Walking Mentorship

29/11/2025

It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time for our newsletter, Kilometer Zero. As we approach the end of the year, many of us feel a powerful and much-needed desire to bring this cycle to a meaningful close. I’ve been sensing it too. So today, I want to share a short reflection with you, one that I hope resonates. This year was absolutely amazing. And when I say amazing, I mean it in the truest sense of the word: extra-ordinary, outside the ordinary.

The projects we brought to life, the encounters I witnessed, both in my own journey and in the journeys of so many of you, the transformations we lived together… all of it has been remarkable. And yet, throughout these months, something kept calling my attention. A subtle whisper, a reminder, a gentle invitation. Keep reading here. https://walkingmentorship.com/closing-the-year-a-challenge-for-you/

18/11/2025

10/11/2025

Returning to Where We Were Happy.
Some people say we should never go back to the places where we were once happy.
I couldn’t disagree more, especially after what we’ve lived through these past few days.

To understand my connection with this school, let me share an image.
On my first day teaching at the .business.school - Lviv Business School, back in 2012, the taxi had to stop a few meters before the campus gate, and workers were still laying the last tiles at the entrance.
I might have been one of the very first people to walk into that new campus. And since that day, a small part of me has stayed there, between those first stones.

Thirteen years later, walking alongside their alumni in a Walking Mentorship program felt profoundly moving, as if life had invited me to continue a story that never truly ended.

Because, in truth, we should go back.
We should return, again and again, to the people, the places, and the moments that made us feel alive. Going back to the life that once made us happy will always be a safe investment of the heart.

And here we are, in Costa Vicentina, Portugal,
a place that fills me with joy, as I share my country with these wonderful people.
Absolutely epic days, tailor-made for the alumni of the Ukrainian Catholic University,
a school that continues to shine as a beacon of hope. A beacon for Ukraine and a beacon for our lives.

In a world so full of noise, sadness, and darkness,
Standing close to the light feels truly special.
We ended the day walking along the coast, with the ocean’s waves crashing beside us,
whispering softly:
“Go on. Keep walking. You have the strength and so much more ahead.”

Thank you, all of you.
Let’s keep walking, changing the world one step at a time.

🇵🇹 🇺🇦

16/10/2025

Highlight of the Day — The Taste of Magic

Why do we call beautiful people the ones we walk with?
Because we truly believe we walk in this world with beautiful people, and that’s what makes the world more beautiful and magical.

Today’s walk brought me closer to something hard to define, something we spoke about last night over dinner.

The question was simple: What is magic?
But the answer… it stayed with me all day,
echoing between the cliffs and the sea.

The ocean breathed beside us,
The tides rising and falling are like quiet reminders that there are forces in life we’ll never control; we only feel them.

The cliffs dissolve,
the wind shifts,
The birds disappear into the mist,
and yet everything continues,
alive, mysterious, beautiful.

Maybe that’s what magic really is,
not a trick or a miracle,
but the invisible thread that connects it all. The whisper of the divine in the everyday.

And maybe, the real magic of life
is being able to see people as they truly are, beyond words, beyond masks,
Simply beautiful.

So I’ll keep it close, this sense of wonder,
this belief that life is more than it seems.

Because when you walk long enough,
you start to see it: Magic isn’t rare. It’s everywhere.

In the meantime, keep walking with us, changing the world one person at a time and one step at a time. www.walkingmentorship.com

14/10/2025

With our Transformational Travel Council friends, we are back on the fisherman's trail in Portugal. It is the third year we have walked together. A very, very special feeling.

I want to share something with you from our walk this afternoon. After lunch, we went out together, twelve of us, and I found myself walking a little behind. Eleven souls were moving ahead, their steps light and steady, and I’m here, watching them, feeling something hard to describe.

It’s happiness, yes, but also a quiet fullness. I see in their walk the reflection of my own journey, the echo of my work, my care, my energy. It’s as if life is showing me that the purpose was never to lead forever, but to give enough so others can move forward.

Maybe this is what we want from life: to serve in a way that others can continue, to know that when we slow down, someone else already carries the torch. And in that slowing down, there’s no loss. It’s the opposite. You stay with everything. You become part of the infinite. You are complete.

Thank you, beautiful people, for making our dream a continuous journey of magical reality.







In the meantime, keep walking with us, changing the world one step at a time, and one person at a time.

🇵🇹

11/10/2025

It was a pleasure to be part of and to share a bit about the Walking Mentorship journey. We had a great conversation with . An inspiring exchange about the possibilities of transformational traveling.

08/10/2025

Slow Down – Sardinia
Twelve people.
Twelve beautiful souls.

How many first times can life still gift us?
How many first sunrises will still take our breath away?
How many full moons will find us looking up in wonder?
How many first looks, first steps, first silences that say everything?

Maybe that’s the secret — life keeps giving us first times, as long as we keep walking.

The start of our Slow Down program followed a familiar pattern — not an easy one. Flights were delayed, there were a few bumps at the hotel, and there was less flexibility than we hoped for.

