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A stranger walks the Camino de Santiago for you, puts your name on a Compostela, and mails it to your door. What would that do to your life? Leigh sits down with her longtime friend Rocco Rossi, a Camino veteran with 23 Caminos behind him, to talk about the true tradition that shaped his debut novel Finding Grace: Vicari Pro Camino, walking on behalf of someone else as an act of blessing, memory, and love.

We dig into the real-life tragedy that sparked Rocco’s commitment to walking in another person’s name, and why the Camino can hold grief without erasing it. Rocco shares how community, ritual, and simple kindness can become a lifeline, especially for people carrying addiction, loss, or shame. We also talk about the “great leveler” effect of the Camino Frances, where a job title or bank account means nothing and what matters is the person you are over a shared meal or a few quiet kilometers.

Then we step into some of the most powerful Camino moments from the book and from lived experience: the humbling foot washing ritual at San Nicolas, the deep stillness that modern life steals from us, and why the Meseta can be where the real inner pilgrimage finally begins. If you’re planning a pilgrimage to Santiago, or looking for a Camino book that feels like real Camino life, you’ll come away with fresh motivation and a bigger view of what walking can be.

Subscribe for more Camino stories, share this with a friend who needs a little grace, and leave a review so more pilgrims can find the show.

Get the book - Finding Grace : https://a.co/d/0ceHhMhl

Connect with Rocco: https://www.roccorossi.com/

Episode 40 with Rocco Rossi : https://podcasts.apple.com/th/podcast/40-rocco-rossi-13-caminos-and-still-counting/id1562037974?i=1000548367415

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🎙️💖 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751717/support

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🔴 ▶️https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6VN9ze3z61n6tRLtDXWuQw

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🎵 The Camino Cafe's intro and outro song is in thanks to fellow Pilgrim, Jackson Maloney. Original Song - "Finnis Terre" - written and performed by Jackson Maloney - Singer, Musician, and Songwriter.

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We sit down with full-time musician Felix Peralta to trace how a Camino Frances singer-songwriter retreat turns foggy mornings, cafe sing-alongs, and daily miles into a finished album. Along the way, we talk honestly about grief, sobriety, and the rare kind of friendship that forms when you put your heart on the table.

• Felix’s life as a touring musician and community drummer in New Mexico
• Meeting Christina Jacobson, getting sober, and choosing a new path
• Saying yes to a Camino de Santiago songwriting retreat and traveling to Spain
• Finding creative fuel in fog, hills, cafes, and simple daily rhythm
• Writing constantly on the move with voice notes, sticky notes, and small moments
• Celebrating 10+ years of sobriety as a personal gift and reset
• Cruz de Ferro as a place to release grief, lost loves, and old habits
• Feeling ancestral connection and making a promise to stop generational trauma
• Co-writing “Hearts on the Table” with Stefan Webster and why men need space to talk
• Bringing Camino magic home through art, performance, and continued healing
• Tips for returning home: keep making something that reopens the memory

Connect with Felix:

https://felixgatoperalta.com/

Info on Kristina's Camino Retreats for Musicians and Singer Songwriters:

https://www.singmebackhomesongwriting.com/

Hearts on the Table recording appears with permission from Felix Peralta and Staffan Wester.

Photos and Recordings Courtesy of Sing Me Back Retreats, Felix Peralta, Staffan Wester, and/or Camino Cafe Podcast

Support the show

Become a supporter of The Camino Cafe Podcast:

🎙️💖 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751717/support

Buy Me a Coffee:

☕️💛 https://buymeacoffee.com/caminocafepodcast

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
🔴 ▶️https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6VN9ze3z61n6tRLtDXWuQw

Follow us on Instagram:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/thecaminocafepodcast/

🎵 The Camino Cafe's intro and outro song is in thanks to fellow Pilgrim, Jackson Maloney. Original Song - "Finnis Terre" - written and performed by Jackson Maloney - Singer, Musician, and Songwriter.

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Staffan Website

https://epk.recordunion.com/wes

Staffan Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570463024061&ref=1

Staffan Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/wes_weswebb/

Staffan Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/artist/01YlKlKwoNGUo1bL7ytOS6?si=noQTrjWEQ96oS3o_jQbgRQ

Songs featured on the show:

Hearts on the Table

https://open.spotify.com/track/387u6NnjrOr5hOw9GpGh31?si=a136eb76af674da3

Dear Lester

https://open.spotify.com/track/48CYwJCFMzdtZQb7GTBpCr?si=4147bec847314eb6

To Join a Camino Singer Songwriter Retreat with Dr. Kristina Jacobsen:

https://www.singmebackhomesongwriting.com/santiago

Podcast with Kristina

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/110-melodies-of-the-soul-a-singers-journey/id1562037974?i=1000647863435

All songs played with permission from Dr. Kristina's Retreat Final Concert and from the artists on the professional recordings.

Support the show

Become a supporter of The Camino Cafe Podcast:

🎙️💖 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1751717/support

Buy Me a Coffee:

☕️💛 https://buymeacoffee.com/caminocafepodcast

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
🔴 ▶️https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6VN9ze3z61n6tRLtDXWuQw

Follow us on Instagram:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/thecaminocafepodcast/

🎵 The Camino Cafe's intro and outro song is in thanks to fellow Pilgrim, Jackson Maloney. Original Song - "Finnis Terre" - written and performed by Jackson Maloney - Singer, Musician, and Songwriter.