The Journey that Changed Everything

By: Seth Miller

The Innocence Project of Florida has been finding and freeing wrongfully convicted clients and helping them rebuild their lives in freedom for more than 23 years. I’ve had the honor and privilege of being part of this organization since its inception and of leading it as our Executive Director for almost two decades. The professional journey has taken many twists and turns. When I started as our first staff attorney, we had few resources, had office space in a mostly abandoned building, no discernible intake and screening process, and no roster of successes to draw on to grow the organization. But over time, we found passionate, talented people to join our team and developed the resources to grow our capacity to free 38 individuals who spent more than 885 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. We strengthened our Transitions Services program to smooth the path to freedom for so many. And we changed laws and policies to prevent wrongful convictions in the future.

Longevity in this work has been a key ingredient in providing a continuity of care for our clients. But to show up every day for our clients and their families, it became apparent that we also needed to take care of ourselves. How could we best support our clients to overcome their wrongful convictions if folks working at IPF weren’t taking care of themselves mentally, emotionally and physically? For me personally, I had to ask myself a number of important questions: How long can I continue to do this vital work? Because I do want to continue serving IPF and its clients, what changes can I make in my life to best support that?  Can I not only make those changes but also make them stick, so I can be the best version of myself for the foreseeable future?

IPF has a generous sabbatical policy, and six weeks completely unplugged from unrelenting email and work problems to solve seemed like as good a time as any to answer these important questions.  So, in 2024, I began walking the Camino de Santiago (the French Way). This path, which starts in St. Jean Pied-du-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees and finishes almost 500 miles west in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela, is a medieval pilgrimage route, but in modern times, it is more than just a religious journey. For many who have experienced a recent loss of a loved one, or are between jobs or homes, or just want to disconnect with a very long walkabout, the Camino offers a chance to simplify one's existence for 30+ days, a challenging physical and mental task to accomplish, and the space to answer important questions. 

Walking to Santiago and then an additional 80 miles to the Atlantic Ocean, with one change of clothes in a pack on my back, sleeping on bunk beds in dormitories every night, gave me plenty of time to think, identify personal issues I wanted to address, and rejuvenate for the work ahead. The act of walking habitually gave me a cheat code to get my physical health in order and keep my mind right, so that when I came home, I made walking a daily habit. It has allowed me to both feel healthier and more balanced in life and better able to lead a continually growing organization. 

As with most things, however, one can always use a reminder or a reset. To that end, I am so excited to be going back to Spain this week to walk another Camino, albeit a shorter one. I will be walking 260 miles from Leon to Santiago de Compostela, via a northern route through Oviedo. This trek will take 17 days and will take me through the mountains of the northern regions of Asturias and Galicia, which will be both beautiful and more physically challenging. 

This walk will also mark our second Freedom 2 Walk campaign, in which we will raise vital funds to bolster the reentry services needed by freed wrongfully convicted individuals. For decades, our wrongfully incarcerated clients have had their freedom of movement restricted. They literally have not had the freedom to walk their own journey due to the ordeal of wrongful conviction and incarceration. I not only walk for my own health and well-being, but also for them and for their ability to find health, happiness, and stability after their release from prison, so they can have the freedom to walk their own journey that they so rightly deserve. 

You can support Freedom 2 Walk and double your impact through a generous matching fund provided by longtime IPF supporter Dr. Sarah H. Pappas by clicking on the donate button below. You can also join me on my journey by following @_walkwithseth on Instagram.

Buen Camino,

Seth