THE ONES WHO DARED
THE ONES WHO DARED PODCAST Elevating stories of courage. You can listen to some of the most interesting stories of courage, powerful life lessons, and aha moments. Featuring interviews with leaders, pioneers and people who have done hard things. I hope these stories help pave the path for you to live out your courageous life.
THE ONES WHO DARED
From Empty Nest to Bold New Path: Anne Taylor Hartzell on Reframing Fear, Embracing Change & Choosing Adventure
Why not you?
When Anne Taylor Hartzell’s daughter left for college, she found herself in the quiet aftermath of empty nest grief. But instead of staying stuck, Anne chose to ask a life-changing question: “Why not us?” That single nudge sparked a profound journey—selling the family home of 17 years, moving to a lakeside retreat, launching a podcast, and eventually writing a powerful new book: All Who Wander: A Guide to Finding Your Path in Seasons of Change.
In this encouraging episode, Anne shares how grief can become a gateway to growth, and how getting quiet can help us hear the wisdom within. With grace, humor, and vulnerability, she breaks down her 5-step framework for navigating life’s transitions—whether you’re a midlife explorer, a new graduate, an empty nester, or someone standing at a major crossroads.
What you'll hear in this episode:
- How to reframe fear as curiosity and take your next brave step
- Why transitions feel isolating—and how to reach for connection instead
- How synchronicities show up when you start saying yes to possibility
- The difference between adventure-seeking and life-leaping
- What writing her book taught Anne about vulnerability and courage
Anne reminds us: adventure doesn’t require a passport or a perfect plan—just the willingness to listen for what’s next and say yes, even when it feels uncertain.
Grab her new book All Who Wander wherever books are sold, and explore free resources at annetaylorhartzell.com.
Tune in and be inspired to embrace the unknown—and discover the path that’s been waiting for you all along.
-Links-
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Hey friends, welcome to the Ones who Dared podcast, where stories of courage are elevated. I'm your host, becca, and every other week you'll hear interviews from inspiring people. My hope is that you will leave encouraged. I'm so glad you're here Today in the Ones who Dared podcast. I'm thrilled to welcome Anne Taylor Hartzell, a leadership brand strategist, travel expert, keynote speaker and host of All who Wonder podcast. She's also the creator of the award-winning blog Hip Travel Mama and has worked with some of the world's top brands like Expedia, disney, microsoft, helping leaders build trust, communicate with influence and craft compelling content. Today, she speaks, coaches and leads workshops that guide individuals and organizations through seasons of change with clarity and courage. Anne, welcome to the Once With your Podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. It's so great to be here. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we met in a writer's group, was it Like years ago? I?
Speaker 2:feel like I think it was in the middle of the pandemic when the craving of connection. I remember, yeah, we joined a group and started talking about our goals and what we wanted to do, and both of us had said one of our goals was to write a book. So and you did it.
Speaker 1:And congratulations. I'm so freaking proud of you. Thank you.
Speaker 2:You know the journey more than anybody. There's so much that goes into it. Emotionally, physically, it's quite a quite a journey.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so absolutely so what inspired you to write this particular book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, well, a lot of things. One really the catalyst was our older daughter left for college and I I have we still have one in the nest, but shortly to launch and I'm an anticipator, so I like to do my homework ahead of time.
Speaker 2:I knew like emptiness is coming very quickly, yeah, and it's time for me to figure out what my next chapter looks like, because I've seen so many moms go into that season where they're missing their kiddos and feeling a little lost, and I was definitely feeling that. So I decided to you know, start this podcast called All who Wander and start interviewing people in my personal and professional network and just gain insights on you know how do they navigate their careers, professional network and just gain insights on you know how do they navigate their careers. What are their different chapters look like? How do they prioritize time with the people that they love and do work they love? And I started seeing a lot of common themes and that's sort of how this book came about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. And you described the book as an invitation to choose adventure over fear. And what does that practically look like in everyday life?
