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If life continues to teach us one lesson, it is that it is never too late to get into new things.

Pensioners take up marathon running, billionaires give it all up to help the less fortunate, prisoners become priests: There are countless cases of human beings taking a new turn in life for the better.

One such case is the never-to-be-underestimated phenomenon that is Ann Marie McQueen, a digital journalist with a 30-odd-year career who decided to take a different approach to things as she hit midlife, helping others among many other projects - and getting into crypto, blockchain and AI ...

Here's an insight into her tale, told to The Byteline when we caught up recently.

It has been an interesting journey. Can you tell us about your pre-crypto life?

I spent a lot of time being a) scared of money and b) overriding my instincts in favor of "experts". I say "experts" because the financial advisers I got tied up with when I moved out here were predatory, and I never, ever felt good about them. But I didn't think I could figure this stuff out for myself, so I just kept on going. For decades ...

Then what happened to get you into the crypto game?

About six or seven years ago I was reading Goop, the newsletter founded by the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

She was doing a Q&A with the founder of a wallet, and he was explaining it all in a way that totally made sense.

I just decided I would buy a little bit of Bitcoin, as he suggested, and see what would happen. I didn't know anything about bull or bear runs. I didn't even really know how to get the money back out, over here, which is why I didn't buy more.

In 2021 I got an unexpected bonus and put it into BTC, ETH and LTC. Again, still not really understanding what was going on. Then at the start of 2023 I joined a community and really started learning.

What has the experience done to alter your life?

Well, I haven't made life-changing money – yet. But I do see that there is an entire shift in the financial system, and literally no one in my social circle cares.

I am now invested in a range of things, with my key goal to be "anti-fragile". I'm almost done with the financial advisers and am now working with an independent consultant who is super transparent about how he makes money.

Learning about Bitcoin and blockchain – as well as value investing in general – has given me a ton of confidence about finances I didn't have.

I am 54 and spent a lot of years avoiding money. I could have made and invested a lot more. Now I only want to invest. It's the craziest thing.

My 2008 BMW runs great, but it is melting from the inside out. All I can think is what a waste a new car would be, and I keep driving it.

One thing that really strikes me is that I feel more peaceful about the Bitcoin I've been buying than I ever did investing in stocks with my former financial adviser. Empowered would be the word, I think.

Can you manage your crypto time with your other projects?

I am working on a contract at the upcoming Zayed National Museum and I also have my own platform, Hotflash Inc, for women at the intersection of perimenopause and everything, so yes – it's challenging.

I still have resistance to making purchases, and I'm still fighting my own "FOMO," trying not to buy on green days, only red. But I think I have a pretty workable system now. I just want to make sure to take profits at the right time.

What do you think is next in your adventure?

I have plans for a book – a perimenopause manual and a memoir – and also a course to help women get through what can be a very challenging time.

My friends back home are talking about retirement and here I am in Abu Dhabi, feeling like I'm 30 again, fizzing with ideas and plans. And purpose.

Don't be scared of getting older, k? This is going somewhere good.

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