Leonard Vance | An Atheist on the Camino

Nichole Lariscy is an academic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who presented at the Sacred Journeys conference in Canberra a paper titled “Celtic Pilgrimage from St. John's Eve to Queen Maeve's Procession: A Spiritual Passage from Santiago to Sligo.” In this week's episode we talk about the spiritual parallels between Ireland and Spain, between Queen Maeve and Santiago, between the Camino de Santiago and ancient Celtic pilgrimage routes. It’s a conversation about sacred landscapes, feminine wisdom, and the enduring call to walk — not just to a destination, but toward transformation.

John K Moore is Professor of Spanish; Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, at University of Alabama at Birmingham. He's also a pilgrim. I met John at the Sacred Journeys conference in Canberra this month, and he presented his paper "The Pilgrimage Paradox: Finding Peace through Suffering". I knew I had to interview him. This is a wonderful exploration of pilgrimage from someone who doesn't just study pilgrimage, they live and breath it....and all the moments of discovery. You'll love this chat....

Brian Gibson's life is full of blessings, but he wanted to walk the Camino to shed a few pounds because he was tipping the scales at 380lbs. What Brian found was an opportunity to deeply consider the joy in his life, while acknowledging he has experienced loss, and it's the wonder of joy and the challenge of loss that makes life such a blessing. Enjoy this chat ~ it will warm your heart.

Leonard Vance's new book is called 'An Atheist on Pilgrimage : Tales of Humanity from the Camino de Santiago'. He walked the Camino after seeing the movie The Way - and soon learned there was more to the famous pilgrimage than simply walking. Leonard's transformation provides and insight into what the Camino holds for us fortunate enough to be called to walk its winding path. You can find Leonard's book here

Australian pilgrim Claire Falkinder walked the Camino Portuguese to prove to herself and her young daughters that women can achieve anything. Claire's mother had completed the Camino Frances, so she didn't need to search far for her own inspiration. This is a wonderful story about believing and stepping way outside your comfort zone to inspire others and to find peace in your life.

Colleen O'Toole was estranged from her daughter and it left a hole in her heart that threatened to engulf her. In a bid to try to find joy in her life again, she answered the Camino's call and went walking. Her book about that journey is out now - Restoring Joy: 40 Days and 40 Nights on the Camino de Santiago. It's a wonderful journey of self discovery and learning, that we can ALL learn from. You can find Colleen's book here or anywhere globally on Amazon.

I've been in South America for four weeks and was unable to record an interview for this week, so it's a rewind of my interview with my friend Maggie Caffyn from 2017. It can't be eight years ago!!!! I hope you enjoy it. You can find Maggie here And her wonderful book here ((Great to hear the old intro music!!))

Colleen and Gerry moved from the UK to France 20 years ago. They've since embraced all things Camino and now Colleen is an uber-popular blogger and travel writer. Who could have imagined this is how their life would pan out. No one. But these are the gifts we're given when we choose to be brave. Unlock YOUR potential!! You can find Colleen here

Mylinh Lee discovered the Camino when she needed inspiration in her life. What she's now created is a world of mindful encouragement. From humble beginnings comes the most incredible story of discovery. You can find Mylinh's YouTube videos here And on Instagram Mylinh is @WalkWith_M_

Michael Lynch has released a new book, Sacred Places and Sacred Faces. He collated a collection of photographs of the Camino and asked pilgrims three simple questions. This is a great chat about why we walk, what we believe, and what the Camino teaches us about living with ease. You can find Michael and his book here