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Hello, beautiful people,
Lately, it’s becoming harder to trust what we see.
Images can be generated. Words can be written by machines. Voices can be replicated. We are entering a time where the line between what is real and what is artificial is no longer obvious, and that creates a quiet but profound discomfort. It makes us wonder:
Where are we going from here?
And how difficult will it become to believe in something again for the first time, truly? This question brings us back to something simple, but fundamental.
A walk is real.
Nature is real.
A conversation, face to face, step by step, is real.
You cannot simulate the feeling of moving your body through a landscape. You cannot artificially recreate the clarity that emerges after an hour of walking. You cannot replace the sense of connection that happens when humans share time, silence, and presence. Nature does not deceive. Walking does not deceive.
And yet, technology is not the enemy.
If anything, it can serve as a trigger, a reminder to switch off, to step away, to return to ourselves (just think about this very same newsletter). It can amplify what is already true in us and point us back outside, toward the world we can feel and inhabit.
What is real is what we do.
In January and February, we began our year walking with teams in California, near Los Angeles, and in San Francisco. And what we witnessed, once again, was simple and undeniable: Human contact is real. Human interaction is real. Human respect is real. That is where we choose to continue.
Perhaps we are approaching a wall, one built from noise, speed, and artificial signals. And when we reach it, we will have only two options: crash into it, or return to what is essential.
Return to our inner nature.
Return to being together.
Return to supporting each other as humans.
There is no technological substitute for that.
Without it, we risk losing not only trust, but ourselves.
So the question is simple and personal.
Where do you want to stand?
Behind a screen, shaped by algorithms?
Or in your own life, grounded in what you feel, see, and live?
Maybe it is time to bring yourself and/or your team back into the real world.
We would like to invite you to go for a walk.
Stand up.
Open the door.
Go outside.
Go inside yourself.
That is where what is real begins.
Until our next newsletter,
Keep walking with us,
changing the world one step at a time, one person at a time.
Joao Perre Viana
Partner, Walking Mentorship
That shared dynamic, that symbiosis, is the real magic. That’s why we call you beautiful people. For now, we say: thank you for walking with us, let’s keep changing the world, one person at a time, one step at a time.
Until our next newsletter in 2026,
Joao Perre Viana
Partner, Walking Mentorship
* The beautiful image at the top wasn’t AI-generated. It may look almost unreal, but it was taken just last week, looking out toward Catalina Island in Southern California, during a truly magical sunset. Completely real, completely unfiltered.
Ready for 2026?
If you think it is about time to take yourself for a walk, we invite you to join one of our carefully designed upcoming programs. 2026 has plenty to choose from 👇
🔹 Camino de Berobreo with Michelle Hirschman – Spain
[17 April-25 April] Start here
🔹 Slow down into Adventure Elevate Europe 2026 – Spain
[16 May-18 May] Start here
🔹 Camino de Santiago – Spain
[22 May-30 May] Start here
🔹 Slow down into Nature Connected Live 2026 – United Kingdom
[14 June-16 June] Start here
🔹 Parents & Kids I – Spain
[4 July-11 July] Start here
🔹 Parents & Kids II – Spain
[25 July-1 August] Start here
🔹 Via Francigena – Switzerland
[21 August-29 August] Start here
🔹 Camino de Berobreo with Jodi Morris – Spain
[18 September-26 September] Start here
🔹 Slow down into Synery The Retreat Show 2026 – Croatia
[27 September-29 April] Start here
🔹 Kumano Kodo – Japan
[10 October- 17 October] Start here
[24 October- 31 October] Start here
🔹 Year-end (Alumni only) 2026 – Morocco
[9 December-13 December] Start here
What have we been doing?
Our January was, as you may have noticed, a little quieter, which is why this newsletter is only arriving at the beginning of February. We deliberately took some time to rest and reset. One of us travelled to Morocco, combining a proper break with scouting for the program we’ll be running there in December, a truly inspiring experience.
Towards the end of the month, we headed to California, just as we did last year, to open new routes, work with existing clients, and connect with new ones. It was an energising trip that we’re already hoping to repeat soon, especially as we prepare to welcome more walking mentors in the U.S. Our mentoring training is about to kick off in a couple of weeks.
We also delivered another program in San Francisco, adding one more small flag to the map. Hopefully, this is just the first of many on the West Coast. We’re stepping into the year with excitement and curiosity about what’s next.
And if anyone out there happens to know who’s in charge of the rain in Portugal… please ask them to ease up a little. We love the rain, just perhaps not quite this much.
You can watch the videos of our previous programs on the YouTube channel here.
How can we walk together?
Walking Mentorship is a labor of love that helps you gain deeper insight and equips you to create a meaningful impact on your life and those around you.
How can we work together? We keep things simple by offering Individual, Group, and Corporate programs. You can also give vouchers as gifts to the people you love. Find the best fit for you and book a call with one of our mentors.
In the meantime, keep walking with us 🚶♂️, changing the world one step at a time.
