YOU on the Camino de Santiago

THE ENTIRE CAMINO EXPERIENCE Our pilgrim wisdom continues this week, this time with someone getting ready to walk the Camino, rather than with someone who has already walked. Today you are going to meet pilgrim Annie who is walking the Camino Francés this spring. You'll hear what Annie says about the intersection of human spirit and Camino spirit and how she intends to explore how the themes of su...

WHY DO CAMINO CONNECTIONS HAPPEN SO QUICKLY? This is just one of the questions my guest Maurice and I ponder in this episode of the YOU on the Camino de Santiago podcast. Before he walked his first Camino, Maurice spent some time exploring the question of why he was going to do this pilgrimage. It’s a question I recommend every pilgrim ponders. You may not know exactly why you want to walk the Cam...

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF YOUR CAMINO EXPERIENCE? Colleen does. Walking the Camino isn't a life-long dream and she doesn't have a deeply compelling reason to walk the Camino. So why do it? Let's find out! Colleen also shares the common pilgrim concerns – how to find beds and if there will be beds available when they need them, how to use trekking poles without doing a lot of flailing about,...

A JOURNEY OF BECOMING Why walk the Camino de Santiago? Why walk it now? These are questions that will take you from the idea or dream of walking the Camino to a full-on pull to make it happen. In this episode, Janet shares her plans for walking the Caminho Português with her sister in a journey of becoming. And without too much consideration, she knows she will be doing it her way. Find out what t...

TURNING DOWN THE NOISE OF EVERYDAY LIFE For many people, the story of a Camino dream is a series of false starts. You hear about the Camino and hear its call, but it’s not the right time to go. Then it is the right time, and you put some dates on the calendar, and something comes up – a significant family event, like a wedding, graduation or birth of a grandchild, a loved one gets sick or injured,...

BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO YOUR GOALS In this episode we pick up where we left off in episode 101 by taking my #1 strategy for goal success to an even deeper level. Then I am going to share with you five tactical steps and three top ideas that will guarantee your success in reaching your Camino goals.   DO YOU NEED THE HIGH-LEVEL PLAN FOR HOW TO MAKE YOUR CAMINO DREAM A REALITY? Get your free copy of m...

SAVED BY WALKING! Pilgrim Adam walks the Camino Portuguese to process and heal from some devastating losses . . . and finds his way to peace and connection. Content warning: My guest in this episode mentions his personal experience with suicide ideation and suicide within his circle of friends. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or is in a crisis situation, please know th...

GO FROM CAMINO DREAM TO CAMINO REALITY Have you ever wanted something, dreamed about something, maybe even longed for something, but the wanting and dreaming wasn’t making anything happen? What’s missing there? Well, what’s missing is a clear goal. In this episode I explore: Why we’re not reaching our goals How to craft a goal that hits the mark My #1 success strategy for reaching your goals Let's...

THE 100th EPISODE! Thank you for tuning in and for making this podcast one of the most sought after and reliable resources for first time pilgrims walking the Camino routes in Spain, France, and Portugal. With this episode, the podcast hits a milestone – the 100th episode! I love milestones. I love the feeling of hitting a mark, of reaching a big goal, of noticing and noting when you do something...

DEAR YOU . . . Now we come to the final step of our year-end practice. The only thing we have left is my favorite New Year’s tradition. This is the one I have been doing since 1976, long before I started setting goals and intentions for the new year. Uh, long before I even knew what that meant, because in 1976 I was 11 years old. My best friend was Kristi, who lived next door and who had all kinds...

LET'S SET THE STAGE FOR YOUR BEST YEAR YET Forget asking Santa for what you want . . . go after it yourself! In this episode we walk through my annual goal setting process. We have already reviewed our accomplishments and successes (episode 18). We tallied up what didn't go as well as hoped and planned. And we mined both those lists for lessons and messages (episode 19. Now it's time to pick our p...

NOW WE LOOK AT OUR NOT-SUCCESSES In last week's episode we spent time reviewing our wins and successes for the year. This week we are moving on to the second step of the year-end process by listing our regrets and disappointments. Wait! This is not about beating yourself up or dragging yourself through the mud, or finding fault with who you are as a human being. If you are prone to self-criticism,...

THANK YOU 2024, AND GOODBYE! (WELL, ALMOST) As this episode releases on Tuesday, December 10, we have four Tuesdays left in 2024 and four episodes left in this season of the podcast. That timing feels perfect for me to share with you something I do every December to wrap up the year. In this episode and the next three, I am going to share with you my four-step end-of-year practice, in the hopes th...

