There's a feeling most people know but rarely name.
The one that lives right before something real. Not fear exactly. Not excitement either. Something that sits in the space between the two… heavy, quiet, specific. The feeling of a door you haven't opened yet but somehow already know is going to matter.
Some people walk through it fast. Others orbit it for a while.
Elizabeth orbited it for 101 Friday nights.
Every week, she'd think about the walk. Every Saturday morning, she'd consider going for the first time. And then she wouldn't. Not for any dramatic reason. Just... not yet. Not today. Maybe next week.
We’ve literally had hundreds of people tell us the same exact story:
“I heard about this event months ago, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to go. I thought about it almost every Friday: ‘Maybe this will be the week.’ But it wouldn’t happen. This morning, I woke up and said, ‘Today is the day.’ I finally had the courage to join, and I’m so glad I did.”
This Saturday marked Walk #192 in Austin.
It was the 102nd week Elizabeth considered showing up.
And this time, she did.
What happened next is exactly why this exists… 🧡
Snapshots from our walking villages in cities around the world:
Our first walk in Aveiro, Portugal! From host Jenna: “Everyone was present. Everyone loved the route. Overall, a 5-star experience!”
The opening circle during our first walk in Aveiro, Portugal. No matter where we are in the world, our weekly ritual feels the same. 🧡
Detroit squad growing as it stops snowing!
The Austin squad showed up despite a 95% chance of heavy rain. As per usual, just like it has for the last 4 years, it started raining 10 minutes after the walk ended.
(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.)
This week, we have one win that deserves its own spotlight.
Cam was writing about a woman who’d contemplated coming to the Austin walk for two years before finally showing up last Saturday.
By the end of the walk, riding on that classic post-walk high, she said: “I’m about to move, and I want to host a walk in my new city!”
Cam was mid-draft, typing out the story and wondering to himself whether she'd actually apply, and then… her application came through.
You can’t make this stuff up. 🏆
Elizabeth remembers exactly when she first heard about The Board Walks.
Who told her, where she was, what she was doing. From that moment, on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, she thought about coming.
She did that for 101 Fridays in a row.
When she finally introduced herself in the opening circle last week, she seemed like someone who had always been here. Comfortable. Warm. Nothing about her suggested two years of "almost."
This isn't rare. Our hosts have seen it hundreds of times. The people who resist the most often give the most when they finally show up. They always arrive with something to give, even if they didn't know it until they got here.
And to our surprise, by the end of her very first walk, Elizabeth wanted to host a chapter.
Two years of "maybe" became, in a single Saturday morning, "How do I start one?"
This week on The Board Walks, people brought these topics:
“What's the difference between patience and avoidance?”
"How do you repair a friendship that's drifted?"
"Is discomfort good?"
"When something happens, is it a reflection of them or of you?”
“When did you last surprise yourself?”
Screenshot these. Steal with pride. Bring one to your next dinner party to shift the conversation from “meh” to marvelous.
Quick hits:
🌍 Our movement is growing rapidly. We’re now in 13 cities, and we had 5 host interviews this week alone. Two of those from international cities. Wholesome global takeover, anyone? Host with us →
🎉 New chapters are here!
We had our first walk in Aveiro, Portugal last week and it was a 10/10. Big thanks to the curious humans who joined us and our host, Jenna Sandoval. 🇵🇹
Up next: Miami, Florida. Your first walk is tomorrow. We’re pumped to have Brian Hain bringing 5 miles to the sunshine state. 🌴
👀 Know anyone who’d love the walk? Invite them to our community. We are officially one of the fastest growing communities on Meetup with 3,500+ members.
🔐 Our premium global network is launching soon. I’m designing this space to eliminate everything I hate about traditional networking and online communities… which is exactly how I created The Board Walks back in 2022! Get in winner, we’re creating a new paradigm of social connection.
"They arrive with something to give, even if they didn't know it until they got here."
The people who hesitate the longest often hold the most.
They're not late. They're ready in a way they haven't quite named yet.
So if you've been orbiting something — a conversation, a version of yourself you haven't met yet, or showing up to this walk after thinking about it for a while — maybe the question isn't “why haven't I done this yet?”
Maybe it's: what part of me has been ready, just waiting for the right door?
The trail has a way of answering that. 🧡
If this felt familiar, don’t overthink it. Come walk with us.
Somewhere around mile three, something shifts.
You just have to show up for mile one.
We’re now in 13 cities. Austin. San Francisco. New York City. London. Denver. Columbus. Detroit. Boston. Atlanta. Boone. Sacramento. And our latest… Miami and Aveiro, Portugal!
Have a whimsical week,
Founder of The Board Walks
P.s. Know someone who's been on the fence about coming? Forward this to them. Sometimes all it takes is seeing that someone else waited two years and it was still worth it.
