Sydney Williams

Sydney Williams is an author, speaker, and the founder of Hiking My Feelings, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the healing power of nature. Her fifteen-year (and counting) career in communications has run the gamut from launching Oscar Mayer's social media channels and working with Fortune 500 brands to educating the public about the importance of stewardship and equitable access to recreational opportunities. Through it all, she centers empathetic storytelling and allows her curiosity and enthusiasm to lead the way.

Since 2018, Hiking My Feelings has hosted more than 400 events around the US, helping thousands of people connect the dots between inner and outer wilderness. Through an innovative curriculum that explores the intersection of environmental stewardship and self-discovery, their Wilderness Wellness programs have helped fill crucial volunteer hours on some of America's most vulnerable public lands. Sydney's work with Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park was recently featured at the 2024 Public Lands Alliance National Conference in San Francisco, encouraging attendees to tap into effective strategies for next-gen stewardship & personal well-being.

Sydney has been featured on FOX5 San Diego, KPBS, in Huff Post, Psychology Today, U.S. News & World Report, and on the SXSW stage. She is also a certified Wilderness First Responder, an instructor at the Desert Institute at Joshua Tree National Park, an instructor at the Field Institute at Sequoia National Park, and a founding member of the Outdoorist Oath. Sydney has been nominated for Woman of the Year by San Diego Magazine.