Bolder Goes One Day Without Shoes

On April 5th, Bolder took part in the TOMS One Day Without Shoes challenge, and whoa! We weren't expecting it to be easy, but we were really surprised by how much we took our shoes for granted. Crossing the street? Entering a restauarant? Riding the bus? Simple, everyday tasks, but all very difficult in bare feet.

Here are the Bolder team's reflections on going one day without shoes:

Bare floor against bare feet is sticky, dirty, and dangerous. I longed for the safety of my shoes! -Annie

I'm only halfway through the day and already overwhelmed by my newfound love for shoes. And that's coming from a guy who proudly admits his shoe fetish! -JB

It made me realize how many places straight up won't accept you without shoes, from public transit to restaurants. Made shoes feel like a requirement, not a luxury. -Rob

Participating in the TOMS One Day Without Shoes challenge helped to remind me that shoes are not only a privilege but a necessity. -Abby

I learned I like being barefoot, glass hurts my soft feet, I take floor sanitation for granted, and I was more self-aware of people's judgement of me. Most importantly, I realized how lucky I am to have the luxury to wear shoes every day! -Matt

Crossing the street drove it home for me. I had to look not only left and right, but also down - pebbles, litter, broken glass, all the refuse of modern life lay at my bare, vulnerable feet. I've never been more thankful for my shoes! -Robin

The TOMS challenge was a great way to raise awareness and inspire people (including us!) to take action for a worthy cause. In fact, it's just the thing that Bolder wants to see businesses and individuals do more of. We envision a future where anyone - big businesses, small businesses, entrepreneurs and ordinary people - can partner with Bolder to create a challenge, generate some collective action and individual perspective, and maybe even start a movement.

From where we're standing, the future of bold action is incredibly bright. All around us, we see people and companies coming together to change the world, and our mission is to amplify that change by empowering as many people as possible to take part and take action. Overall, taking part in the TOMS challenge as a Bolder team reminded us how taking action collectively works to inspire and motivate you individually. Everyone agreed that we each stuck with the challenge longer throughout the day because of the support that was present by everyone's participation. This is what Bolder aims to do through the sharing of actions for our challenges.

We have a lot more to say about this, so stay tuned. In the meantime, it would be the understatement of the year to say that we're stoked. But we'll say it anyway: We're stoked! Because what comes next for Bolder and for you is going to be awesome. We can't wait.