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Embracing a Different Camino
PODCAST SHOW NOTES
Episode Title: Embracing a Different Camino: Six Months of Illness, a Saturday Hike, and a September Dream
Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed teacher and author Laura Davis shares her return to hiking after six months of illness during breast cancer treatment. Midway through radiation, Laura laced up her hiking boots and headed out to one of her favorite Santa Cruz County trails—and began to reimagine what her upcoming Camino de Santiago pilgrimage might look like. This episode is an honest, moving reflection on resilience, acceptance, and the art of meeting each day as it comes.
What Laura Covers in This Episode:
Her first hike in six months after breast cancer treatment limited her physical activity
The joy and significance of returning to Bryne-Milliron Preserve in Santa Cruz County
The origin story of the Creative Camino—how a chance meeting in Peru with artist and guide Brenda Porter sparked a dream
The long road from idea to reality: how Covid twice derailed the Creative Camino before it finally launched in 2023
What makes the Camino de Santiago unlike any other hiking experience
How illness has fundamentally shifted Laura's relationship to physical goals and personal expectations
Her safety plan for the September 2026 pilgrimage and why she's no longer attached to walking every mile
The deeper lesson the Camino is already teaching her—before she's even stepped on the trail
Episode Highlights:
Boots Back On — After six months of illness that reduced her to barely walking around the block, Laura describes the quiet triumph of lacing up her hiking boots and heading out with her wife Karyn, their friend Mary, and their yellow lab Luna for an afternoon hike.
Feeling Strength Return — Laura reflects on what it felt like to stop and rest along the trail, yet still feel her body growing stronger beneath her—a powerful moment of embodied hope midway through radiation treatment.
A Dream Is Born in Peru — Laura recounts the 2017 Sacred Valley retreat where she first met Brenda Porter, an artist and skilled guide whose on-the-go watercolor practice captivated her and sparked the idea for a writing and art pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Covid and Cancellations — Laura describes the painful process of canceling the Creative Camino twice due to the pandemic, finally launching the first successful pilgrimage in 2023—and why the wait made it all the more meaningful.
Walking Across a Country — Laura captures what sets the Camino apart from any other hike: the experience of walking through farmland, villages, and cities alongside pilgrims from around the world, all moving toward the same sacred destination.
The Van Will Be There — Laura explains the logistical safety net built into the Creative Camino—luggage transport and support vans that meet pilgrims at key stops—and how this year, for the first time, she's genuinely grateful it exists.
A Different Kind of Attachment — In one of the episode's most reflective moments, Laura shares the shift in her relationship to achievement: where she once insisted on walking every single mile, she now finds peace in meeting each day as it comes.
In Training — Laura declares herself officially in training for the September 2026 Camino pilgrimage—not with bravado, but with quiet, hard-won determination.
About Host Laura Davis:
Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers transform their lives into powerful, personal stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.
Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and teaches weekly writing classes via Zoom, leads international writing retreats. Her work sits at the intersection of craft, healing, and the courage to tell the truth on the page.
Key Takeaways from This Episode:
Resilience is built one small step at a time. After six months of illness, Laura's return to hiking began not with a grand gesture but with a single Saturday afternoon walk. Writers and pilgrims alike are reminded that the journey back to ourselves often starts smaller than we expect.
Meeting each day as it comes is a practice, not a personality trait. Laura describes learning—by necessity—to assess her energy and capacity day by day rather than committing to fixed plans. This is as true for creative practice as it is for physical endurance.
Dreams worth having are worth waiting for. The Creative Camino took six years from concept to reality, surviving two pandemic cancellations. Laura's story is a reminder that meaningful creative endeavors often require patience and persistence.
Community transforms experience. Whether on the Camino trail or in a writing classroom, Laura consistently points to an intimate writing community at the heart of the experience.
Letting go of attachment to outcomes opens new possibilities. Laura's willingness to walk as far as she can—and accept a ride if she can't—models a form of self-compassion that is available to all of us.
Connect with Laura Davis:
Website: https://lauradavis.net/
Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/
Weekly Zoom writing classes: visit https://lauradavis.net/ for details
Camino de Santiago pilgrimage: September 2026 — details at https://lauradavis.net/camino/
The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.