Speaker 2:over fear. And what does that practically look like in everyday life? It means, when faced with a decision or you want to shrink to make yourself feel more comfortable, that you push yourself to choose adventure over fear. I have been someone my whole life. Anxiety is sort of like my co-pilot, I think anybody who's a hard driver, you know, who's an ambitious, anxiety is a key driver, and so I have traditionally not been a big risk taker. But the people that I interviewed on the podcast, who were either entrepreneurs or had a nudge for something that was in their heart they want to do creatively, the one thing that they did was take calculated risks, and I wanted to do that with this book and to share that with others.
Speaker 1:And many people feel stuck in between of no longer who they are, but yet not who they want to be. What wisdom would you offer for people who are in the in between season?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean we're. We all have those periods of life where we're in the in between season. I think transitions are incredibly hard. You know, even transitioning from Sunday to Monday, for me it's really hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's get real about that.
Speaker 2:So I have always been someone that's had a hard time with transition, but I also, you know, I think when you are in that season, you need to sit with it for a little while and and and be okay with it. I had a season where it was a few years where, after you know, my older daughter left for college. I was like, all right, well, what am I going to do? And finding my way back to myself and really doing a lot of self-reflection, you know, not ashamed to admit therapy as well to say how do I work through my feelings about this so I don't impact my family, right? Yeah, each kind of process did a little bit different. We're super close as a family and then, when it's time to move, listen to those quiet nudges and I talk about that.
Speaker 2:You know, I've heard other people talk about whispers, right, it's sort of these things in your heart when you get quiet and you kind of feel that nudge and I know you with your book and your grandma, like there's, there's just this thing you can't explain, right, that keeps calling you like you're on a run and you're like, oh, you know, there's that thing again. I should go and try that thing or talk to that person and when we get quiet during those periods of transition where we feel lost, it's where we can find our way back to our voice. And it's really hard right now, with all the noise in the world and you know, scrolling social media it's super hard. But getting quiet is the first step really in listening and finding your way back to yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's such a good point because a lot of times we're just so in a rush. We live in such a fast paced world where you know it's go, go. We're just so in a rush. We live in such a fast paced world where you know it's go, go, go, it's the next thing, the next obligation or the next thing to knock off your to-do list. If you're an entrepreneur, that's like a whole other level of you know having that challenge to navigate so many. You know you're juggling so many balls and I love that you said to take the time to sit with what you're feeling, to understand that and if you need to take that extra step, whether it's therapy or talking to someone who's maybe been there before and actually allowing yourself to grieve, because that is a change, like your kids are growing up, they're going off to school. You're not with the littles anymore. It's a whole different, like ballgame.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's not like I didn't have anything else going on in my life. I have a full-time, a full-time business owner. You know, I had this blog, hip travel mama, where I got to share my travels and travel with my family, and it wasn't that I didn't take time for self-care or like self-development, it was really more it occupies being a mom, occupies so much of your emotional and physical space and having it makes you feel a little bit restless. When you have a little more of that free time, you know to figure out oh, I really do have to figure out what's my next adventure.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I think sitting in that space of grief for sure, I mean it's hard to say it is really the feeling of grief, right, because it's a grief of sure I mean it's hard to say it is really the feeling of grief, right, because it's a grief of change. And I think we all always hear from people oh, aren't you so excited when the kids are out and then you get to do whatever you want? And yeah, it's cool to have that extra time. But it also like I really enjoy our family life and that season of time and just the energy in the house and the people. I love my people, so it's okay to grieve that, and I encourage moms who are, either if they have a high school graduate or you know they're ready to be an empty nester to give yourself that space and permission to grieve and then to explore what you want to do next.
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Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm definitely one of those people that when things get hard, I kind of shrink into myself.
