Project Camino

Sylvie Hanes is from Ottawa, Canada and is a wife of 30 years and Mom to two daughters. She retired from the corporate world in April of 2011 and 15 days later started the first of her three Camino journeys. Sylvie has experienced multiple hospitalera adventures and says that the Camino is now simply a part of her life. She shares her Camino stories from her three journeys on the Way with Project Camino.

Claude Tranchant was neither a trekker nor a sporty person, though she took the challenge of crossing, alone, France and Spain on foot. She was 64 years old. She walked nearly 2,500 kilometres, living 100 days to the rhythm of her own footsteps. On her return she was asked to write a book about her experiences and took her second challenge. Claude has proven that we are never too old to realise our dreams. She shares her story with Project Camino in this wonderfully joyful interview.

Caroline Packer is a relatively ordinary woman who, in 2013, walked the Camino de Santiago which literally changed her life. Deeply unhappy and overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness around finding the life she knew she wanted, Caroline needed something big enough that would pull her out and push her forward.   She had vaguely heard of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, that hundreds of years ago, people would make from their homes all over Europe. Caroline decided that she needed to walk the road to Santiago, so she quit her job, began walking in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and walked across Spain. She set off with an open mind and no idea what to expect. The Camino would set her on a path to a new way of life and she shares her story with us.

After being suddenly downsized from her corporate telecom career, Sue Kenney left the comfort of her world to embark on a pilgrimage journey on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. She walked 780 kilometres and went alone in the winter and had a life-changing experience. The true story of her journey is captured in the book Mi Camino. This book has been credited with inspiring people all over the world to embark on this journey. Today she inspires others by offering her service to them. She presents a unique perspective to creativity, simplifying life, and leadership based on reconnecting with a more simple approach to life. She shares her story with us in another great episode of Project Camino.

Tobias Panwitz is a walking Singer Songwriter, playing music under the name Trailhead. He writes most of his songs in between places, in cars, trains, boats ... and while taking walks. On his most recent walk on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, he ended up with so many walking songs that he decided to put them all together on one Walking Song-album. He shares his passion for music, travel & the Camino with us in this episode.

Kat Davis quit her office job in 2013 to walk the Camino de Santiago and has never looked back. She has since walked over 10,000km in Spain, Portugal, England, Italy, Japan and America. Kat has been bitten by bedbugs, slept on a bar table, worn through 12 pairs of shoes, completed six Camino’s and experienced incredible human kindness along the way. She is currently working on a guidebook to the Portuguese Camino and dreaming of her next adventure.

Erin Dooley is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker. She has produced two narrative feature films, two web series, multiple short films, and a documentary “A Way to Forgiveness.” The documentary chronicles her walk on the Camino de Santiago as she healed from her divorce and tried to forgive her former husband. Along the Camino de Santiago, she discussed the idea of forgiveness with fellow pilgrims. During her pilgrimage she learnt what it took to forgive one of life's deepest wounds.

Artist and writer Laura Walker Scott turned depression and an existential crisis into an opportunity to define her dreams. Drawn to travel, in 2013, at age 43, Laura left it all behind to start her solo journey around the world. She hasn't looked back.

Susan Jagannath is a best selling author whose book ‘The Camino Ingles in 6 days or less’ gives readers a guide of how they can walk from Ferrol to Santiago in Spain. As an army brat, her childhood included seven different schools, three universities and a couple of emergency evacuations from conflict zones. Travel and adventure were a normal part of life. Travel and adventure were a normal part of life and Susan now divides her time between Brisbane in Australia and Bangalore & Goa in India. Susan is now on the next adventure of her life, writing books, being an awesome grandmother, and planning her next getaway.

Laurie Larson was born in Korea and walked the Camino Frances in 2013.  Laurie grew up in the Midwest of the United States and has lived in Mexico, Japan and Germany. Laurie has worked in various fields of politics, business, human services, banking, and education, with a focus on starting new projects and programs. She has also owned and managed two small businesses & she is currently in service at Parmarth Niketan Ashram on the banks of the Ganges River in India.

Louise Sommer is a bestselling independent published author, blogger, traveller and investigator of herstory (women in history). Since the late 80’s Louise Sommers’ passion has been investigating the role of women in European history. Through her research Louise realised the role Christianity has played in forming our current Western gender roles. Louise started to see the hidden truths of the Camino stepping out from the shadows and reaching deep into the mysteries of ancient Europe, the narrative of the church around women and the ignored origins of Mary Magdalene and The Virgin Mary. She frequently writes articles for magazines and online societies worldwide: about travels, women in religion and history, psychology, the issues approached in her book The Hidden Camino as well as book and movie reviews.

