Today's episode is recorded on Ranger Country, part of the Cooler Nation, and I'd like to pay respects to my elders past and present, and happy listening.
I know you're going to dig this. It's like I've been given like an extra sprinkle of something. You've got layers, Yeah, I got layers.
I was just thinking, I'm like, we're just such beautiful storytellers.
You're making a lot of sense to that girl. No, I'm done. Let's been too honest to go.
Hi, guys, Maddie is away on his beautiful Europe trip. I bet he's having the best time of his life.
And I am in the studio working like a dog now.
No, I really wanted to do a solo episode this week because I feel like it's been enough. Time has gone on and evolved, and I feel like we haven't really caught up. We've you know, Maddie and I are always on this like a little bit of a hamster wheel with the podcast, in interviewing people and getting to know other people, and I feel like we haven't really done like an episode where we unpack what has happened in our lives over time since we first started the podcast,
which is a couple of years ago. Now crazy, right, I think a lot of things have changed for me. I think personally, I'm having this like I guess this time in my life where I'm so happy where things are going, that there is so much change, but there's also so much reflection happening. I sometimes think, well, what is the next chapter of Brook's life looking like? And it looks very different to what I thought it would be in a good way, in a very good way.
I feel like you guys have first seen me come to you know, TV when I was twenty three, and I'm now thirty, and it's been seven years of my life being so public and sharing every corner, crevice aspect of it. And I thought this would be a nice chance for you guys to ask me anything.
Anyways.
Blah blah blah, let's get into it. I love a ramble, don't I. I love a little tangent. But you know what, my goal this year is to be a little bit more concise. So let's go with questions that you guys have asked me. And I think one of them is you're around sexuality. I think you know this is a common thing for me to talk about because one I've always been really proud of my sexuality, and.
It's all something that I always felt comfortable with.
I think I had some, you know, reservations, especially just before going on to the show. I thought, oh god, here, I'm going on a heater normative show, but I'm definitely queer.
Like do I have to shield that from myself? Do I have to like hide it? And like, will you know people make a big deal about it?
Like I had some reservations of getting homophobia of course, and yeah, luckily I didn't, but I also did in a way, so like yes, coming to my sexuality off the show, one of the main questions I get is did you actually come out? And I think I didn't really ever come out in my life. I think my coming out story or like experience was I played footy for a very long time, and I'd always been really tomboyish, and I'd always been really like I.
Guess, just not.
Like overly extroverted in telling people everything, which is kind of funny now that I have a podcast and I tell everyone everything. But when I was younger, I in high school, I would constantly just keep things to myself. I was pretty reserved, and then I guess I had these feelings, but I didn't.
Really share them.
I often, you know, went to parties as you do as a high school student, and I would kiss girls and I would like it, and I didn't really express that. I had friends in high school that, you know, I could tell that I felt comfortable with being around who I thought also were gay and ended up being gay as well, but we didn't really talk about it in high school, I guess, until sort of out. My first girlfriend was when I was nineteen, and we met actually
at a gay night club. So I used to go, you know, play footy, and then a Friday game or a Saturday night, we would actually go to the club called the Court, and that was a gay club, and we would you know often, I would often hook up with girls.
And I didn't care.
And I think because I had all my teammates who were also gay and hooking up with girls, it didn't need a coming out. It was just kind of like whatever. And then occasionally I would dead a guy. My friends would be like, yeah, cool, this is your boyfriend, like whatever. And then I met my girlfriend and then we moved in together, and I guess that was kind of like my coming out was, but you know, it just it was just weird. It just it didn't really like my
coming out wasn't really like a thing. I think I went to my granddad's house and I took my girlfriend for lunch, and it was like my granddad was like, so nice to bring you a friend, and I remembered like correcting my granddad and being like, no, Granddad, this is actually my my like my girlfriend, my partner, and he goes, oh, good for you, And then then that was kind of it.
That was like so chill.
I didn't have a coming out like a party or like a uncomfortableness.
