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At the beginning of the summer, I took on the task of ensuring that I got my 10,000 steps almost every day. I started during the last week of June. As of right now, I am a school bus driver who has a specialized route. So I am sitting down and driving for long periods of time, which started to have an impact on my body. Once upon a time, I used to get 10,000 steps a day, but life happened, and so many other things took priority over my health, unfortunately.

I know the 10K steps a day has been debunked, but it works for me and my long-term health goals. Each morning during the summer, I got up, put my daughter in her jogging stroller, and we were off. When I first started, I had no idea what path I was going to take, but I ended up finding one that worked for me. Where I live, there are a lot of elevations and hills, and the path ended up being the perfect trail for cardio. The one goal that I really wanted to work on was building my calf muscles up and slimming down a bit. Somehow, I gained an extra 5–10 lbs, and I could feel the difference when doing everyday tasks.

The path I walked was just under 4 miles, and it took just about an hour, depending on how fast I was walking. I finished the walk with roughly 8,000 steps (give or take), and that left me with the rest of the day to get to 10,000 steps. Most days, I ended the day closer to 12,000 steps because we had an active summer.

Because of the distance, elevation, and summer heat, this walk was a challenge for me on some days, but I managed to get it done. The only days I missed were when it was pouring down rain. A little drizzle did not stop me, and it ended up feeling good on the hotter days.

The number one thing that got me through these walks, besides me just wanting to improve my health, was music. Not just any music—there were specific songs that literally helped me keep my pace up when I was climbing up a hill, pushing a 40 lb toddler in a 20ish lb stroller.

I created a walking playlist, but over the days of me walking, I started to curate it because some songs were too slow or didn’t match the pace that I was trying to maintain. Also, if I heard a song on the radio that wasn’t already in my library, I added it to the walking playlist and tested out how it made me feel during my morning walk.

During these walks, I was also in a meditative state because being out in nature calms me, so I wanted the music that I listened to to enhance that state of mind I was in. I also made sure that most of these songs were positive or encouraging in some sort of way. I did not want to listen to anything suggestive, vulgar, or brain rot (as the kids say nowadays).

So I write all this to say that I wanted to share this playlist because this music and walk also activated something inside of me. After each walk, I would have breakfast with an espresso, shower, write in my prayer journal, and then get to work on my creativity. And it felt so good to be in that routine. Most of my creative ideas were generated on my daily morning walks. Sometimes I would see something out on my walk or hear a specific line that would inspire my creativity for the day. Now that I look back, I think I was doing some type of magic, haha.

So this playlist that I’m sharing is not my full walking playlist, but my go-to songs that would keep me in the best state of mind. I have been more intentional about what I’ve been consuming, and I feel the need to share because if I had known to do this at a younger age, I would have known that this is what I need to do in order to rebalance myself. How I felt when I started this walk is vastly different from how I feel now.

Beyoncé — Break My Soul

This song holds a precious place in my heart because when I neared the end of a relationship, I played this song to drown the noise out. Before I realized that I needed to leave in order to have peace, I used the lyrics of this song to escape. Now, I relisten to this to enjoy it now that I am in a much better place. I don’t want those negative memories associated with the song, so I’m making new ones. This is a beautiful song and upbeat enough to keep you going on a long walk!

Soul For Real — Candy Rain

This is a 90s classic that still gets played on the radio. This is a dance song with a lot of soul that became perfect to listen to during the beginning of my walks. I like to keep the upbeat songs during the beginning because it helps me build that fast-paced walking momentum that I need to overcome some steep inclines.

Madonna — Vogue

Now, I was not alive during the era when this song was released, but I have fallen in love with it so much. I discovered this song while rewatching The Devil Wears Prada. I was refreshing my memory before I saw the second one. This song is a dance floor classic, and the lyrics feel like they are speaking to you directly. It is a song that every creative needs to hear when you feel like you’ve run out of creative juice.

Lady Gaga ft. Doechii — RUNWAY

Staying on the topic, I also added this fabulous song after hearing it on The Devil Wears Prada 2. It definitely feels inspired by Madonna’s song, but that was probably expected. I love both and felt like Lady Gaga was the perfect person to create the song. I grew up on peak Lady Gaga, so this was a nice surprise. Gaga is an icon! This song gets me through that long stretch of an incline that I have to walk before I can rest. The end of the sidewalk is an intersection where I wait about 1 minute before my next uphill battle.

UCB ft. Tre — Sexy Lady

This song is a D.C. classic if you are familiar with go-go. I grew up in Manassas, Virginia, but the DMV area all shares the same radio stations. I’ve never seen them perform this song live because I was 10 when it was released, but I for sure remember hearing it all over the radio. When I finally reached 18, 19, 20, and 21, we started traveling to the city to party. This song came on a lot in the clubs. They still play it on the radio now, but not as often. It’s a feel-good song for all women and the perfect “calm down” song. I usually play this after coming up a steep incline.

