I stepped down from hosting (and the walks exploded)
- Elle Beecher
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
Three months ago, I did something that felt impossible.
I passed the baton of hosting the Austin walk — the OG walk, the one I’d been hosting every Saturday for three years, the one that literally started a movement — to the incredible Julia Grant.
I’d been thinking about it for a month after some strange things started happening at the event (a story for another time). Sitting with the idea. Turning it over in my mind like a smooth stone I kept in my pocket. Every time I’d pull it out and look at it, my stomach would flip.
What if people stop coming?
What if the community suffers?
What if I’ve built my identity around being the person who shows up every Saturday at 8 AM?
I was gripping this thing so tightly, my knuckles were white. I didn’t even realize how much tension I was holding until I finally... let go.
And the second I loosened my grip?
Everything expanded.
Suddenly, I had this vast emotional space I didn’t know I was missing. Like I’d been holding my breath underwater and finally came up for air. My chest opened. I could see the horizon. I stopped being the host and stepped into my new role as architect.
That space let me zoom out and ask one big question:
What could The Board Walks become if I really gave it my all?
Not just a weekly event I loved hosting. Not just my Saturday morning ritual.
A movement.
The momentum is building
Since I stopped hosting, we’ve brought The Board Walks to 7 cities.
NYC. London. Denver. Columbus. Boone, North Carolina.
San Francisco has been going for over 2 years and 100 walks now, thanks to Adele Bloch and our new host Alice Chen.
And of course, Austin is 170+ walks strong with Julia at the helm now.
Since mid-July 2025:
800+ new attendees have joined a walk 3+ times, which means a “regulars” group is forming in all cities
60+ five-mile walks hosted across 7 cities
300+ miles walked together
50+ public 5-star reviews
Zero paid advertising since day one
Yes, these numbers are bonkers and make me happy dance in my office.
But you know what really moves me?
The woman in Columbus who said: “I had hernia surgery yesterday but I was so excited about the walk, I had to join!”
Hernia. Surgery. YESTERDAY. And she still showed up.
The photo from Alice Chen, live from this week’s San Francisco Walk, with 20 people drenched in rain but smiling from ear to ear.
The voice note from Cristina Espinal, our walk host in London, saying: “Honestly, I want to cry. I am so emotional because it was such an amazing, beautiful walk. I’m feeling so much love. It was everything and more.”
The regular in Columbus who said: “I have pretty severe social anxiety, but I’ve noticed that my confidence is growing each week due to these walks. I feel much more comfortable in group settings. I’m safe to be myself here.”
The woman in Austin who said: “I never make a friend when I attend something for the first time… but that happened here!”
The best part? I’m hearing the exact same feedback from attendees. Word. For. Word. The same sentences I heard in Austin for three years are now coming from Denver. From Columbus. From Boone: a tiny mountain town of 20,000 people where we’re watching magic unfold in slow motion.
The formula I refined here in Austin — the one that took three years of trial and error and sticky conversations and tweaking the tiniest details — is replicating.
The way people light up during the intro circle. The way conversations naturally deepen around mile three. The way someone who came alone the first week shows up the next week with their best friend in tow.
It’s happening. In city after city. And I don’t know how to explain what it feels like to watch something you built in your tiny corner of the world spread like roots underground.
Big smiles from The Walks, even in the rain and 40° weather!
What I’m learning (mad scientist notes)
Mid-size, drivable cities like Austin and Columbus? My original event formula works perfectly. People can hop in their car, drive 10-20 minutes, and boom. We’re walking.
But small towns like Boone? Massive sprawling cities like NYC and London?
They need a different approach. Different rhythm. Different energy.
I’m still figuring it out. And honestly? I love that I don’t have all the answers yet. I love hard problems that don’t have clear solutions. I love watching each city take on its own personality.
Cat and Ariana in Boone are creating something so warm and intimate that it feels like a family dinner.
Our NYC hosts Sarah and Sophy provide a calm, energetic break from the city’s non-stop pace.
Denver is steady and grounded, like the mountains.
Each walk culture is growing its own distinct heartbeat. And I get to witness it all.
The most rewarding transition of my life
Every Saturday afternoon, my phone lights up.
Voice notes. Photos. Updates from the hosts.
“Elle, we had THIRTY people today!”
