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 starting to explore the Camino, Stacey's insights will inspire you to see the Way as more than a hike — it’s a ...
Jul 07, 2025•45 min
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 journey, how he planned it, and what it meant to be joined by loved ones, especially in the final days ...
Jun 05, 2025•38 min
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 intention can change more than just your own life.
May 09, 2025•27 min
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. Whether you’re a seasoned pilgrim or considering your first step, Ruth’s insights will inspire you to e...
Mar 19, 2025•33 min
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 as a transformative experience, from elite competition to long-distance journeys like the Camino de ...
Jan 31, 2025•21 min
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 friend.
Nov 22, 2024•45 min
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.
Nov 04, 2024•38 min
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!
Oct 14, 2024•22 min
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!
Sep 25, 2024•30 min
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.
Sep 11, 2024•29 min
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.
Aug 29, 2024•33 min
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!
Aug 08, 2024•36 min
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.
Jul 26, 2024•44 min
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.
Jul 08, 2024•33 min
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 Camino here: https://followthecamino.com/en/camino-tours/camino-frances/. Born in Spain, Blanca Valencia...
Jul 13, 2021•34 min
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 well as a lifetime of personal vision, tenacity, and practice. Her clients include leaders, teams, and...
Jun 15, 2021•47 min•Ep. 33
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-known routes. He has written four books about his adventures on the Camino , the Pacific Crest Trail , the Appalachian ...
May 05, 2021•34 min•Ep. 32
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 travelers walking the Camino, which has had a massive impact on the livelihoods of those along the wa...
Mar 04, 2021•33 min•Ep. 31
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. In 2018, he and his wife Aurora walked the full Camino Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port all the w...
Feb 19, 2021•37 min•Ep. 30
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-ranging, from creativity and art to faith and spirituality, and interviews with pilgrims. The CEO of Follow the Cam...
Jan 07, 2021•40 min•Ep. 29
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 dreams and restored it. Susi has been running the hostel Casa Susi since then and has absolutely loved it. She...
Dec 22, 2020•52 min•Ep. 28
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, historians, and other researchers learned a huge amount about the masons who carved them. One of their most note...
Dec 03, 2020•32 min•Ep. 27
In this Camino Talk, we chat to Tom Cartwright, the founder of Camino Gin - a company that makes gin in the UK that is flavoured with a special combination of botanicals found along the Camino Frances. Tom's journey to the Camino began when he realised that the courses he was doing at university weren't for him. He was struggling to figure out what to do next when a friend recommended that he walk the Camino de Santiago. After watching The Way and doing a bit of reading, Tom started planning his...
Nov 30, 2020•26 min•Ep. 26
Bradley Chermside is the internationally bestselling author of The Only Way is West - his light-hearted, entertaining Camino de Santiago memoir. Brad is also the host of The Camino de Santiago Pilgrims' Podcast , a fun and informative podcast about Camino. The podcast features a range of guests, including our own CEO, Umberto , and is a great way to learn about the Camino. There is plenty of practical advice, mixed in with wonderful stories. He's currently working on a sequel to The Only Way Is ...
Oct 27, 2020•36 min•Ep. 25
Plastic is everywhere in our lives, but some plastics are more harmful than others. The Camino de Santiago is one of the best-known pilgrimages in the world, with thousands of walkers every year. This means it has its fair share of plastic litter. In 2019, Sandra and Carla from Plastic Free Camino decided to walk the Camino from Estella to Burgos – a total of 172 km - and pick up all the plastic they saw along the way. The idea came about while the pair were walking in the Dublin mountains and n...
Aug 18, 2020•30 min•Ep. 24
Author John Brierley talks to us about the relationship of nature on modern-day pilgrimages in this Camino Talks episode. John Brierley started his Camino journey in 1989 when he gave up his day job to travel, and walked the Camino de Santiago . He has walked the famous pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on foot many times and has since written several best selling guide books about the different Camino de Santiago routes. These guides focus on the French Way , The Portuguese Way , The English...
Jul 15, 2020•20 min•Ep. 23
To many of us, travel writing sounds like the absolute dream job. You get to go to exotic and interesting places, sit on beaches, try the local food, and on top of that you get paid to be there! Sean from Follow the Camino interviewed two travel writers, Rupert Parker and Portia Jones, who have plenty of experience in the industry. They discuss the realities of the job, the good and the bad, and all the hard work. They also talk about what things have been like over the past few months. Coronavi...
Jun 24, 2020•34 min•Ep. 22
The Camino de Santiago is an amazing journey and a wonderful physical challenge. We talked to Daniel Quinn from ReBalance Physiotherapy in Dublin about how to get ready for the Camino and set yourself up for success. He gave us a number of awesome tips about things to look out for when you are walking, and how to keep yourself healthy while on the Camino. He has helped us redesign our Camino Training Plan to get you ready for the Camino de Santiago. Being as prepared as you can be will set you u...
Jun 23, 2020•27 min•Ep. 20
The Camino really is achievable for everyone, with the right planning and support. What makes a big difference is getting yourself ready in the best possible way. That is where strength and stability training for the Camino comes in. We talked to professional physiotherapist Daniel Quinn at ReBalance Physiotherapy in Dublin about the best way to train for the Camino de Santiago. Daniel put together a comprehensive Camino training plan for us, this easy plan will help anyone to get ready for the ...
Jun 23, 2020•10 min•Ep. 21
In this Camino Talks episode, we interview Flavia Ramil, Managing Director of Santiago de Compostela Tourism . Flavia tells us how the city of Santiago de Compostela is preparing for the reopening of Spain, what the new normality in hotels and restaurants will look like, and how the preparations for the Holy Year 2021 are going. Check out our blog post on this webinar! or You can watch the Youtube video of the interview! Please subscribe if you like our content. Start planning your Camino route ...
Jun 19, 2020•19 min•Ep. 19
