The Walk

You know that feeling when you’ve been holding your breath for weeks—without even noticing? That was me. Caught in a storm of what-ifs, low-level anxiety, and a thousand racing thoughts.

When that ha…

There are weeks when nothing dramatic happens—and yet, you feel exhausted before anything even begins.

That was this past week for me. A slow drain of energy, not from doing too much, but from carryi…

It’s been 100 days.

One hundred days since the white smoke rose over the Vatican and Pope Leo stepped onto the balcony as the first American pope.

And also—one hundred days since I started walking ev…

I was walking in the woods, trying to escape the heatwave—and the mental heatwave in my head. I’d just come out of a Sunday that flipped everything upside down.

You know that feeling when life throws…

This weekend, I followed a bunch of gnomes into a rock concert.

That sentence alone should explain why I love Castlefest.

But honestly, what stood out most wasn’t the fantasy costumes or the festival…

This week, I walked through the woods—and through a lot of thoughts.

After last week’s intense physical challenge (four marathons' worth of walking!), my body hit the brakes. Fatigue rolled in like a…

After a month of traveling—first to Ireland for a writing retreat, then to the Walk of the World—I’m finally back home, walking in the woods near where I live. And as I reflect on those weeks, one th…

I just finished the Walk of the World in Nijmegen—40 kilometers a day, for four days straight—and I feel… surprisingly great.

That wasn’t always the case. The last two times I joined this epic Dutch …

This week’s episode of The Walk was recorded on a quiet trail in the Wicklow Mountains. It’s my last full day in Ireland, and I wanted to soak up every second of it. No plans, no pressure—just follow…

I always thought retreats had to happen in silence. In a monastery. With stillness, books, and maybe the sound of a distant bell.

But this week, soaked to the bone on a rain-slicked mountain trail in…

I’m writing this from a quiet mountain trail overlooking the Upper Lake of Glendalough. The same path Saint Kevin walked 1,500 years ago. And maybe, in some small way, I’m walking it too.

I came to I…

This week, I walked 40 kilometers in the heat, visited my favorite zoo, got a nasty blister, and accidentally outlined three new books. All while talking to myself.

That’s the power of walking. It do…

I used to be what the Dutch call a “stress chicken.” Always on edge, grinding my teeth over deadlines, trying to please everyone, and convinced that anything less than perfect was failure.

In high sc…

For years, I kept telling myself the same story.

That I never finished my doctorate.
That I start too many things and finish too few.
That I’m wasting time while others are moving ahead.

And honestly…

Last week was a blur. Between TV interviews, an online course, rainy bike rides to Mass, and hosting a Star Wars convention, I found myself teetering between total exhaustion and surprising moments o…

It’s taken me years to admit this, but I think I finally know what I need to focus on in my life.

I’ve always juggled many roles—priest, content creator, coach, podcaster, commentator, media guy, you…

This was a tough one to share.

A few weeks ago, I asked ChatGPT to give me an honest, unfiltered analysis of my life—based on everything it “knew” about me from past podcast transcripts and conversat…

This past week, I almost walked straight into a burnout.

I had convinced myself that every hour had to be productive. That every moment of rest needed to be “useful.” That if I wasn’t creating someth…

This past month, I took some time off — not for a trip or a big project like I had planned, but simply to pause and reflect. And something unexpected happened: I finally found clarity about my own vo…

When the news came that Pope Francis had passed away, I was surprised by how peaceful I felt. No panic, no sadness—just deep gratitude. Gratitude for a man who, without ever knowing me personally, ch…