Outdoor Networking Walk (DCSTW26)
Tired of the same old networking events? Try a mindful networking walk in nature!
Join DC Certified Forest Bathing Guide, Sarah DeWitt, in this 1.5-hour gentle walk that encourages you to slow down and reconnect with yourself, nature, and like-hearted others in your community. Get a taste of forest bathing while making new connections in the beautiful Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown. The benefits are numerous: boosted immunity, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, improved attention and mood, and a chance to take an intentional break from digital media and screen-time.
What Does Forest Bathing Have to Do With DC Startup & Tech Week?
This event is offered in partnership with the Climate & Sustainability track of DC Startup & Tech Week 2026. If you are interested in climate and sustainability networking and want to make new connections with others in the DCSTW26 ecosystem, this is for you!
The Japanese have practiced forest bathing, or shinrin yoku, since the 1980’s to combat the symptoms of stress experienced by technology and office workers. The practice rose in popularity in the United States and elsewhere during the pandemic as a powerful medicine for chronic burnout and loneliness. Recent research has demonstrated the vast mental health benefits of forest bathing, and doctors are now prescribing it directly to their patients. As technology continues to rapidly evolve and the climate crisis unfolds, forest bathing also serves as a powerful restorative practice to re-connect ourselves to the natural world and to each other, enabling us to sustain long-term commitment to a healthy planet.
In this guided forest bathing walk we will begin with some gentle mindful movement and sensory awareness exercises to open our minds, hearts, and bodies. Your guide will then offer a handful of custom invitations designed to prompt reflection, noticing, and connecting with others. Light tea and snacks will be served at the end of the walk.
The Facilitator:
Sarah DeWitt, PCC, is a lifelong learner, nature enthusiast, and founder of Uptown Forest Bathing. She is an ICF Professional Certified Coach, Certified Forest Bathing Guide, DC Master Naturalist, and With Life Fellow in regenerative leadership, focused on empowering purpose-driven leaders to choose more ease, joy, and sustained well-being in work and life. With degrees in geology and science documentary filmmaking, and two NASA exceptional service medals under her belt, Sarah has explored all sides of the human-nature connection. She has mastered the art of career reinvention and enjoys helping others make their own big leaps. Her current leap is toward the intersection between human and planetary well-being, including regenerative leadership, human sustainability, biomimicry, and nature immersion. Sarah has called Washington DC home for 24 years and currently resides in Manor Park with her husband and senior rescue dog.