Hi there,
When I started my coaching practice a few years ago, I just HAD TO offer walk-and-talk sessions in London's parks alongside my online sessions. At first it was mainly about lifestyle - in my previous jobs I'd spend a minimum of 8 hours at a desk and less than 20 minutes outside. So, when I got a blank slate, I wasn't going to waste it!
Over time though, I noticed the conversations themselves changed:
On a walk-and-talk, people got to a solution faster. Problems that had felt tangled for months suddenly became clear. Clients who described themselves as "stuck", "overthinking everything", or "unable to access their thoughts in meetings" would suddenly speak with surprising clarity.
I started looking into why, and it turns out it's not accidental. A Stanford study found that a person's creative output increased by an average of 60% when walking. Specifically, it's the “divergent thinking” that improves - the kind that helps you explore, generate ideas, and see things differently.
Why office conditions work against you
Most modern work conversations happen under conditions that are terrible for clear thinking:
constant eye contact
back-to-back meetings
gazillion notifications
performance pressure
fluorescent lighting
no privacy or confidentiality in open spaces
being observed while trying to formulate thoughts in real time
We spend a lot of time optimising productivity systems but very few people think about thinking environments. Like: where do you actually do your clearest thinking?
Spoiler: for most people, it’s not in an open space with Slack open and someone waiting for an immediate answer.
Go out with a problem, come back with a solution
This is what I often see in my outdoor coaching sessions:
Someone arrives mentally overloaded, talking in circles, struggling to make a decision they’ve been sitting with for weeks. And 20 mins into our walk, clarity appears - NOT because I magically solved their problem (you wish) but because we created the conditions for clear thinking.
Taking your problem on a walk helps because:
When you walk side-by-side instead of face-to-face, the conversation often feels less intense and less performative.
When your body moves, your thoughts move too.
When you’re outside (away from inboxes, office politics and the pressure to “sound smart quickly”), your nervous system settles enough to access deeper thinking.
When a walk-and-talk is probably a good idea:
conversations keep going in circles
someone says “I need time to think”
a direct report feels unusually quiet in meetings
you’re discussing something emotionally loaded
you’ve been staring at the same problem for days without clarity
you notice yourself rehearsing instead of thinking
And this doesn’t only apply to coaching.
If you’re a manager, try taking your next 1:1 outside.
If you’re navigating a difficult decision, call a friend and walk while you talk.
If your team feels stuck in surface-level conversations, change the environment before changing the strategy.
Here’s a small experiment for next week:
Take just ONE conversation outdoors. Choose one that feels stuck, tense, overly formal, or mentally cluttered. Then notice:
how differently the other person speaks
how quickly ideas emerge
whether the conversation becomes more honest
whether you think more clearly too
We’re all guilty of trying to think our way out of being stuck. We often assume better thinking comes from pushing harder, while sometimes it comes simply from changing the environment. There’s a reason why we get great ideas in the shower or by a dinner table!
Soooo, maybe the issue isn’t that you’re always overthinking everything - maybe you’re trying to think clearly in the wrong environments.
Speak soon,
Karolina
P.S. I offer outdoor coaching sessions across London parks as part of my Quietly Confident coaching program. If you’re curious, you can read more here: https://www.karolinaszweda.com/quietly-confident-outdoor-coaching
P.P.S. Below, you’ll see an ad. If you enjoy my writing and want to support my work, clicking on the ad helps fund the newsletter (at no cost to you). Thank you! 💐
2026 State of AEO Report
A year ago, most marketers weren't thinking about AI search. Now it's one of the fastest moving channels in the industry and nobody has a playbook yet.
So we built one. We surveyed hundreds of marketers to find out how they're approaching answer engine optimization, where they're investing, what's actually working, and what isn't.
The result is the 2026 State of AEO Report. Real data. Real strategies. A clear picture of where AI search is headed and how to get ahead of it.
When you're ready, two ways I can support you:
Book a free Clarity Session — we'll talk through what's getting in the way and what's possible.
Using an L&D budget? Ask me for my "Letter to Manager" template to secure sponsorship for your coaching (many of my clients have successfully used it 🫶)