Speaker 2:I do not reach out to others, oh yeah, I'm like, hey, I'll see you in a little while because I'm going to go over here and like deal with this stuff and then I'll come back and I'll be okay. I think it's because there's so much unknown in transition. Right, we don't like change, we don't like we inherently most people don't like change or uncertainty. And then we, over the last few years, have been bombarded with not only our own, just daily life uncertainty, but like uncertainty in the world. And you know there's a lot of things changing, with AI and people feeling insecure about their jobs and how that's going to impact them. There's the political landscape and you know it's tough to try to find your space of grounding when things are so uncertain.
Speaker 1:Hmm, yeah, that's so good. So how do you lean into courage? One of my favorite chapters that you had on here was chapter five, and it says reframe fear as curiosity, courage to take intentional steps forward. And this quote I resonated so much with TS Eliot, who says only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
Speaker 2:Yeah for sure. Well, you know that in all the work that you're doing with your book right now, right, if we had not made and I talk about this in the book I actually get a bit vulnerable. It's a scary vulnerable thing to like put your own journey out there, but I felt like who knows who you are, anne, and so you need to be able to share a little bit more why you know you're qualified to write this book. And then I wanted to also have it be relatable for people to realize that we all actually have our own you know stories and journeys and the free framing fears. Curiosity definitely resonates with me because I it's. It's the only path forward when you are sitting in uncertainty.
Speaker 2:And so when I started interviewing my All who Wander podcast guests, a lot of them were, you know, or had much higher risk thresholds than I did, and I thought what can I learn from them? And, yeah, I think that's really important to have the courage to maybe step outside your comfort zone a little bit, but to give yourself permission like you don't have to, you know, go down river rafts of, you know the Olmo river, which I talked about with Richard Bang, like talking to him, you know, amazing right Like reframing fear is curiosity. There are just some people who are wired without fear Like they don't have that. They don't have that bug, but if you do, it's okay. Like taking a calculated risk might be calling a friend or asking a mentor for advice. It really is deeply personal and that's why I talk about how choosing adventure is deeply personal, because we all have our own risk thresholds that we navigate and it's okay wherever you are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, and what I love is that you said that you're someone who is not really a risk taker, and here you are writing a book about all who wonder and really just challenging people to go on their adventures and really lean into courage, lean into taking the next step forward. So I'm curious too how did you kind of develop that courage, that bravery to take that step, to go forward?
Speaker 2:I don't know it was. I was faced with a choice I was either going to sit in my grief and sadness around like my family chapter ending, or I was going to own it and and figure out what to do next. And then, you know, when we see our college students going out on their big adventures and trying new things and meeting new people and connecting, like it reminded me of my own 18, 19 year old self, and so every time I would feel sad that I would miss her. I would think about my 18 year old self and like what are some of the risks I took, or what are the ones I didn't take that I wish I would have? And so I really started leaning into that and I tell this book a story in the book.
Speaker 2:But the turning point for us was my husband and I, during COVID, we were walking the many trails of our neighborhood over and over and over again. It was so stressful that that was really the only time we could get out and sort of strategize around, you know, checking in with the girls, making sure they're okay, like figuring out, like sorting through the news of the day what to do next as a family. We started walking and we started talking about what do we want to do next? I think we're ready for a change. And we were walking this gravel trail and I remember exactly where we were. We'd walked it a million times in the you know 17 years. We lived in this neighborhood and we talked about moving to the water like that is a really calming place for me at the lake.
Speaker 2:And my husband said, ah, I just, you know, we have like one more year left before she graduates. I just don't think it's feasible. It doesn't make sense for us to like go find a place on the lake because you know it's really expensive and I just don't know how we're gonna make it work. And I stopped for a minute and I said, well, wait a second. Why not? Us Like why, why can't we make this work? Maybe we just need to get a little bit more creative about how we do it. And then we kind of sat for a little while on that idea and a few months later we were at dinner again a date night, and and we started talking about the lake house again and we thought, hmm, how do we make this work? And Tara's like I don't know, I don't know, you know he's, he's an investment banker, so he's very conservative.
