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A curated global network for people who’ve built a full life, but still crave the right room.
The Board is designed to make the right connections inevitable.
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Inside, members meet through Spark Calls, gather for monthly Salons, and stay connected through a vetted directory of people who are emotionally alive, self-led, and genuinely interesting.
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The right people, the right conditions, the right moment.
The field already works.
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What began as one Saturday morning walk in Austin has grown into 15+ cities, 20,000+ people, and a global ritual for meaningful conversations — with zero advertising and 100% word of mouth.
The Board is the private, curated layer of the movement.​​
​​The First Spark
In 2022, I had a simple idea: what if strangers walked 5 miles together every Saturday morning and talked about something real?
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No phones. Everyone brings a topic. See what happens.
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What happened was The Board Walks.
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And for four years, walkers have asked us the same question:
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"Is there more? Something like this, but... more?"
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The honest answer was: not yet. Something like this only works if the people building it are ready to hold it properly.​
So my fiancé Cam and I waited until we were ready, building it slowly over hundreds of conversations behind the scenes.
We’re thrilled to welcome the right people into the room.
​The Hallway Period
When I moved to Austin, I tried everything to find my people.
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Habit groups. Line dancing. A philosophy club. Dozens of Meetup events over months of showing up alone and saying yes to things that sounded promising.
No matter where I went, I kept having the same conversation.
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I call them Advanced Weather Conversations™. They dip into what you do for work, the weather compared to previous years, and some lukewarm takes about a book or podcast that aren’t hot enough to be interesting.
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At these events, people were drawn to me. They'd ask to connect, hang out, follow up. And I'd walk away thinking: that was fine. Pleasant, even. But I had no real desire to see them again.
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The guilt that comes with that feeling is its own kind of weight. Am I being elitist? Am I too picky? Should I just be grateful someone wants to hang out with me?
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But here's what I eventually understood: it wasn't about being better than anyone.
It was about exchange.
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When you're a perpetual learner, when you live an interesting life, when you have electric passions and half-formed theories and questions you've been sitting with for months… you become a magnet.
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People can sense your aliveness, and they want to be near it.
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What they can't always do is match it.
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So you end up giving. Asking good questions, being present, drawing people out. And walking away having poured everything into a conversation that gave very little back. The other person loved it and wants to do it again next Tuesday… but you feel hollow.
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The more you grow, the more socializing starts to feel like walking down a long dark hallway of trying and failing to find your people, with no end in sight.
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So you stay home instead. Pour into yourself. And wonder if your people are actually out there... or if this is just what connection looks like now.
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That's the Hallway Period: the gap between who you're becoming and the friends you haven't found yet.​
The Board is the door at the end of the hallway.
​A Room Without Social Debt
Most communities run on invisible contracts nobody agreed to out loud.
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You go quiet for three weeks – life, work, a season of turning inward – and when you come back, something's shifted.
Nobody says it directly, but you can feel it. A comment with a little bite to it. A message that goes unanswered a beat too long. The invisible ledger everyone pretends doesn't exist.
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The Board runs on a different social contract.
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No one is tracking whether you showed up last month. If you disappear for six weeks and reappear like nothing happened, we're just glad you're back.
You are welcome to follow your own rhythm without explanation, without guilt, without anyone making you feel like you owe them something.​
We have one core agreement:
When you're here, be here.
​When you're not, we'll be glad
to see you when you return.
​​What You Receive
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Your First 30 Days
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We will not drop you into a crowd and hope for the best.
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Days 0–7: Welcome, orientation emails, short philosophy videos, profile setup
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Days 4–7: A member of our team invites you into your first Spark Call so you feel the culture in real time, not just read about it
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Days 7–30: Your first Salon. Two or three more Spark Calls. A handful of people you want to keep in your orbit​
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By day 30, it's not abstract anymore. It's yours.
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Spark Calls™ — Connection That Matches Your Mood
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A Spark Call is a short, 1:1, spontaneous conversation between two members, initiated when you see someone online and feel a pull to connect.
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Most communities struggle because people don’t know how, when, or where to connect without feeling awkward.