Rae Brittain is a coach who is passionate about creating healthy behaviours in the workplace. After walking The Camino, Rae believed that the people that she was coaching and training, would benefit by a specially designed walk across Northern Spain. One of the exciting programs offered by her business, Workplace Minds is A Walking Workshop called Camino Minds. This walk is designed to reconnect participants with their WHY, by switching off, revitalising and enjoying the simplicity that The Camino has to offer. One that would get them out of the traditional conference room seat and onto a fully supported 10 day walk across Northern Spain.

Project Camino interviews Senior Chief Petty Officer Builder Bradley D. Genereux, United States Navy (retired) He spent nine months in Afghanistan with the Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for acts of bravery while under fire. His book- A Soldier to Santiago- Finding Peace on the Warrior Path is an account of his deployment to Afghanistan, the good times, the bad times, and the very bad times. When Brad retired from the military, the effects the war had on him and the ensuing downward spiral nearly ended in his own self-destruction. Contrasting that, the book is also about the strange circumstances that called Brad to make the ancient pilgrimage on the “Camino de Santiago” in Spain and the self-discovery, healing, and redemption that took place as he trekked the 500 miles to the end of the earth.

Film Maker Christopher Hawkins speaks to us about his new documentary 'The World at Arm's Length: A deafblind adventurer.' The film follows Sven, who is nearly 50 but he has long dreamed of walking the Camino de Santiago. Sven was born deaf and became completely blind 10 years ago. Sven will not relent until he finishes the Camino and he is adamant that he won’t wait for anyone while he is doing it. Neither camera nor Assistants will hold him back. It’s a bold statement perhaps as much to himself as to us

Lydia B. Smith is the Director/Producer for Walking the Camino and has been involved in the film industry for more than a quarter of a century. She lived in Spain for over six years and speaks flawless Spanish, in addition to Italian and Catalan.  A lover of hiking and nature, Lydia is also a licensed Spiritual Practitioner from the Agape International Spiritual Center and from the United Centers for Spiritual Living. In the Spring of 2008, she walked the Camino de Santiago and the effects it had on her were truly life-changing. Along the way, she realised that she was not fulfilling her life’s purpose. Since the Camino is all about stepping out of one’s comfort zones, Lydia felt called to step into her full potential and direct Walking the Camino, her first feature-length film.

Sonia Choquette is celebrated worldwide as an author, spiritual teacher, six-sensory consultant, and transformational visionary guide. An enchanting storyteller, Sonia is known for her delightful humor and adept skill in quickly shifting people out of psychological and spiritual difficulties, and into a healthier energy flow. She is the author of 24 internationally best-selling books about intuitive awakening, personal and creative growth, and the transformational leadership capabilities that reside within, most notably with the New York Times best-seller The Answer is Simple. Leave a rating & review for Project Camino!

A former executive accustomed to a comfortable and somewhat predictable lifestyle, Kurt Koontz thought he was prepared for his 500 mile hike on the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain. He never considered writing a book until he walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2012. Those million steps were so compelling that he returned home and began writing and speaking about his life-changing adventures. His book, A Million Steps, embraces the beauty of the countryside and joyful connections to other pilgrims from around the world. Part diary, part travelogue, A Million Steps is an inspirational journey within a journey all the way to the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostéla and beyond. Kurt currently lives on a tree-lined creek in Boise and travels the country speaking about adventure travel, addiction and recovery, as well as corporate motivation. Check out how Kurt has taken the lessons of the Camino back home with him and how he has eradicated worry from his life. Leave a rating & review

Abigail Smith is from Minneapolis Minnesota. She was working for the family business doing Customer Service and Marketing before she walked part of the Camino Norte in 2016. This journey transformed her life and now she serves as the Director of Connections at the Wood Dale church in Minneapolis." As she was trekking, she wrote down some principles that she was going to start applying to her life after Spain and in this episode she is shares them with Project Camino.  Leave a rating & review for Project Camino! 

Jerard and Enda Barry walked the Camino Frances for charity in 2016. Jerard is Australian and Enda is Irish and they have been married 34 years. They are walking another Camino in France in 2017, again for charity, the St Vincent De Paul Society. Listen to the episode to discover what lessons they learnt on the Camino and how they live them every day. Leave a rating & review for Project Camino!

Project Camino is a platform for people to share their personal insights as to how they have ‘taken the Camino home with them.’ The most important question that so many pilgrims ask is ‘how can we continue to live the pilgrim life when we get back home?’ Project Camino answers that question. Leave a rating & review for Project Camino!