Fearless Connections, Bold Journeys

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Anna VanAgtmael, founder of Wandering Roots, to explore what it looks like to step off the career conveyor belt and build a life around purpose, connection, and managed risk.

Anna shares how building a laboratory from the ground up gave her early entrepreneurial confidence, but it was an unexpected neck surgery and months of enforced pause that crystallised a deeper truth: outward success didn’t equal fulfilment. From yoga teacher training and a powerful experience of supportive community, she began experimenting with retreats—starting locally, then expanding internationally.

Together they unpack what makes retreats meaningful beyond the buzzwords: creating space away from daily responsibilities, building trust with strangers, and encouraging small, supported steps outside comfort zones. The conversation also moves into the practical realities of entrepreneurship—risk management, learning through trial and error, scaling in a way that suits your life, and using contractors and tools to stay sustainable.

The episode leaves listeners with an invitation to try what keeps calling them—without needing a perfect plan—and to build confidence through action, connection, and deliberate pauses that help clarify what matters next.