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Spark Calls solve that.
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Short enough to be doable on a Tuesday at 2 PM. Deep enough to change the trajectory of your week.​
Because depth can happen in 15 minutes.
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Over time, Spark Calls become one of the most nourishing rhythms in your relational life.​​
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You'll use them to:
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Un-suck a Monday that's gone sideways
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Reality check a decision with someone who has no agenda except your clarity
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Celebrate a win with someone who knows what it takes to grow
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Just... talk, with someone who doesn't need you to translate
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The Monthly Salon — The Best Conversation of Your Month
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Once a month, The Board gathers on Zoom for a 60 minute Salon.
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This is not a panel, a webinar, or a bunch of people staring at their own faces while one person talks.
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It's facilitated conversations on a theme — like Identity, Becoming & Purpose or Love & Relationships — where every member brings a thoughtful topic and discusses it with rotating small groups.
Structured enough to go somewhere. Unstructured enough to surprise you.
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This experience is designed to feel like The Board Walks, but with vetted people from London, New York, and wherever you're calling in from, all in the same room.
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Here, you meet people you'll want to Spark Call later.
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The Member Directory — A Curated Network You Can Trust
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Imagine LinkedIn, but:
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You actually liked everyone in it
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You knew their character before you saw their credentials
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Every person had been vetted for curiosity, integrity, and qualities that make a room feel safe
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Profiles told you the exact details that make connection easy
That's the Member Directory.
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Find a collaborator, a lawyer you actually vibe with, or a new friend in a city you're visiting who won't try to sell you something weird.
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Cold DMs don't exist here.
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You're entering a room where everyone passed the same bar you did: curiosity, integrity, and a genuine desire to make real connections.​
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Engineered Serendipity
We follow the energy of the room.
When something's alive, we build a space for it.
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Two members go deep on their current obsession and suddenly there's a live stream. Someone wants to jam on an idea and five people show up.
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You're always welcome to join in or start your own thread.
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Board members also receive:
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Priority access to new Walk cities, intimate dinners, and Board-only events and retreats as they emerge
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Spontaneous events and experiments we don't advertise
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Visibility opportunities in The Friday Debrief newsletter and The Board Talks podcast series​​
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We don't promise a firehose of events.
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We promise just enough activity, at a high standard, in a room that matters.
Some of the best things that happen inside The Board aren't scheduled.​
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They're sparked.
​What It Feels Like
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The Board is built for engineered serendipity.
The right people, the right conditions, the right moment. By design, not by accident.
Here's what it feels like:
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It's a random Wednesday. You're in the mood to chat. You open The Board, see that someone interesting is online, and send a simple message:
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"Want to hop on a Spark Call?"
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15 minutes later, you hang up feeling clear. No recurring calendar hold. No obligation created for 2 weeks later.
Just a sharp conversation right when you want it.
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That's the heartbeat of The Board.
​Who This Is For
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The Board is not for everyone.
That's not a marketing line. It's just true, and you deserve to know it upfront.
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It's likely a fit if:
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You're on your path. Founder, operator, creative, host, passionate person. You're not waiting for your life to start. You're in it.
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You've read the books, done the work, invested in your growth. What's missing isn't more information. It's a room full of people who have, too.
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You care about how you do things.
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You move with integrity, emotional regulation, and relational skillfulness.
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You respect other people's rhythms. If someone doesn't respond for a month and then reappears, you're just happy to see them.
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You can invest $250/month or $2,500/year without destabilizing yourself.
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You're ready to be seen as a peer, not a project.
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You're hungry for better rooms, not more rooms.
It's likely not a fit if:
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You want a step-by-step program.
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You prefer async-only communication.
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You want guaranteed business results or treat people like leads.
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You're not willing to be accountable for how you show up.
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You're looking for coaching. This is not a coaching container. Every member is valued equally for what they bring to the room.
We'd rather tell you the truth now than onboard the wrong person.
​What Your Best Year Could Look Like
Fast forward 12 months.
