Do you have a virtual walk and talk buddy?

The virtual walk and talk that strengthened our friendship

My mate Richard Boele used to live around the corner.

Every Thursday morning, we would walk. Talk about work, life, the stuff that actually matters. Grab a coffee. Head home feeling lighter.

Then he moved to the South Coast. 184 kilometres away.

And I thought: Well, that’s the end of our Thursday walks.

But here’s what we figured out—thanks to AirPods and a willingness to look slightly ridiculous talking to ourselves on our respective trails—we can still do it.

We walk. Virtually. Together. 184 km apart.

Him along the bush and beach. Me through the Lane Cove Park. Both of us getting our steps in, solving the world’s problems, checking in on each other.

And you know what’s amazing? 90 minutes flies by. Every single time.

Because here’s what I’ve learned about connection:

It’s not about proximity. It’s about priority.

We make time for what matters. And Richard matters.

In a world where we’re more “connected” than ever—Slack, email, Teams, LinkedIn messages—we’re also lonelier than we’ve ever been.

We have 487 LinkedIn connections but no one to call when things fall apart.

We attend virtual happy hours but can’t remember the last real conversation we had.

We optimize for productivity but forget that humans aren’t meant to do this alone.

So, Richard and I walk. We talk. We show up for each other even when we can’t physically show up.

It’s not perfect. I’d rather grab that coffee in person.

But it’s very good – and beats nothing every single time.

Do you have someone you’ve lost touch with because distance got in the way?

What if you didn’t need to be in the same city—or even the same country—to stay connected?

What if all you needed was AirPods and a commitment to show up?

Who’s your Thursday morning walk waiting for you to make the call?