Finding Your Force: Lessons from the Camino de Santiago
/Every great journey changes you—and my most recent one was 500 miles across Spain with nothing but a backpack, sore feet, and faith to guide me.
For the past five weeks, I stepped away from summer lessons to walk the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage stretching from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Santiago, Spain. Some people go for the hike, others for the spiritual journey. For me, it was a mix of all of those—but mostly it was a challenge. I love working out, I love pushing myself, and I love practicing what I preach to all of you: be an athlete and go achieve something! And believe me, when you’re crammed into albergues (hostels) with dozens of strangers snoring all night, humility comes quickly. Along the way, I met people from every walk of life: an Olympic bronze medalist, business leaders, priests, and everyday adventurers.
There were countless lessons I could bring home from this trip, but one stands out above the rest: everybody has a force pulling them forward. On the Camino, I couldn’t get the image out of my head: thousands of people across a beautiful land, slowly and steadily wandering like little ants to one very important place on Earth. I met people walking to find clarity in retirement, to choose a career path after school, to heal from the loss of a loved one, or simply to uncover their truest self. No matter the reason, there was always something deeper at work—something mysterious drawing us all in one direction. To me, it feels like potential—that sense of what or where you could be but aren’t yet. It’s always there, whispering in the back of your mind, nudging you to step onto a certain path.
In my own life, I’ve always felt pulled toward sports. I was drawn to the challenge of working hard and trying to succeed. I felt that force when a coach believed in me. I’ll never forget when my college coach looked at me and Rachel (the other pitcher on my team), and asked, “Which one of you is going to take the lead spot?” Rachel shrugged—but I thought, I will! That moment was thrilling. Looking back, I see now that it wasn’t random. It was a glimpse of my potential—and the spark that comes from chasing it. I decided to practice and lift weights more in the offseason than I ever had, and we won the National Championship that very next year.
You have the same pull. Every one of you does. Maybe it’s your love of the game, your dream of pitching at the next level, or wanting to win the championship. The offseason is about finding that force and following it.
So as we step into this offseason together, I challenge you to ask yourself:
What is your potential in softball?
Are you fighting against it or letting it pull you forward?
And are you willing to chase your full potential—not just the easy parts, but the physical and mental ones too?
I came back from the Camino grateful, patient (especially after 7 hours of walking a day!), and re-focused. I’m the luckiest person in the world to get to coach all of you and build this Practice Pro family. This offseason, let’s do more than practice pitches. Let’s follow what’s pulling us, discover our true potential, and see how far it takes us.
See you at practice.
— Abby
