Holly Reynolds joined the Little BIG Foundation in 2021 as a founding Board member, drawn by a shared belief that connection doesn’t just happen, it needs to be invited, nurtured and made easy. This year, Holly steps into the role of Chair, bringing with her a deep understanding of community, storytelling and the quiet power of everyday moments.
With more than two decades of experience in community engagement, storytelling, and public relations, Holly has witnessed both the cost of disconnection and the transformative impact of belonging. Her journey with Little BIG began through conversations with EG, the Foundation’s founder and supporter, and Sarah Mathews, Little BIG’s CEO, where a shared purpose quickly emerged: building genuine community in a world where connection is becoming increasingly difficult.
Holly’s connection to Little BIG is deeply personal. Growing up, she moved frequently, forming and losing connections along the way. Belonging was never guaranteed, an experience that continues to shape how she thinks about place, people and community. For Holly, Little BIG creates the kind of everyday connection many assume will happen naturally, but often doesn’t. It reconnects people at a human level, turning neighbours into familiar faces, and familiar faces into friends.
As Chair, Holly is focused on scaling Little BIG with integrity. She believes the Foundation has the authenticity of a grassroots movement, alongside the potential to become a nationally, and globally, recognised model for strengthening communities. Her vision is clear: to see connection recognised as essential social infrastructure, sitting alongside housing, transport and open space, not a “nice to have”, but a must-have for thriving neighbourhoods.
Here’s more about Holly:
I’ve been involved with the Little BIG Foundation since …
I joined the founding Board in 2021. At the time, I was working with EG on a project and speaking with Sarah about What’s Your Story, a conversation game I’d created. We realised we were trying to solve the same problem — how to build connection and genuine community — and that conversation drew me straight into Little BIG.
The origin of What’s Your Story? is …
What’s Your Story? actually began many years ago through a personal family experience. It was a moment where people were holding a lot of feeling and uncertainty, and we created a simple way for everyone to share something of themselves around a table.
What surprised me was how transformative it was. People opened up. We heard things we’d never heard before from people we’d known all our lives. There was laughter, there were tears, and there was a real sense of connection.
That experience stayed with me. Over time, through my work in storytelling and community engagement, I kept coming back to the same question: what happens when people are given permission, structure and safety to speak, and someone else is genuinely willing to listen? What’s Your Story? been a part of that journey for more than 20 years.
This community is special to me because …
I moved often as a child, constantly connecting and disconnecting. Belonging never felt guaranteed. Little BIG speaks directly to that experience — it creates everyday connection that many assume will happen on its own, but often doesn’t.
My favourite aspect of the Little BIG Foundation is …
How natural it feels. Little BIG makes connection easy and organic. It brings back the simple act of “hanging over the back fence”, turning neighbours into familiar faces and familiar faces into friends. That’s real social infrastructure.
The initiative I’m most passionate about within the Little BIG Foundation is …
Addressing loneliness in new and growing communities. Loneliness has social, emotional and commercial consequences. Little BIG intervenes early, helping people connect with confidence while stitching new neighbourhoods into existing ones.
I believe loneliness is a bigger issue now because …
I think loneliness feels more visible now partly because we’re more aware of it and more willing to talk about it without shame. That’s a positive shift.
At the same time, many of the informal ways people used to connect have eroded. We move more often, live more privately, and spend less time in shared spaces, so connection can’t be assumed.
Cost-of-living and housing pressures also play a role. When people are under financial strain, they often retreat, working longer hours and having less capacity to connect. In fast-growing communities, people can live close together and still feel isolated.
That’s why loneliness isn’t just personal. It’s shaped by the conditions people are living in, and why Little BIG focuses on creating simple, local opportunities for connection that fit into everyday life.
A major goal I have for the Little BIG Foundation is …
Scaling the model. Little BIG has the authenticity of a volunteer movement and the potential to become a national approach to strengthening community. My focus is building the commercial structure that allows us to partner, grow and embed Little BIG across Australian precincts.
How do you envision the future of the Little BIG Foundation?
I see Little BIG influencing how Australia thinks about community as part of place — not as an add-on, but as core social infrastructure alongside housing, open space and transport. A model that councils, developers and government choose because it works.
I’m most grateful for …
Our volunteers — their energy and commitment are the engine of Little BIG. I’m also deeply grateful for our CEO Sarah Mathews, the generosity and vision of EG Funds, and my fellow Board member and founding Chair, George Miltenyi — an incredibly astute and wholehearted leader.
The most impactful Little BIG moment I’ve experienced within the Foundation is …
Watching someone who usually stays on the edges step in, connect or laugh. These moments seem small, but they shift the tone of a community. They’re the beginning of something bigger.