What I learned from Anne Marie Wells - author, poet, and adventurer:
Trust yourself. Whether you decide to take a solo trip across the world, or just order something different at the corner coffee shop, learn to read your intuition. You know yourself and your abilities and limitations best. Trust what you know to be true of yourself.
Happiness lives in simplicity. When you are looking for true happiness, it's not in that next paycheck bump, it's not in the luxury handbag, or even the swanky hotel stay. Things are great, money helps sustain us, but happiness - real, meaningful happiness - is found with loved ones in the happy memories you create together in good health.
Recount your delights. Being grateful can feel daunting - like you have to have these big breakthroughs every day. Take the pressure off and revel in the delights that happen in small moments each day instead. You might feel a lot less guilt and a lot more happiness when you count your delights.
There are moments in life when a single encounter can remind us of the magic that still exists in the world. Meeting Anne Marie Wells was one of those moments. A fearless adventure-seeker, author, poet, mother, and partner, Anne Marie embodies a spirit that is as vibrant as it is humble. Her ability to tackle life’s challenges head-on, while remaining open to growth and change, is a constant reminder that magic isn’t just found in grand gestures—it lives in the quiet strength of everyday choices.
Anne Marie happened upon my podcast even before I had started promoting it in earnest, sparking a hint of the magic of serendipity she would tell me about in her stories to come. It’s moments like these that remind me how interconnected our lives can be, and how a simple note in an inbox can change the way we see our paths moving forward.
In her message, Anne Marie shared just a short summary of the remarkable journey she’s been on—a path filled with trials, triumphs, and the kind of bold decisions that many of us only dream about making for ourselves. When life left her feeling less than satisfied, she didn’t sit back and wait for change. Instead, she actively sought out new paths to happiness, embarking on an adventure that led her to Iceland—a country that frequently tops the World Happiness Report. This wasn’t just a quick vacation; instead, it became a way for her to seek out the joy and wonder that she felt she had been missing from her everyday life by following the stories of happiness she collected from the people she met in Iceland.
Listening to her story in the full episode of the podcast, I couldn’t help but reflect on the beauty of seeking change and embracing challenges. Anne Marie’s journey isn’t just about the destinations she’s reached - whether geographic , or through her career, or in terms of life milestones - but about the courage to redefine her life on her own terms; to truly be willing to change herself and search for what would bring her the meaning she was looking for when she began her trip through Iceland. It’s a reminder that sometimes, when we feel disconnected or unfulfilled, the answer isn’t to wait for life to improve on its own, but to take a brave step into the unknown.
Her narrative is a call to all of us: dare to take that leap, dare to explore what might lie beyond the familiar. Whether it’s a trip to an unknown place, a creative endeavor, or simply a shift in perspective, Anne Marie shows us that magic is always within reach when we choose to embrace life fully—with all its imperfections, challenges, and small moments of awe.
I feel incredibly inspired by her story, her courage, and the sense of magic she brings back into life from new perspectives, including through each meeting she had in Iceland as she followed totally unplanned, unexpected pathways toward a bigger story of her own. Her episode is a celebration of the fearless spirit that continues to inspire and remind us that life, with all its ups and downs, is an adventure. In a word? It's a delight. Find out more by listening to the full episode, and keep up with Anne Marie via her socials and website below: