Every week, I think I'm going to write about something big. A framework for connection. A lesson from four years on the trail. Something that will make you think.
And then I open the host group chat on a Saturday morning and I forget all of that, because Izzy in Detroit lost a 50-meter sprint to a young buck with long legs.
So this week, I want to show you what makes me say "awww" at my phone in public:
16 small moments from the walks that remind me that humans are good.
They come from the reflections our hosts share after each walk, and from our host group chat, which restores my faith in humanity every Saturday. Hosts across 10+ cities dropping dispatches at 11 AM like: "Made the crew stop to look at a woodpecker."
I read every single one. I save the best ones. And this week, they get their own space.
This week's Trail Tale is a collection of 16 moments. Two for every week we've been publishing this newsletter. Small things that happen when you get people moving, phones away, talking about something that actually matters.
Because a global community is built on small moments. 🧡
Snapshots from our walking villages in cities around the world:
Dog model on Detroit Walk #9. (You are witnessing a Top 5 Dog Moment out of hundreds of walk group photos.)
Atlanta Walk #10. A group that didn’t know each other two hours ago.
Our crew in Columbus, somewhere between introductions and actual friendship.
“Today, it wasn’t just one person who shared something vulnerable… it was the whole group. This was a special walk.” — Kenji, in Denver
(Don’t see your city? We post the photos in each Meetup group after the walk. Otherwise this email would be longer than a CVS receipt.)
🏆 Alison in Columbus for a lightbulb moment that made her say: "I’m leaving. I’m going home. Tanya delivered me a mic drop and I'm absolutely done for the day!" (Full story = moment #10 from this week's Trail Tale.)
🏆 Kenji in Denver for slowing the whole conversation down so a non-native English speaker could fully participate for the first time. The group didn't notice. That member did. 🧡
🏆 Someone from San Francisco quietly showed up to the London walk while traveling, which caused Alice to text “Omg I see an SF regular! So cool!” The walk is becoming a passport.
Sixteen small moments from three months of walks.
A birthday song and dim sum in San Francisco. A taco pit stop in Detroit. A bubbly woman who sat in her car in the parking lot, trying to work up the nerve to get out. A man who told a stranger in Denver: "You changed how I see this."
And a Columbus host who turned to her group mid-walk and announced she was going home, because a regular had just delivered her a mic drop and she was “absolutely done for the day.”
No lesson this week. Just proof that something real is happening out there.
Some of them are funny. Some of them are quietly life-changing.
This week on The Board Walks, people brought these topics:
"Who’s someone who brings a smile to your face every time you think about them?”
"What's something your younger self loved that you've completely stopped doing?"
"Is grief selfish? Are you grieving the person, or grieving the loss of them in your life?"
"If you could go back to any place or time in history, where would you go? Why?"
"What do you wish someone had told you — but they never did?"
Screenshot these. Steal with pride. Bring one to your next dinner party to shift the conversation from “meh” to marvelous.
Quick hits:
✨ Momentum: We’ve passed 3,100+ members on Meetup! We joined in September and this is quietly becoming something much bigger than we expected. Can’t wait to see where we are in 5 years. Join our global network →
🧡 Host Updates: We’ve accepted 4 new hosts this month, bringing us to 14 cities. (That number will be higher soon thanks to some great applicants this week. 👀) Host with us →
✍️ Got a moment? If you’d like to help the mission by sharing a testimonial, we’d be very grateful. It helps more than you know. Share here →
🔐 The Board. Global, curated, built for people who want to go deeper than the walk. Join the waitlist.
Izzy's uncle didn't know what to expect when he joined the Detroit walk.
He was just passing through. His flight was still hours away.
By the end of the walk, he pulled Izzy aside and said something she didn't expect: that he could feel the structure of the event working on him in real time. That the walk wasn't just a walk — it was a space designed to create openings. And it had.
He got clarity about his relationships. On a trail. In a city he doesn't even live in.
And to his surprise, some of the biggest insights came from his niece.
The reason that story stuck with me isn't about the walk. It's about what happens when you step outside your normal context with someone you love. The dinner table has a script. The phone call has a script. But five miles, no phones, a question nobody planned… that's a different room entirely.
So here's what I keep turning over:
Who in your life have you only ever talked to inside the usual context?
A parent you only see at holidays. A friend you only text. A sibling you only call when something funny happens. Someone you love, but only in the rooms you've always been in together.
What would it be like to walk five miles with them?
If you've been thinking about showing up, this is the week. You don't need to know anyone. You don't need a mind-blowing topic. You just need to get out of the car.
(And if you need proof that getting out of the car is worth it, see moment #16.)
5 miles. Phones away. Conversations that go places. 🧡
Have a whimsical week,
Founder of The Board Walks
P.s. Know someone who needs a hug from the world this week? Forward them this email. That's how we got to 10+ cities: one person telling another that something real was happening on a Saturday morning. ✨