I think because I don't know, people didn't.
People kind of maybe expected that I would be gay or just knew or had a feeling, but they never really like I never really felt uncomfortable about it, which is kind of a really nice feeling.
Yeah, and I know that is not for some.
I guess I'd put it down to luck and being in an environment that I guess most of the women that were playing footy at that time were queer.
And there are straight girls that play footy.
I'm not gonna like disregard them, but I think in an environment where it's just supported, and it's just you know, known, and no one really cares, and people care about the personality of people rather than the sexuality of people. I think it just made it so much easier. So I didn't really have a coming out.
Sorry.
I think the coming out part was actually on the show The Bachelor when I made tabloids and it was like Brook's big secret and Brooks big bombshell, etc. And I was like, it's actually not been that of a big deal in my personal life. It's just TV life that it kind of comes to. And I actually had been with more women than men at that stage of going on the show, which is kind of crazy if you just want to side note that, but like, yeah.
I don't know.
I have always liked women and I will always like them, and I have a beautiful girlfriend now and it's great.
Okay.
Did I feel more pressure dating more men after the show?
Ah?
I feel like the pressure with coming out on the show was the people at home had known me my whole life, being like this is not a secret, and then me not having like not being able to communicate with them, like, guys, I'm not making it a big deal in here, I promise, like, you know, I kind of felt like I was going to be judged by my own community in a sense because they knew that I was gay, and it was just being blown out of proportion, and I.
Was like, I promise, I'm not being dramatic.
It's the TV, and you know, I obviously knew that I was in a hetero you know, normative show or like season of The Bachelor, that it was a dude and I was interested in him and I had a lot of things in common with him.
But did I feel pressure to date men after that? No? Not really. I felt like.
When well, funny enough, like actually after The Bachelor, I went back home and I went to my normal life. I started dating a woman, so so funny. I started dating an AFLW player and we hit it off really well, but it was only casual. And then I met my actual partner and then we actually started dating, but like and we dated for like fourteen months. And it's kind of funny because every time I've dated a man, I've
gone back to women. Isn't that Like that just boils my Like if I look at my track record or the pattern of such, like every time I've been heartbroken by dude, I go back to women. But then obviously it's the chicken or the egg came first.
I don't know. I don't know.
Like my first love was a girl, and she had no idea that I was madly in love with them. She had no idea I was madly in love with her. She was my best friend. She lived across the road and we hung out like every day, and I was madly in love with her. And I was only eleven years old, and you know, but I didn't know myself too well, I'm eleven years old, Guys, I don't know.
I'm gonna come too.
I can't say that it was easy, but I can definitely.
Say it gets better.
Okay, next question, So how did dating change? Well, let's say being recognized or and especially for being recognized for a dating show and wanting to find the one. I think there was this preconceived idea every time that I went on a date or went even just like started seeing someone, that they assume that I was like, I want to marry them, I want to have kids, and like I kind of like jump the gun and assume
that that was something that I wanted straight away. Like they didn't give me the opportunity to just like casually date myself and experience that for myself. And I think a lot of people either like tapped out quick, which is fine, and I you know, I actually realized that there was a pattern of that, and I was like, what is it me?
Like, why am I getting ghosted?
But I think people realize, you know, if they're not ready in their life, they think that I'm like up here and they're down here that they have to meet me there, and then if they don't meet me there, then yeah, they sort of tap out. And I was like, wow, Okay, that hurt, but that's fine, we move on. Or they like love bonbed me and went there straight away, and I maybe wasn't as ready as well.
Like I just feel like.
Everyone just assumed that I was like on this journey of finding the one and I needed to find the one and never gave me the opportunity to like actually day and I actually took the time to do that, and and I had three years, like I haven't had a long term relationship since, and I were literally having a baby and getting married.
Like that was the idea of you.
Know, going on the show, is that he was the one for me, and it actually didn't turn out.
And it took me three years really too well.
