He Fled Iran. Then Walked the Camino for Freedom (with Kian)

Walking for His Mother — A Camino Journey of Love, Healing & Peace

He came to walk for his mother. To light a candle. To carry love across the Camino. In this episode of Wisdom of the Way, I sit with Pablo, a pilgrim from Ecuador walking the Camino de Santiago with a simple and beautiful intention: to arrive in Santiago and light a candle for his mother, who has been going through a difficult time. What unfolds is a tender conversation about love, solitude, healing, and the quiet peace that can come when we stop rushing and allow life to meet us more deeply. Pablo shares about his relationship with his mother, his years of moving between Ecuador, Italy and France, his love for music, and a past chapter of alcohol, drugs and darkness that one day, mysteriously, seemed to fall away. “Since that day, I always say life is a gift. Because I really feel it. I am able to breathe, to see, to hear. And that is enough.” Together we speak about walking alone, sleeping outside, screaming into the open landscape, forgiving oneself, and the strange grace that can come when we stop escaping our own heart. For Pablo, the Camino has become a place of honesty — a place where there is nowhere to hide, and where old pain can slowly begin to soften. This is a conversation about simplicity, tenderness, self-forgiveness, and the quiet miracle of being alive. May Pablo’s story remind you that the path does not always need to be rushed. Sometimes the deepest gifts come when we slow down enough to receive them. --------- To learn more about Camino retreats, online practice, and the Wisdom of the Way newsletter: www.wisdomoftheway.com Instagram: @wisdomoftheway_

“Another Reason to Stay Alive” - The Camino Became His Palliative Care

Some conversations stay with you long after the Camino ends.In this episode of Wisdom of the Way, I share a treasured moment with Gary, a man whose presence on the Camino touched many lives.After our meeting, Gary wrote to me:"Another friend on the Camino. Another reason to stay alive. Such a precious gift."Those words stayed with me.In this conversation we explore something rarely spoken about:The CAMINO AS A FORM OF PALLIATIVE CARE.Not as an escape from life…but as a way of entering life more fully.When time becomes precious, something shifts.Priorities fall away.Small moments become sacred.And walking becomes something deeper than a journey.Gary shares openly about:• Living fully in the face of terminal illness• Walking the Camino with stage-four cancer• Why pilgrimage can become a form of healing• The power of friendship and human connection• Walking not away from death - but toward lifeGary has walked the Camino since 1994.After a previous cancer in 2008 and a recent diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer, he returned again to Spain, carrying his own pack and continuing his pilgrimage.For Gary, the Camino became something profound:a form of medicine.This episode is a tribute to a beautiful human being and a reminder that sometimes the Camino offers the simplest and most powerful medicine:one step at a time. OFTEN THE CAMINO IS NOT ABOUT REACHING SANTIAGO. IT IS ABOUT REMEMBERING HOW TO LIVE. --------------- TOPICS in this EPISODE: Camino de Santiago pilgrimage Walking the Camino with cancer Camino healing journey Pilgrimage and personal transformation Spiritual lessons from the Camino ---------------- 00:34 Meeting Gary 03:00 Gary’s Remarkable Life 05:34 Terminal Diagnosis 13:21 Walking Without Pressure 17:37 Camino as a Palliative Tool 26:44 Post Camino Blues 28:37 Letting Go of Expectations 32:05 Camino as First Internet 33:46 Returning Home Integration 47:22 Toolbox for Terminal Illness 55:26 Walking Meditation Method ______________________________________________________________ ABOUT Wisdom of the Way Wisdom of the Way explores pilgrimage, inner transformation, and the deeper lessons found while walking the Camino de Santiago. Website:wisdomoftheway.com Camino Transformation Journeys:2026 retreats and pilgrimages (www.wisdomoftheway.com/retreats2026) Insta: @wisdomoftheway_

He Fled Iran. Then Walked the Camino for Freedom (with Kian)

