EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO 2025
Active Coaching & Nordic Walking Retreat
Walk El Camino. Elevate Your Life & Leadership.
Join Michael Hoffman, executive coach and leadership expert, for a powerful journey along El Camino de Santiago. This one-of-a-kind retreat blends coaching, Nordic walking, and immersive reflection in Spain’s stunning landscapes.
Designed for just 10 growth-driven leaders, you’ll gain clarity, build resilience, and develop bold strategies for life and business—step by step, mile by mile.
the coach
Michael Hoffman
International Executive And Life Coach, ScaleYOU
Michael Hoffman is a highly regarded international executive and life coach, mentor, and leadership expert. His coaching empowers corporate leaders and individuals to navigate personal and professional transformations with clarity and confidence.
With a background as a symphony orchestra conductor, Michael brings a nuanced understanding of collaboration, communication, and leadership—skills that translate seamlessly into the business and personal development arenas. His ability to synthesize strategy with emotional intelligence makes him a trusted advisor for executives, entrepreneurs, and individuals seeking greater fulfillment and success.
Michael has coached leaders across the globe, including Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurs, and high-potential professionals, helping them achieve peak performance, enhance decision-making, and lead with impact.
Coaching Package Options
PERSONAL 1:1 + GROUP COACHING
(5, 10, or 20 personal coaching sessions)
GROUP COACHING ONLY
+ Personal Coaching on Demand
Collaboration with Professional Coaches
For certified coaches who would like to participate.
CONTACT US TODAY
Now accepting aplications for September/October, 2025. (Limited space)
Designed for Growth
During this 5-day hike, we’ll reconnect with the joy of life, release limiting beliefs, and lighten the emotional load we carry. You’ll gain clarity, rediscover your purpose, and shape a vision for your ideal future — from the inside out. Along the way, you’ll meet people who may become lasting, meaningful parts of your journey.
The Daily Experience
Morning and evening group coaching sessions are thoughtfully planned to create genuine connections, insight sharing, and lighthearted camaraderie. These moments are designed to build a sense of belonging among participants while also opening space for spontaneous, meaningful conversations.
Throughout the journey, you’ll encounter a few unexpected surprises, designed to deepen the experience, spark creativity, or simply delight you along the way.
And because true transformation happens in both stillness and movement, you’ll always have the freedom to choose: join in, contribute, or step back for personal time and solo exploration. This is your journey—shaped by you, supported by us.
Nights Along the Way
At the end of each day’s journey, you’ll rest in comfort.
Each participant will have their own private room in carefully selected, high-quality hotels, often the finest available in each town along the route. While you may have heard of albergues, the traditional pilgrim hostels on El Camino, they offer a more communal and rustic experience, often involving shared dormitories and minimal amenities.
Our retreat offers a different kind of pilgrimage, one focused on reflection, renewal, and deep connection with both the journey and yourself. By removing some of the common inconveniences associated with the classic Camino, you’ll be free to immerse yourself more fully in the landscape, the rhythm of the walk, and the rich cultural tapestry of El Camino de Santiago, all while enjoying the comfort and rest that supports meaningful transformation.
Mind & Body Preparation
To help you get the most out of the experience, we’ll guide you in preparing physically for the journey, ensuring you feel confident and ready to walk 127 kilometers over the course of 5 days.
This stretch of the El Camino de Santiago – Portuguese Trail winds through coastal paths, forested lanes, and charming stone villages. The terrain is gentle and scenic, offering an ideal backdrop for a journey that blends movement with mindfulness.
You can expect:
In the weeks leading up to the retreat, we’ll provide guidance on physical preparation, mindset, and gear—so you arrive grounded, prepared, and ready for what lies ahead.
Taste the Journey
Each evening, we’ll dine along the El Camino de Santiago – Portuguese Trail at some of the finest regional restaurants, where warm Portuguese hospitality and time-honored culinary traditions take center stage. These meals are more than nourishment, they’re a celebration of the journey, rooted in place, culture, and shared experience. Savor dishes like bacalhau à brás (shredded salted cod with potatoes and eggs), caldo verde (a comforting kale and potato soup), or grilled sardinhas served fresh from the coast, all accompanied by local wines or a crisp vinho verde.
Lunches, as seen to the left, are equally rewarding. Whether it’s a rustic meal in a countryside taverna, a picnic of crusty bread, local cheese, olives, and fruit beneath the shade of a cork tree, or a seaside snack in a quiet fishing village, these simple yet flavorful midday breaks offer sustenance and rest in scenic, soul-stirring settings along the trail.
Disconnect to Reconnect
Each morning begins with a shared breakfast and group coaching session, setting the tone for a purposeful day. As you walk, you’ll receive individual mentoring woven into conversations with Lead Coach Michael Hoffman and our experienced guides.
To support deeper presence and reflection, we encourage minimal use of the internet and smartphones during the day. If you’d like, you’re welcome to leave your phone with the guide or have it securely transferred to your next hotel. This is simply an invitation to give yourself more space, to engage fully with the path, the people, and your own unfolding process.
Meet the Staff
Chus Carrascal
Guide & Planning, The Energy Lab
Fitness specialist and expert in the creation of boutique active experiences in nature.
Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, French.
Silvia Bonich
Logistics & Planning, The Energy Lab
Specialist in sports and wellness event planning, fitness program development.
Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, French, Italian.
Michael Hoffman
Executive/Life Coach and MD, scaleyou
Empowering leaders and individuals to achieve growth, purpose, and lasting transformation.
Languages: English, Spanish, Swedish, Danish.
Esther Bieto
Head of Operations, SCaleyou
Specialist in streamlining processes, operations, and ensuring seamless project execution.
Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, Japanese.
Fernanda Garza
Marketing Manager, ScaleYOU
Specialist in digital marketing, social media strategy and content development.
Languages: English, Spanish.
Testimonials
Focus is sessions has had a stunning effect on both my way of seeing my own behavior from a new perspective and also on behavioral change.
Birthe Madsen
Dir. Business Exellence
Falck
Participating in the Camino de Santiago was a very enriching experience. It was a true test of personal endurance and self-discovery, pushing physical and mental limits in ways I hadn’t expected. Highly recommend.
Eric Pons Sisó
Filmmaker & Editor
Dogfy Diet
I have seen a lot of positive changes in my life and my business in the last four years, and I attribute much of the improvement to Michael’s coaching.
John Heard
Partner
Heard & Smith
I really enjoyed my El Camino experience. The scenery, food, drink, and accommodation were excellent. Our small band of walkers quickly became friends. Michael’s coaching sessions led to learnings about self. Sylvia was an energetic and capable guide. If you get the chance, go.
Mark Robinson
Managing Director
St Andrews Lean Consultancy
It was an amazing experience. Thanks for making it happen!
Ramon Estrada
Coach
Copilot to Leaders
I have learned to understand that coaching is of course giving some guidance and framework but most importantly making me think for myself.
Ashenafi Alemu
Managing Partner
Zoscales Partners
September/October 2025 El Camino Route
To be determined…