found the venue was interesting. My main mission was to come and explore the space." He arrived, was impressed by the warmth of the hosts, and started enquiring about how one eventually comes to book Little BIG House as a destination for transformation.
Curious what happens at a Utopia Rising event?
1. Arrive & mingle
Name tags, open conversation, 10 minutes of unstructured mingling before anything begins.
2. Introduction & theme reveal
Jonathan introduces the event's concept – why Utopia Rising exists, and why this particular topic matters.
3. Icebreakers & activities
Three or four group activities to explore the theme – small group sharing, writing, drawing (mostly analog).
4. Meal break
Music on, food out, half an hour of free flow conversation around the big round table.
5. Going deeper
The second half builds on the theme – moving from surface level sharing to real value.
6. The finale & takeaway
Participants create something to keep – a plan, a drawing, an insight – so they can continue growing in the topic long after the event ends.
7. Music & more mingling
The official end. The unofficial beginning of teasing the sequel.
The topics come from Jonathan's own life lessons, things he's grateful for, and past seminars he has participated in repackaged and modified for more practicality. An upcoming event explores "Accelerated Serendipity", the idea that taking the crowded road instead of the empty one dramatically increases your chances of something good happening given "other people are pretty much our biggest luck factors," he says.
Jonathan is an ex-introvert who learned to say yes to partaking in many varied social activities. He once attended a 6am rave because it felt like one of those experiences that a story will be made and memory solidified just because it was unconventional. He arrived. He danced. He did with three hundred people. And to add icing to the cake, it ended with the sun coming up and a synchronized gratitude quote-reading.
An experience Jonathan fondly recalls from one of his events was when an attendee who came to his Social Health event wrote to tell him she'd gone home and mapped out her own social health plan – a kind of plan no one teaches you to make in school. "The best thing you want to hear," he says, "is that what you taught is now being used over and over." This lasting effect, the staggered ripple that knows no end, is what he aims for, all the time.
Utopia Rising is for people Jonathan calls "the I don't know what to expect, therefore I will go find out" crowd. People with a bit of social courage to say yes to this is inexplicably rewarded with a lot more than they have invested – time, money, energy. At the Little BIG House, on the second Saturday of every month, he's been proving it.
Here’s more about Jonathan:
We've been part of the Summer Hill community since
March 2024, when I attended Nathan's board games event. I instantly connected with the people and the venue, and I wanted to stay for as long as I could.
I love operating my business in this community because
There is a mutual understanding of supporting each other's projects, events, and wellbeing. And this is across all the hosts, volunteers, neighbourhood of all diverse demographics.
My business offers the local community the opportunity to
Dabble and explore human virtues and values in fun ways - so it is both a memorable experience as well as impactful. Many attendees at Utopia Rising also tend to stay connected with each other after exploring deeply into a topic, say, Philosophy, because they found something in common beyond the surface level.
My favourite thing about the Little BIG House / the work the Little BIG Foundation is doing is
Super supportive staff members like Faith and Sarah, and a close-second favourite thing is that it is demonstrating an example of what taking care of locals look like from the core of our neighbourhood.
The top thing on my bucket list is
Obtain world peace through healthy socializing.
I'm most grateful for
Friends who give my life meaning - because they are the external evidence that my Utopia Rising mission is worth pursuing.
The last little BIG thing / action I did for someone else or received from someone was
As a fan of the Little BIG House space, I often tell my network about it so they can potentially join in various events or become a host themselves. This year (2026) one of my dearest friends got accepted and is now hosting monthly events. Can't tell you how grateful I am for everything.
Jonathan's personal quote
— Eleanor Roosevelt
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences."