Walking virtually alongside pilgrims and authors, the Sacred Steps Podcast explores the world's most revered footpaths, connecting a community of pilgrims from across the globe. From the Camino de Santiago through Spain to the Via Francigena across Europe to Italy, the podcast features updates and first-hand accounts from the footpaths of pilgrimage.
Produced by Sacred Steps Books as a companion to Kevin Donahue's pilgrimage books (The Pilgrims' Table, the Camino Chronicles series), the podcast also introduces several lesser-known journeys, such as England’s Pilgrims’ Way to Canterbury and the California Missions Trail in the United States.
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S4:E6 How Did the Camino de Santiago Get Its Yellow Arrows?
Season 4
Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 24:07
Every pilgrim learns to trust it within a day: a splash of yellow paint pointing the way to Santiago. It feels ancient — but it's younger than color TV. This episode tells the story of the stubborn parish priest, the battered Citroën, and the cans of leftover paint that quietly rescued the Camino de Santiago from disappearing altogether.
Husband. Father. Backpacker. Pilgrim. Author. Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes across Europe, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A. in 2019. The host of the Sacred Steps Podcast, his work reflects a deep belief that the most meaningful journeys are measured not in miles but in the lives impacted.
The first book in Donahue’s Camino Chronicles series, The Pilgrim’s Table, debuted as both a #1 New Release and #1 Bestseller for Religious Travel on Amazon.com. The novel follows five pilgrims across the Camino de Santiago towards a communal meal on Spain’s westernmost coast. What begins as a polite conversation over dinner deepens into laughter, confession, and unexpected grace. One by one, they realize their separate journeys have been asking similar questions all along. Not what have you accomplished? But who are you becoming? By dawn, the pilgrims will discover that the hardest part of any journey is not the walking. It’s what comes after.
The second book in the Camino Chronicles series, The Pilgrim’s Letter, is scheduled to debut in 2027.
S4E5: Walking the Camino Alongside Three Talented Authors
Season 4
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 • Duration 27:14
On today's episode, we're exploring the creative projects of three Camino authors: María Seco, Angela Leslee, and Shoshana Kerewsky. Each with her own unique perspective, they are taking inspiration from their own experiences on the Camino de Santiago and inspiring pilgrims with very different approaches to the Camino Fiction genre.
From her home on the Camino Portugués, Spanish teacher and author María Seco crafts easy-reading Spanish-language fiction that helps pilgrims build the language skills for a richer Camino. Author Angela Leslee brings women's fiction to the Camino Francés in her Camino Curious series, following women who set off to walk 500 miles in search of answers — with a little magic along the way. And author Shoshana Kerewsky, a retired psychotherapist and multiple-time pilgrim, blends lyrical prose and poetry into award-winning reflections on the Camino, identity, and healing.
Author Kevin Donahue (www.kevindonahue.com) discusses his new novel, The Pilgrim's Table (www.thepilgrimstable.com) which is now available globally on Amazon.
Coming next in the Camino Chronicles series:The Pilgrim's Letter (Book Two, 2027) — thepilgrimsletter.com
S4E3: Walking The Camino in the Extreme Heat
Season 4
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 • Duration 18:28
Walking the Camino in summer heat? This episode is your practical survival guide for France, Spain, and Portugal — when to start, how to hydrate, how to spot heat exhaustion before it becomes heat stroke, and how to plan a route that respects the sun.
Full written guide: kevindonahue.com Read The Pilgrim's Table: thepilgrimstable.com
Kevin Donahue goes inside his debut novel, The Pilgrim's Table, which is Book One of the Camino Chronicles series.
Five Camino pilgrims arrive, spent and searching, at Spain's final albergue to find unexpected grace... and discover their journey is only beginning. Book One of the Camino Chronicles. Available now at ThePilgrimsTable.com.
