CLA Celebrates Walking Challenge Winners

October 2023

California Lawyers Association wrapped up its third annual Walking Challenge in September. Organized by the Health and Wellness Committee, the challenge featured legal professionals from all across the state, along with their friends and family, competing in teams to complete a virtual route spanning the extreme points of Great Britain. 

Congratulations to all the participants! Here are some highlights they shared: 

“I participated in the challenge more for the team-building than for the wellness side of it. I’m already very physically active, so the challenge was a way to connect with colleagues.” 

— Jeff Kosbie of Oakland

“The challenge is super effective in moving healthy habits forward in my daily list of priorities. The fact that we participate in a team with other practitioners just sweetens the deal because we actively stay connected through the challenge, and their perspective and support help a lot.

“I cannot overstate how important our teammates were! It was always a pleasure checking in with everyone. That being said, I foster rescued dogs while they wait for adoption so in addition to the many walks we took, one highlight was a hiking trip to Lake Tahoe with my foster dog, where we explored waterfalls, streams, and miles of trail. It was a beautiful, humbling, and fun excursion that I hope she remembers and helps her when she transitions to her forever home.”

— Soyeun Choi of Palo Alto

“We had four out of the five same people on our team as last year. We all planned and strategized together and had a group text chat going—it was filled daily with our stats vs. other teams.

“I was very impressed with my teammates who walked after a long day up until midnight to get their steps in. This time of year with the challenge always makes me excited to wake up super early, well before the sun rises, to get my step quota in for the day. I think I walked almost 70K steps in a day to try and push us up to the front, then everyone else on the team stepped it up, and we crossed the finish line two days earlier than we expected. It was so fun all coming together for a common goal.”

— Cindy Flynn of Pasadena

“It’s a push to get moving—I had done it before and enjoyed the motivation and competition. [My teammates] formed and solidified bonds! The four of us had fun on our group texts. We made our own fun.”

— Charles Shamash of Beverly Hills