My idea of happiness has just been flipped on its head.
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Generally speaking, I equate sunny places being analogous to happier moods, friendlier people, and overall elevated mood levels.
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Then one chaotic, last-minute family trip to Finland this weekend completely shattered everything I thought I knew.

How is everyone so happy when you get NO daylight for months? Why aren’t you all super depressed? I found myself asking this to literally everyone we met in Lapland.
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(Wait… LapWHAT? If you’re like me last year, you’ve probably never heard of this place. But buckle up, grab your ugly sweater and get cozy with this newsletter because it’s part ‘let me tell you about this best-kept secret’ and part ‘holy insights that might completely change how you view your life and business heading into 2025.’)

First plot twist: Finland holds the No.1 spot on the World Happiness Index. (I totally forgot about this until I Googled it on Saturday.) But here’s where it gets wild – the Finnish magic started before we even landed.
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​Picture this: We’re on an Easy Jet flight, dealing with delays in Lisbon that left us with a terrifying 30-minute window to make our connection in Switzerland. Miss that flight? Next one’s in FOUR DAYS. (Insert panic mode.)

But then something incredible happened. Our flight attendants, Jerome and Dominique, literally CALLED a desk mid-flight when I explained our situation.​
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Quick side note- what I’ve learned living in Europe for 15 months is the first answer is always “NO! WE CAN’T!”. But they fail to underestimate my high thresholds for discomfort, persistence and “but I’m not leaving until the answer is YES👏 WE👏🏻 CAN👏🏽
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Ok back to my Easy Jet Sky Angels….

After some “but yes you cans and PLEASSSSSE”… Enrique flipped.
And he flipped HARD (thank you storytelling skills as you bet I framed all of my pleas into a narrative.)
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It worked.
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He didn’t just sympathize – he notified the connecting PILOT to delay as long as possible and wrote out step-by-step instructions for how to sprint through the airport like Olympic athletes. (literally has never happened to me in my life.)

Minutes to spare, hearts racing, we made that second flight… where the crew already knew exactly who we were. My faith in humanity? PEAK levels.
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And we hadn’t even landed in this mythical winter wonderland yet.

Then the real magic started. The flight attendants transformed into actual elves (not even kidding), passing out candy and coloring books while our pilot kept announcing reindeer practice session sightings out the window.

The Finnish crew’s excitement about us visiting their homeland was literally contagious. WHAT IS EVEN LIFE? And no this was not a “special” themed Easy Jet flight we booked.
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Landing felt like stepping into an IKEA catalogue on steroids, complete with the friendliest Finnish man passing out candy.
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At first, I thought, “Okay, this has to be just for show, right?’ WRONG.”
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The next 48 hours introduced me to quite possibly the happiest, most positive culture I’ve ever experienced.

Our driver, Tiumoth, casually drops, ‘Sunrise is at 10AM and sunset’s around 3:30PM!’ with the enthusiasm of someone announcing an extra Christmas. (***Side note: Why did it never occur to me there might be NO DAYLIGHT? Minor detail, right?)”
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​Tiumoth became our Finnish guardian angel for the weekend, not just renting us his Airbnb, but when our Northern Lights tour got cancelled due to clouds? This man literally goes, ‘No problem, I’ll take you to my family farm – it’s got some of the best views in the country.’

Over cooked sausages and local Glögi (MY NEW OBSESSION) with his mom, I couldn’t stop asking my burning question about happiness.

Every. Single. Person. We met – from drivers to servers to locals – seemed to radiate joy. And trust me, I interrogated them ALL about it.
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Here’s my insights: (warning: these insights might flip your perspective like they did mine):
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​1. Less Light = More Appreciation
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One Uber driver told me he ‘needs more rest anyway in Winter’ like it was the most natural thing ever. The theme? Contentment over hustle culture.

Lower expectations in winter meant you were kinder to what you could do and not anxious about what you couldn’t.

The Finns are intentional with the light they DO have. These people have mastered something we’re all chasing – they may do “less” in the winter months, but they make it COUNT.

2. Work-Life Balance Isn’t Just a Buzzword Here
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Winter? That’s for working. Summer? With its 24/7 daylight? That’s for LIVING. Tourism floods their economy in the winter months, and they welcome it with genuine enthusiasm because they know their time for family and friends is coming.

Maybe planning our year around natural energy peaks and valleys instead of forcing constant output as an entrepreneur IS the move.

Side note-most people here get 5+ weeks paid vacation. Both parents get serious parental leave. So that helps with balance…

3. Culture Isn’t Just a Checkbox

You should have seen Erika during our Husky Dog experience. These weren’t just dogs – they were her SOUL.

She’d just returned from sleeping outside for 10 DAYS during a 1200K race with them. And when I asked if reindeer owners were wealthy?

The confused look I got spoke volumes.

Ownership requires permission from indigenous people – there was a palpable respect for their heritage.
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Even Tiumoth’s Northern Lights stories weren’t just about pretty lights in the sky – each pattern had meaning, history, culture.

(You know how everyone talks about ‘authentic brand storytelling’? THIS is what they mean. These folks weren’t trying to create content or build a brand – they were just sharing their truth. Nothing sells quite like real passion and genuine pride in what you do.)

4. Mental Health Isn’t an Afterthought​
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I went in thinking “no sun = depression,” but I was wrong. The Finns have built an entire LIFESTYLE around wellbeing.

Everyone we met had some sort of intentional practice – whether it was daily outdoor walks (yes, even in the dark), or their sacred sauna rituals.
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Speaking of which!! Finland has the highest sauna density in the world.
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Our modest Airbnb had a sauna.
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Me to my husband: Are you in the sauna …AGAIN!?!?
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Saunas are considered sacred spaces for physical and mental wellbeing, socializing, and even conducting business meetings.
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It’s like they’ve known forever what the rest of us are just figuring out – mental health isn’t something you tackle once you’re struggling. It’s woven into the fabric of everyday life.

5. Support Systems Change Everything
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This one hit different. An uber driver told me about his dad’s cancer diagnosis – the medication cost $12,000 per month.

“An impossibility,” he said, “but I live in Finland. My dad will be celebrating Christmas again with us this year. We paid $30 a month for it.” ****universal healthcare IS the best kept secret
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The thing is… when people feel supported, they show up differently. Literally and figuratively.
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They take risks.
They innovate.
They create.
They THRIVE.

I’m not painting some perfect Nordic fairytale here and I was there for four days only. The meltdowns happened. We packed a LOT in and yes the European service inefficiencies are true (America is the soul of capitalism for a reason).

But this whirlwind weekend? It shifted something in me.
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This trip was restorative.

(Pro tip: Maybe plan for longer than 72 hours if you’re dragging along 3 kids… just saying.)

Learning about a different culture was restorative.
Booking a “not your typical weekend trip” was restorative.
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​As we head into 2025, I can’t help but wonder: ​
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→What if we all took a page from the Finnish playbook?
→What if we built businesses that prioritized contentment over constant growth?
→Communities over competition?
→Genuine connection over surface-level social likes?

Final Thought: (IS YOUR COFFEE COLD YET?!?!)
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Sometimes the best business insights come from the most unexpected places… even a last-minute trip to a land of eternal darkness.

What assumptions about your business and life might need challenging as you head into the new year?
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Maybe, just like Finland, your biggest perceived weakness could actually be your superpower.

I will see you next week for my final newsletter of the year and like always, the best way to work with me is below..

And please share this with someone who needs to know about Finland! (SO👏🏽EVERYONE👏🏽!)