Genre: Literary Fiction Series: The Camino Chronicles, Book One Publisher: Sacred Steps Books / Chez Mer Studios ISBN (Paperback): 979-8-9960935-0-2 ISBN (Hardcover): 979-8-9960935-1-9
Comparable titles: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, A Man Called Ove
Book Club Materials: The novel includes a full Leader's Guide, discussion questions, recipes from Matthieu's dinner menu, a Spanish-language guide, a pilgrim journal template, and a curated Spotify playlist. All available at www.thepilgrimstable.com
The Series The Camino Chronicles - series overview, Book Two updates, and news: www.caminochronicles.com
The Author Kevin Donahue - author home, writing, and updates: www.kevindonahue.com
Sacred Steps Books The publishing imprint behind the Camino Chronicles: www.sacredstepsbooks.com
S4:E1 How Pilgrimage Changes After The Journey
Season 4
Monday, May 18, 2026 • Duration 36:11
Following a three-year hiatus, the Sacred Steps Podcast returns to discuss how pilgrimage can continue to transform you after the journey. After experiencing loss, grief, and devoting time to caregiving, host Kevin Donahue discusses how pilgrimage helped steer his daily reflection and journaling.
In the interim, Kevin completed his first novel, The Pilgrims Table, which is now available for pre-sale at http://www.thepilgrimstable.com.
THE PILGRIMS TABLE On an October evening in Muxía, Spain – the place medievals called “the end of the world” – five strangers arrive separately at a pilgrim inn. A Boston woman who has just walked 1,600 kilometers away from a 23-year marriage. A young man, eight months sober, finishing his Camino on a bus. A Canadian couple on their fourth Camino, contemplating retirement and what matters most. A Spanish teacher carrying her dead brother’s stone. Their host, a French chef who escaped corporate kitchens, has never walked the Camino himself. A communal meal at the end of their journey leads to laughter, confessions, and unexpected grace. It’s a story about the challenges we carry, the questions we haven’t answered, and the strangers who sometimes see us best.
S3:E10 Carrying Pilgrim Prayers on my Camino to the Tomb of St. Peter
Season 3
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 • Duration 39:40
Nearly 70 pilgrims and families asked me to pray on their behalf at cathedrals and places of natural beauty throughout Italy during my Via Francigena pilgrimage to Rome. Born of all types of human conditions, their prayers were simultaneously the lightest and heaviest thing I carried along my journey. The experience changed me, my Camino, and the way I see view the power of pilgrimage.
Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes in 2019, joining the historical footprints of pilgrims seeking places and people to inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love. His passion for these historic footpaths and reflections from the journeys form the basis for his books: and .
S3:E9 Slowing Down & Discovering the World | Cruisin with the Colemans
Season 3
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 • Duration 01:06:18
The Camino de Santiago ignited a passion for slow travel and the discovery it affords teachers Brian & Michelle Coleman. They followed the road across the United States and walked pilgrimage routes throughout Europe. Now the Colemans share their journies to inspire others who are seeking slower, more fulfilling journies.
S3:E8 Through a Field of Stars | Exploring the Camino de Santiago with Author Brian J. Skillen
Season 3
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 • Duration 01:04:27
Author Brian J. Skillen (http://www.brianjohnskillen.com/) heard legends of the Knights Templar in Spain on the first day of his Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. He followed Templar symbols alongside Camino arrows and discovered the basis for his first Camino trilogy: Through A Field of Stars. His three books have become international best-sellers, following the dramatic saga of sacred relics and brave knights across the Camino Frances. Brian joins the podcast along with his partner, Chelsea, to share behind-the-scenes stories of his books and their most recent Camino pilgrimage.
S3:E7 Planning Your 2023 Camino de Santiago | Livestream
Season 3
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 • Duration 02:00:56
Are you planning your first Camino de Santiago? In this dedicated live-streaming Q&A, author & noted pilgrim Anne Born joins Kevin Donahue to share tips and answer questions submitted by pilgrims walking this year. This live stream was recorded on Saturday, February 4, 2023 on YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon Live. To watch the video replay, visit https://youtube.com/live/Ua8DJHFr7BM.
MEET OUR GUEST: Anne Born Known on social media as #LittleOldLadyWalking, American poet, author, and noted Camino pilgrim Anne Born (https://tumbleweedpilgrim.com/) has walked the Camino de Santiago ten times. An award-winning writer, Anne is the publisher of The Backpack Press. Her writing focuses on family and life in a big city after growing up in a small one. She is the author of “A Marshmallow on the Bus,” “Prayer Beads on the Train,” “Waiting on a Platform,” “Turnstiles,” and “Local Color." Anne has written two books related to the Camino de Santiago: "Buen Camino! Tips from an American Pilgrim" and If You Stand Here: A Pilgrim's Tour of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela." Anne divides her time between New York and Michigan, and the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
María Seco A native Spaniard raised in a Camino village, María Seco taught Spanish in Ireland for 15 years before returning home to Spain, where she now lives along the Camino Portugués. Through her blog, books, and podcast at Spanish for Camino, María helps English-speaking pilgrims learn the Spanish language and culture they need for a richer, more meaningful Camino. Her easy-Spanish novel, Mi Primer Camino de Santiago, follows first-time pilgrim Emma across a six-day walk to Santiago — teaching real-world Camino vocabulary through story.