In this episode, I sit with Kian, an Iranian pilgrim living in Belgium, whose Camino walk carries a quiet but powerful message of Woman, Life, Freedom. Kian shares what it means to leave Iran as a refugee after years of activism, to walk in solidarity with the women of his country, and to keep speaking with humility and care, even when silence might feel safer. As the conversation unfolds, it softens into something deeply human. Kian reflects on how the Camino becomes people, how love is tasted through simple encounters, and how meditation helped him through depression - not by fixing anything, but by learning acceptance, again and again. This conversation was recorded some time ago, yet it arrives in a tender and urgent moment. With information inside Iran heavily restricted, reports of deaths in recent crackdowns vary widely. Wherever the numbers settle, the human grief is real. Our prayer is for the people of Iran - for protection, dignity, and liberation. A conversation about courage without hardness, practice without perfection, and love that appears when we slow down enough to meet life as it is. 05:19 The Woman, Life, Freedom Movement 11:10 Cultural Differences and Challenges 14:22 Kian's Activism and Refugee Experience 17:10 Reflections on the Camino Journey 26:42 Practices on the Camino 29:18 The Power of Meditation and Yoga 32:14 Accepting and Overcoming Depression 36:20 Living in the Moment More details, courses, retreats and updates: www.wisdomoftheway.com Insta: @wisdomoftheway_

A Life Worth Living – All These Humans with Bambu | Wisdom of the Way

"STORIES THAT CHANGE LIVES" In this episode I sit down with Bambu — travelling storyteller, photographer, and creator of the YouTube project All These Humans, which now has more than 430k subscribers. For the past ten years, Bambu has been living on the road, the last five in the same motorhome with his family. What began as photographing people living on the streets of Madrid has grown into a global project of human stories, alternative ways of living, and quiet revolutions of the heart. This conversation — Bambu’s first ever interview in English — explores purpose, fear, simplicity, connection, and what it truly means to live “a life worth living.” We talk about travelling as pilgrimage, facing the fear of change, the art of human connection, and how small, consistent steps can move us toward a very different kind of life. It’s a gentle, honest invitation to look at your own path: the stories you’re living, the dreams you’ve deferred, and the next small step that might bring you closer to a life that feels real. _________________ Bambu & I met on the Camino de Santiago when Bambu came to create one of his films about my life and introspection along on the Way. 🎥 Watch the film Bambu made with me here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FtlKyZ4UyM Explore more of Bambu & All These Humans here: 📺 YouTube: @AllTheseHumans 🌐 Website: https://allthesehumans.com/ ___________________ 02:23 Bambu's Journey and Philosophy 04:47 The Impact of 'All These Humans' 07:19 Balancing Passion and Purpose 11:36 The Power of Photography and Human Connection 13:25 Lessons from Traveling and Pilgrimage 16:33 Capturing Moments and Making Connections 24:46 Overcoming Fear of Rejection 27:16 Teaching Digital Nomadism 29:44 Manifestation and Discipline 33:59 Defining a Life Worth Living 36:35 Reflecting on Happiness and Purpose 40:28 Inspiring Stories from the Road 46:41 Facing Fears and Taking Steps

Honouring Jen – A Magical Meeting on the Camino (with Caitlin)

A chance intention. A synchronistic connection. And a shared friend in spirit. Just hours after setting the intention to record a new episode, I met Caitlin Purcell—a fellow pilgrim—through pure synchronicity. What we soon discovered was our deep, unexpected link through our dear friend Jen Hutchison, who passed away three years ago. Caitlin and Jen were from the same small country town in Australia… and I had my own powerful, life-changing meeting with Jen 13 years ago on the Camino. In this heartfelt conversation, we explore the inner pilgrimage beneath the kilometres—expectations and surrender, the stories we tell ourselves, listening to the body, and the tender thresholds of life: motherhood, mid-life transitions, and returning home changed. Caitlin speaks candidly about blisters, knee pain, and “mother guilt,” but also about learning to receive, and how love, community, and courage make the Way accessible to all. Together we touch the Hero’s Journey, the magic of synchronicity, and how to bring Camino wisdom back into daily life. A gentle, grounded and luminous exchange—honouring Jen, the Way, and the quiet guidance that meets us when we’re open. _____________________________________________________ Timestamps 02:51 Caitlin’s Journey and Family Life 04:14 Synchronicity and Connection with Jen 05:21 The Healing Power of the Camino 15:05 Challenges and Lessons on the Path 21:45 Reflections on the Camino Experience 22:17 Seeking Inner Learning and Self-Discovery 22:47 The Unexpected Gifts of Crisis 24:18 The Hero’s Journey and Personal Growth 28:48 Returning Home and Integrating Lessons 34:31 Navigating Life Transitions 38:59 The Importance of Connection and Community ______________________________________________________ 🌏 Join us for a PILGRIMAGE OF A LIFETIME — INDIA, November 2025 (ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT!) → wisdomoftheway.com/indiapilgrimage An incredible journey to align with your deepest self, supported by sacred lands, rituals, and community. 🕊️ Stay connected — retreats, practices, and Camino wisdom: → wisdomoftheway.com/about#subscribe