This week on the podcast I am delighted to be sharing a conversation I had with two very talented and Camino-spirit filled people, Bill Bennet and Jennifer Cluff. [See their bios below.]

You may know Bill as the director and lead character of the film The Way, My Way, and the author of the book of the same name, which tell the story of his pilgrimage on the Camino Francés.

You may know Jennifer as the actress who played Bill’s wife in the movie, but what you may not know is that Jennifer is also Bill’s real-life wife and they are solid partners in their creative endeavors.

And what a delightful and insightful pair they are. 

Let's see where this conversation goes . . . 

In this episode I am trying a new format: a "live" audience asking questions of our guests. Let me know what you think! 

Join us in La Terraza, where pilgrims gather to share in the spirit of the Camino.

Bill Bennett studied Journalism at the University of Queensland before joining the ABC as a journalist. He moved into documentaries and stayed with the ABC for twelve years before going freelance as a documentary filmmaker. During this time he won two Logies, (Australia’s equivalent of the Emmy)for Television Reporter of the Year, and Most Outstanding Television Documentary of the Year.

He then moved into feature films. He’s made 17 feature films as writer, producer and director. He’s won Australian Film Institute Awards (Australia’s equivalent of the Oscar) for Best Film and Best Director and been nominated a further twelve times. He’s had two films in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and four films selected for the Toronto Film Festival.

In 2024 his movie The Way, My Way became the third highest grossing Australian film of the year. It was based on his best-selling Camino memoir of the same name. In 2025 the Spanish Government awarded Bill the 8th annual Malaspina Award for his outstanding contribution to furthering cultural ties between Australia and Spain through his book and film, The Way, My Way.

As an author, Penguin Random House has published his YA supernatural thriller trilogy, Palace of Fires.

Jennifer Cluff is a producer of feature films and a dramaturge who has taken her skills from theatre into literature and film.

She began her career as an actress, at the tender age of 17, starring in the classic ABC TV series, SEVEN LITTLE AUSTRALIANS.

Then followed more TV, some movies, and theatre – at the Sydney Theatre Company and the Queensland Theatre Company. During this time she worked with playwrights on the development of their material.

She later script edited Bill Bennett’s first feature screenplay for the film A STREET TO DIE, which was nominated for five AFI Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

As Bill’s partner, she subsequently script edited all his screenplays, including the multiple AFI Award winner KISS OR KILL – a film which she also produced with Bill. Jennifer has since produced, along with Bill, 10 feature films, all of which were released theatrically.

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Let's find out!

If you are looking for your next big trip and you love the spiritual practice of pilgrimage, then you are going to love this episode of the podcast. But it’s not about the Camino, per se. It’s Camino-adjacent, but about something that, turns out, is totally different.

Chris from episode 142 is back! It feels like the blink of an eye since I talked with Chris the last time, but in the interim, he has completed the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage in Japan, which is no small thing.

So we are going to be taking a look at the similarities and differences between the Camino and the Kumano Kodo through the lens of pilgrimage.

Here is some information about this pilgrimage:

https://www.kumano-travel.com/en

https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/ 

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If you haven’t yet walked the Camino because you think you can’t do it because of an illness, my guest today is about to turn that idea on its head.

Today I am talking with Phil, who walked the Camino after recovering from a serious illness. And, as many of us have done, he walked to honor a family member and make a statement about how he wants to live his life going forward.

Phil also shows us that it’s not so much that the Camino provides, as the popular saying goes, but that the Camino teaches us. He discovered that while problems on the Camino seem to be inevitable, they don’t need to be debilitating. And actually, some of the problems we anticipate never even show up.

If you are just getting started with your planning for the Camino, you may want to hop back to season one, episode one. That's where the journey begins.

And if you'd like something to get you started, grab your copy of my FREE Camino Planning Roadmap.

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Will I find a place to sleep? Will I find food? Will it rain the entire time? These are questions all pilgrims ask when getting ready to walk the Camino, but none more so than the winter pilgrim.

Imagine walking the Camino when most services are closed, when only 75 of the 450+ albergues on the Francés route keep their doors open for the winter. Imagine walking into a town after a long day out in the cold and discovering the one albergue you thought would be open isn’t.

In this episode we are talking with Chris, who walked the Camino Francés in the winter. But believe it or not, that is even the most interesting part of his story. What drew me in was why Chris walked, and that he is the father of Savannah, who you met in the last episode.

To find open albergues on the Camino Francés in the winter: http://winterpilgrim.com/ 

The pilgrimage in Japan Chris talks about is called the Kumano Kodo. Learn more here: https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/ 

Here's where to find my new video format on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nancyreynolds-CaminoExperience/shorts 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCaminoExperience 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaminoexperience/ 

Tik Tok: Nancy @ the Camino Experience

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Is the Camino safe for a woman traveling alone? What about for a young woman, say one in her early 20s walking alone?