Angela Leslee Angela Leslee considers life an adventure — whether it's walking 500 miles across an entire country, living off the grid in a tiny house, or swimming with whales in the open ocean. Following three memoirs, including The Way of Love: On the Camino de Santiago, Angela turned to fiction with her Camino Curious series: Camino Magic, Camino Secrets, and Camino Family. Her women's fiction follows pilgrims who set out on the Camino de Santiago to make sense of their lives — engrossing stories sprinkled with a little magic.
Shoshana Kerewsky Shoshana D. Kerewsky is a retired psychotherapist and faculty emerita who has walked the Camino de Santiago several times. Her award-winning book Cancer, Kintsugi, Camino: A Memoir — winner of a Firebird Book Award and a Pacific Book Award for Best Memoir — weaves lyrical prose and poetry into a narrative mosaic exploring pilgrimage, identity, illness, and healing. Her follow-up, 50 Days in May: Reflections Along the Camino de Santiago, continues her meditative reflections from the Way. Her writing has appeared in La Concha and numerous other publications.
MEET THE HOST: Kevin Donahue
Husband. Father. Backpacker. Pilgrim. Author. Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes across Europe, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A. in 2019. The host of the Sacred Steps Podcast, his work reflects a deep belief that the most meaningful journeys are measured not in miles but in the lives impacted.
The first book in Donahue’s Camino Chronicles series, The Pilgrim’s Table, debuted as both a #1 New Release and #1 Bestseller for Religious Travel on Amazon.com. The novel follows five pilgrims across the Camino de Santiago towards a communal meal on Spain’s westernmost coast. What begins as a polite conversation over dinner deepens into laughter, confession, and unexpected grace. One by one, they realize their separate journeys have been asking similar questions all along. Not what have you accomplished? But who are you becoming? By dawn, the pilgrims will discover that the hardest part of any journey is not the walking. It’s what comes after.
The second book in the Camino Chronicles series, The Pilgrim’s Letter, is scheduled to debut in 2027.
Author Kevin Donahue (The Pilgrim's Table, Pilgrim Paths)began walking pilgrimage routes across Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 2019 - including the Camino de Santiago in 2019 and again in 2023 with his son, the Via Francigena to Rome in 2024, the Pilgrim's Way from London to Canterbury, the Way of St. Cuthbert to Holy Island, and the California Missions Trail. After more than twenty-five years in luxury hospitality, he retired early to spend more intentional time with family and to pursue the work that matters most to him. He hosts two podcasts - Sacred Steps (pilgrimage) and Casual Mondays (early retirement) - and lives in Florida with his wife, son, and their two beagles, Otis and Larry.
Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes across Europe, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A. in 2019. The host of the Sacred Steps Podcast, his work reflects a deep belief that the most meaningful journeys are measured not in miles but in the lives impacted.
The Pilgrims Table, a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage novel, is the first book released in the Camino Chronicles series.
Kevin lives in Florida with his wife, son, and their two beagles, Otis and Larry.
At the crossroads of history and faith, a reluctant pilgrim embarks on a modern pilgrimage along some of the world’s most revered footpaths. Along the way, he discovers the places and encounters people that inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love.
Available from print and digital booksellers, Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal conveys both the historical context and the modern experience of pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain on the Camino de Santiago, along America’s Pacific Coast connecting the California Missions Trail, across receding tides to Holy Island, from London to Canterbury along Britain’s historic Pilgims’ Way, and onward towards Rome via Europe’s Via Francigena on a journey of discovery.
The Pilgrims’ Table | Free Preview Brought together by fate for a memorable dinner, five pilgrims recall their emotional journeys along Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Powerful and moving, The Pilgrims’ Table is an emotional look at the transformational power of pilgrimage.
Born from the intersection of my experiences with those of other pilgrims, The Pilgims’ Table is the story of five pilgrims from divergent paths who come together at a Spanish albergue. The deeply personal stories shared over dinner transform their outlook on pilgrimage and connect them as one pilgrim family.