Speaker 1:I'm always like what are the big things? He's like safety, long-term.
Speaker 2:He's the voice of reason. But but then I thought, well, what's the odds that some nice family might want to lease a house to us for a year or so while we have this, so we can have this little adventure as a family? And the next day my mom was in town and I was sitting in the parking lot at her optometrist appointment and I just got this quiet nudge. I got this nudge like just ask, like just ask, and so I started texting friends who lived on the lake, and I got an immediate response back from one of my friends with a listing and had gone up an hour earlier. And so we I was like, well, maybe I'll call. So I just happened to call and no sooner had we left the parking lot. He had left me a voicemail and I thought this is too good to be true, what is happening?
Speaker 2:But we went down and looked at the house and it was literally. I had driven by it a million times on my way home from work and I, we brought the girls back and we made a collective decision as a family to leave the house, that we, you know, sold our house, that we'd been in 17 years, anyway. And the crazy part was, is it happened to be where we were able to choose adventure, like for the very first time, and it was so hard to leave the community of friends. We had loved the place where all the memories were, in our house, with the you know, the little girl's feet running around and memories in every corner. But it was the moment where we chose adventure and we took a big risk and the growth that came out of that, even though it was really hard, was also probably one of the most brave things that we've done as a family and sort of set us on this path of taking more calculated risks and choosing adventure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is phenomenal. I mean to leave the house that you've been for 17 years. That's a lot, that's a big transition. Right there, A lot of people are scared to do that and you guys just collectively decided, hey, why not? Why?
Speaker 2:not us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, why not?
Speaker 2:us Right. Like why not us? And that's why I encourage your listeners is like, why not me? Why not us? Why? Well, how can, if it seems like it's impossible, figure out how it's possible? Maybe it doesn't, maybe it's not the traditional path of what you thought to get there, but maybe there's some creative ways. And always listen to that quiet nudge that's in chapter one. You have to get quiet and really listen to your gut, and a lot of us. We haven't checked in with ourselves for a really long time because we got music on, we're listening to podcasts, we're running and doing things and going from here to there. We don't have time to slow down and really listen to what our inner voice is telling us, that when it's call it time for change and to take that risk, that's so good.
Speaker 1:You do have journal prompts that help people to take intentional steps without needing to have it all figured out. Yeah, how do you do that?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I really wanted this book to be interactive. I didn't want it just to be another self-help title where someone's telling you great, what you need to do is change your mindset. Right.
Speaker 2:Okay that's super great. We all there's lots of mindsets to choose from. But I wanted this to be an interactive guide and so I've created it, as each chapter is sort of like one of those adventure books right, where you get to choose which, you know which path you go on, and at the end of each chapter it has a theme and it has some podcast guests who are sort of supportive of that theme and their stories align with the topic, and then at the end you can do some self reflection with journal prompts that I've started for you. And then I also have done some free downloadable if you don't want to, if some people are purists and they don't like to write in their book. So I've gotten there's downloads. You can do with PDFs. You can print them off as many times as you want.
