Eli Walker | Belonging Designer + Solo Performance Artist

Community is what we have, engagement is what we want, belonging is the vehicle, and play is the gas in the tank. 🌱 Throwback to speaking at the @psychedforclimateaction kickoff gathering for Climate Week NYC last year. #climateweek #climateaction #belonging #communityengagement

I’m delighted + excited to share this story with you—especially now, since it’s basically the prequel to my one-woman show, “Kill the Buddha,” which opens in just 11 days (!). This video is a story I performed on @artichokeshow ‘s main stage in Beacon, NY a couple of months ago. I worked really hard on it, and it tells one of the most important stories of my life…the one that cracked me open (literally, unfortunately) to a sense of peace in the unknown. It explores that existentially painful, messy intersection between “divine orchestration” and free will (aka the great cosmic joke of being human), and turns a truly terrible thing that happened (nearly dying in Thailand) into a piece of theater art that’s already inspired so many. 

It means a lot to me, and I’d be so grateful if you’d spare 9 minutes and 35 seconds to watch the whole thing! 🎟️Come see Kill the Buddha live — ticket link in bio!
 #storytelling #theater #onewomanshow #belonging #spiritualcomedy #killthebuddha

The fastest way to feel like you belong? Get over yourself. I know. Not the lovingly affirming, “you are enough exactly as you are” message you came to Instagram for. But listen hear me out. Most of the time we feel like we don’t belong, we’re not actually being excluded. We’re trapped inside our own heads, running threat assessments. Do they like me? Did that sound stupid? Why didn’t she text back? Am I too much? Am I not enough? Belonging happens the moment you stop auditioning and start participating. The art of getting over yourself looks like playfully self-surrendering in the name of accountability for your part in the collective. And accountability, my friends, is the opposite of entitlement. Entitlement is the enemy of belonging. #belonging #socialwellness #getoveryourself #play #belong

Icebreakers don’t have to be this stressful. Lucky for you, I’ve got a #belonginghack for this. Comment “icebreakers suck” and I’ll DM you my top 50 tried n’ true non-cheesy icebreakers for you to use at your next gathering-of-humans. (Why yes these icebreakers WERE developed through 7 years of @drunkyoga fun, how’d you know?) #belonging #play #icebreakers #funny

We know that sitting all day is slowly killing us, so we buy standing desks and walk 10,000 steps. We know that processed food hijacks our bodies, so we read labels and eat whole foods and learn the difference between omega-3s and omega-6s. We know that doomscrolling at midnight wrecks our sleep and mental health, so we do therapy and meditate and set screen time limits. Clearly, we’ve gotten pretty good at working against the grain of modern convenience in service of our health. Meaning, we’ve learned to fight our own comfort. But, one category of wellness that’s been eroding in our hyper-independent, digitally mediated, “I’ll just stay home and order in” culture: Social wellness. Link in bio for full blog🍃 #socialwellness #belonging #speakerlife #communitysupport #belong

Join us on May 22 from 6:30- 8:00 PM for Drunk Yoga®, Eli Walker’s subversive, internationally acclaimed yoga drinking game. This 90-minute social wellness experience is designed to get you moving, smiling, and connecting. Drunk Yoga® is your chance to shake off the day and enjoy a playful taste of what happens when wellness meets community building. Perfect for beginners and seasoned yogis alike, this class is less about perfect poses and more about joyful movement and camaraderie. Bring your yoga mat and comfy clothes, and get ready to let your hair down and enjoy this laughter-inducing, gamified stretch sesh! *Wine & non-alcoholic beverages provided.⁠ ⁠ Sign up through MINDBODY for $45. Eli's book is also available at the studio!⁠ ⁠ #drunkyoga #beaconyoga #yoga #845

The old social wellness structures no longer support our new beliefs about what it means to belong. Old belief: conformity = belonging New belief: authenticity and safety = belonging It’s time we [playfully] rewrite our social wellness scripts for the modern world✌️ #belonging #socialwellness #belong #communityengagement #community

