A Mile in My Shoes is a shoe shop where visitors are invited to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes – literally. Housed in a giant shoebox, this roaming exhibit holds a diverse collection of shoes and audio stories that explore our shared humanity. From a Syrian refugee to a sex worker, a war veteran to a neurosurgeon, visitors are invited to walk a mile in the shoes of a stranger while listening to their story. The stories cover different aspects of life, from loss and grief to hope and love and take the visitor on an empathetic as well as a physical journey.
A Mile in My Shoes
Just walk a mile in his moccasins before you abuse, criticise and accuse.
— MARY T. LATHRAP, JUDGE SOFTLY
THOUGHTS FROM VISITORS
“A Mile in My Shoes is like a rolling stone, collecting stories wherever it goes.”
– The Guardian
“A tiny, human gesture that finds real depth in simplicity.”
“The simplest and most perfect of one-to-one dramatic experiences.”
– THE HERALD
focus on: HEALTH and social CARE
Since beginning the project in 2015, we’ve collaborated with several organisations to collect stories of people entwined with healthcare systems in the UK:
In 2016 we partnered with The Health Foundation to collect 35 stories from healthcare workers across the UK – from a GP to a Chief Financial Officer to a hospital porter to the NHS’s first non-Christian Head of Chaplaincy.
In 2018 we worked with Nursing Now and NHS England to hear from 10 NHS nurses. Their shoes and stories now tour schools around the UK, accompanied by a short poem-film co-created by a nurse.
In 2021, as part of our From Where I’m Standing project, we collected 10 audio and photograph portraits of nurses, documenting their lives during the pandemic, and displayed on streets through London.
COLLECTING STORIES
We try to collect new stories and shoes in every place we exhibit. We currently have more than 350 stories, in 9 languages, collected across 14 countries. Sometimes we work with a local organisation to create a whole collection around a certain theme or place – for example stories by the people of Denver, or Milan, or Melbourne, or on the topic of healthcare, or water, or home.
If you’re thinking about bringing A Mile in My Shoes to your location, you might find we already have some stories that fit your idea (and we can also mix-n-match across collections to bring together stories around a new theme). And of course we’re always happy to discuss collecting new ones…
LISTEN TO THE STORIES
We share some A Mile in My Shoes stories on our podcast. From a dairy farmer in Worcester to a sexual healer in Melbourne, each short episode is a chance to hear from someone you might never have come across.
In the spirit of the exhibit, we recommend downloading episodes to your phone, slipping on some headphones and taking a stroll while listening.
Please be aware that some stories are more appropriate for adult listeners. This podcast is produced by Loftus Media. Captioned versions of the first 40 episodes are available on our YouTube.