Walk with Martin Sampson: Rethinking Parks, Health, and Community

What role do parks play in the health of a community?

For many of us, parks are places to walk, play, or spend time outdoors. But what if they're also part of the infrastructure that helps communities become healthier, more connected, and more resilient?

In this episode of ROOTED, I sit down with Martin Sampson, CEO of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association, to explore how parks and recreation contribute to wellbeing in ways that are often overlooked. We discuss why access to nature is more than a quality-of-life issue, the importance of investing upstream in prevention rather than waiting to respond to illness and crisis, and how parks create opportunities for connection, belonging, and resilience.

Martin also shares the vision behind Everyone Outdoors Together, a growing movement inviting people to step outside, connect with nature, and experience the simple act of being outdoors as a shared community experience.

Throughout our conversation, I found myself returning to a question that has shaped much of my own work: What conditions help people thrive? As we explored everything from public health and equitable access to advocacy and community design, it became clear that parks are not simply amenities—they are places where people gather, heal, connect, and remember that we are part of the living world.

Perhaps creating healthier communities begins long before someone walks into a doctor's office. Perhaps it begins by creating places where people can step outside together.

Resources Mentioned

Everyone Outdoors Together

Canadian Parks and Recreation Association

Park Prescriptions (PaRx)

Outdoor Play Canada

GenWell

CanActive Insights

Connect with Martin Sampson

Canadian Parks and Recreation Association: https://cpra.ca/

Everyone Outdoors Together: https://everyoneoutdoorstogether.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-sampson-qwa-middlewood/

Connect with ROOTED

Visit ROOTED online for episode notes, reflections, and additional resources:

https://www.rootedsoulliving.com/rooted-podcast

Connect with Susan Morgan Bailey:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanmbailey/