How Rocks, Talks & Walks Changed my Life

How three simple things helped me build a life I never could have imagined.

Have you ever read a self-help book, listened to a podcast, or heard a motivational speaker explain their three-step program to completely transform your life?

I have.

And while those programs always seem so simple in theory, back in 2024, when I decided I needed to make some serious changes in my life, I had absolutely no idea where to start.

I didn't have a perfect plan. I didn't know exactly what I wanted my future to look like, and I certainly didn't know how much my life would change over the next few years.

But looking back over the last two and a half years, I've realized something interesting.

While I was busy taking small steps to improve myself every single day, the things that made the biggest difference in my life naturally fell into three very simple categories.

Rocks, Talks & Walks.

And that's how this little community came to be.

ROCKS | Finding My Place in the World

I was born and raised in the Midwest, but I've always been drawn to places with mountains, hiking trails, and wide-open landscapes.

Growing up in Minnesota, our nature trails leaned a little more toward the woodsy side. And while I loved being outdoors, there was always something about mountains that fascinated me.

It wasn't until my sister moved to Arizona to attend Arizona State University that I got my first real taste of what mountain hiking looked like.

And dang, were those hikes hard.

But I absolutely loved them.

There was something about the desert climate, the mountains, and the challenge of reaching a summit that made me feel both energized and completely at peace. It didn't matter which mountain we climbed. I seemed to fall in love with every single one.

When I finally made the decision to move to Arizona in 2025, I was able to turn something I had always dreamed about into part of my everyday life.

Suddenly, I could hike multiple times a week, explore new trails whenever I wanted, and discover the incredible outdoor communities that exist right here in the Valley.

But the rocks beneath my feet weren't the only ones that began to fascinate me.

Over the last few years, my spiritual practice has grown tremendously, and with that growth came an increasing curiosity about astrology, crystals, and the universe around us.

The stars, planets, and floating rocks in the sky that may or may not, depending on what you believe, influence our moods, behaviors, relationships, friendships, and even career paths became something I wanted to understand on a deeper level.

I began searching for local classes, workshops, and teachings that explored astrology, birth charts, crystal work, and other spiritual practices.

And I found an entirely new world of things I loved learning about.

As someone with a Cancer Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Cancer Rising, exploring astrology has also helped me develop a deeper relationship with my intuition and the way I understand myself.

For me, Rocks represents exploration. It's about connecting with the natural world, remaining curious about the universe, and discovering the things that make us feel grounded, inspired, and alive.

Whether that's climbing a mountain, attending an astrology workshop, or simply spending an afternoon outside, there's something incredibly powerful about reconnecting with the world around us.

TALKS | Falling in Love With Learning Again

The second pillar of my life is one that I never would have expected to become so important to me.

Learning.

When I graduated from college in 2018, I was absolutely thrilled to throw away every textbook I owned and never open another one again.

Or so I thought.

As the years went on, I found myself becoming increasingly interested in public communication, educational discussions, activism, history, and the communities in which we live and work.

I wanted to understand more about the world around me. I wanted to hear different perspectives, ask better questions, and challenge myself to think about things I had never considered before.

Eventually, that curiosity led me back to school.

Not because I needed another degree. Not because I had a specific career path in mind.

But simply because I wanted to learn.

I began taking classes that genuinely interested me, with no particular degree path in sight. I even started studying for the LSAT, simply because I wanted to challenge myself to take the exam.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that training my mind was becoming just as important to me as training my body.

And the more I learned, the more excited I became about everything I still didn't know.

What I love most about living in the Valley is how many opportunities there are to learn from other people. From educational lectures and community discussions to workshops, book clubs, and local events, there are so many ways to expand our understanding of the world without committing to an entire degree program.

Talks represents curiosity, connection, and the courage to keep growing.

It's about showing up to conversations where you might not know anyone. Listening to people whose experiences are different from your own. Asking questions, exchanging ideas, and allowing yourself to become a lifelong student of the world.

Today, I wake up genuinely excited about the future I'm building, and I believe that my willingness to keep learning has played an enormous role in that transformation.

WALKS | The Small Steps That Changed Everything

The final pillar is perhaps the simplest of them all.

Walking.

Between 2023 and 2025, I lost over 80 pounds.