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You can name five people you didn't know a year ago who now feel essential. Some are collaborators. Some are mirrors. One might be the person you call when life goes sideways.
They're in different cities, different industries, different seasons of life. And somehow, they're exactly right.
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You've:
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Attended a year of Salons where you had lively, perspective-shifting conversations across a range of topics
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Had dozens of Spark Calls that left you with more energy, not less
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Watched at least one project, relationship, or practice bloom that simply wouldn't exist without the people you met here
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Noticed that your level of connectedness, inspiration, and life direction are at an all-time high
You no longer default to "I'm doing this alone."
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You spend far less time in rooms that drain you and far more in ones that actually make you better. Your contact list feels like a living asset, not a pile of names you're vaguely obligated to.
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If you feel yourself in this, we’d love to meet you.
​​Investment
$250/month or $2,500/year
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Application required.​​
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Membership is approved one year at a time, with monthly and annual payment options available.​
​How to Join The Room
1. Apply
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Your application is the first act of curation. We are listening for aliveness, self-responsibility, and the kind of presence that makes the room better.
We strongly recommend recording a video, because The Board is a feeling-based space rooted in live connection.
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2. We Review
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If it feels like a mutual yes, you'll receive an invitation.
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Membership is intentionally limited so relationships stay real and discoverable.​
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3. Stay or Move On, Guilt-Free
We review membership annually because the integrity of the field depends on everyone being in.
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At the end of your year, you can renew, pause, or complete. No assumption, no guilt. The people in this room are actively choosing to be here.​
​​If You Feel the Pull
If something in you relaxed reading this...
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If you recognized yourself somewhere in here and thought "oh, that's what I've been missing"...
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You don't have to keep doing this alone.
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The right room can change the trajectory of your life.
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We've watched it happen over and over, on trails in over 15 cities, with thousands of strangers who became each other's people.
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This is that room.
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​Online, global, and built for the rhythm of a real life.​
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We consider every application carefully. If the timing isn't right, we'll tell you honestly. If it is, welcome home.​
What people say about The Board Walks, the field that started it all
​Common Questions
Is this a coaching program?
No. Elle and Cam are fellow members of The Board, not coaches inside it. We're stewards of the field. The value comes from the network, the conversations, and the quality of the room.
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Is this a business mastermind?
Not exactly. Many members are builders and founders, and your work will be honored and supported here. But The Board is broader than "get your revenue to X." It's about your life, your relationships, your character, and your craft.
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Do I have to live in a Walk city?
No. We’re excited to connect people who don’t live in our Walk cities. The Board is primarily online to bring values-aligned people together from anywhere in the world. IRL experiences beyond The Board Walks will layer on top when it makes sense.
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What if I'm introverted?
You'll probably love it here. Spark Calls are 15 minutes, opt-in, and you'll be talking to people who understand nuance and don't require you to be "on." Our monthly Salons are structured for impact and variety, with a clear end. Zero pressure to perform.
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What if I'm not "successful enough"?
We care far more about how you move through the world than what you've accumulated. If you're honest, self-responsible, curious, and devoted to your growth… you deserve to be in rooms like this, full stop.
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Can I just pay and get in?
No. Everyone goes through the same application process. That protects you as much as it protects the experience.
Directors of The Board
Elle Beecher Hogan
Elle helps people find soul-nourishing community and fall in love with their lives. Elle founded The Board Walks, a global movement of weekly walks now in 15+ cities with over 20,000 attendees, and personally hosted it for 3 years in Austin. As a cultural curator, she shares stories and insights in The Friday Debrief, Whimsy World and The Elle Diaries. She was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 for designing social spaces that fast-track real connection and lightbulb moments.
Cameron Hogan
Cameron helps high-achievers shed their limiting beliefs and take action. He is co-founder of The Board and Head of Expansion for The Board Walks, where he oversees chapter growth and directly supports hosts as the walks launch globally. Cameron loves to write, speak, and solve complex life problems with systems. As a steward for empathy in a disconnected world, he's led multiple beloved communities both online and IRL, joined by members in over 90 cities.
See you in the room.