Who we are and why we walk
Red Monkey was started in 2014, after Rachael Sanborn took a life changing trip on the Camino de Santiago. She found that, especially in the digital age, walking was the only thing that effectively “turned off the mind." The ancient technique of pilgrimage seamlessly weaves deep meditation, without ignoring the body or earth.
The name “Red Monkey” references Hanuman, the Hindu god of joyful service. Red Monkey is devoted to facilitating trips that promote finding profound insight while having as much fun as possible.
Rachael Corinne Sanborn
Rachael has been deeply engaged in hiking and pilgrimage as a spiritual practice for over 20 years. She has been cultivating a meditation practice for the same duration. Her passion for cultures has led her to live all over the world, but she regards Spain as a second home. Rachael was raised Tibetan Buddhist and "rebelled" by dropping out of college to meditate in India for a year. Since then, a great part of her life has been dedicated to balancing Eastern and Western meditation practices. Walking the Camino helps her do just that.
Rachael is a lay historian, art aficionado, and skilled facilitator. She is a certified yoga instructor, teacher of Bharata Natyam, and has walked over 3,000 miles on the Camino de Santiago.
Rachael’s heart mission is to help people celebrate life while caring for the Earth. She currently lives outside Boulder, CO with her husband (whom she met on the Camino!) and 2 kids, who she makes train for the Camino regularly.
Beth Erlander
Beth is a body-centered psychotherapist and “grief geek” whose passion is using the creative arts to help others through life transitions of all kinds. Beth decided to walk the Camino in 2015 with the intention to literally walk for her partner, who had had a paralyzing bicycle injury that radically altered their lives. She wanted to walk with her grief in order to transform it.
The result was a palpable sense of renewal and inner and outer strength. “I came away with so much joy and appreciation for life,” Beth says. “I was so grateful for the process that I am now hooked on walking the Camino. I am very excited to be co-facilitating this walking prayer for those living through life transitions." Visit Beth's website.
Kirry Nelson
Kirsten (Kirry) Nelson, MA, LPCC came to the world of grief and healing through her own experience of the loss of a child. Having been held and supported by a remarkable community of grief workers at that time, Kirry eventually finished her Masters in Mental Health Counseling in hopes of offering support to the healing and transformative journeys of others; to be a lamppost in the griever’s dark night of the soul.
Kirry has participated in and worked as a therapist for Golden Willow Retreat Center, which is the only center in the US to focus exclusively on loss and grief.
Kirry is beginning her journey into private practice while continuing to work for an agency in Northern New Mexico that serves survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She lives in Santa Fe, NM.
Luigi Cojazzi
Luigi is a passionate trekker, who has walked on all five continents and explored different routes on the Camino de Santiago. After running a marathon in less than three hours a few years ago, he decided to learn to go slower.
Beside publishing a novel and a travel guide, Luigi has worked in Colombia with Peace Brigade International, doing observation and advocacy in conflict zones. When he is not walking, he can be found translating novels and collaborating with National Geographic magazine.
Visit Luigi's website
Joy Reichart
Joy is a coach, facilitator, writer and martial artist with deep and varied experience holding groups through transformative processes. The current expression of this is through her company Beginnerdom, where she offers workshops and coaching to help folks birth their truest expression into the world.
As is true for so many, the Camino called to Joy for reasons that she still can’t explain. Her first trek in Basque Country with Red Monkey turned out to be the first of several Camino adventures, with more questions being answered (and still more arising) with every step. She’s done a whole lot of writing about it.
Joy lives in Northern California with her cute husband and two tiny canines, and goes hiking a lot. Learn more at joyreichart.com.