Camino Talks Podcast

What happens when a woman decides to walk the Camino de Santiago? For this special episode celebrating International Women's Day , we brought together the voices of several women whose lives are deeply connected to the Camino — from a pilgrim who experienced it firsthand to professionals who accompany others on their journeys. In this episode, you'll hear from: • Michelle, a Camino pilgrim...

Our CEO Umberto di Venosa sits down with Gemma Brierley, daughter of the legendary John Brierley, to explore her lifelong connection to the Camino de Santiago. From walking her first Camino at 18 to continuing her father’s work on the iconic guidebooks , Gemma shares how she keeps his memory alive while forging her own path. A heartfelt conversation about legacy, passion, and the enduring spirit o...

Lorie Solis is the heart behind Camiño Limpo, Corazón Contento — a project where she walks the Camino picking up litter, connecting deeply with nature, and inspiring others to care for this sacred path. Follow Lorie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caminolimpocorazoncontento/ Clean Trek Hiking poke attachments for litter clean up https://www.clean-trek.com/ On IG @clean_trekHipstar The hand...

In this episode of Camino Talks , our CEO Umberto di Venosa sits down with Stacey Hicklin, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Delaware County Christian School and a dedicated science teacher. Stacey shares her reflections on walking the Portuguese Way from Tui to Santiago — a journey of faith, simplicity, and powerful perspective shifts. Whether you're a seasoned pilgrim or just startin...

What happens when one man decides to walk the full French Camino—and invites 15 friends and family members to join him along the way? In this episode, we sit down with Peter Danio to hear the story behind his unforgettable Camino de Santiago. From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago, Peter walked over 800 km—and turned a personal challenge into a shared adventure. He tells us what inspired the jou...

Six months ago, Dominic walked the Camino from Vigo to Santiago—not just for himself, but to raise awareness and funds for the Epilepsy South Africa Educational Trust. His mission? To help students with epilepsy access education and create a future filled with possibility. In this episode, we talk about what that journey taught him, how he turned challenge into purpose, and why walking with intent...

Join us on this inspiring episode of Camino Talks as we chat with author Ruth O’Leary about her transformative journey on the Camino de Santiago and how it shaped her writing. Ruth shares the stories behind her latest novel, A Week to Remember, which follows three strangers on their Camino adventure, and reflects on the unique connections, challenges, and lessons she encountered along the way. Whe...

What does it take to compete at the highest level in race walking? In this episode, we sit down with Spanish Olympic athletes Paul McGrath and Laura García-Caro to explore their journey in this demanding sport. They share how they got started, the mental and physical discipline required, and their experiences at the Paris 2024 Olympics. We also discuss the power of walking—not just as a sport but...

In this interview, we spoke to Wendy Dutwin, a pilgrim who embarked on the Camino from Portugal to carry her friend to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela – only to be faced by forest fires and extreme rainfall which threatened her journey. We found out how Follow the Camino helped Wendy avert danger and complete her special journey to the final resting place of St James in honour of her frien...

In this interview, we talked to long-standing Follow the Camino client Christine Patterson about her experiences on the Camino de Santiago, if there are social barriers to women travelling on long-distance walks, and why more women than men walk The Way.

In this interview, we talked to one of Follow the Camino's most well-know and beloved guides, Silvia, about her experiences leading walking tours of the Camino de Santiago. A former mountain guide in the Himalayas for many years, Silvia is full of facts and figures about the Camino, as well as a whole lot of fun!

In this interview we speak with John Rutkowski III, a life-long walking enthusiast who used his passion as motivation to help him recover from a series of cancer surgeries and treatments. He's walked the Camino, many long-distance routes in the US, and even the length of Hadrian's Wall!

In this interview we speak to Shirley-Ann Poulton, an pilgrim from Perth, Australia who has walked the Camino multiple times with the help of Follow the Camino. We speak about the beauty of history and pilgrimage to someone from the New World, and reflect on how faith unites people on the Camino.

In this interview we speak to Raquel Freiría, a leading member of the Camino's animal protection association, APACA. She discusses the canine 'pilgrim' credentials APACA supply for pets along the Camino and what how the pilgrim spirit applies to animals as well as humans. NOTE: This episode is in the Spanish language.

In this interview we speak to Aleksandar and Nenad Popovic, two brothers who walked the Camino individually - but with a lot of shared experiences! We discuss new beginnings, building a community, and picking between beer and wine when unwinding after a long day on the Camino!

In this interview Alberto Ferreiro, Professor Emeritus of History at Seattle Pacific University, joins Umberto di Venosa, Follow the Camino CEO & Founder, to discuss the the Camino de Santiago from the Middle Ages to modern times. He pulls back the curtain on the myth behind the worship of St James in Galicia and discusses what pilgrimages mean nowadays.

In this interview, Follow the Camino CEO and Founder Umberto di Venosa discusses B-Corp certification, the future of eco-travel, and how Follow the Camino is trying to lead the way on making travel more environmentally responsible.

Blanca Valencia is a cook and expert in Spanish gastronomy. In this episode of Camino Talks she walks us through the Camino Frances and the regions it passes through, discussing the unique and notable foods that you will find along the Way of Saint James. We discuss Navarra, La Rioja, Castile and Leon, and Galicia, with their diverse and delicious foods! You can see the full French Way on the Cami...

Business coach Shannon Wallis joins us on this episode of Camino Talks to discuss her new book – WE the Change: Launching Big Ideas and Creating New Realities. This book is a combination of Camino memoir, life story, and a guide to making positive changes in your life. Shannon Wallis’ ability to launch big ideas and create new realities comes from more than thirty years of professional study as we...

There is something wonderful about taking on a pilgrimage!  Keith Foskett's love of long-distance hiking, also known as thru-hiking, all started with the Camino de Santiago.    He walked Le Puy Camino and Camino Frances combined - a distance of around 1000 miles (over 1500 kilometres) - and fell in love with long-distance hiking. Since then, he has taken on some of the world's best-...

Five hikers started Camino for Good to both share their experiences along the Camino de Santiago and to raise money for Camino hostels struggling due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Kelly is one of those pilgrims and founders of Camino for Good - a virtual Camino platform that donates money to albergues (pilgrim hostels) along the Camino de Santiago . COVID-19 has caused an almost total stop in t...

You never know who you might end up walking with on the Camino de Santiago . Kenneth Strange is one of the many fascinating pilgrims that we have encountered on the Way. A former FBI agent with a history of investigating terrorism, Kenneth is now a Private Investigator. His specialty is missing person cases. Kenneth lived in Madrid for a year during University and first learned about the Camino.&n...

On this Camino Talks episode, we are joined by the wonderful hosts of Pilgrim Lost , Kari Gale, and Tony Kriz!   Individually they are both wonderful people with a passion for the Camino, journeys, pilgrimage, and storytelling. Together, they host the Pilgrim Lost podcast which they describe as "an exploration of life in hopeful motion".  The topics of the podcast are wonderfully wide-ra...

When Susi Swain first read a book about the Camino she couldn't imagine herself walking the pilgrimage herself. A few years later her life led her to bite the bullet and walk the Camino Frances and everything changed from there. Susi fell in love with the Camino de Santiago and Spain so deeply that she decided to make it her home.  After plenty of searching, she found the Albergue of her drea...

Discover the secrets of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in our latest #CaminoTalks webinar with Dr. Jenny Alexander from the University of Warwick's History of Art department.  We interviewed Jenny about her work uncovering the secrets of the cathedral walls.  While studying the stones that make up the magnificent cathedral in Santiago, Dr. Alexander and the team of archaeologists,...