#140: We're back with another segment of How I Got Started, the series where we bring you the stories of artists, community leaders, and all around cool people living and following their passions in LA.

Today, we're hanging out with Etienne Maurice. He’s an actor and filmmaker, a homegrown Angeleno, but he's also a community builder and a wellness leader. He's become widely known for is founding the group WalkGood LA. It’s a movement that's all about getting brown and Black folks outside and into their bodies.

WalkGood puts on yoga classes at Kenneth Hahn Park, hosts runs and walks in West Adams, hikes and other physical and mental health workshops — for free. The work is totally volunteer based. 

The wellness space is soooo often seen as overwhelmingly white, so Etienne is working to make sure brown and Black folks connect with nature and wellness too.

It was born during a time of serious confusion and unrest. We were three months into the pandemic and George Floyd had just been murdered at the hands of police.

As Maurice tells us, he just wanted to create a space where people could breath. Take a listen to his story of how he –– and a movement –– got started. 

Guest: Founder of WalkGood LA, Etienne Maurice