Freedom Now! Travel

The impact of walking 500 miles, especially, El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, is life-changing. How do I bring what I experienced while walking El Camino into my everyday life experience? After listening to fellow pilgrims' stories and lessons about their experience while walking the Camino, in this episode I share my own: what I gained, what I learned, and what ongoing transformation I experience because of it and get to tend to in my life as a contribution to others. I am left with beauty and awe after reviewing my 46 days of travel. What a gift to be able to share it with you in this episode.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

Finn Vergalen is just 26 years old and has spent time walking El Camino, not to think about the past, or figure out the future, but from what he discovered -- to be present in the moment. In this episode he talks about having the things that he thought he wanted, then taking the risk to leave what he had become accustomed to but knew was not what his life was about. He also shares how he tries to implement the ways of the Camino into his everyday life. From his journey, Finn has gone beyond “finding his purpose”, and instead has found clarity about the importance of self-perception, discipline, and gratitude. Listen to him share how having walking the Camino is helping him walk into a new stage of his life.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

El Camino is a great 500 mile walk to experience peace and enjoy self-reflection. And along with that comes a journey of laughter, community, and self-discovery! Lisa Mitchelson began the Camino for the first reason - self-reflection - and ended up experiencing an abundance of the latter and the transformation that it brought her. Lisa lives in Kent, England and is a South African native. She works for an art foundation specializing in African art. In this episode, hear about her experiences with people along the Camino, and what this trip meant for her in this new phase of her life.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

For the first episode of season 5, Antonio shares his own words of wisdom while walking El Camino de Santiago de Compostela. He explains transformations, what they are, and how they work for us in life. Listen as Antonio talks about his experience looking for areas that live him and how belief and expression drive the processes of change. The most important message, however, is to get out of the box, and in this episode, he tells you exactly how to do that.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

From an injury to epiphany. Dustin is an Alaskan Native, German military officer. He studied in Germany and has lived there so long that I've dubbed him my favorite “Germanized-American”. From "security pins" (safety pins) to "mosquito screen" (regular screen in a window), he has his own vocabulary that I love highlighting. Riddled with the effects of COVID-19 for 6 months straight, Dustin was unable to live the life he had once known or wanted. Listen to how he overcomes his physical and mental obstacles to make it to the Camino and experience transformation while on The Way.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

Coming from Holland to Spain, this episode features a true global citizen: Rene de Neef. An uncomplicated person who loves the simple things in life; like skydiving in Dubai, seeing the New Year fireworks on a ship in Sydney, and walking the El Camino de Santiago. In this episode, Rene talks about what it took for him to get to this point in life. He has worked extra hard to support his family and his desires and does what he can to support others along the way. It’s common for him to travel as freely as he lives, with no finalized plans and ready to make connections with other people. Listen to Rene share how he’s set up his life so that even when he’s not in control, he experiences freedom and things still run smoothly.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

One of the best things about travel is the connections made with other people. And the best way to be at the center of it all is to work in hospitality. Elise and Leo are the proprietors of Villa Harriet, a hotel with a bed-and-breakfast feel, in Uhart-Cize, France. In this episode, we sit down and talk about their joint venture and its role in the community. With a combination of expertise in guest services and cuisine, the couple has been able to service many travelers who embark on El Camino. A lot of people told them they shouldn’t do it, here they talk about the lessons they’ve learned and how they complement each other as the visionary and the executioner.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

Jeffery Bowden is a 20-year Veteran of staff interpreter for the Department of State. He started out at the world’s only liberal arts university for the deaf, of the deaf, and about the deaf: Gallaudet University. Here he was immersed in the deaf community before journeying on to become an interpreter for the Department of State. Within a short period in his career, he was able to travel to 27 countries, getting better as an interpreter and as a traveler. Growing up traveling was not familiar to him, especially not internationally, but now he can share his journey as a seasoned traveler. Jeffery lets us in on what it took to become a confident traveler and how traveling has shaped his worldview. Here he explains how he broke out of his shell and grew to have many “encounters” during his travels that helped him find comfort in his own skin while being abroad.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

Not everyone is blessed to grow up with knowledge of the beauty of travel. Sometimes it takes a little time and a lot of growth, but that’s only the beginning of the story for Janice Crowley. Janice served 27 years in the Air Force and during those years traveling abroad was not exactly at the forefront of her mind. Today she shares with us how it’s never too late to go do something. Janice shares her stories from Oktoberfest in Germany, the “Peepee Boy” in Brussels, horse burgers in Lithuania, and many more memories. We also hear about her picture books and how documenting the moment through pictures and journaling ensures that she remembers her point of view of the places she’s been. As Janice’s career develops, so does her desire to travel and awareness of the place that she occupies when traveling (even if she couldn’t point it out on the map). In this episode, Janice emphasizes the importance of sharing the value and beauty of travel.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford

Janet Solly is a 30-year army veteran who lived overseas for 24 years of her career. In this episode, she talks about her jobs in the embassy and as a diplomat. From Europe to Africa, to Asia, to South America, Janet has lived there and survived to tell the tale in this episode. Throughout her time overseas, she stood out as a tall, professional black woman, but that did not keep her from being the social butterfly she is. Hear her talk about her interactions with people who were taught to fear her and how they come to treat her kindly. She tells us how wrongly the media portrays America, the Middle East and other African countries. Janet spreads the message that no matter the difference in culture, there is just one world, and at the end of the day, everyone wants the same thing.

Special thanks to the Freedom Now! Travel Team: Host and Producer: Antonio Goodwin; Producer: Jonathan Murphy; Researcher: Catrina Murphy; Writer: Nyla Guilford