If you’ve ever met Taneille Brann, you know she brings equal parts energy and order to everything she does. Originally from Wollongong and now firmly rooted in the North, Taneille has spent more than two decades creating, organising, and sparking communities — from the old-school PDF newsletter days to the world of Discord servers and collaboration tools.
These days, she wears many hats: business owner, administrator, “Head of Play,” and runner (sometimes logging up to 18 km before most people have had breakfast). In our chat, Taneille talks about how she brings logic and creativity together, why running is her ultimate reset, and how she’s learned to recharge by slowing down — whether that’s saying no, going offline, or just kicking a footy on the beach with her family.
What does a typical morning in Darwin look like? Has your routine changed much over the years?
I’m up before sunrise as I am a runner. When I get home (after anywhere between 5 – 18 km) I help the hubs get the kids ready for school and daycare.
They’re out the door by 8 am, and I get an hour to myself for a piece of toast, the paper, and a coffee before starting work at 9 am
It’s changed a lot, it depends on the work I do, this is working for now but it wont soon and then i’ll adapt.
You’ve been building communities since the PDF newsletter days. What’s one thing that’s stayed the same, and one thing that’s totally changed?
What’s stayed the same is that people want to belong. Whether it’s a newsletter, a Discord server, or someone to swim laps at the pool with, the desire to connect and feel seen is timeless. In person engagement matters.
What’s changed is digital platforms and pace. Back then, I’d spend hours designing a newsletter and emailing it out manually. Calling people individually to invite them to an event. Volunteering my time to show that I too care about the community.
Now we can build, publish, and analyse engagement in real time with multiple software platforms. It’s faster, but the sheer amount you can get done can become overwhelming if you don’t have strategies in place.
You wear a lot of hats across business, government, tech, and more. How do you bring a sense of ‘play’ into your work, even when things get serious?
Play, for me, means enjoying what I do, passionately and unapologetically. My role is ‘Head of Play’ so it’s sort of part of the Job Description – bring the fun!
Spreadsheets, software, and creativity don’t always get mentioned in the same sentence. How do you blend logic and imagination in your problem-solving?
I like order, but I thrive in chaos. I take messy, creative ideas and map them into frameworks that others can act on. Tools like Airtable, Notion, and Google Sheets help me turn ideas into systems, and systems into action and they’re so much fun to make pleasing to the eye – a spreadsheet can be full of colour – a Miro Board can have an image placed at just the right spot to give you a giggle when you get frustrated.
What’s one habit or practice that helps you stay grounded when life gets full or chaotic?
Running. It’s the one space where no one else needs anything from me. I pop on my headphones and just run. The mental noise clears around kilometre three, and by the time I’m done, I’m reminded that I can keep going, even on the hard days.
How do you carve out time to recharge when you’re constantly creating and managing experiences for others?
I’m learning to say no, even to great opportunities. I can’t pour from an empty cup, and I’m not useful to anyone if I burn out. Rest is part of the creative cycle. Sometimes recharging looks like a weekend offline. Sometimes it’s a good meal with my family on the beach, with a footy and the local hermit crabs.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who wants to build community, spark creativity, and still keep their sanity intact?
Build slow. Build real. You don’t need everything to be viral. What you need is consistency and a clear sense of purpose.
Surround yourself with people who energise you, not just those who need you.
And most importantly, make sure you still feel like part of the community you’re trying to build.