It actually took me less, but I'm gonna say for three years until finding mim to realize how much how much that relationship wouldn't have worked anyways, full stop. But yeah, dating was really hard. I think people noticed you or they like want something from you. I think like sometimes they're like, oh, well, this girl's famous, Like let's just go on the date to see what it's about.
And that's really mean. I'm a person.
Okay, have you ever tipped off paparazzi? Fucking no, And the fact that people do that fucking baffles me. I am a person who actually loves my privacy. Like one thing that I've had to give up in terms of having some sort of in quotation fame is my privacy. The fact that I was living in a house in South Yarra and the day after or a couple of days after and I had broken up and it had broken out, I had paparazzi following me and my best friend in the street, knowing where the fuck I live.
And I also had them that I've picked up their car, that I knew that they were parked down the street. Of my house, Like, is that not fucking creepy? Like, No, I don't have any relationship with the paparazzi. The only path that I know or know of are two people. I know that Jading guy because he paps all of the celebrities at the airport. And I know Ali because he works for Daily Mail, I think, and he constantly is on podcasts. So they're the two paps that I know,
and I've never tipped them. I have no interest in tipping them. Why would I tip them, Like what would be the point. And I'm also not that famous. I have no interest in having my photos more in the male like absolutely not, absolutely.
Not, Guys.
I'm actually at a stage where I don't even know if I enjoy influencing. When I was thinking about it and I was thinking the things that I enjoy right now, I'm in love.
I'm loving like doing my speaking gigs.
I spoke at a Queer idahobit day the other day and I pretty much had everyone in the room crying because I think storytelling is so powerful and these moments I was like, this is what I'm good at.
Not making people cry, obviously.
But like telling my story in hopes to inspire our young people, and there were multiple young people who were vulnerable in the room.
There were counselors in the room.
It was local government, and I think, wow, this is what I was meant to be doing. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm very grateful, I must admit, but yeah, I would never tip off paparazzi. Moving on, I feel like in the last couple of years, if you've even doing the podcast and being online, I think I always make the time to make sure that I'm on the right purpose and path that I.
Need to be on.
Personally, I don't care about what everyone else thinks I should be doing because I don't give a fuck. Like the thing is, I get unsolicited advice all the time, like you should do this, and you should do that, and it's like, I'm gonna do.
What I want to do because it's my life.
And I think sometimes people want to have they like think it's a great idea to suggest, and I think, yeah, suggestions are so fine, but always started with like this would be a great idea, like or I don't love the concept of telling someone you should do this because you should or should using the word should is like taking a person's agency away, and I'm like, stop feeling entitled to people's lives, Like I love sharing my life with you guys, but if there are things that I
want to keep personal, I'll keep personal. And you guys know that, Like I'm not out here, just you can go fucking read my book if you want, like, honest to God.
Like there's a book plug for you.
I think for me, the next journey of my life is looking pretty fucking good.
I'm not gonna lie.
My sense of self and my relationship has been the best it's ever been. Like I have felt so comfortable and so happy that sometimes I like question that this I can't be this happy, honest to God.
Like I was so fucking depressed last year. I'm sure you guys could tell through Podcas that I was like so unwell and I was just battling through. But I feel like me and.
I makes me so happy in so many ways, Like I feel like I've just gained a whole new family through her, that I've just gained two mums and two dads on her side.
Of the family.
I can't wait to spend Christmas with our families. Merged, our dogs, love each other. She's really enjoying living in Melbourne for the time being. But you know, we have to go back to long distance in a matter of time, which is always the hardest thing. But you know, I don't know. I have offered whether she wanted to move to Melbourne.
I don't know. We'll see. That's a TBC, But I don't know.
I just feel like our future plans for me and I and my life is that I want to do the things that I said that I would do, and I think being I think being a relationship isn't really stopping me from doing that. If I want to move overseas, I feel like mem and I will chat about.
That and it will happen.
