About Us

Sydney + Barry Williams, Founders of Hiking My Feelings

Our Mission

Hiking My Feelings began on a mountaintop east of San Diego, CA in 2018 – a mantra, battlecry, and most importantly a replacement to the eating and drinking that had once been go-to methods for handling the reverberating emotions of lived trauma. 

Since that day, we’ve been on a mission to improve community health by creating opportunities for people to experience the healing power of nature. 

What unites us? A deep desire for healing and a growing awareness that self love isn’t selfish.

 
A woman hikes toward the top of a mountain on Catalina Island. You can see the Pacific Ocean behind the top of the peak

Our Work

Our programs and events cultivate a judgement-free space where transformational healing is possible. We introduce people to mindfulness and the healing power of nature, and the results are lasting improvements to mental, physical and spiritual health. 

This is more than learning how to set up a tent, this is wilderness wellness. Through guided self-discovery exercises, in-the-field education, physical movement, and storytelling, we heal and transform our relationship to self so we can show up more powerfully for our communities.

We know that when there are spaces where vulnerability is recognized as a strength and empathy is the norm, deep healing is possible. Everything we do is designed to support participants as they embark on this journey to blaze a trail to self-love. 

our programs
 
Sydney walks up the ridge of a sand dune in Great Sand Dunes National Park. The sky is blue with puffy white clouds and the dunes are showcasing many different textures in the sand, including footprints

Our Impact

Each healing act we take for ourselves ripples out to our community and planet. Daily we see the fallout of the mental, physical, and environmental crisis that defines our era, but we know there is another pathway forward.

When we give ourselves the opportunity to reflect and find inspiration in what we’ve experienced on our Trail of Life, we can get intentional about how we spend the rest of our time on this planet in these bodies – integrating the lessons learned into our personal lives and communities.

The results? Empowered individuals taking a stand for the wellbeing of their communities and planet. 

Read the Report
 

People are talking.

Press Logos

Pretty pictures, long captions.

Join us in Joshua Tree this fall! 🏜️ We are thrilled to return for our fifth season as instructors at @jtdesertinstitute. This year, we created two new programs to support @jtnpa, the official nonprofit partner of Joshua Tree National Park and give
A soft place to land, a firm place to launch from. In the 6+ years we've been doing this work, we have met some of the most incredible people and traveled to some spectacular places. And every once in awhile, we land somewhere that feels like home,
✨ Taking life at a glacial pace, soaking up the vibes in this stunning place. Over the weekend, we had the opportunity to make dreams come true in Glacier National Park. This was our first event with our pals at @the_glacier_institute, and our first
πŸŽ‰ Happy #NationalPublicLandsDay! We are in the middle of hosting our Hike + Heal weekend with our pals at @the_glacier_institute at @glaciernps and breakfast is in 20 minutes so we gotta make this quick: Do you have a relationship with nature? If
Let the diagnosis set you free. πŸ’ͺ Seven years ago today, I finally listened to my body and went to the hospital. I had been dealing with a variety of symptoms for weeks, and enough was enough. After some tests to rule out parasites and viruses, an
✌️ Two new events in Joshua Tree this fall! We are thrilled to return for our fifth season as instructors at @jtdesertinstitute. This year, we have two new programs to support @jtnpa, the official nonprofit partner of Joshua Tree National Park: πŸ•οΈ
πŸ‚ Embrace the changing seasons with us in Glacier National Park πŸ‚ As the seasons shift, so do the rhythms of our lives. There’s a profound beauty in this time of year—the crisp air, the vibrant colors, and nature’s gentle invitat
🌱 Seeds of Self-Discovery: Permission to Plant When was the last time you did something for yourself? For your health? For your community? For the planet? Over the weekend, we collected Squirrel Tail and Blue Rye seeds. Humans have been collecting