You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/
Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Laura DavisPODCAST SHOW NOTES
Episode Title: Embracing a Different Camino: Six Months of Illness, a Saturday Hike, and a September Dream
Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode of The Writer's Journey, acclaimed teacher and author Laura Davis shares her return to hiking after six months of illness during breast cancer treatment. Midway through radiation, Laura laced up her hiking boots and headed out to one of her favorite Santa Cruz County trails—and began to reimagine what her upcoming Camino de Santiago pilgrimage might look like. This episode is an honest, moving reflection on resilience, acceptance, and the art of meeting each day as it comes.
What Laura Covers in This Episode:
Her first hike in six months after breast cancer treatment limited her physical activity
The joy and significance of returning to Bryne-Milliron Preserve in Santa Cruz County
The origin story of the Creative Camino—how a chance meeting in Peru with artist and guide Brenda Porter sparked a dream
The long road from idea to reality: how Covid twice derailed the Creative Camino before it finally launched in 2023
What makes the Camino de Santiago unlike any other hiking experience
How illness has fundamentally shifted Laura's relationship to physical goals and personal expectations
Her safety plan for the September 2026 pilgrimage and why she's no longer attached to walking every mile
The deeper lesson the Camino is already teaching her—before she's even stepped on the trail
Episode Highlights:
Boots Back On — After six months of illness that reduced her to barely walking around the block, Laura describes the quiet triumph of lacing up her hiking boots and heading out with her wife Karyn, their friend Mary, and their yellow lab Luna for an afternoon hike.
Feeling Strength Return — Laura reflects on what it felt like to stop and rest along the trail, yet still feel her body growing stronger beneath her—a powerful moment of embodied hope midway through radiation treatment.
A Dream Is Born in Peru — Laura recounts the 2017 Sacred Valley retreat where she first met Brenda Porter, an artist and skilled guide whose on-the-go watercolor practice captivated her and sparked the idea for a writing and art pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Covid and Cancellations — Laura describes the painful process of canceling the Creative Camino twice due to the pandemic, finally launching the first successful pilgrimage in 2023—and why the wait made it all the more meaningful.
Walking Across a Country — Laura captures what sets the Camino apart from any other hike: the experience of walking through farmland, villages, and cities alongside pilgrims from around the world, all moving toward the same sacred destination.
The Van Will Be There — Laura explains the logistical safety net built into the Creative Camino—luggage transport and support vans that meet pilgrims at key stops—and how this year, for the first time, she's genuinely grateful it exists.
A Different Kind of Attachment — In one of the episode's most reflective moments, Laura shares the shift in her relationship to achievement: where she once insisted on walking every single mile, she now finds peace in meeting each day as it comes.
In Training — Laura declares herself officially in training for the September 2026 Camino pilgrimage—not with bravado, but with quiet, hard-won determination.
About Host Laura Davis:
Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers transform their lives into powerful, personal stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner 2021) and co-author of the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal.
Laura hosts The Writer's Journey podcast and teaches weekly writing classes via Zoom, leads international writing retreats. Her work sits at the intersection of craft, healing, and the courage to tell the truth on the page.
Key Takeaways from This Episode:
Resilience is built one small step at a time. After six months of illness, Laura's return to hiking began not with a grand gesture but with a single Saturday afternoon walk. Writers and pilgrims alike are reminded that the journey back to ourselves often starts smaller than we expect.
Meeting each day as it comes is a practice, not a personality trait. Laura describes learning—by necessity—to assess her energy and capacity day by day rather than committing to fixed plans. This is as true for creative practice as it is for physical endurance.
Dreams worth having are worth waiting for. The Creative Camino took six years from concept to reality, surviving two pandemic cancellations. Laura's story is a reminder that meaningful creative endeavors often require patience and persistence.
Community transforms experience. Whether on the Camino trail or in a writing classroom, Laura consistently points to an intimate writing community at the heart of the experience.
Letting go of attachment to outcomes opens new possibilities. Laura's willingness to walk as far as she can—and accept a ride if she can't—models a form of self-compassion that is available to all of us.
Connect with Laura Davis:
Website: https://lauradavis.net/
Substack: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/
Weekly Zoom writing classes: visit https://lauradavis.net/ for details
Camino de Santiago pilgrimage: September 2026 — details at https://lauradavis.net/camino/
The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more.
You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/
Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe