Once a month, on a Saturday evening, I set my alarm for 5.15am. Let’s be frank here: that’s a really early Sunday start. But it’s worth it because it allows me to combine all my favourite things into a few magical hours.
I enjoy watching the sun rise, its pink and golden rays illuminating the horizon. I enjoy spending time in deep conversation with some amazing women, and putting one foot in front of the other, on a beautiful two-hour coastal walk. That’s wonder, socialising, and exercise, sorted. My inner over-achiever adores the efficiency of it all.
And it’s more than that. Those conversations have saved my business on more than one occasion. Because when women walk together, magical things happen.
Walk-life balance
Walking is not just good for your health. It’s also good for your soul.
Walking regularly is known to reduce the risk of chronic disease, strengthen your bones and muscles, boost your endurance… and the list goes on. A 2020 study of 2300 women also found women who walk with their friends are 2.5 times less likely to be lonely.
Running a small business can feel lonely, even when you have a team around you. Everything ultimately depends on you. You’re often under pressure to make hard decisions alone, or you may be working long hours just to keep everything afloat – which leaves little time for friends. Or wonder. Or exercise.
While researching my book on the many different paths to small business growth, I spoke with dozens of founders about the biggest challenges they’d faced in the rollercoaster ride to growth. Almost all involved people.
But you can’t workshop internal people issues with the people themselves. You need a fresh perspective, and someone who can listen without judgement, and without dismissing your feelings.
That’s what the sunrise walk club has done for me. There have been more mornings than I care to acknowledge where I was teetering on the edge, second-guessing my business direction, and feeling frustrated (or, worse, resentful). Two hours later, I would feel energised and ready to take back control.
I didn’t start our group to form a business network or mentoring forum – far from it. It was much more practical: as working mums, we were all busy juggling kids’ sports and other family commitments on the weekends. We wanted to catch up regularly, and squeezing in some exercise would be a bonus – with coffee our reward for the early start.
And whether it’s working through relationships, parenting, career pivots, or tricky conversations at work, we’ve all benefited from walking side by side with another woman who gets it. There’s a lot of value in connecting with those who can help us work through life’s thorny problems and stop overthinking about the things outside our control.
Beyond Solo: There's more than one way to grow your business by Sara Howard.
Steps to confidence
We’ve been walking together on and off since 2017. We’ve seen relationships ebb and flow, kids grow up and move out, and dealt with the pressure of pandemic disruptions. It doesn’t matter whether there’s two of us or 12 in the quiet stillness of the early morning because when you’re really struggling, the best thing you can do is reach out to someone you trust.
The other magical thing about walking is that you don’t need to look someone in the eye while talking. That makes it so much easier to be truly honest with them – and with yourself.
Best of all, walking creates a focused state of flow, letting you come up with a more thoughtful, considered response.
A Stanford University study found our creative output increases by an average of 60 per cent when walking. That’s a productivity and performance boost you cannot ignore. I rarely have brilliant ideas while sitting in front of a screen (or mindlessly flicking between Instagram, WhatsApp, and wondering what’s for dinner). But walking forces me to stop multitasking, and concentrate on what matters. Whether it’s redefining my business purpose or finding the narrative thread for my first book, it’s all happened on a walk.
So if you find yourself stuck, call a friend, get outside, and walk-and-talk through the problem. The answer will be right there in front of you. Just walk towards it, trust the feedback, and take the next step.