Speaker 2:My mom worked for Pell's Books for 25 years, which is a big independent publisher, independent bookstore here in Portland. It's like a tourist attraction, basically, and so growing up, you know writing in your book. That was a bad deal. Now, mom, my mom helped me proofread this book, so she knows that people are going to be writing these books.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I just wanted everybody to know that our paths are our own, and so the journal prompts are for you to be able to go through and work at your own pace and take as much time as you want to answer. The journal prompts are for you to be able to go through and work at your own pace and take as much time as you want to answer the questions that are right for you. Because one we all think that there's some sort of like one path to success. There's not, like it's your personal path, and so I wanted these journal prompts to be a way to remind you that you can work through it at your own pace, and you can also make sure that it's yours and not you know a prescription, for you know the right way to do things, because everybody has their own path.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure, and I love that you include a journal prompts, because journaling has been scientifically proven to really help heal you, rewire your brain. It's it's a great time for reflection and, like you said, a lot of us don't take the time to journal or just to even process, like and think and reflect about our lives, and this is a perfect tool to do that. You also mentioned about practical framework in your book. Can you walk us through that briefly?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So of all the interviews I did for the podcast, I started seeing common themes and so those common themes came into. I wanted to provide sort of a practical five-step framework of how to move through the book, but also to move through your own change and what you're navigating. And so the five steps are to get quiet and listen to your nudges, which we've talked about. That is about getting outside your comfort zone, about aligning with your core values and reframing fears, curiosity, and then building your adventure crew. And so the five steps I literally used to write this book and to make some personal changes.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to spoil the epilogue, but we made another big adventure change that you'll have to wait till the end of the book to find out, but those five steps are really your guideposts for navigating change. And listen, I can tell you that there were so many times in writing this book where I had so much self-doubt roadblocks, detours, all the things that we have when we wander that I just would go back to these five steps and say, okay, can I um, like, lean into the synchronicities in my life, like, where, where are things showing up for me? Where are people showing up? Um, that's um, you know part of the journey yeah, and that's so good.
Speaker 1:I mean, we are human and so we can all relate to that. Even when you are taking that big leap forward or you're finally decided to have the courage to take the next step, you are going to have, you know, some of these thoughts like who am I to do this? Yeah, you know, am I qualified, you know, to do what I'm doing? You know, even on the podcast right now, I mean, I don't, I'm just doing it, I just started. And here we are, you know like three years later.
Speaker 1:So but at the same time, I think for the listeners, just know that it's normal, like if you stepped into something new and you having the imposter syndrome and feeling like who the heck am I to do this? Like no one's going to listen, no one's going to care about what I have to say or whatever it is that you're doing. Just know that's a natural thing that comes up in all of us because when you do something new, you're going to experience that and just keep being consistent, keep going for it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, michelle Himmelberg, one of my podcast guests. She was a former director of PR for Disney and then was a huge. Her story is incredible, Like what she was able to do with sports journalism in the late seventies. So definitely want you guys to read her story. But you know she just talks about you know, finding your champions and keep going Right and and knowing that you you have everything you need to move forward and everybody faces sort of those, those feelings.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. You have everything within you to move forward. That's yeah, absolutely yeah. What advice would you give someone in midlife wondering if it's too late to pivot?
Speaker 2:I can see. I am literally proof. I had I, we had some big personal changes, launched a book and turned 50 all in this last year. So it was a lot to process, process and my nervous system is still sort of catching up. So once I finished this book, it was like what just happened my poor family, oh gosh, no, I mean, and I struggle.
Speaker 2:You know, midlife, I feel like, is getting a little bit of a renaissance right now, like there's so many wonderful books on menopause and all the things that women are going through and there's, you know, a lot of awareness around this midlife stage, which I think is really wonderful right now, because I feel like so many generations, and even until a few years ago, felt like we kind of were like, okay, here we are, like what, what do we do now?
Speaker 2:And like, oh, you have all this freedom. But you also feel, you know, there's these feelings of feeling a little bit invisible, a little bit different than than when you were younger and your kids are probably have left the nest or soon to leave the nest. It's a time of a lot of emotional, physical, hormonal change for women especially, and so, yeah, I would say that it's never too late, and many of the stories in my book talk about people who, at midlife, made a pivot and it was one of their best pivots yet. So I'm not going to be here and say, oh wow, it's amazingly magical and all of a sudden you're going to have all this energy to do all these things. But in time, if you keep moving forward, taking that next step and exploring what you're interested in, there's always room for a new chapter, and midlife is definitely one of those.
