What comes after the Camino de Santiago? What do you take on next, after you’ve shown yourself that you can do big and hard things and when you realize that you are physically, emotionally, and mentally strong?

And what do you do when you realize that the practice of pilgrimage is now completely a part of you, and your favorite way to travel is to move at the pace of walking?

You do what my guest today, Fiona, has done, and you find other pilgrimage and trekking routes in other parts of the world, and you keep walking.

Fiona refers to herself as a “rogue pilgrim” – someone who walks to explore life’s deeper questions but who doesn’t have a religious reason for going on pilgrimage.

In this episode, Fiona is sharing about her Kumano Koda pilgrimage in Japan, plus an extraordinary story of survival and camaraderie on her journey to Everest Base Camp.

Here are some helpful links:

Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.

Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.

Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.

How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.

#youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

What is the story of your life that you’re writing right now? That’s one of the questions my guest this week is asking as she counts down to her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Today I am talking with Danya, who is starting her pilgrimage with my May Camino Experience group in just over a week.

As a wife and mother of two daughters who is approaching the end of her 40’s, Danya is asking some big questions – some profound questions that will accompany her on her pilgrimage.

Questions like, “is it selfish to ask, what do I want?” “What does it mean to be a real pilgrim, and am I one?” And, “what is the story of my life that I’m writing right now?”

I love the conversation Danya and I had, and I especially love that her family was able to join us at the end, to weigh in with their perspective on what mom is heading out to do and how they can support her in making this significant journey.

Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.

Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.

Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.

How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.

#youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

If there’s one thing we don’t talk about enough when we talk about walking the Camino de Santiago, it’s the courage it takes to take on something like this pilgrimage.

For many people, walking the Camino is unlike anything else they’ve ever done before. It’s the first time they’ve traveled alone. The first time they’ve traveled internationally. The first time they’ve been away from home for so long. The first time they’ve carried everything they needed for the trip in one small backpack on their back.

It was no different for my guest today, Carie, who is walking the Camino Portuguese this spring. The fear and the anxiety are, I think, why we need to hear these stories from other first time pilgrims, from people who are in the exact same head and heart space – feeling all that uncertainty, feeling fear and anxiety, yet bravely doing it anyway.

My conversation with Carie takes us through all that plus some practical considerations. We also touch on the modern-day pilgrimage planning phenomenon called AI. Be careful with that, by the way, as AI doesn’t always understand the needs of walkers on the Camino de Santiago, and you may get some wacky stage and accommodation suggestions.

Here is the book Carie recommended: Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking 3 Ancient Ways, by J.F. Penn

Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.

Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.

Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.

How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.

#youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast