Don’t Burn It Down: Anna VanAgtmael and How to Pivot Without Losing Everything

On this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Anna VanAgtmael, founder of Wandering Roots, a company that hosts adventure retreats for women around the world and helps entrepreneurs create profitable retreats of their own.

Anna’s path didn’t start with wanderlust. She built a successful 13-year career in molecular diagnostics, even helping launch a lab from the ground up. But after a major health scare forced her to pause, she began questioning everything, from her work to how she wanted to spend her life.

What followed wasn’t a reckless leap, but a calculated pivot. She built her retreat business on the side, tested the model locally, and created enough stability to eventually walk away from her career… just in time for the world to shut down in 2020.

Instead of retreating, she doubled down.

In this conversation, Hersh and Anna explore what it really takes to pivot into something more aligned, how to build a business around experiences, and why clarity often comes from doing, not waiting.

They also dig into:

• Why belief in yourself is the real starting point
• The difference between a passion project and a sustainable business
• How to build something new without burning everything down
• The role of “why” in making hard decisions
• And what it looks like to create roots while still wandering

For anyone sitting on the edge of a big change, this episode offers both perspective and a push.

https://www.yourwanderingroots.com/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/