And while that transformation involved several lifestyle changes, walking was one of the biggest and most consistent parts of my journey.

For as long as I can remember, I've struggled with social anxiety surrounding the gym. The thought of working out in front of other people was intimidating, and for a long time, it prevented me from developing a consistent exercise routine.

Walking changed that.

It was something I could do in the privacy of my own home, around my neighborhood, or outside while exploring somewhere new.

There was no pressure to perform. No complicated routine to follow. No expectation that I needed to be good at anything.

I just needed to move.

When I first purchased a step tracker, I quickly realized that I wasn't getting anywhere near 10,000 steps a day.

Today, my personal minimum goal is 15,000 steps, and I rarely miss it.

But what surprised me most about walking wasn't the physical transformation.

It was the impact it had on my mental health.

Walking became an opportunity to clear my mind, work through difficult emotions, listen to something educational, or simply spend time with myself.

It gave me space to think.

And slowly, as I became more confident in myself and my body, the social anxiety that had once kept me away from gyms and group fitness classes began to fade.

Today, I genuinely enjoy attending workout classes, connecting with others through movement, and finding new ways to challenge myself physically.

I believe there is something incredibly powerful about moving energy through your body and making movement a consistent part of your overall well-being.

And I also believe that we often underestimate just how much our lives can change when we commit to doing something small, consistently.

Walks represents progress. Not perfection, not comparison, and certainly not the expectation that everyone's journey should look the same.

Just the willingness to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

WHY I CREATED ROCKS, TALKS & WALKS

When I moved across the country to Arizona, I knew only a small group of people.

I had left behind the familiarity of the place where I grew up, the routines I had built, and the comfort of knowing exactly where I belonged.

Starting over was exciting, but it was also intimidating.

I had to learn how to build a community from scratch.

And that meant doing something that, at one point in my life, would have terrified me.

Showing up alone.

To hikes. To classes. To workshops. To community events. To places where I didn't know a single person.

But every time I showed up, something changed.

I met new people. I discovered new interests. I became more comfortable with my own company. And slowly, I built a life filled with friendships, experiences, and opportunities that I never could have imagined just a few years earlier.

More importantly, I developed the confidence to live authentically as myself.

That's what I hope Rocks, Talks & Walks can help other people discover.

The main goal of this community is simple: to make it easier to find free and low-cost events throughout the Valley that encourage exploration, education, movement, and meaningful connection.

Of course, these three pillars aren't the only ways to create positive changes in your life. Far from it.

They're simply the three that changed mine.

And my hope is that by sharing these opportunities, I can help make that first step a little less intimidating for someone else.

Maybe you'll discover a new hiking trail.

Maybe you'll attend a lecture on something you've always wanted to learn about.

Maybe you'll sign up for a walking group, try a new fitness class, or finally attend that event you've been considering for months.

Or maybe you'll simply find the confidence to walk into a room by yourself and realize that you belong there just as much as anyone else.

A LITTLE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY SUNDAY

My hope is that Rocks, Talks & Walks becomes more than just another website with a calendar of local events.

I want it to become a resource you genuinely look forward to visiting.

A Sunday newsletter that helps you plan your week with intention.

A place where you can discover something new, find your people, and explore opportunities you might never have known existed.

And perhaps most importantly, a reminder that creating a beautiful life doesn't mean filling every single moment with activity.

Some days are meant for getting outside, meeting new people, and trying something completely outside your comfort zone.

Other days are meant for staying home, reflecting, resting, and enjoying the life you're already building.

Both are equally important.

YOUR NEXT CHAPTER STARTS WITH ONE SMALL STEP

It's not easy to wake up one day and decide that you want to change your entire life.

It's even harder when you don't know where to begin.

But if there's one thing I've learned over the last few years, it's that you don't have to figure everything out at once.

You don't need a perfect plan, a completely new personality, or a dramatic overnight transformation.

Sometimes, you just need to find a few small things that make you feel a little more connected to yourself and the world around you.

And then keep showing up for them.

For me, those things were Rocks, Talks & Walks.

For you, they might be something entirely different.

Whatever they are, I hope this community encourages you to explore them, embrace them, and create a life that feels genuinely, beautifully your own.

Because sometimes, the smallest steps lead us to places we never could have imagined.

All my love,

Kaitlin

Founder, Rocks, Talks & Walks