You Talk, We Listen
Listening builds healthy humans and a just world.
Our Mission
At Sidewalk Talk, we believe in the transformative power of heart-centered listening. Our mission is to reduce loneliness, promote inclusion, and enhance mental health and social health through the practice of listening on public sidewalks worldwide.
Learn more about us here.
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Loneliness Is a Problem for Us All
Chronic loneliness and disconnection lead to heart disease and early death, increases in depression and anxiety, social polarization, and increases in impulsive and violent behavior. We are all touched directly and indirectly by the effects of loneliness.
Our Vision
At Sidewalk Talk, we envision a world of connection and belonging, where everyone matters.
Sidewalk Talk’s Impact
Since Sidewalk Talk began in 2015, we’ve created a global movement of human connection.
Between 20 - 30 Million People Have Watched Sidewalk Talk in action on CBS Sunday Morning, World Economic Forum, 60 Second Docs (viewed 10 million times), Upworthy, The Hallmark Channel, KTLA Channel 5 News, Bay Area News 5, and Healthline.
10,000 people have signed up to become better listeners, transforming city sidewalks into spaces of healing and heart and homes and communities places of care.
156 people have started chapters across 20 countries and 105 cities, holding regular listening events that invite strangers to slow down, feel seen, and reconnect. Chapters come and go. To find out if there is a chapter in your town, sign up as a listener and access our latest spreadsheet of chapter leaders.
Over 11,000 people per year share stories of joy, grief, struggle, and hope—leaving our chairs feeling more connected and happier.
More than 147 individuals have been referred to mental health services because of the care of a sidewalk listener.
And the transformation goes both ways:
Listener well-being and sense of belonging increased
Listener bias decreased
Listeners reported better connection and listening in their personal lives
From a grassroots idea to a global practice of presence—we’re just getting started.
Sidewalk Talk Podcast
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What’s New?
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Together we've created ongoing listening chapters in 50+ cities in 15 countries worldwide.
Stop talking and start listening at the next Sidewalk Talk event near you!
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Adam Kahane has helped governments on the brink of collapse, divided communities, and warring factions find a path forward—not by resolving conflict, but by learning how to collaborate with people they don’t like, agree with, or trust.
In this week’s episode of the Sidewalk Talk Podcast, host and founder Traci Ruble sits down with Adam to explore how these same practices apply to everyday life. His latest book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Collaborators, continues the arc of his earlier work (Power and Love, Collaborating with the Enemy), offering a radically practical guide for working across difference.