Love, compassion, friendship are three values by which Anastacia Garcia lives and upon which she has built a community
A Philadelphia native who moved to Jacksonville in October 2023 after living in Miami for a handful of years, Garcia found meeting new friends was difficult in such a big city. While Garcia moved to Northeast Florida with her fiancé, she found she was missing those social connections with friends that she relies on so deeply.
“I’m a grade-A, capital ‘P’ people-person,” she said. “I love community, and I recently realized just how important it is to me.”
One New Year’s Day, as she sat with her fiancé, the idea struck her to create an Instagram account like the many she’d seen in other cities to bring together a group of women for a walk: a simple way to not only meet new people but also explore the sights of Jacksonville. Garcia utilized her graphic design skills to develop an official logo and brand for her new page, @prettygirlswalkjax.
Garcia shared news about her new social group on several Jacksonville-based community pages like @jaxgalssocial, a women-led network focused on connecting women in the Jacksonville area through community and social events. Garcia felt uncertain about the response to her new group: It was her first attempt at stepping into the world of social groups, let alone her first time hosting one. Her worry was short-lived, though, because more than 75 women attended her very first walk.
“My goal is simple,” Garcia said. “I want to have a great walk. If you’re coming alone, you’re going to leave with friends. This is a community built on friendship and uplifting other women. Maybe you don’t feel pretty coming in, but you’re going to feel pretty leaving.”
Garcia wanted to create an environment for women to find a community of like-minded individuals while doing something fun. The walks are designed for women of all ages and backgrounds, with inclusivity at the heart of the group’s mission.
To prepare for the bi-weekly meetups, Garcia selects a location and posts the details on her Instagram page, inviting old and new members to join the walk. She’ll scout out a location that has accessible parking and a landmark that walkers will be familiar with, like the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens.
So far, the walks have explored several areas, including Riverside, San Marco, Southside, and Neptune Beach – locations that Garcia knows are popular with walkers. In the future, she is hoping to expand the walks into Avondale.
Since the very first walk, Garcia has enjoyed partnering with local small businesses. She recognized the number of women-owned businesses in the area and wanted to collaborate in a way that would not only benefit the businesses but also benefit the walkers. Many of the walks will include stops at local coffee shops, bookstores or salons that will offer discounts to the walkers.
Garcia keeps busy running social media accounts for not only @prettygirlswalkjax but also serving as a community engagement officer for @jaxgalssocial and coordinating the logistics of their monthly book club. She answers questions, designs and posts important updates, initiates chats in the Whatsapp group and generally works to ensure both new and old members feel welcomed and included.
“It brings me so much joy to be able to bless myself and my community with an environment where you can feel included as soon as you walk up to it,” Garcia said. “Through @prettygirlswalkjax, Jacksonville has become my home. I grew a family here.”
Throughout the last year, @prettygirlswalkjax has become a local success with the group of walkers growing by the month. Garcia’s partnerships with local businesses have grown to the point where she now receives collaboration requests. She welcomes these opportunities and ensures that each partnership is mutually beneficial to both the walker and the business. The 2025 walks will feature an exciting mix of new locations and fresh collaborations.
“I didn’t build @prettygirlswalkjax alone,” Garcia said. “The community built it up with me because they saw something that they believed in. I’m incredibly thankful.”
