I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while, and I finally just had to build it: a walking group for women who are done waiting on the sidelines for their bodies to feel “ready” to move.
Here’s the honest story of why.
In my work with clients, I see the same pattern over and over. A woman is going through something — perimenopause, menopause, a hip that isn’t what it used to be, a knee that clicks, a surgery she’s still recovering from, or just a body that doesn’t move the way it did ten years ago — and on top of that, she’s new to the city, or newly retired, or sidelined from the activities and the people she used to see every week.
Not “no friends.” More like “I don’t know how to find my people here anymore.”
I know this firsthand. I’ve moved to three different countries, and each time, movement was how I found my footing in a new place — but building that circle from scratch takes real effort. You don’t have a built-in “in” the way you might have back home.
And that’s really the heart of it: so many women find themselves in that same spot, for all kinds of reasons. Maybe you’re new to the city. Maybe you just retired and the built-in community of a workplace is suddenly gone. Maybe you used to belong to a run club or a rec league or a hiking group, and an injury has sidelined you from it — and with it, the people you used to see every week.
Think about it: when you’re a kid, meeting people is easy. You show up at the park and suddenly you have twelve new best friends by 3pm. As adults, we get that same easy connection through our kids — school pickup, playdates, team snacks. But once you’re past that stage, or you move to a new city, or retire, or your body won’t let you do the things that used to be your “in” — meeting new people gets a lot harder. And nobody warns you about that part.
And honestly, going through all of that can be lonely — not because something is wrong with you, but because your friend group simply isn’t there with you anymore. The people you used to walk with, train with, or run into every week were tied to a place, a stage of life, or an activity — and when that changes, so does your circle. That’s not a personal failing. It’s just what happens when life shifts, and it’s exactly the gap I wanted this group to fill.
Add an injury or a mobility issue into the mix, and it gets even harder. You want to be active. You want to get outside, move your body, feel like yourself again. But you’re in pain, or you’re scared of being in pain, or you just don’t know if you can keep up. So where do you go? The waiting room at your doctor’s or physio’s office isn’t exactly known for great friendships. It’s not fun to bond over X-rays.
I wanted to build something better than that.
Bad Hips, Good Vibes exists for three reasons.
1. To help you learn how your body actually moves — not “fix” it. Walking sounds simple. It’s not, when every step hurts. I didn’t want to run another generic fitness class — I wanted to build something rooted in the fundamentals: your feet, your knees, your hips, your gait. How they work together, what’s actually going on when something hurts, and small, doable ways to move better within your own body’s constraints. This isn’t about becoming a different person. It’s about learning to move the body you already have, a little more freely, a little less painfully.
2. To build real community with women in the same season of life. I wanted to create a space where women going through similar stages — hip pain, menopause, recovery, just getting older in a body that keeps surprising you — could meet each other in a setting that isn’t a waiting room. Somewhere fun. Somewhere safe. Somewhere you can laugh about your hip clicking with someone who gets it. The friendships that come out of shared experience are some of the strongest ones we get as adults, and I wanted to give that a chance to happen.
3. To just have fun. Fresh air. Good company. No pressure about pace, ability, or “keeping up.” Whatever your body can do today is enough. You’ll learn something every session, but honestly? The main goal is just to enjoy moving again, together.
If any part of this sounds like you — if you’ve been wanting to move more but your body’s been holding you back, or if you’ve been craving a community but haven’t known where to find one — this is for you.
We are not fragile. We’re fabulous. And we’d love for you to come walk with us.