Having traveled much of the United States, Mexico, and Europe, Brian and Michelle Coleman developed a love of slow travel. From the windshield of their RV, from hiking trails, to pilgrim pathways, the Colemans love finding quaint towns across the globe, mastering a big city, and can’t get enough of state and national parks.
Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes in 2019, joining the historical footprints of pilgrims seeking places and people to inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love. His passion for these historic footpaths and reflections from the journeys form the basis for his books: Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal and The Pilgrims’ Table.
At the crossroads of history and faith, a reluctant pilgrim embarks on a modern pilgrimage along some of the world’s most revered footpaths. Along the way, he discovers the places and encounters people that inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love.
Available from print and digital booksellers, Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal conveys both the historical context and the modern experience of pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain on the Camino de Santiago, along America’s Pacific Coast connecting the California Missions Trail, across receding tides to Holy Island, from London to Canterbury along Britain’s historic Pilgims’ Way, and onward towards Rome via Europe’s Via Francigena on a journey of discovery.
The Pilgrims’ Table | Free Preview Brought together by fate for a memorable dinner, five pilgrims recall their emotional journeys along Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Powerful and moving, The Pilgrims’ Table is an emotional look at the transformational power of pilgrimage.
Born from the intersection of my experiences with those of other pilgrims, The Pilgims’ Table is the story of five pilgrims from divergent paths who come together at a Spanish albergue. The deeply personal stories shared over dinner transform their outlook on pilgrimage and connect them as one pilgrim family.
An award-winning author, Brian John Skillen grew up with dyslexia and a third-grade reading and spelling level in high school. He never in a million years thought he would be an author. Brian used his ability to turn thoughts backward to become an internationally touring dance instructor, who found the Camino de Santiago while on tour in Spain. In the small town of Castrojeriz, he was first told about a secret code of the Knights Templar on the Camino de Santiago. As he hiked the Camino across Spain, the code played out along the route, inspiring the best-selling Through a Field of Stars series.
Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes in 2019, joining the historical footprints of pilgrims seeking places and people to inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love. His passion for these historic footpaths and reflections from the journeys form the basis for his books: Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal and The Pilgrims’ Table.
At the crossroads of history and faith, a reluctant pilgrim embarks on a modern pilgrimage along some of the world’s most revered footpaths. Along the way, he discovers the places and encounters people that inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love.
Available from print and digital booksellers, Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal conveys both the historical context and the modern experience of pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain on the Camino de Santiago, along America’s Pacific Coast connecting the California Missions Trail, across receding tides to Holy Island, from London to Canterbury along Britain’s historic Pilgims’ Way, and onward towards Rome via Europe’s Via Francigena on a journey of discovery.
The Pilgrims’ Table | Free Preview Brought together by fate for a memorable dinner, five pilgrims recall their emotional journeys along Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Powerful and moving, The Pilgrims’ Table is an emotional look at the transformational power of pilgrimage.
Born from the intersection of my experiences with those of other pilgrims, The Pilgims’ Table is the story of five pilgrims from divergent paths who come together at a Spanish albergue. The deeply personal stories shared over dinner transform their outlook on pilgrimage and connect them as one pilgrim family.
Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes in 2019, joining the historical footprints of pilgrims seeking places and people to inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love. His passion for these historic footpaths and reflections from the journeys form the basis for his books: Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal and The Pilgrims’ Table.
At the crossroads of history and faith, a reluctant pilgrim embarks on a modern pilgrimage along some of the world’s most revered footpaths. Along the way, he discovers the places and encounters people that inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love.
Available from print and digital booksellers, Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal conveys both the historical context and the modern experience of pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain on the Camino de Santiago, along America’s Pacific Coast connecting the California Missions Trail, across receding tides to Holy Island, from London to Canterbury along Britain’s historic Pilgims’ Way, and onward towards Rome via Europe’s Via Francigena on a journey of discovery.
The Pilgrims’ Table | Free Preview Brought together by fate for a memorable dinner, five pilgrims recall their emotional journeys along Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Powerful and moving, The Pilgrims’ Table is an emotional look at the transformational power of pilgrimage.
Born from the intersection of my experiences with those of other pilgrims, The Pilgims’ Table is the story of five pilgrims from divergent paths who come together at a Spanish albergue. The deeply personal stories shared over dinner transform their outlook on pilgrimage and connect them as one pilgrim family.