But that’s life, right?
Imperfect, unpredictable, and still... incredibly generous.

As we wait to meet, something whispers in our hearts, a message for the road ahead:

Effort. We’ll need some to walk.
Attitude. We’ll need plenty to stay open.
Kindness. To ourselves, to one another, and to the path itself.
Above all, the courage to keep learning, evolving, and honoring this shared journey.

Because if we do, I’m sure we’ll walk out on the other side, lighter, clearer, and maybe… a little more in love with life.

We finished the walk and suddenly realized (again and again) that the end is always the beginning of something new.

See you on the path — somewhere between now and eternity. The next stop is Synergy, the retreat show. Bring it on, Life!

04/10/2025

Our first day of walking here in Sardinia was simply amazing. We've spent the day checking the trails we’ll walk in the coming days, and one reminder kept returning to us: never normalize beauty.

The bays we crossed were breathtaking — waters like blue emerald, skies wide open, the wind brushing our faces. Later, a dive into the sea reminded us that the world itself can embrace you if you let it.

Tonight, as the sun set and the moon rose, almost full, we felt grateful. Grateful for this place, for the people who will soon join us despite all the flight delays across Europe, and for the chance to begin yet another journey.

A reminder for us all: honor beauty. Honor our planet, honor each other, and keep walking.

Whenever the right time comes for you, you know where to find us — walking together, changing the world one step at a time, one person at a time. www.walkingmentorship.com

03/10/2025

On the road again !
This time, our steps take us to Sardinia, where we’ll facilitate a pre-program before joining next week.

We are delighted to spend a week here with one of our favorite experiences — Slow Down. A very special edition, surrounded by beaches, mountains, and, most importantly, a beautiful group of people walking side by side.

So here we go, once more, on the road again.
In the meantime, keep walking with us, changing the world one person at a time and one step at a time. www.walkingmentorship.com


🇮🇹

25/09/2025

Over the last two days, we reached the heart of the Kumano Kodo, arriving at Hongu Taisha — one of Japan’s most sacred sites.

The path was demanding, a sea of peaks. Each climb reflected the past decade of Walking Mentorship:
- Tsugizakura-Oji tested our endurance, like the fragile early years of WM.
- Waraji-toge demanded respect, as our first programs with companies, schools, and families did.
- Mikoshi-toge lifted us to a transcendental state — just like those unforgettable moments when a group connects deeply and clarity emerges on the trail.

On the way down, we heard the story of divine drums that once saved a village — a reminder that wisdom often comes in unexpected ways. WM has been the same: the “drum” has sounded through feedback, partnerships, or crises turned into opportunities.

At Hongu Taisha, we received the Dual Pilgrim Certificate, recognizing those who have walked both the Camino de Santiago and the Kumano Kodo. It felt like a circle closing since 1993, when I first stepped onto the Camino without knowing it would shape my life.

Inside the temple, a ritual of prayer and the striking of the great drum reminded us: every ending is also a beginning. Ten years into WM, the echo is clear — keep walking, keep learning, keep starting anew.

This journey — both in Japan and over the last decade — has only been possible thanks to extraordinary people: our guide Carl-san, luminous in his presence; Jake Haupert, who is the inspiration behind this journey; and Nuno Santos Fernandes, my Walking Mentorship partner, who has walked with me through every impossible dream turned tangible reality.

The Kumano Kodo reminded us of what we have always known in Walking Mentorship: it is never the end, always the beginning. www.walkingmentorship.com

23/09/2025

Reflections from Japan.
I never imagined myself coming here. The first time I heard about the Kumano Kodo was in 1993, after I finished my first Camino de Santiago. At the time, it felt impossibly far away — not just in geography, but in possibility. It belonged to a different universe than my own life.

And yet, here I am. More than thirty years later, I am finally walking the paths I once thought were beyond reach.

The first thing that strikes me is the landscape. It feels like stepping into a parallel world. There are people, houses, cars — the familiar signs of life — but everything else breaks away from my usual references. It’s as if I’ve entered a movie, but only now am I playing one of the characters inside the frame.

And then, the people. They, too, feel like characters in this film, moving according to codes I don’t yet fully understand. Their gestures, silences, and rhythms speak a language beyond words. To connect, I must remain calm, patient, and deeply attentive — because the non-verbal often reveals more than the spoken.

The trail itself is unlike anything I’ve known. It is both a museum of memory and a portal into something greater. Each step carries traces of Taoism, Shintoism, and Buddhism woven together. Shrines and statues appear, sometimes beyond comprehension. And yet the rule is simple: in case of doubt, bow, pray, offer respect. You surrender to what is before you, even when you do not understand it fully. In this way, the Kumano Kodo is not just a path but a lesson in discovering what is invisible. Walking here demands that you slow down and allow your senses to rise above the noise of daily life. This is slowing down on steroids.

And then there is the food — an unexpected teacher of patience. Dishes appear, each unique, demanding time to see, smell, and taste. It is impossible to rush. Eating becomes an explosion of flavors and colors. Eating here is to slow down, notice, and be fully present.

Finally...keep reading in the comments.