In this episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes Libby Stockstill, founder and CEO of Some Days, speaking from the enchanted mountain town of Idyllwild, California. This conversation holds special significance as Libby was Anne's original inspiration for creating The Mettā Interview during a Zoom call earlier in the year.
Libby is a lifelong learner and leader with extensive legal expertise and dynamic business experience spanning Fortune 250 companies to unicorn startups. Until October 2024, she served as Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary of activewear brand Vuori, where she established the legal function and helped shape the business through rapid global growth. Her career includes leadership roles at Vans, Billabong, and nearly a decade at Latham & Watkins LLP. Through Some Days, she works at the intersection of leadership and empowerment, counselling clients in the intentional pursuit of big dreams and navigating what gets in the way.
During the conversation Libby reveals her vulnerable relationship with self-introduction since leaving her corporate legal career. She describes the discomfort of no longer having a simple title and company to "tick the box," instead needing more words to capture her multifaceted identity as someone who writes, speaks, coaches, and consults "in service of the intentional pursuit of big dreams" and the equally important "what gets in the way." She shares with Anne several stories about childhood memories, early creative impulses before turning to talk about her coaching journey — which began through writing.
After years of saying she wanted to write "the next Great American novel" but never actually writing, she had an awakening moment at a creative company where she saw others weaving their passions into their lives despite having jobs and families. This led to buying her first personal computer and finally starting to write.
Libby tells Anne how she discovered coaching, which aligned with her passion for helping people pursue their big dreams and navigate what gets in the way. She reflects on how her legal background surprisingly equipped her with the ability to create safe spaces for vulnerability—not typically associated with the legal profession.
The heart of their conversation explores Libby's central question: "How do we make the world better?" She describes the cyclical nature of this overwhelming question — getting stuck in its magnitude, feeling hopeless about her ability to make a difference, then climbing out by remembering to "just keep showing up and shining my light." The conversation explores how this feels like a revolutionary act in a world that can dim our lights, and how individual light-shining can inspire others to do the same.
Their dialogue delves into the challenges of staying awake and aware in today's world, where removing numbing mechanisms while facing current global tensions creates a particularly intense experience. Libby shares her practices for nurturing awareness: morning pages, intentional listening to diverse voices, and connecting with nature's cycles through moon rituals.
Throughout, Anne and Libby explore how spaciousness in conversation allows for deeper thinking and connection, referencing concepts like Indra's Net (where each being is a reflective gem in an infinite web) and the Bodhisattva network of compassionate beings working to better the world. The episode weaves together personal transformation, social responsibility, and the practical magic.
Happy listening!
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-v-muhlethaler/
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