A "TRIP OF A LIFETIME" - FOR REAL! John covers all the bases as he shares his story of walking the Camino Francés in May and June 2024. Overnight in the Pyrenees? Check. Stay at a monastery? Check. Sing with the nuns? Check. Meet an undertaker who wants your business? Wait . . . check? Here are the places and helpful tools John referenced in this episode:  >> Book your bed at Refuge Orisson:...

WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU? That is the question pilgrim Danielle had to ask herself over and over again as she walked the Camino Francés in April and May 2024. And as she answered that question, she gradually learned to trust herself and to know that she did, in fact, know what is most important and what is also best for her. Danielle had the honor of carrying Tracy's backpack, and you can hea...

WHAT HAPPENS IF . . . ? That seems to be the theme of Roger's pilgrimage on the Camino Francés! What happens if . . . . . . you become injured? . . . you need a dentist at 6:30 am on a Saturday in a small village in northern Spain? . . . you don't want to book accommodations in advance in July? Find out in this episode. And Roger has some well-earned, fabulous advice for first-time pilgrims.   JOI...

SHIFTS HAPPEN ON THE CAMINO FRANCÉS Back today with a story of peace from one of the pilgrims who you met in season four (episode six) – Joshua from Corpus Christi, Texas. It is also a story of plot twists and disappointments. But in true Camino fashion, the trail brought it all full circle, and Josh found out what blessings really feel like. Like many of my guests in this season of the podcast, J...

WHEN THE WORLD IS CRAZY AND LIFE IS UNCERTAIN Our topic today is dealing with uncertainty, and I have been thinking about this a lot lately. About two weeks ago I noticed that I was feeling really anxious, super worried, and nervous about the outcome of the upcoming election. But I won’t be talking about politics because that’s not what we are here for. We are here to get you ready for your pilgri...

CAN YOU FIND VEGAN FOOD IN SPAIN? My guest today, Kurt, from Palm Springs, California, follows a vegan diet, which is sometimes difficult to do in Spain. But it doesn’t have to define your pilgrimage. He has some great tips for finding vegan and vegetarian food amidst the landscape of pork-based meal options. Kurt is a fairly speedy walker, and his pace did help define his experiences. And he did...

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE WEATHER! Coming to you today with another healthy dose of reality on the Camino Francés. This week you will hear from Melissa, who you met in season 4, episode 10. Melissa had a plan to walk the Camino as a way to reclaim what she remembered as her "bad-ass self from her 20s". Who wouldn’t want that, right? Melissa had a few surprises along the Way, including a vastly different...

PLOT TWISTS AND DEEP CONNECTIONS Day two: plot twist. And that's the day that set the tone for the entire pilgrimage for John and his son. In this episode, you will hear how John describes the impact of that day as well as lyrics from his Lizard Song, how their rain gear worked out, and what's next for this now-Camino family. FREE MINI-WEBINAR: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 What is it really like to walk t...

PILGRIMAGE BECOMES A WAY OF LIFE Fiona walked the Camino Frances in 2023 and now she is hooked on walking pilgrimages! This year she took on two new routes, and she has a third one - not a Camino - planned for later this year. And then next year she plans to become a "dual pilgrim" by walking the Kumano Kodo in Japan. Here are the resources we talk about in this episode: The Kerry Camino in Irelan...

LIVING THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL ON THE CAMINO Pastor Rich takes his faith out for a long walk as a way to get to know God and his daughter-in-law better. Along the Way he finds a deeper sense of compassion and an understanding of what it means to walk through pain. I met Rich through my email list, and I am so glad I did! He brings his kind, gentle spirit to this post-Camino conversatation and sh...

A DEEPER CONNECTION TO NATURE BRINGS A DEEPER CONNECTION TO SELF Kate was pretty clear on why she was walking the Camino. As a nurse, she was feeling beyond burned out after the intensity of pandemic and the huge impact it had on people serving in her profession. She wanted to focus on well-being, and actually discover a deeper meaning of what those words meant. That she did. In her quest for well...

WALKING AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE Chad has now walked the Francés and Primitivo routes, plus the Camino Portuguese from both Lisbon and Porto. But it's not about how many routes or how many times he has walked. He's not keeping score. What matters most about pilgrimage? Chad explores this question as well as the role of his shadow on and off the trail. On his most recent pilgrimage, Chad walked to h...