Podcast 334 – The Low-Key Walk That Became Dunwoody’s Newest Community – Jess Zeewy & Delia O’Malley

Podcast 334 – The Low-Key Walk That Became Dunwoody's Newest Community – Jess Zeewy & Delia O'Malley

Two friends set out on their normal walk around Brook Run Park in Dunwoody, Georgia and ended up building one of the fastest growing women's communities in the city. Jess Zeewy and Delia O'Malley, co-founders of Girls Who Walk Dunwoody, joined me on the podcast to talk about how a single walk grew into a GroupMe of 108 women in just a few months.

In This Episode

• Jess Zeewy and Delia O'Malley co-founded Girls Who Walk Dunwoody, a free weekly walking group based at Brook Run Park.
• Their first walk drew 27 women after a single social media post.
• Girls Who Walk Dunwoody runs on a “zero expectations” philosophy, with no membership fees and no fitness requirement.
• Lucky Goat Coffee Co. became the group's official post walk coffee stop within hours of their launch.
• The group's GroupMe has grown to about 108 women spanning every age, from recent college graduates to women brand new to Dunwoody.

How Two Friends' Normal Walk Turned Into 27 New Friends

Jess Zeewy and Delia O'Malley used to walk Brook Run Park together constantly, just the two of them working through life like most close friends do. At some point they looked at each other and realized what they were actually missing. They needed more girlfriends, plain and simple, and they weren't afraid to admit it.

So they let the idea sit for a while, the way most good ideas do before they turn into something real. Then Jess spotted a comment in a Dunwoody Facebook group from someone asking if a women's walking group existed anywhere nearby. She said yes without thinking twice, then texted Delia the second she saw it.

From there things moved fast. Within thirty minutes of posting about it, Jess and Delia had a date, a location, and an actual event on the calendar. They weren't expecting much. Delia told me on the podcast that if they'd gotten ten people to that first walk, moms and a cousin included, they would have called it a win.

Twenty seven women showed up instead. Jess and Delia looked at each other that day and knew they were onto something bigger than either of them had planned for. That first walk turned into weekly walks. Weekly walks turned into a GroupMe. And a GroupMe turned into the real community Girls Who Walk Dunwoody is today.

I love stories like this one. It's proof that Dunwoody is full of people looking for exactly this kind of connection, and sometimes all it takes is one person willing to hit post.

Why “Zero Expectations” Became the Group's Secret Weapon

What separates Girls Who Walk Dunwoody from a typical run club is something Jess and Delia call zero expectations. There's no membership fee, no fitness level requirement, and nobody tracking attendance. Missing a week doesn't cost you anything, and nobody's upset if life gets in the way.

That mindset is exactly why the group took off the way it did. Jess and Delia were honest on the podcast about how hard making friends as an adult actually is. Once they said that out loud publicly, other women started admitting the same thing back to them. People let their guard down, and that's when the real friendships started forming.

Some of the women in this group are decades apart in age. Some have kids at home, some don't have any yet, and some are grandparents. It genuinely doesn't matter. Jess told me the group is constantly moving and evolving, adding new layers as more women show up and shape it.

Delia told me some of her favorite Dunwoody moments now come from bumping into people she's met through the group, whether it's grabbing a bite at Dunwoody Tavern, running into someone at Bar{n}, or seeing a familiar face at the grocery store in Dunwoody Village. That's the kind of small town feel Girls Who Walk Dunwoody has helped build inside a city just outside Atlanta.

I think this might be one of the best examples of what makes Dunwoody special that I've come across on this podcast. Sometimes it's not the big flashy events that build community. Sometimes it's two women deciding to be vulnerable about something as simple as needing more friends, and an entire neighborhood showing up because they needed exactly the same thing.

From College Grads to New Neighbors: Who Actually Shows Up

Girls Who Walk Dunwoody welcomes every age group, and Jess and Delia told me that's completely by design. One week they walked alongside a 21 year old who had just graduated college. The very next week, a 67 year old woman who had just moved to Dunwoody from Seattle and didn't know a single person joined in.

That mix is exactly what makes the group work, according to Jess and Delia. Older women bring perspective and life experience the younger ones are still figuring out, and the younger women bring energy that keeps things fun. Nobody gets siloed into age groups the way a lot of clubs end up doing without meaning to.

Strollers are welcome too, and Jess makes a point of featuring them in the group's social media videos so new moms know they belong. Matt joked on the podcast that the fastest way to win his wife over would be letting her hold a baby at one of the Sunday walks.

Watching people reconnect has been one of the most rewarding parts of this whole thing for Jess and Delia. At that very first walk, several women realized they already knew each other, some hadn't spoken in ten or twenty years. Girls Who Walk Dunwoody gave them a reason to pick those old friendships back up, right alongside building brand new ones.

The Personal Journeys Behind Girls Who Walk Dunwoody

Jess and Delia both bring real personal experience to how they run this group, and it shows. Jess is a personal trainer and nutritionist, and she actually trains several of the women who show up to walks. Her passion for women's health and wellness is a big part of why Girls Who Walk Dunwoody exists at all.