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Speaker 2:Yeah, you don't have to have it all figured out before you start and I think that resonates as an author, right, but it also I have a college student. I have many friends who have college students that are graduating this year and they're so anxious about getting the right job, finding the perfect job. I, when I was that age, I also felt all that imposter syndrome and like how will my skills transfer? You know, I even chose a job that maybe wasn't the right fit for me right away, and I think a lot of students right now or if you're looking at a season of change in your career, it's OK to just take that next step and where you start is not where you have to finish. Right, like we all kind of have wandering paths, and that's what I learned from all my guests is they started out doing one thing and they ended up doing something completely different, and that's totally acceptable.
Speaker 2:I just feel like there's so much pressure right now on new grads and on younger folks to have it all figured out even before they apply for college. Right, the whole college process of well, what's your major? I mean I didn't know what my major? I mean I kind of had a direction myself, but it was not the norm in terms of college is supposed to be a place where you explore and find your people and find what you're passionate about, and then your first jobs are for doing that too and just applying. You know, adulting in real life. And then, when you're in a career, maybe a career season comes to an end and you want, are you ready for a new chapter? Or you maybe went down a wrong road, that isn't the road for you, and so, making that pivot, it's never too late to take that next step.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and, fyi, most of us still don't have it figured out. We still don't know everything about everything, so we're still figuring out, making changes, and figuring it out as we go, which brings me to my next question of what role does curiosity play in helping us to chart a new course?
Speaker 2:Well, just like when we travel, right, curiosity is front and center when we go explore a new destination. We are open to new experiences, we like to wander down side streets, we things don't go as planned, we are naturally curious and, you know, curiosity is something that's so important to have in everyday life too. And I think we get back home and we like, oh, I, you know being curious, but I don't have time for that, right, I don't have time to be curious. But then it feeds our soul, right, and it should be something that we explore and incorporate every day into our life. You know, we talk about play, right, play in our life when we're young kids and we have this natural curiosity for the world and I think we think sometimes well, I'm an adult now and I have responsibilities and being curious about things is not in the cards for me. I have to be practical, but our creative spirits sort of slowly die if we don't, you know, sort of foster our natural curiosity that we were born with.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that's good. I love Bob Goff as an example of this. He's like the guy whimsy and big, you know, moves, and big dreams and ideation and just like just going for it, just try new things. You know, some might land and some might not. But we have to not lose our sense of wonder, because if we do, it's like, well, what are we doing here If we're just being, you know, just all serious, and life isn't linear, so let's just like explore and actually enjoy it a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think a lot of us are afraid to fail and we have to feel like we have it all figured out because we don't want to fall on our face. But curiosity is, you know where our hearts get full and where we explore new things that maybe we had no idea we were interested in.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so in the process of writing your book I'm going to dig a little bit deeper here Was there a chapter that was really hard for you to write, or something that really kind of unraveled you or impacted you in a way that you didn't perhaps expect?
Speaker 2:Well hard to write. The motherhood chapter, ironically, was the hardest chapter for me, chapter four, in fact, when I got the physical book in my hands I did one read through again just for typos, and I was checking for everything and I had this like overwhelming, like anxiety in my gut, which is so weird. But it tells the story of when we dropped my daughter off at college and the feeling I had, a feeling lost and not sure how I was going to be strong and encouraging for her. At the same time feeling all this grief and change. And that chapter was hard because I really wanted to articulate to moms, wherever you are in the journey, whether you're just a new parent or whether you're, you know, in the middle of it and you're running around and you're totally your hair's on fire and you're going to all the soccer games and you're crazy or you're it's quiet at your house that we moms are like wired for adventure when we they hand us these little babies and they go, here you go. We were like, what do we do? And one thing we know is that things don't go as planned, like in that that can be certain, right, and there's unexpected things that come up and but that we have these unreal expectations about getting everything right and so much pressure and judgment to be perfect and to raise perfect kids and, to, you know, do all the things and make them successful and launch them, but also have some good quality family time. All at the same time. It's maddening.
