A high-achieving former Microsoft executive, Vandana Sivaranji was used to precision, strategy, and control. But two strokes — followed by emergency surgery—brought everything to a halt. Her body faltered, her speech was affected, and her confidence was shaken. Six months later, grief struck again with the loss of her brother. While the world kept spinning, Vandana found herself suspended, trying to reassemble the fragments of a life she no longer recognised.
But this isn’t a story about loss. It’s a story about rediscovery.
Vandana had long dreamed of walking the Camino de Santiago—a spiritual pilgrimage across Europe. In 2023, she had trained for it, chosen her gear, worn in her shoes… and then the stroke changed everything. Her body couldn’t balance, let alone carry a backpack across uneven terrain. Her dream was shelved.
Then something remarkable happened.
“I had the opportunity to walk again—literally and metaphorically,” she reflects.
“And even though I didn’t think I could do it, I had someone who believed in me.”
That’s where our journey together began. I offered Vandana the structure, support, and deep belief she needed. Step by step, we trained toward her first major walking challenge: the Portuguese Fisherman’s Trail—a 252km journey along the windswept coastal sands of southwest Portugal.
Soft terrain. Unpredictable winds. Shifting balance.
“It was like my brain didn’t know how to hold a backpack,” Vandana recalls.
“Donna carried most of my things at first, and every few days, I’d get a few more items to carry. By the end, I had my full 8kg pack. That was a huge shift.”
The walk wasn’t just physical—it was neurological. Even packing a bag post-stroke was a challenge.
“I’d stop and start over and over. My brain just didn’t get it. But I learned. I was retraining my mind and body.”
Every day called for surrender—surrender to guidance, pacing, presence.
“I had to learn to ask for help, and to receive it. That was new.”
From Portugal, we walked the Isle of Wight (80km of coastal paths), then on to the Peak District in England, navigating meadows and stiles. Finally, we tackled Scotland’s West Highland Way—154km of wild terrain, rain-slicked trails, and boulder crossings.
“That one broke me open,” Vandana remembers. “I needed help to cross boulders. I was guided step by step. And my legs—my legs transformed into toned hiker’s legs. Everyone who sees me now comments on them!”
These weren’t just practice walks; they were milestones of becoming. Every trail forced her brain to adapt to new conditions—new textures, new weather, new rhythms. From sun to storm, from sand to stone, Vandana kept walking.
And then—fifteen months after her stroke—Vandana did something extraordinary.
She walked the full French Camino alone.
840 kilometres. 45 days. One woman. One pack. A trail full of quiet miracles.
“The night before I started, I sobbed,” she says. “I feared the freedom. I was scared I might not make it. But once I started walking… oh, the liberation!”
For long stretches, there would be no one ahead or behind her. Just her breath. Just her footsteps. Only her life story walking with her.
“You’ve done the work and walked every terrain,” I reminded her. “You can do this on your own.”
She could.
And she did.
At one point, she stopped for two full days—not because she had to, but because she could.
“That in itself was healing,” she says. “To stop. To honour my pace.”
She walked her Camino her way—not the traditional 33 stages, but by following her inner compass.
“I didn’t realise until then—I’d never fully owned my life before.”
Since returning, Vandana’s life has blossomed.
She’s driving again. She’s back home and relaunching her wellness business with deepened clarity.
“Everything I need now just arrives,” she shares.
“I used to plan and push in a corporate way—metrics, deadlines, goals. Now, I trust. My brand manager, my website support, my tree cutters—they all show up when I need them.”
Her mantra?
“My walk, my way. Life provides.”
The magic she discovered on the trail continues.
“Before, I was always in my head. Now, I’m in life. I’m more grounded, more present. I don’t force. I flow.”
As an Indian woman walking these trails across Europe and the UK, Vandana felt she stood out.
“I didn’t meet any other Indian women walking. Not one. And I walked for four months.”
Her presence made ripples. People noticed. They listened. They were inspired.
“My family has been so supportive. They saw how deeply this changed me. I met a global walking community—so kind, so encouraging. We inspired each other, day after day, to keep going. To live. To explore. To walk.”
What Changed Most?
“I got me back. A stronger, wiser, more grounded me. And surprisingly, more playful. I laugh more now. My tongue, which was affected by the stroke, moves with joy again.”
Vandana’s story isn’t just one of survival—it’s one of reawakening.
Her transformation wasn’t sudden—it was steady.
Her path wasn’t straight—it was sacred.
What makes her journey powerful isn’t just what she overcame, but who she became.
Vandana reminds us all: Healing doesn’t always happen in clinics. Sometimes it happens on windswept cliffs, rainy trails, and sunlit paths—with a backpack on your shoulders and the world unfolding at your feet.
Daring Donna Murray runs a coaching business called Activation Adventures. Email [email protected]
If Vandana’s story inspired you, maybe it’s time to explore your own wellness walk.
Whether it’s a local bush trail or a cross-country pilgrimage, there’s wisdom in your footsteps.
Reach out, and let Donna help you map the path to wellness.
