Laura Conely turned her life around by walking.
Laura Conely walked off her depression and opened a new door as life coach
Placing one foot in front of the other, Laura Conely walked her way to feeling better.
She did it to fight depression, to see the light after a divorce and to come into her own as a new mother.
“I started pushing my son in a stroller, and I realized how much better I felt,” Conely said. “It was transformational to me. I found my own strength through walking. It planted a seed.”
That seed has grown into a unique business for the Montrose resident — Urban Paths, wellness coaching centered on walking. Over the past five years, the service has grown in popularity, serving all ages, genders and demographics.
Conely walks and talks one-onone with her clients. The mobile sessions take place all around Houston. Often, it’s in Buffalo Bayou Park. One client prefers the Houston Arboretum, while another enjoys a new spot each time. Walks even take place at the Menil Collection or the Houston Public Library.
The journeys are of varying intensities, some fast-paced with hills and stairs, others more leisurely.
Conely, also a trained nutrition coach, discusses health goals and tools for success on the walks. She also spends a lot of time listening.
“Instead of meeting clients in an office, instead of sitting inside for an hour, we walk and talk it out,” Conley said.
She realized early on that clients had more on their minds than healthy eating and exercise habits.
“Our conversations were about other things, jobs, relationships,” Conely said.
Those big questions were often at the root of unhealthy life choices, she explained.
Discussing the cause helped empower the clients.
At the same time, establishing a healthy routine of walking and talking about emotions made the individuals more able to handle life’s trials and tribulations.
“Sleep, nutrition, speaking to others, exercise, all of those things create an upward spiral,” Conely said. “Inevitably something happens. Loss occurs in life. The higher up in the spiral you go, the harder it is to hit rock bottom.”
The physical health benefits of walking are huge, Conely said. She said research shows walking helps increase the ability to prevent diseases, reduces stress, help maintain a healthy weight and even combats inflammation that can cause arthritis.
“You can actually decrease pain by walking,” Conely said. “What is the downside?”
Mentally, she said, walking helps people slow down their busy lives. “Something just happens,” she said. “We’re releasing endorphins as we walk. Just try it. Be in a bad mood and walk. Your breathing normalizes and you start feeling better.”
Part of that calming effect is due to taking time in nature, she said. Even in a downtown environment, clients see birds and trees.
Trudi Smith, spokeswoman for Buffalo Bayou Partnership, met Conely while volunteering at one of the nonprofit’s events.
Buffalo Bayou Partnership has actively preserved and redeveloped the natural environment that Conely uses for her walks.
“Laura is just a great person,” Smith said. “She promotes the benefits of Buffalo Bayou Park. She makes you realize how important it is for you to walk in nature and enjoy the moment. She’s a great soul and makes you feel at ease.”
Being a nonjudgmental, confidential ear is key to her practice, Conely explained.
“We, as a society, don’t have people to talk to anymore,” she said. “We’re isolated. We’re disconnected. You want to talk something out and know you’ve been heard.”
Bob Mitchell discovered this trait when he became an Urban Paths client. “With her, I always felt worthy,” he said. “She’s the most open person. I would tell her anything.”
Unlike therapists, Mitchell said, Conely is able to share her insights from her own path. He found her in a tough time in his own life.
“I needed someone who saw in me the value, the potential and the good,” he said. “I was just beating myself up. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another.
“Laura taught me that it’s OK to get lost. It’s OK to wander. If you get lost, keep walking or retrace your steps to go back to where you’re safe.”
Walking helps couples connect — and parents talk to their children, Conely said. She hopes to open the door for her clients to continue the routine in their own lives, with their own relatives and friends.
“My mission is to get people walking,” Conely said. “I would love to see it spread.”
In addition to her one-on-one work, she leads small groups and even walks with nonprofits for staff development.
Conely even heads a walking book club. “I come up with discussion questions, people pair up, and I move back and forth,” she said. “I act as a guide.”
Conely leads “walkshops,” where she discusses the benefits of walking — out on the trail. Her hope is that after listening to her talk about mental, physical and emotional benefits, attendees will leave already planning their next walk.
“It’s meditation. It’s mindfulness. It’s really everything.”
She has walked into the perfect job, she said.
“I feel so privileged to be doing this work,” she said. “When you have a passion for what you do, and it’s what you’re good at, and it’s your job, all these circles intersect. I feel so lucky to have figured it out.”