Everything Changes Everything: A Healing Camino Story with Author Lauren Kessler

You can plan every step of the Camino de Santiago—research the perfect shoes, fine-tune your pack, map out every meal and mile. And then you start walking. This conversation pulls back the curtain on what the Camino really is: a centuries-old pilgrimage stretching across northern Spain, where medieval villages give way to wide-open mesetas, cathedral bells mark your progress, and every step invites you to slow down and pay attention. It’s not just a route—it’s a living, breathing experience shaped by the people you meet, the rhythms of the road, and the unexpected moments that stay with you long after you go home. Join an honest, deeply human look at life on the Camino Frances and beyond. From crowded albergues and late-night conversations to quiet stretches of trail where the only sound is your own breath, this talk explores what can’t be planned: fleeting friendships, surprising comfort in discomfort, and the realization that what you carried in isn’t always what you need. At its core, the Camino challenges the idea that adventure needs to be optimized—and instead asks a bigger question about why we go at all. About our speaker: Lauren Kessler is an award-winning narrative nonfiction writer and the author of Everything Changes Everything: Love, Loss, and a Really Long Walk. After solo-hiking more than 500 miles of the Camino Frances, she brings a thoughtful, personal perspective to the emotional and transformative power of walking long distances.