A Pilgrimage of Sobriety, Nature, and the Wind

Can Walking Help Us Recover?

This month, as the wind turns East, I celebrate 37 years of sobriety from alcohol. That’s more days sober than I ever spent drinking—and still, I carry the lessons of those darker years with me.

My drinking experiment began in middle school and accelerated through my twenties, often ending perched on barstools in dimly lit pubs. Despite a college education, I remained an emotional undergraduate, struggling to launch. In my late twenties, I found some footing in the kitchen—my natural element—and was welcomed there professionally. Yet, my inner turmoil remained unresolved.

The real wake-up call came wrapped in grief. My father, a man I revered, feared, and longed to understand, suffered a debilitating stroke the day after the grand opening of my farm-to-table bistro. He lived for several years after that, locked inside aphasia, his only repeated phrase: “da deet da deet.” The promise of our rekindled bond, built during the restaurant renovation, slipped away—another heartbreak in our complicated story.

This blow fractured my already fragile sense of self and deepened my co-dependency and addiction. My emotional unraveling led me to a lockdown unit to face my growing depression. Years later, I began to truly walk—not just physically, but spiritually.

I found healing on paths I never expected. Climbing a mountain in Peru pushed me beyond my limits, revealing new strength. And years later, I walked the Camino de Santiago. This time, the walking felt like fine-grit sandpaper, smoothing the jagged edges of my recovery. Each step became a prayer, each blister a teacher.

Out of those steps, I wrote A Pilgrim’s Guide to Walking Wisdom—a book of 11 insights gathered over 36 years of walking a sober path. After its release, a young man asked if I would create a walking group. That small suggestion opened the door to something much bigger.

Yesterday, I began the first Walking for Wisdom group at a beautiful retreat center—the same land where I began my shamanic training 21 years ago. Under the same stars, on the same sacred ground, we read a chapter together, reflected on the worksheet, and each pulled a Wind Walker’s Wisdom Oracle card. Then we walked in silence, listening for a breeze to affirm our questions had been heard.

The insights we received were beautifully simple:

• It’s okay to rest.

• Looking up can be useful.

• Some signs are just for you.

• One small action can ripple outward.

This is what Walking for Wisdom offers—movement, silence, insight, and reconnection to self, nature, and the sacred.

An Invitation to Collaborate

If you’re involved in addiction recovery or mental health programming and feel called to bring this walking-based model into your community, let’s connect.

• I offer a train-the-trainer model designed to support your staff or group leaders:
• You bring the books – A minimum purchase of 10 copies of A Pilgrim’s Guide to Walking Wisdom is required to start your Book Walkers Club, organization series, or treatment program. (Message me for wholesale pricing.) Order Your Books Here.
• I’ll provide 11 weeks of worksheets, facilitator guidance, and in-depth training to support a meaningful, nature-based experience.And if I’m nearby, I’d be honored to lead your first walk in person.

Let’s walk together—toward insight, healing, and transformation.

Together, let’s walk people back to themselves—one step, one insight, one breath at a time.