Mia Lind wanted to stay active during the pandemic, but felt unwelcome in traditional workout communities like run clubs. So, Lind, an Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism alum, began going on outdoor walks where she’d focus on reflection.

Six years later, her determination to be proactive has become a business and a nationwide community.

“I had always felt like fitness was for somebody who looked a certain way, or for somebody who wanted to look a certain way,” Lind said. “I felt like walking needed a little bit of a ‘rebrand,’ so I started going on outdoor walks and focusing first on the things I was grateful for.”

Lind developed a routine on her walks, where she’d begin thinking about the things that she was proud of, and then she’d make goals for things she had to look forward to. She said the walks helped her gain self-confidence. 

With the support of her sorority sisters, Lind was inspired to post about her walks on social media, calling them “Hot Girl Walks,” to help other women gain the confidence to get into fitness and approach wellness from a mindful perspective. Her process became the three pillars of the brand: gratitude, goals and confidence.

That TikTok account allowed Lind to build a business and a massive online community centered on inclusivity in the fitness world. She now primarily posts through the business’s Instagram account, @hotgirlwalk, which has accumulated over 222,000 followers, and she’s trademarked the phrase. 

When the pandemic lockdown ended, Lind brought the online “Hot Girl Walk” community together and organized in-person group walks. There are “Hot Girl Walk” ambassadors who run these walks in 31 cities around the world, 20 of which were added in the past two months. 

“Being in a group of people that [are all] there for the purpose of being with community and being with one another, and surrounding female empowerment is something that’s really hard to find as an adult,” Lind said. “I would say that that’s the biggest benefit of our ‘Hot Girl Walk’ events.”

Glenn Fox, an assistant professor of clinical entrepreneurship at the USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, came into contact with Lind over their shared interests in entrepreneurship and gratitude.

He said that what makes Lind such a successful entrepreneur is her ability to translate positive  values like gratitude into a marketable business.

“I think her differentiation really is that she spotted the opportunity to venture in the area of community building in a way that’s unique, that’s positive, that’s very uplifting and lightweight,” Fox said.

Fox said that Lind recognized the value of creating a helpful ritual and was able to find a way to share it and help others practice it together.

“She did the smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur, which is build a community around your platform,” Fox said.

Lind has focused on empowering and supporting women beyond the walking events. Through “Hot Girl Walk for Good,” the company’s fundraiser walks, the organization raises donations for  nonprofits that support women’s wellness all over the country, such as the Lotus House Shelter in Miami, the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter in New York City and the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles. 

According to Michael Wissot, an adjunct lecturer at Annenberg whom Lind credits with transforming her public speaking skills, Lind’s desire to help others is what makes her a fantastic businesswoman. 

“Mia genuinely possesses a desire to help people; she truly embodies what Jim Collins wrote about in his book, ‘Good to Great,’ about a level five leader — the kinds of people that are able to transcend all other leaders,” Wissot said. 

Wissot said he believes that Lind’s determination toward an honorable cause makes her an admirable leader.

“The two qualities that [Collins] talks about are one, indomitable will … you need someone who is willing to do anything and everything to see something through. And Mia just has that fighting spirit in her,” Wissot said. “And you also need someone who possesses personal humility, a person who channels their energies outward. She was like that from the time that I met her.”

Lind described working with this cause and putting all her energy into helping others as an incredibly rewarding profession and what motivates her to continue.

“I posted ‘Hot Girl Walk’ with the idea that if I could just impact one person, then that would be enough,” Lind said. “And obviously I’ve received various DMs and comments, but it really never gets old every time somebody shares their story with me, and I just love it so much … The only reason I do what I do is just to reach those people, and it’s been incredibly humbling, but [also] incredibly empowering.”