“Someone cried during the walk and said they’ve never felt so seen.”
“Three people who met at the walk last month are now best friends.”
“We didn’t have a walk last week, but the regulars showed up anyways!”
And I sit there on my couch — sometimes literally tearing up — feeling this wave of pride and fulfillment rush over me.
Because stepping down as the Austin host transformed me into a movement architect.
And I am obsessed with this new role.
I love supporting the walk hosts. Sending them love and advice. Answering their questions when they’re nervous about their first walk. Coaching the group on how to handle sticky situations. Celebrating when someone tells them “This walk changed my life.”
Julia has been doing an incredible job keeping The OG Walk’s spirit alive... all while carrying a beautiful baby in her womb.
And watching her hold this space with so much grace and heart? It reminds me why I had to let go. Because the walk was never meant to be mine forever.
It was meant to grow beyond me.
None of these moments would’ve happened if I hadn’t loosened my grip.
Sometimes you have to release the thing you’re holding so tightly so it can become what it’s meant to be.
(By the way: we’re looking for a new Austin host to keep this ritual going from December onwards, so if you know anyone, please share this or apply here.)
Here’s where it gets really exciting (and a little scary)
On a larger scale, 16,000+ people have now joined The Board Walks for over 350 walks.
We’ve walked 1,700+ miles together.
But… I’ve been doing all of this on hard mode.
All of this momentum has happened despite no posts on the walk’s Instagram or Twitter or anywhere but my personal accounts. I’ve been keeping this beautiful thing in the shadows because I didn’t have the space to do it differently while I was hosting every week.
But now? I have that space.
And I’m ready to let this thing expand in ways I couldn’t have imagined 3 months ago.
First up: we’re finally showing up everywhere.
By the end of November, everything will be cranking. We just brought on a team member to help unleash social media. We’re working with OG walk regular Brian Whitfield (certified good energy king and design wizard) on branding that finally matches the heart and soul of what we do, which means merch is coming soon. YAY!
We’re finally launching the walk newsletter with thousands of subscribers that has never sent a single email. (I know. I KNOW.)
Second: we’re creating a deeper container.
We’re launching The Board — a premium community that’s been years in the making. High-trust, application only, monthly meetings for themed conversation, spontaneous connections, pop-up events. All with a highly curated group who’s focused on growth and unlocking our best selves.
My goal is to make this the best community on the planet.
And last but not least… it’s time for sponsors to support the walk.
To be honest, I’ve dodged sponsors entirely for the last few years.
I’m so careful about who gets close to this thing I’ve poured my heart into. But I’m ready now. Ready to work with values-aligned organizations with heart and a true love of the human spirit.
I will only work with people who get what we’re doing here. Who understand that this isn’t about metrics or conversion rates or regular old fitness: it’s about creating spaces where strangers become friends and depth becomes the default.
(Something tells me they’re going to be big names. We shall see.)
Why I’m telling you all this
Because I want to bring you along on this ride.
I want you to see the messy middle. The moments where I’m sitting in my living room on a Saturday afternoon, watching the sunlight pour through the windows, feeling equal parts “holy sh*t this is actually happening” and “what if I mess it all up?”
I want you to know that letting go of the Austin walk was one of the hardest and best decisions I’ve ever made.
I want you to feel invited into what’s happening next. To be part of it.
And I want to remind you — and maybe myself, too — that sometimes the thing you’re gripping so tightly is blocking the expansion you’re praying for.
After all, I used to grip the reins of my life until my knuckles turned white. Holding on to relationships, friendships, and arbitrary goals for dear life. The more I squeezed, the more everything slipped through my fingers like sand…
Because you can’t receive gifts if your hands are clenched tight.
Maybe it’s time to loosen your grip. Soften your jaw. Drop your shoulders.
And let go, to let in.
Love,
Elle Beecher
Founder of The Board Walks
P.s. If this resonates and you want to be part of what we’re building:
Join the movement: RSVP, send to a friend, or subscribe to our newsletter.
Write or record a testimonial if the walk’s impacted you. (Examples on the site!)
Know someone who should host? Tell them to apply here.
Join the waitlist for our premium community.
This was originally published by our founder, Elle Beecher, on her personal newsletter The Elle Diaries on October 26, 2025.
