Walk the Pod: 10 minute walking

Introducing our new topic: Courage. This month we’ll be reading The Courage to be Disiked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. And we’ll be walking, of course, as usual, around our local area. Welcome to the new series!

Good morning, dear friend and hello from Merton Abbey Mills in Southwest London. I’m walking on the most beautiful day in the world and inviting you to take part in Series 55 on Courage. The series starts next Monday, 10th of March. In this episode, I’ve recorded four journal prompts for you. If you do some free writing as part of your artistic practice, why not use these prompts to inspire you to write something about courage. You might want to share them when we start the series next Monday. Take care of your beautiful mind, yourselves, and each other, and I’ll speak to you then.

Wrapping up the series with a big thank you to all the members of the Walk the Pod lunchtime walk club. Your daily walking podcast will be back on Monday 10 March 2025.

Walking around the park behind the hospital this lunchtime wrapping up Series 54 and covering everything we’ve spoken about so far this month on the theme of inspiration.

Walking around Northampton Square in North London this lunchtime, thinking about how changing our perspective can be inspiring. Voice notes from Kiwi Rob in Auckland and Cindy in Nebraska.

Today, a voicenote from David in the US reminds me that if it isn’t a ‘hell yes’ then it’s a no! Plus a voicenote from the Mothership on doing nothing to bring on creative inspiration.

Walking around the park behind the hospital this lunchtime pondering whether the type of inspiration we are struck by is what we seek to find.

Walking my local streets in the absolutely minging rain and windy conditions this lunchtime, rounding up the week’s inspiration episodes and looking forward to more walking adventures next week.

Creatives and artists often worry that they are stealing other people’s work. But today on Walk the Pod, I want to talk about inspiration and theft. To make the point that sometimes it’s necessary to steal with impunity to start with, until one find one’s own voice. Walking in local woods for Episode 4, Series 54 of Walk the Pod.

Considering the thoughts of German philosopher Fredrick Schelling on ideas providing ‘action of energy and significance’ as I walk my local street this lunchtime.

Walking local streets this lunchtime with your daily prompt to get out into nature for just 10 minutes. Inspiration is an ‘ebb and flow’ says Hils. What does inspiration mean to you? https://walkthepod.com

Walking my local streets and enjoying the breaths of fresh air that I’m now able to enjoy after my recent treatment. Series 54 is all about inspiration. Why not send me a voice note about what inspiration means to you via walkthepod.com!

Walking in Old St in north London this lunchtime, tempting you away from your desk for the last time this series. Plus a creative reminder from recently departed David Lynch to keep your eye on the donut, not the hole.

Considering everything we’ve explored this series on our stillness theme, plus a short story from Nick in Worcester.

Walking my local streets this lunchtime, keeping an eye out for my neighbour’s cat.

The glorious Desiderata by Max Ehrmann (1927) accompanies us on our walk around the park, this lunchtime.

Walking around the park thinking about stillness and sleep paralysis this lunchtime. Plus a voicenote from Cindy in Nebraska.

Walking in the woods this lunchtime thinking about Ryan Holiday’s book, Stillness is the Key and the question of whether we should be a hammer or an anvil. There is a German phrase: 'Lieber Hammer als Amboss', which means, 'Better Hammer than Anvil'. This means better to be a proactive hammer that 'makes things happen' than a passive anvil. However, George Orwell observed that “It is always the anvil that breaks the hammer, never the other way about.” Interesting food for thought for our 'Stillness' series.

Thinking about taking the long view this lunchtime whilst walking behind the hospital, into the park and around the corner to Tooting Leisure Centre.

Walking in the woods this lunchtime, enjoying the naked tree trunks displaying fungus and holes bored by woodpeckers.

Enjoying Ryan Holiday’s ‘Enough’ chapter from his brilliant book: Stillness is the key this lunchtime whilst dodging a leaf blower around the park.

Hello and welcome to a brand new series of Walk the Pod! In this episode, William Gladstone’s tree cutting habit, finding green space, and how stillness can be in the mind whilst the body is busy.

Walking around my local streets, excited to be wrapping up Series 52 on awe, but sad to say toodle pip for 2024! I’ll be back in 2025 with a brand new series in January. Thank you for walking with me!

Walking around my local streets this lunchtime rounding up the episodes from series 52 so far, plus a voice note from Sam 💞

Walking around the park behind the hospital this lunchtime and contemplating a quite from Rachel Carson: “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.”

Walking my local streets and considering the overview effect: how seeing the Earth from space makes us feel.

Walking around the park behind the hospital this lunchtime and considering the vanishing self. Plus, a voicenote from Cindy in Nebraska.

Walking around the park behind the hospital rounding off the walking week with our fifth Awe episode!

Walking around the park behind the hospital thinking about awe and what it’s trying to tell us.

Walking around an autumnal Northampton Square this lunchtime, wondering whether awe can be conceptualised as a trinary of power, wonder, and fear.

Walking my local streets and bringing you a landmark paper on awe by Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt.

Thinking about awe as I’m walking around the park behind the hospital this lunchtime.

Your final episode of Series 51 is here as we wrap up our friendship discussion on Walk the Pod. Take care of your beautiful mind, and I’ll be back with Series 52 in November.

Walking my local streets thinking about the skill of active listening this lunchtime.

Walking around Northampton Square in North London this lunchtime, through piles of crispy leaves.

Walking my local streets, thinking about Anna Machin’s work on friendship, and the benefits of a large (150 according to Dunbar) social network.

Walking around the park behind the hospital this lunchtime with a radical prompt to keep in touch with your friends.

Walking around the park behind the hospital thinking about everything we’ve learned in this first week of friendship themed podcasts. Thank you for walking with me! Excited to announce that we will be walking for the Wildlife Trusts from Monday, raising money for their mission to save 30% of land and sea by 2030.

Walking around the park behind the hospital, thinking about the different types of friendship that make a full and happy life.

Walking my local streets this lunchtime, considering whether friendship could be a ‘behavioural vaccine’.

Reflecting on the words of Andrew Sullivan, this lunchtime, that friendship is a critical social institution but one which gets overlooked in favour of the nuclear family. Plus a voicenote from Cindy in Nebraska

Walking around the park behind the hospital in the rain this lunchtime thinking about friends vs nuclear family.

Walking my local streets this lunchtime in relentless rain, thinking about eeverything we’ve learned this series. I’lll be back in late October with Series 51. I wonder what we’ll be discussing then.

My radical promot today, dear friends, is that most creative genius is not an act, but a habit. Walking my local streets, paying attention to what’s directly in front of me as we approach the end of the series.

Walking my local streets, thinking about how society doesn’t value creative gifts enough. What hope of structures for creative folk to develop their gifts? Plus a walking report from Cindy in Nebraska.

Walking my local streets this lunchtime considering thoughts mistakenly attributed to Albert Einstein: “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Walking around the park behind the hospital, thinking about how gifts exist within both the market exonomy and the gift economy.

Walking in Clapham this morning, wrapping up Week 1, Series 50 of Walk the Pod on the topic of ‘Gifts’. What have we learned so far? Check out https://www.walkthepod.com to join the Walk the Pod lunchtime walk club or leave a voicenote.

Walking in the woods near home and thinking about how all stories can be framed in terms of a person developing a gift. With a walking report from Cindy in Nebraska.

Walking my local streets this lunchtime thinking about gifts, art, and the artist. Do we have an obligation to develop and use our gifts? Does society have a responsibility to give artists the time to develop their talents?