You may hear many different answers to those questions – many different experiences from the various Camino routes, and many people will argue with you about the safety of the Camino if you try to say it’s not safe.

In this episode you are going to hear the real-life experiences from Savannah. She is young and she walked the Camino alone. She encountered some of the legendary Camino magic, but she also encountered some truly unpleasant experiences.

Here are the safety tips Savannah shared:

Download the AlertCops app

Know the emergency help numbers - 112 for medical and fire emergencies, and 062 for the Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) to aid with other urgent issues.

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If you’ve been contemplating a winter pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, this episode is for you. But even if you haven’t been thinking about walking in the winter, this episode may still be for you – especially if you are worried about getting blisters or becoming injured and not being able to finish.

In this episode, you are going to meet Sarah from Seattle who is going to tell you all about her first winter Camino on the Francés route. She also shares about her second winter pilgrimage, which will be on the Camino Mozárabe.

You may discover a winter pilgrimage is exactly what you’ve been longing for.

Here's where to find me on social media in video format:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nancyreynolds-CaminoExperience/shorts 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCaminoExperience 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaminoexperience/ 

Tik Tok: Nancy @ the Camino Experience

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This week we are hearing from Richard, who you met back in episode 127. Richard’s story really stood out because he is living with a significant vision impairment. But it didn’t stop him from walking the Camino Francés from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago and then on to the coast, to Fisterra and Muxía.

And his pilgrimage didn’t stop there. Here’s the question Richard answers for us: What do you do when you realize that what you had planned wasn’t going to be enough?

Here is some information about the free lunch Richard talked about. Available to the first 10 pilgrims to present themselves at the Pilgrim's Reception Office each day.

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How often do you have the time – or inclination – to ask deep, existential questions? My guest today – Michael – had just about two weeks on the Camino Portuguese to do just that.

And he really made the most out of the opportunity.

This conversation that may just change the way you see this pilgrimage.

After years of dreaming, months of planning, days of walking, Michael shares his story of how he is getting the most out of his pilgrimage experience.

Free pilgrim gratitude walk!

Join your host, Nancy, and pilgrim and author Jen Manglos for a reflective and contemplative gratitude walk on Friday, November 28, 10 am to noon, at Carkeek Park in Seattle, Washington. Free.

Not in the Seattle area? You can host your own gratitude walk! Nancy and Jen will provide the reflective guide to share with your walkers.

Get the details and register for the Seattle walk or to host your own walk here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/gratitude 

The most daunting part of walking the Camino is getting started. Why go it alone then? Two spots have opened up in my May 2026 Camino Experience group. Grab your spot today: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/ 

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There are times in our lives when we just need something. Something different, something new, something challenging, to shake things up and show us who we are right now.

Something is what has called my guest this week – Marina – to walk the Camino. Marina is asking a really important question as she embarks on this journey. It’s an existential question, really, like who am I? But it goes even deeper and broader.

Free pilgrim gratitude walk!

Join your host, Nancy, and pilgrim and author Jen Manglos for a reflective and contemplative gratitude walk on Friday, November 28, 10 am to noon, at Carkeek Park in Seattle, Washington. Free.

Not in the Seattle area? You can host your own gratitude walk! Nancy and Jen will provide the reflective guide to share with your walkers.

Get the details and register for the Seattle walk or to host your own walk here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/gratitude 

The most daunting part of walking the Camino is getting started. Why go it alone then? Two spots have opened up in my May 2026 Camino Experience group. Grab your spot today: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/ 

#youonthecamino

We don’t talk about this enough. It’s something almost every pilgrim feels: the emotional and spiritual challenge of returning home.

After all the walking, the quiet, the moments of connection and clarity, it’s jarring to come back to schedules, noise, and expectations. You may feel disoriented. Disconnected. Even a little lost.

That’s not a sign something went wrong—it’s a sign that something changed.

This is sacred ground.

Today I am sharing two audio sessions from the Bringing home the Camino guided journey inside our new La Terraza online pilgrim community:

These are the first steps to life after the Camino and the start of your next pilgrimage.

Join La Terraza, where pilgrims gather to share in the spirit of the Camino de Santiago. https://thecaminoexperience.com/laterraza/ 

Enrollment is open from noon on Tuesday, November 4 through Friday, November 14, 2025.

Join your host, Nancy, and pilgrim and author Jen Manglos for a reflective and contemplative gratitude walk on Friday, November 28, 10 am to noon, at Carkeek Park in Seattle, Washington. Free.

Not in the Seattle area? You can host your own gratitude walk! Nancy and Jen will provide the reflective guide to share with your walkers.

Get the details and register for the Seattle walk or to host your own walk here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/gratitude 

#youonthecamino