Daily walking podcast, Walk the Pod, celebrates 50,000 downloads

Daily walking podcast Walk the Pod is celebrating 50,000 downloads. The podcast that tempts you away from your desk to walk in nature for just 10 minutes was launched in November 2020 by Rachel Wheeley, who had spent the previous two weeks not going for walks at lunchtime.

Staring out of the window of a first floor flat in Morden, South West London, Wheeley wondered why it was so difficult to propel herself out of the front door for some brief exercise.

“I had decided it would be a good idea to go for a lunchtime walk (it was lockdown), and yet for two weeks, I had not set foot outside of the front door. I couldn’t work out why this simple thing was so difficult. Then one day, at 4am, my brain woke me up to tell me that I should start a podcast, and take it for walks, like a dog. 50,000 downloads later, the podcast and our low stakes daily and weekly walking games are helping others to step outside of the front door, and reconnect with nature. It’s by far the best decision I’ve ever made for my mental and physical health.”

Rachel records Walk the Pod on her daily walks, taking a theme each month for a ramblechat discussion. Members of the Walk the Pod virtual walking club vote choose the themes, steering the content of the show. In July 2025, our theme is ‘Rest (Is Resistance.) “The themes allow our virtual walking club of walkers all over the world to chime in with their thoughts”, says Rachel. “We explore the theme, along with our local environment, and finish the series with insights we could not have foreseen from the start. The Walk the Pod community inspires me to walk every day; we all walk together, apart.”

Adding to its unique charm, Walk the Pod is produced on an iPhone, demonstrating that high-quality audio content can be created with accessible technology. This approach not only streamlines the production process, but also reinforces the podcast’s ethos of simplicity and getting out into the world with minimal fuss.

Join the Walk the Pod virtual walking club on Rachel’s Patreon.