A British woman who left the UK for the USA has spoken about how one incident forced her to re-evaluate her whole life in the country
A woman who moved from Yorkshire to the United States at the age of 22 has spoken about how one moment in her new home country caused her to re-evaluate everything.
Kari Wells, who built a career on the American cable channel Bravo, moved to Aspen, Colorado where she met her now husband Duncan with whom she has two children.
Later, the pair moved to Atlanta, Georgia, which is where things took a turn when she was robbed in October 2019 by two gunmen.
In the ensuing robbery, Wells was knocked out when she was hit on the back of her head by one of the gunmen. Despite surviving, the robbery would have a major impact on her with Kari telling the Telegraph she later received treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that in turn led to her writing her book ‘From Attitude to Gratitude’.
Speaking to the publication, she said that the incident was a “literal way” of being forced to “re-evaluate” her life. She explained: “It’s like I was juggling it all, and I was so busy that I wasn’t really living my life. I was on this treadmill, missing out on a lot of great things.
“The aftermath was more traumatising than the event because you go into this state… something that I cannot even explain.”
During her recovery, Wells convinced her husband to make several changes to their home including parking their car across their gate that they secured with cable ties.
Furthermore, the pair also moved back to where they’d first met in Aspen, Colorado. The incident also brought into even sharper relief for Wells the “insanity” of gun violence in the USA.
Although Kari is one of many people who has moved from the UK and Europe to the USA, in recent years there has been a growing trend in the opposite direction with Americans now moving to the UK and Europe.
According to data from the Brookings Institution reported in The Wall Street Journal, the USA saw negative net migration for the first time in nearly a century in 2025 with more people leaving than arriving last year for the first time since 1935 and the peak of the Great Depression.
Although this massive moment has happened during US President Donald Trump’s second term, in a phenomenon some have dubbed ‘The Donald Dash’, others say the situation is more complex than one person becoming leader.
Other examples include economic changes and the rise of remote working meaning more people can work from anywhere on the planet and don’t have to be tethered to their job by geography.
Gun violence is also a factor with Berlin-based employee of a Texas real estate investment firm Chris Ford using an example of active shooter drills, reports the Independent.
This, he said, was one major difference between life in the USA and life in European nations such as Spain and the Netherlands: “You don’t face the prospect of your five-year-old going into a kindergarten and doing an active shooter drill. The wages are higher in the U.S. but the quality of life is higher in Europe.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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