A reflection from the May 2026 Salon.

At our May Conscious Wealth Salon, Michael Halicki led a conversation on parks, community, and the role our surroundings play in shaping how we live, connect, and thrive.

The morning centered around a question:

What is your first memory of nature?

For many in the room, the answer came immediately.

A creek behind a childhood home. Woods waiting to be explored. Long summer days spent outside with friends. What began as a reflection on memory quickly became a conversation about place, belonging, and the environments that shape us long before we recognize their influence.

Michael shared a perspective shaped by years of working at the intersection of people, parks, and policy.

One idea surfaced again and again throughout the morning:

People are wired for nature.

Parks are often viewed as amenities, but Michael challenged that assumption. He described them as essential civic infrastructure—spaces that support physical health, emotional well-being, and stronger communities. In a city like Atlanta, access to nature is not something separate from daily life. It is part of what makes life here possible.

The conversation moved toward the history of urban parks and the work of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Early advocates referred to parks as “the lungs of the city.”

The phrase resonated with the room.

Just as lungs support the health of the body, parks support the health of a community. They create opportunities for movement, reflection, gathering, and connection. They offer something increasingly rare in modern life: space to slow down.

Much of the discussion focused on community.

Michael shared the story of Maddie Freeland Park in Atlanta’s English Avenue neighborhood. What began as conversations about flooding, vacant properties, and neighborhood challenges evolved into a community-led vision for public space. Over time, that vision became a park, a gathering place, and a source of pride for the people who helped create it.

The story illustrated a recurring theme throughout the morning:

The most meaningful places are rarely built from the top down.

They emerge when people have ownership, agency, and a voice in shaping the environments around them.

Another thread emerged around connection.

Michael spoke about Atlanta’s parks and trails as more than recreational assets. They are connectors. They bring neighborhoods together, reduce isolation, and help people experience parts of the city they might otherwise never encounter. In a culture increasingly designed around convenience and separation, shared spaces offer an opportunity to encounter one another again.

As the conversation came to a close, Michael offered a simple challenge: spend twenty minutes in a park.

Not to exercise. Not to accomplish anything. Simply to observe.

To notice what you appreciate. To notice what could be improved. To pay attention to the role these shared spaces play in your own life and community.

For those interested in taking that challenge further, Michael invited attendees to participate in Park Pride’s community initiative:

Visit a Park and Share Your Story

He also recommended an episode of Hidden Brain: Our Better Nature, which explores the growing body of research suggesting that our connection to nature is not simply beneficial—it may be fundamental to our well-being.

The morning left us reflecting on a simple idea:

The environments we build eventually shape the people who live within them.

At Conscious Wealth, we often talk about financial capital. Conversations like this remind us that health, perspective, and community are forms of wealth as well. And the places we create—whether parks, neighborhoods, or gathering spaces—play a meaningful role in cultivating all three.

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Below is the audio recording of the May Conscious Wealth Salon conversation with Michael Halicki.

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We spend much of our time discussing investments, strategy, and long-term planning. Conversations like this remind us that the internal work of leadership often shapes outcomes long before any financial decision does.

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