If we want to have children, that will happen. If we want to get married, that will happen. I think we just absolutely in no rush to do it. And I think we've only just hit our four months and I feel like that time has just flown so quickly that I honestly literally felt like I was just getting with her yesterday. And I think that's kind of our relationship, is that we've experienced so much in such a short period of time, but also have so much to experience
in our future. And I think the fact that I can actually think about our future together is actually so exciting. Like I'm not just saying this to say it for the Bachelor, Like you know, when you're in a relationship post the show, you have to actually physically figure out what your answers are to these questions, and to be fair,
I'm just figuring them out in a moment. Like Mim and I got questioned about how we deal with conflict, It's like, well, we haven't really come up to that, like, well, sometimes we, you know, have little biffs, but everyone does. And hers is avoidant and mine is.
Go straight for the throat.
But I feel like that's because I just don't want to waste time with the riff raff and the arguing and the conflict and the.
Blah blah blah.
Not that we ever do that, But there's just so much love happening in my life right now, and I feel really excited. I have two beautiful housemates, our house is full, our families are, you know, lovely.
I don't know what to say.
I feel like it's just all on up for me at the moment, and it feels really good. But do I have any fears with being in a relationship in the public eye.
Absolutely. I feel like the fact that we.
Just did our first job together in a relationship, so like our first actual public, like kind of hard launched job together, which is kind of weird to say, is like, we are going to be one of those like public relationships. But I don't think to the point of sharing everything in our life. And I think there'll be boundaries and there'll be communication between mem and I with what we
feel comfortable sharing and what we don't. And I think that's what makes this relationship so much worth it or so much more worthwhile, because the communication is happening and it's a respect And I think in previous relationships, yeah, there was no respect in a sense, like it hadn't been built yet. I think people forget that when I came off the show, the day of finale was the day that my sister passed away and I hadn't even
known yet. And I think that people forget that grief comes in so many different ways, and navigating a new relationship, a long distance relationship, and a relationship off a TV show when your sibling has died is probably the most difficult fucking thing you could ever go through, and having to navigate get COVID and getting into WA on it through like borders, and then in two weeks of isolation, organizing a funeral, So organizing a funeral for your sibling
going through flowers and coffins, which is awful, navigating a long distance relationship where your partner can't even be at the funeral because they can't either get into WA or they can't you can't be seen together with them. Like our relationship started off rocky, and it started off pretty shitty, and we tried our absolute hardest to like obviously make
it work. I don't want to go too much into it, but I'm just saying, like the relationship that I'm in now is starting off with so much time, care, respect, conversation, like it's it's giving us a good chance to actually like take our time, and then if anything happened in this time, I feel like we have the best foundations, the best base to deal with whatever comes up. And that's the difference. Not to compare, but I'm just saying like that was the last relationship long term that I've
been properly in. I wouldn't even call relationship like a serious relationship because it was like three.
Months and then he was out. So yeah, anyways, boring story.
I mean, I feel like it's going to get to a point where I'm gonna have more interesting things to actually like talk to you guys about other than my relationships. But you know what, our whole life is based around relationships, honestly, friendships, work relationships, love relationships, family relationships. Like I'm just so comfortable talking about each of those things that.
It just comes up in conversations. So if you hate me, fuck it.
Also the fact that like I post a video like throwing shade at my actual ex, they pretty much saying like you will never get this again, and they thought that Mim and I had broken up. Like everyone commenting thinking we've broken up after three months?
Get a grip, people, come on.
See that, you know, like this is this is the real thing. I'm not touting, I'm not jinxing it. I'm touching wood here, but like, get a grip people thinking that we've broken up?
Please?
You think I would let Mim slide? You think that I would let her go? You think that do y'all?
Well? Please?
I still think, holy fuck, how did I land her? So y'all better chill the fuck out. Anyways, that's probably the end of this episode. Thanks for catching up with me, I mean just a little catch up. Whilst madd is away, the mice will play, so I thought, you know what, let's just let's have a on. I feel like I don't really get the chance to talk to you guys on my own, so I hope you enjoyed this episode.
We'll see you next week. Five