Speaker 2:So I think that's the hardest chapter for me to write because I really wanted to dedicate that chapter to, you know, the moms reading this book, to let them know that they're not alone and that showing up every day and is maybe choosing adventure isn't doing a big leap like starting a company or a podcast or writing a book. Maybe choosing adventure is getting up every day and you know having time for yourself to think. That's quiet. Or choosing adventure is, you know, connecting with friends and making you know developing good community around you, which Kavita Varma White talks about. So I think that was the hardest chapter for me to write, but also the most important. I think that's probably why.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, and that's so real, like as mothers specifically, I think there's so much pressure, I know, for me. I have two boys and they're older now and I'm like, oh, I should have done this differently. And if I only done that, and you know, I failed in this department. And then it's like I was listening to this podcast I think it was on site, it was like a therapy podcast, but there was a girl who was talking about how she had the ideal family and everything, and yet there was still this one thing and I'm like, really no one can get it right, like if this chick who had this ideal family felt the need for perfection because of X that her parents did. It's like none of us are going to be perfect, so just breathe, like you know, and and it's, it's fine, like we're not going to have it all together and our kids will be all right at the end of the day, somehow.
Speaker 2:Just like I think we need to support each other. I think that's a wonderful thing about what I've seen a lot with this, like menopause and midlife and women, as I feel like there's this new chapter of women saying, hey, yeah, me too, right, like I feel, uh, I feel that same way and and it's okay for you to feel that way Um, we don't we're our harshest critics, and oftentimes other women are, are, you know, are not as supportive. So we need to support each other. Uh, because we're all kind of navigating ourselves, whether or not we're, you know, are not as supportive. So we need to support each other Because we're all kind of navigating ourselves, whether or not we're, you know, sharing it with others.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. Well, if you could leave our listeners with one simple practice to begin their next chapter courageously, what would that be?
Speaker 2:Oh gosh choose adventure and like and define what adventure is for you and take that next step and keep being consistent and keep asking for help and uh, and getting quiet and listening to those quiet nudges. And one thing we haven't talked about is the synchronicity. So the I talked about the lake house story, about how just the that listing just happened to come up. Well, I've had that since that time. I have been so aware of little synchronicities happening in my life, like someone reaching out the right time. I'm in the grocery store and a song comes on. It means something to me and I'm feeling some way. When you start paying attention to the universe, god or whatever your belief system is, starts to show you the right path. And so I would say, lean into that and start getting quiet so you can hear, you know and pay attention to what's going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, fill in a blank to the sentence. The one thing I wish more people knew about choosing adventure is Adventure is for everyone.
Speaker 2:Woo, I love that how you define it. It's how you define it. Adventure is for everyone. It's just how you define it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so good. Yeah, because, like you said, it may not be, you know, booking that trip to Italy. It might be exploring your town, or it might be calling your girlfriend and going out and doing something together, or just creating the community, like you said. What's the next adventure? Calling you right now?
Speaker 2:This book and what I want to get this in the hands is as many people as possible who are feeling lost and want to navigate their way through. Change, like this is really. I know one of your earlier podcast guests talked about purpose right and how we all have a person the 103 year old. I listened to a part of that podcast where she talked about living with purpose and that every day she gets up and she's sewing so she can help. Yeah, I believe that I. This book is part of my purpose and I really want to share so other people don't feel alone. So I'm excited to see where it goes and it's also completely terrifying and that's why I just lean into my choose adventure, right, just okay, I'm completely terrified. What is going to happen next with this book? But I feel called to do it, and I'm called to do it and I'm going to choose adventure and see where it goes yeah, and, like you said, it was something that you couldn't kind of just ignore.
Speaker 1:Right, when you have that nudge that keeps going and going, you're like, all right, I'm just gonna lean into it and go for it yeah, yeah, I had that.
