Going Through Walls, Uncertainty and Being Flamenco – A Podcast Interview

Whatever your journey is, going somewhere new requires taking risks and dealing with uncertainty. It's where our fears come up, and the temptation to just stay put. London based banker Ben Cattaneo loves the topic and talks about it with his AllThingsRisk podcast guests. In October 2016 Ben invited me to join him for episode 26. Here is how he introduced our conversation: “Imagine that an obstacle (like a wall) that has been in your way is removed. Would you take that risk you’ve always been meaning to take? How about when you no longer find joy in what you are doing? What steps would you take to change it? Meet Anke Herrmann. Anke is my guest on Episode 26. She is an entrepreneur and coach and lives in Andalucia Spain where she runs her own studio specialising in making custom flamenco dance costumes. Anke takes both an inspirational and very practical approach to these types of questions. And, while we’re on the topic of uncertainty and obstacles, Anke took her first (and biggest) risk in February 1989. Born and raised in East Germany, she moved across the Iron Curtain to West Germany. At the time, no one had any idea how long the Eastern Bloc would remain closed to the world. When the Berlin Wall came down later that year, a world of opportunities opened up for her and she took full advantage. She lived in Australia and the UK and has worked in areas as diverse as translations to software development. Throughout her career and life, she seemed to know when and how to make a change. Eventually, she found her way to Granada, Spain where she opened her studio. We talk about all of this in a fascinating conversation that I am sure you will not only enjoy, but get a number of pearls of wisdom that you can apply in your own life. We discuss:

• Growing up in East Germany before the fall of the Iron Curtain;
• Moving to West Germany
• Taking risks and balancing certainty with uncertainty;
• How and why she decided to move to Spain;
• The beauty of flamenco;
• Lessons in entrepreneurship
• Coaching others (Anke helps self-employed creative women “kick the stress out of their business”)
• Loads more!”

Towards the end of 2016 Ben released a couple of “Best Of” episodes – a collection of his favorite conversations. My episode is part of it (I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who enjoyed the conversation). You can listen to the compilation, and a lot of awesome people, here.