Hosting the walks in SF has been one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done. I’ve led it for 106 weeks in a row, which is ****wild.
It started back when I was on sabbatical, trying to figure out what was next. I’d stepped off the “traditional path” and asked myself what kind of work I wanted to do. I’d seen Elle’s walks on Twitter and extended my Austin trip just to attend one. I even booked a flight that left at 3 PM on Saturday - just enough time to attend the 8 AM walk.
It happened to be her 50th walk.
I left completely in awe. I wanted to bring that feeling to San Francisco. A few weeks later, we made it happen. I became the first person to start a walk in another city.
https://x.com/adele_bloch/status/1690483850894520320
At the time, I didn’t know how long it would last or where it would lead. I just wanted to bring people together for meaningful conversation.
Since then, I’ve hosted 103+ walks.
Every. Single. Week.
I’ve brought together 1,000+ people in SF.
It’s led to so many butterfly effects I cannot even begin to comprehend. I’m only privy to maybe 10% of them.
For me personally, it’s led to dozens of genuine friendships, perfectly-timed advice, growth moments, TWO (!) job offers both signed within a week, a day as a wedding photographer (that’s a whole story), and more.
Pure serendipity.
It hasn’t always been easy. I live in Palo Alto - yes, I commute 45+ minutes each way every time. I’ve kept it going through the help of our regulars when traveling, on sick days, bad days, and great ones. But I always show up with this thought: someone might be trying this walk for the first time today, nervous as hell, but showing up anyway. I try to bring my best energy for them.
The community has kept me going for so long, when I hear things like:
You hear things like that, and you keep going.
This is a carefully crafted space. Every moment is intentional - from the welcome, to the route we take, to the midpoint photo spot, to the tone we set, to how we close out. It’s often a space for those in a transition; moving cities, moving jobs, shifting in life seasons. It's a beautiful space filled with leaps of faith, heart, and authenticity.