Libby |St Mary’s Bay

“My name is Libby and I live in St Mary’s Bay. Whenever anyone talks to me about kindness or our relationships with others, I always think about my dad, and my dad says always that the, impact you have on the world is the way that people feel, and how much they wish you were there when you’re not, and so for me, that’s really the way that I want to be in the world.

I want to interact with people in a way that is kind and is generous and brings out the lighter side of life, and I really make a priority to connect with everyone that I see. So, whether that’s just talking to the person who’s making coffee for me and actually talking to them, and actually looking at them, it’s really important for me to honour other people as humans, and I think just taking those extra moments to connect and really be with someone, present in the moment is a kindness and a generosity that a lot of us miss out on, and those moments really stick with me too. When someone takes that moment to be present with me, I really feel like I’m part of a community.

My dad’s still with us, I’m just a little bit emotional about my dad. My dad is very much alive. I just love him a lot, and I’m just really proud of him.

Yeah, I think as humans we really are meaning-making things, meaning-making creatures, and when we go about our lives without connecting much, and without making meaning of our interaction with people, then we’re more like robots than people, in my mind. So, when we are able to really connect with other individuals, it brings that warmth and that care and that connection aspect, that real humanity aspect of ourselves, and it just reminds us, what the beautiful things in life are, and for me, what the point of being a human is, and what the point of life is. 

So I’m from California originally. I moved to New Zealand in 2012 to be with my partner who is studying here, and my background?  I’m really passionate about people having fun, and for me, the way that looks is how can we create a safe space for people, and a space where people have their basic needs attended to, so that they can spend more time connecting with themselves, and connecting with others, because you can’t have fun if you’re miserable. So, for me, supporting people with their health and supporting people to have good relationships and supporting people to heal from their trauma, and connect with the things that matter to them, is my purpose and my mission, and that’s what I’m here to do. Help people heal so they can have more fun.”