Beyoncé — Formation

Beyoncé again, but a classic song from the Lemonade album. I will say the majority of her songs are on my walking playlist, but I have to include this specific song in the list. This song feels like a woman getting her power back after going through heartbreak, criticism, and anything else a woman has to endure. It is for sure a confidence booster if you are in a rebuild phase of your life. My favorite line is “I dream it, I work hard, I grind till I own it.” A true Virgo anthem!

Outkast — So Fresh, So Clean

I was young when this song was released, 7 to be exact, but I remember vividly singing this whenever it came on the radio. It is another song that is full of affirmations and confidence boosters. I imagine the young adults during this time period playing this song while getting ready for a night out. All dressed up in their oversized T-shirts and jean shorts, haha. Anything from Outkast from the early 2000s was a certified hit, so naturally this made it to my playlist. What a time to be alive in the early 2000s!

Shop Boyz — Party Like a Rockstar

This song never gets old and is probably the best sample I’ve heard with my “adult ears.” My favorite part of the song is the guitar riff at the end! Another upbeat anthem that I added to the playlist because I was in middle school when this song came out. So I remember being jealous hearing the stories from the older kids when this song was played at house parties, haha. I also remember watching the music video over and over on the family computer in the kitchen! When I’m feeling nostalgic, this is my go-to song. When I’m walking, I feel like I’ve transported back to my childhood.

Waka Flocka Flame ft. Roscoe Dash & Wale — No Hands

Sigh we have entered the 2010s, and dare I say this was the best time period for club, creative, fun music. Music videos were still very much a thing, and the rest was history. I was in high school by now, so this went crazy on my iPod every morning at 6 AM. Fast forward to 2026, I use this song to feel nostalgic and remember when life was just about having fun.

Beyoncé — My House

Yes, Beyoncé again. The Renaissance album was the best album released by an artist in a very long time (in my opinion), and although it is a few years old, I still heavily play this album in anticipation of Act III. This song lights a fire in my a** when I start to slow down on my walk. By now, I’ve reached the halfway point and am in a full sweat. I had to warm up to it at first, but I absolutely love hearing this lady scream on this song!! And then switch to singing, more yelling, and back to singing. And the transition to the second half of the song, chef’s kiss. If people wouldn’t look at me like I was crazy, I would be screaming with her on my walk, haha!

Owl City — Fireflies

We are now approaching the end of my walk, and I start to choose songs that slow down quite a bit. At this point, there are no more hills, and it’s all just going downhill a bit, so the walk is much easier. This is the part of the walk where my imagination is the most active because I don’t have to focus so much on getting up those damn hills. This song captivated me because it had such a fun sound that paired with lyrics that made sense but didn’t make sense. It felt like his inner child wrote that, and that spoke to my inner child. I was a freshman in high school but still very much childish. This song puts me in a playful mood, which then activates my imagination, and then the ideas start to spill in.

Rick Ross ft. Nelly & Avery Storm — Here I Am

This song I mainly downloaded for the hook! I mean, his part is iconic if you grew up in that era. This song reminds me of summer, a good time, and just a good time. It’s upbeat enough to keep me going and finish out my walk.

WHAM! — Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

I went down a rabbit hole on George Michael and discovered WHAM!, along with his other songs during his solo career. This song is so upbeat and fun, and his vocals bring something to the song that I don’t know how to put into words. I can quite literally feel the passion in his voice, and I also loved the video. It’s a fun song and helps me get back to my inner child even though I wasn’t even a thought when this song was released in the 80s, haha.

Cordae ft. Roddy Ricch — Gifted

A powerful song with powerful lyrics, and I think Roddy Ricch was the perfect addition to the song. I find myself listening to this song when I’m reminding myself that I am capable of being creative AND earning a living from it. I love the acknowledgment of being gifted and also working hard to get and maintain it. It’s another powerful, motivational affirmation song for anyone.

Beyoncé — Alien Superstar

Of course I am ending this list with my favorite song on the Renaissance album!! “Alien Superstar” speaks to my soul in so many different ways. I remember in 2023 when I first started talking about aliens out loud (comfortably), and then I heard this song. This song described exactly how I felt, trying to figure out how to get aligned with my own alien superstar energy. I was just laid off after doing a 5-year stint at my corporate job, so I wanted to pursue my artistry. This song was so much motivation and is a constant motivation for me to this very day. In my opinion, “Alien Superstar” is the best song on the Renaissance album!

Annnnnnd that finishes out my walking playlist list. This is not the full list, but these are the songs that hold the most meaning in my current life. I’d like to think that this is more than a walking playlist because of all the reasons why I listen to these songs, but maybe I’ll change the title of it later. For now, it serves a great purpose for me in my daily morning walks. My list is always being curated, so maybe in a few months I will write a part 2.

As always,

Brittney