We were lucky to catch up with Anna recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Anna, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I founded Wandering Roots and hosted my very first retreat in 2018. I side hustled the brand for 2 years before quitting my day job in October of 2019, only to have to cancel all of my retreats because of COVID in 2020. My previous employer asked me come back to work for them, not once but twice in 2020 and even though I declined. It would have been much easier and more financially responsible to accept, but my intuition kept reminding me that I wasn’t interested in going back, only forward motion. I kept reminding myself I could do hard things but there were so many times I reconsidered. I think it was the ultimate test of did I want to be a full-time entrepreneur bad enough and I’m so glad I hung in there.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I quit a 13 year career in Molecular Diagnostics to start a retreat brand. Even though I was successful and making more money than I ever thought I would, I was wildly unhappy. I started burning my life down and pursuing what I actually wanted, which was a foreign concept. Now I host adventure retreats all over the world and help women plan and host their own profitable retreats but we mostly talk about pursuing a life you love.
I believe we don’t ask ourselves often enough what we want our lives to look and feel like and I’m hoping to change that. We’re here to enjoy living.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to re-define failure. I had a friend tell me in the early days of starting my brand that “if you’re not making the same mistakes, you’re doing it right.” It’s sort of a mantra now. If I try something and it doesn’t produce the results that I was expecting, I now have more information to either pivot or to quit. Knowledge is power, and the best way I learn is by trial and error.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Being vulnerable but also professional. There’s an extra layer to the sale when you host retreats – you need to convince your guests that you’re not a serial killer because you usually spend the night together right after you meet them. It’s intimate. And there are so many retreats out there. Your guests are coming because they like you and they trust you and in order to build trust you need to share who you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yourwanderingroots.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourwanderingroots/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourwanderingroots
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-vanagtmael-214973b/
Image Credits
Elise Kutt of Mod Bettie Portraits