Where the Yellow Arrows Led Me: Lessons in Leadership and Life from 114 Kilometers on the Camino de Santiago
Last week I followed a series of yellow arrows and scallop shell markers across northern Spain, walking the last 114 kilometers on the Camino de Santiago—a centuries-old pilgrimage that ends in the sacred city of Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims from all over the world walk the Camino for many reasons: spiritual renewal, physical challenge, healing, clarity, or simply the need to reconnect with themselves.
My reason? It began as something deeply personal. This past year brought unexpected shifts both personally and professionally. As I prepared for my journey, the core question I kept returning to was the same one I brought to the trail:
What If…?
What If I stripped life down to a backpack, a path, and a question? What If I stopped proving, stopped pushing, and simply walked—step by step—into whatever was next?
The Camino met me with beauty, exhaustion, pain, and more wisdom than I could have imagined. I embarked on this pilgrimage for myself—but what I didn’t expect were the leadership lessons that emerged with each kilometer. Here are three that I now carry with me—and why they matter far beyond the dusty trails of Galicia.
1 | Your Path, Your Power
On Day 2, I made a decision that changed everything: I stopped carrying my 18-pound pack. After a grueling first day that covered 22 kilometers and ended with me dropping my pack on the side of the trail, my knees and ankles buckling under weight I didn’t need to carry, I asked the question I should have asked earlier:
What If I didn’t have to?
That night at dinner, I met a couple—Megan and Pablo—who told me I could have my pack transported to the next stop for just 4 euros. All I had to do was set it down.
So, I did. And I walked lighter—not just in weight, but in mindset.
It made me wonder: Why do we carry so much—emotionally, mentally, even professionally—out of guilt, obligation, pride, or the need to prove something?
On the trail, and in life, progress isn’t validated by suffering. It’s validated by purpose.
Leadership isn’t about how much you can carry—it’s about knowing what’s yours to hold and what needs to be put down. There’s no shame in letting go of what’s weighing us down. Comparison doesn’t define our journey. Finding joy in our individual path—and releasing the need to measure it against someone else’s—is where our real freedom begins.
There is wisdom in walking light. There is power in walking with intention.
2 | Mindset Moves Mountains
On Day 1, with just 3 kilometers to go, I hit my breaking point. My knees and ankles throbbed from steep inclines and uneven terrain. My mind spiraled. I didn’t think I could finish.
I dropped my pack, sat down beside it in the gravel—and cried.
And then, something unexpected. A voice inside—equal parts compassionate and commanding:
"This is why you came. To find out you’re stronger than you think. Sit here. Let it suck. Take some deep breaths. Then—GET UP. Not 3km, just the next step. Then the next."
So, I did.
The terrain didn’t change. But I did.
That moment made something crystal clear: the story we tell ourselves shapes how we lead, how we love, how we live—and how we show up in the hardest moments that define us.
We don’t need to be invincible. We need to be honest. Vulnerable. And then—intentional.
Because mindset isn’t fluff. It’s the internal force that moves mountains, organizations, and people.
3 | We’re Wired to Walk Together
I set out to walk alone. But what the Camino reminded me—over and over—is that we are not meant to do life (or leadership) in isolation.
Barb, Nancy, Pablo, and Megan—strangers who became sacred parts of my journey. Barb, with four ibuprofen when I needed it most. Nancy, Barb’s mom, 84 years old and walking her own Camino with a grace that stopped me in my tracks. Megan and Pablo, who not only saved my knees with their advice but later reappeared—seemingly out of nowhere—just when I needed a boost. We walked 12 kilometers together that day, sharing stories, sore feet, and real joy.
Somewhere along those shared steps, a belief I’ve long held came vividly to life:
Belonging isn’t a buzzword. It’s survival.
Data confirms this again and again—through research like Google’s Project Aristotle, Blue Zone longevity studies, and Eddie Jaku’s Holocaust survival memoir The Happiest Man on Earth. Connection multiplies endurance, performance, and wellbeing.
Leaders, take note: psychological safety and connection aren’t soft skills. They are performance infrastructure. If you want results, build belonging. Foster connection. Make it intentional.
The Road After The Road
My final morning on the trail brought sideways rain and 30mph wind gusts—the Camino’s way of making sure I earned the ending. Soaked, exhausted, and grinning with everything I had left, I walked into the plaza in Santiago de Compostela.
And those yellow arrows I had been following? Turns out they were pointing me back to myself the whole time.
I lost a lot on the Camino: comparison, fear, and resentment. But I gained more than I ever expected: presence, clarity, confidence—and the unshakable belief that I am stronger than I imagined.
The last steps of any great journey are always the first steps of what’s next.
This experience left me many things—tired, vulnerable, and deeply moved. But most of all, it left me unshakable.
I invite you to walk with me. At The What If Collective, we’re building frameworks, experiences, and leadership tools rooted in the same truths I learned on the trail. If your team is carrying too much, navigating change, or hungry for connected performance, I’d love to walk that path with you and discover how The What If Collective can add value to your journey
Buen Camino, always.
—Brandi Croghan
Founder, The What If Collective
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