Delia has been open about her own wellness journey over the years, and she told me that experience is part of why the group feels so judgment free. Multiple women have told Jess and Delia that Girls Who Walk Dunwoody is the reason they're moving more, or getting out of the house instead of heading straight to bed after work.

Delia also moved to Dunwoody from Ireland, and she knows firsthand what it feels like to land somewhere brand new and have to build a whole community from scratch. She moved here about five years ago to be closer to her mom, and she was honest with me about how hard starting over in a different country at 25 actually was.

That experience shapes how much Delia wants Girls Who Walk Dunwoody to feel welcoming to anyone new in town, whether they're moving to Dunwoody from another state or another country entirely. Between Jess's fitness background and Delia's experience starting over somewhere unfamiliar, this group was never going to be just about exercise. It's about building something both of them wished they'd had when they needed it most.

How Lucky Goat Coffee Co. Became Their Official Coffee Stop

Lucky Goat Coffee Co. got involved with Girls Who Walk Dunwoody almost immediately. Josh, one of the owners at Lucky Goat, messaged the group within a couple hours of their launch and offered to host them for coffee after every walk.

Jess and Delia met with Josh and could tell right away his interest in the partnership was genuine. He wasn't just looking for foot traffic through the door. He wanted Lucky Goat Coffee Co. to be a real community gathering space, and that lined up perfectly with what Jess and Delia were already building. Lucky Goat is also a family owned business, something Delia said she loves, and the shop has been working to grow that end of Dunwoody near Georgetown and Pernoshal Park.

Now the group heads up to Lucky Goat after their session for coffee and conversation. It's become as much a part of the routine as the walk itself at this point. Jess and Delia are quick to say they turn down partnerships that don't feel like the right fit, but Lucky Goat was an easy yes because Josh's goals matched theirs from the very first meeting.

This week, Lucky Goat Coffee Co. is celebrating its one year anniversary, and Girls Who Walk Dunwoody plans to show up Thursday night, Friday night, and pretty much all day Saturday to support them. That's the kind of loyalty this partnership has built in less than a year.

What's Next for Girls Who Walk Dunwoody

Girls Who Walk Dunwoody is staying focused on Dunwoody for now, and Jess and Delia are fine with that. They're not trying to expand across metro Atlanta. But they'd genuinely love to see the idea spread on its own. Women as far away as Smyrna have already reached out asking about starting their own version, and Jess and Delia said they'd support that kind of chapter model if it ever happens.

There's plenty coming up closer to home too. Beyond the Lucky Goat anniversary celebration, the group has a Kendra Scott event planned for August and is looking at booking a Pure Barre class for September. Other local businesses have started reaching out wanting to partner with them, but Jess and Delia always check with the women in the group first before saying yes to anything new.

Jess and Delia get asked constantly what their secret is, and their answer is simple. There wasn't a marketing trick behind the growth. There was a real need, and two friends who happened to fill it. TikTok and Instagram helped spread the word once people started talking, but the growth itself came from women showing up and telling their friends.

Their GroupMe has grown to about 108 women, and it's become its own tool for connection beyond the walks. Women use it to make plans and support each other throughout the week. Jess and Delia said watching women exchange phone numbers after a walk is still one of the best parts of what they've built.

If you want to join in, Girls Who Walk Dunwoody meets Sunday mornings at 10am and Wednesday evenings at 6pm at Brook Run Park, with coffee after at Lucky Goat Coffee Co. There's no sign up required. You just show up.

Connect with Girls Who Walk Dunwoody

If you're looking for a low pressure way to meet people and get outside in Dunwoody, Girls Who Walk Dunwoody is worth checking out. Find them on Instagram and TikTok, or just show up to a walk at Brook Run Park on a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening.

Whether you've been living in Dunwoody for years or you're still thinking about moving to Dunwoody, groups like this are exactly why so many people end up putting down roots here.

Men aren't part of the walks themselves, but Jess and Delia said they're all for a men's walking group starting up if anyone in Dunwoody wants to build one. Until then, Matt's happy to help spread the word, even though he's not invited to walk.

Stories like this are exactly why I keep showing up to do this podcast every week. Dunwoody, Georgia keeps producing people who see a need in the community and just start filling it, no permission required.

What Is What's Up Dunwoody?

What's Up Dunwoody is a local media platform created by REALTOR® Matt Weber, focused on living in Dunwoody, moving to Dunwoody, and staying connected to the community. It began as a podcast and has grown into social media content, local guides, and two of the largest Dunwoody-focused Facebook groups where residents share recommendations and stay in the loop. Matt has expanded slightly outside of Dunwoody and now covers the entire top end of the Perimeter through his Top End ATL channels.

Matt is a Dunwoody REALTOR® who helps people navigate buying, selling, and moving in the area. Stay in the loop with local updates, listings, and insights by signing up here: whatsupdunwoody.com/email

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