About Outerly

Strangers are friends waiting to happen.

Nature is the best place to make new friends and connect with people. And yet, only 57% of Americans participate in an outdoor activity at least once a year. Why? Because they can't find other people to go outdoors with them.

Outerly solves this problem by connecting you with a small group of like-minded people for a locally curated walk around the city. You don't have to plan it, you don't have to recruit your friends...all you have to do is show up and be yourself.

You're just one encounter away from your next best friend, partner, walking buddy, colleague... Will you take a chance on yourself and be open to what you find?

Our Story

Kay Rodriguez

Founder & CEO, Outerly

It was 2020, I'd just moved to a new city, and I was struggling to find community amidst the start of the pandemic and my own declining mental health.

‍That dark loneliness triggered a depressive episode so bad that I had to take months off work.

The one thing that turned my mental health around? Spending time regularly in nature. During those lonely days, I'd set up my hammock in the urban park across the street from my apartment, and simply be present with the people around me.

I would put away my screens and lean into the sounds of the city, breathe some fresh air, watch the birds in the trees, and feel the sunlight on my face. I started going out on regular group walks with new friends, and as the world disconnected, I reconnected.

To date, I've hosted hundreds of walk and talks across multiple US cities, watching dozens of friendships and connections unfold. I want to bring the magic of gathering outdoors to everyone, everywhere. That's where Outerly comes in.

It's been years since that dark time, but as I've built Outerly, our mission to shatter loneliness by connecting people outdoors has never changed. The world we want to see is one where our green spaces become our third spaces, where no one ever has to feel lonely again.