Speaker 2:You know that story, but I tell it in the book. I had this idea for all who wander, like it's a you know, it's a very popular quote, right, all who wander are not lost. And I just woke up one day. I literally like woke up and I was like all who wander that's the name of my book. But I had no idea what was going to go inside the book. I was like, okay, god, what, like? What is? Is the what is all? Who wonder? And how do I put it on a page?
Speaker 2:And it's amazing how taking that next step and that next step and having the next podcast and doing the next thing and researching came to be the pages of this book. And I'm I've never been more proud of a product that I literally put all my heart and soul into. And it will be a book for someone. It won't be for everyone. My friend reminded me that at dinner a couple nights ago, because when you're on the edge of something new, right, you don't know, but I hope that it will help, you know, someone find their way out of feeling lost or stuck.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm so proud of you for just going the extra mile, getting it out there. I mean, you are just one incredible human being.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. Well it is. It takes a village. Thank you so much for supporting me and this book and being able to have me on to tell my story and to share this book's message and heart with the world. And you're doing great work, amazing work, with your podcast. I'm so excited to to read your book. I know you've worked so hard on it, so I will be there to support you 100% on that.
Speaker 1:So oh, thank you, ann. Well, I do want to ask you the three questions that I normally ask. Which is what is the bravest thing that Ann has done?
Speaker 2:write this book and and include my personal story feels very vulnerable. I now know what artists, uh, filmmakers, uh, musical artists I know how they feel that you put yourself out there for people to judge and, uh, it's completely terrifying. So I would say I mean, beyond having my kids and, and you know, and living daily life and the things about I value most, for sure, writing this book has been one of the most recent brave things that I've done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what are three pivotal books or two pivotal books that you read?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Alchemist by Paul Coel I always get his name wrong, but anyway, the Alchemist, which is all about your purpose, and it's a timeless book that follows Santiago as he goes to look for gold at the pyramids and what he discovers is that his purpose was not to find the gold, but all of the things that happened along the way, paying attention to his inner wisdom and guiding him, and the synchronicities that happened when he was on his path, which is resonates deeply with me.
Speaker 2:And the message of this book and then most recently I have to I mean Mel Robbins is let them book was so crazy good, Like she's really I as a model for how I want to build my business. She's been so inspiring. It's such a simple concept and I love what she does is she breaks down very complicated human needs, emotions and delivers them in a very practical, personal way that people resonate with. I actually was able to go see her at a book signing and she's just more electric in person and I think there were 800, mostly women about our age, like outstanding in the rain, waiting to just connect with her, and so, anyway, that it's a great book. I highly recommend it.
Speaker 1:I love that, and is there any piece of advice? That was the best piece of advice that someone gave you.
Speaker 2:Yes, so I talked about Michelle Himmelberg, so she. The quote in the book is you have to look behind you, the bridge that you're building behind you, with all the skills, experience people you've met, like don't worry about what's next, look at the bridge you've built behind you and I certainly have leaned on my network. I've like the skills that I've built through, you know, social media, podcasting and my personal business like marketing, to be able to get to this point. So I believe there's so much wisdom I've gained from all my podcast guests. But that definitely has resonated with me and this experience.
Speaker 1:Well, and thank you so much for being on the One Studio podcast. Where can people find you and find your book?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. I'm on. The book is on Amazon for print and ebook. There'll be an audible version that I'm recording this summer, so for people who like to listen to their books. And annetaylorhartzellcom is my website where there'll be free downloadables for the book buyers, and you can follow me on any social media network on at hip travel mama. So yeah, that's where you buy me.
Speaker 1:Guys, go get her book. All who wonder, a guide to finding your path and seasons of change. Thank you, anne.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the ones who dare podcast. It is an honor to share these encouraging stories with you. If you enjoy the show, I would love for you to tell your friends. Leave us a reviewer rating and subscribe to wherever you listen to podcasts, because this helps others discover the show. You can find me on my website, speckhopoffcom. Thank you.