Our understanding of what belonging means is all wrong. It’s a feeling, a practice and a skill, but it’s not a destination. We have to stop crossing our fingers and hoping to “find” belonging at a party, at work, or on a date, because belonging lives in the liminal space between you and another as pure potential, waiting for you to activate it. 🔥 #belong #belonging #socialwellness #communityengagement #community

Meet your host of Stories, Uplifted™️ @eliwalkerstories As a solo-performance artist and belonging expert, Eli transforms gatherings into connective experiences using the art of play and immersive storytelling. Featured in Forbes, NY Post, LA Times, Women’s Health, GLAMOUR, PeopleTV, and more, Eli’s innovative approach has made her a sought-after voice in social wellness and community building. Prepare to gather & connect over an evening of storytelling 🗓️Monday, April 27 • 6pm-9pm 🎙️Limited storyteller spots • come early for signup! 🍵BYO • snacks & NA drinks available for sale $10 suggested donation more info in bio link.tree

Last week I had 5 super fun minutes on stage at @disrupthr to make the case for building belonging through play. Here’s my hot take(s) in a nutshell (for those of you who weren’t lucky enough to be in my audience of heads with cups on ‘em!): → Community is what we have. (It’s circumstantial, like a workplace.) → Engagement is the result we want. → Belonging is the vehicle that gets us there. → Play is the gas in the tank. 77% of employees are disengaged (we know this). And people are over trust falls, ping pong n’ in-office pizza parties. hashtag#cringe 3 science-y things for you that make the case of play clear👇 1. Play lowers cortisol and spikes oxytocin, the bonding hormone. It chemically signals to our brains that the people around us are “safe,” dissolving the professional masks that keep us isolated. 2. Play stimulates the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s headquarters for empathy and social navigation. It’s the social gym where we build the muscles to collaborate and understand each other. 3. Shared play creates collective effervescence, the synchronized emotional high of moving or laughing together. It’s what turns a group of individuals into a cohesive “we.” In essence, play isn’t frivolous. It’s a biological necessity, and it’s the fastest way to build the camaraderie that belonging depends on. The takeaway: Belonging isn’t found in a handbook. It’s facilitated in live moments of human connection when people leaders learn + choose to design small, ritualistic micro-moments of play into the architecture of daily interactions. #belonging #play #communityengagement #socialwellness

Think of play as a “social lubricant” that bypasses awkward small talk and levels the playing field (pun intended) but elevating us to a different temporary reality. Here’s why it works so well for sparking belonging: 1. It breaks the “Social Script” Most of our daily interactions are governed by rigid roles (boss, employee, stranger). Play gives us permission to be “unproductive” and messy. Authenticity is the baseline for belonging. 2. Low-Stakes Vulnerability Belonging requires trust, and trust requires vulnerability. Play offers a “low-stakes” way to be vulnerable. Failing in a game or looking silly while trying something new creates a shared moment of humility that bonds people faster than a formal meeting ever could. 3. The Oxytocin Loop From a biological standpoint, play (especially when it involves movement or laughter) triggers the release of oxytocin and endorphins. This literally syncs our nervous systems, and our brains are chemically flagging the people around us as “safe” and “part of the tribe.” 4. Shared Rituals and Lore Every game or playful moment creates “micro-lore”…those “you had to be there” stories + inside jokes. Shared group history builds boundaries that say, “You are part of this story.” #play #belonging #community #communityengagement #socialwellness

Everyone has a story to share. How will you tell yours? In this curated social storytelling experience created by @eliwalkerstories , you’ll find an evening of performance and community-building. 🎙️ All inspired forms welcome from monologue to music 🎙️ Each piece must be crafted with a clear beginning, middle, end 🎙️ Limited storyteller spots so come early to signup $10 suggested donation BYO • limited snacks & NA drinks available for sale more info link.tree in bio