In this episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes Francesca Hogi, an acclaimed love educator, coach, and author who has transformed countless lives through her unique approach to modern romance and relationships.
Twelve years ago, Francesca made a bold pivot from a successful career as a corporate lawyer to pursue her true calling in love education and matchmaking. Today, she's a sought-after coach, TED speaker, bestselling author of "How to Find True Love: Unlock Your Romantic Flow and Create Lasting Relationships," and founder of The True Love Society. As host of the popular Dear Franny podcast and a two-time Survivor contestant, Francesca brings a passionately pragmatic approach to questioning the dating status quo and helping people strengthen their love confidence.
Fresh from celebrating her 51st birthday, Francesca shares her commitment to making this year an experiment in possibility.
Their conversation centers on the powerful question: "What is your assignment right now—and if not now, then when?"
Francesca explains how she developed this concept through her matchmaking work, realizing clients needed to understand their own inner work rather than outsourcing connection. She offers practical tools: start with a five-year vision, work back to six months, then three months, breaking the journey into tangible steps while building self-trust.
The discussion takes on deeper urgency as Anne and Francesca explore current world events through the lens of their family histories—both having fathers from the WWII generation. This proximity to history adds weight to the question "if not now, then when?" and the need to step up as leaders to create the world we want to see.
As she prepared for her second TED talk on unlocking flirting superpowers, Francesca embodies her philosophy of possibility thinking.
A thought-provoking conversation about finding clarity in chaos, taking aligned action, and believing we deserve the lives we envision—both individually and collectively.
Happy listening!
Selected links from episode
Connect with Francesca:
Website: FrancescaHogi.com
Instagram: Francesca Hogi known as Dear Franny
LinkedIn: Francesca's LinkedIn
Her first TED talk: True love — and the myth of "happily ever after"
Her recent TED Talk: How to Unlock Your Flirting Superpowers
Her book How to Find True Love
Dear Franny Podcast https://dearfrannypodcast.com
The Mettā Interview:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5204m0Z8im7uQOfFG5mk6L
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-metta-interview/id1832511055
The Mettā View newsletter: https://themettaview.com
Le Trente:
Website: https://LeTrente.com
Connect with Anne V Mühlethaler:
Website: https://AnneVMuhlethaler.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annvi/
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/annvi.bsky.social
In this episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes Danielle Keller Aviram, a specialised sustainable jewellery consultant, researcher, and lecturer who bridges the worlds of design, sustainability, and education. With an origin story rooted in childhood museum visits and cultural experiences, Danielle traces her journey from jewellery designer to becoming a leading voice in sustainable practices within the jewellery industry.
Danielle shares how her early exposure to art and culture, from dancing ballet to seeing Swan Lake at 12 in London, planted seeds for her lifelong appreciation of meaningful, tangible beauty. She recounts a transformative four-month journey through East Africa in her early twenties, where she found herself drawn not to the expected landscapes and wildlife, but to local crafts and textiles. This moment of recognition, dragging her friend to learn basket-weaving from banana leaves, illuminated her unique perspective and led her to pursue jewellery design.
Danielle describes hitting a wall after becoming a jewellery designer, when trying to trace the origins of the gold and stones she worked with. Unable to get straight answers from suppliers about where materials came from, she realised she couldn't authentically promise customers she was providing the best products from the best materials when she knew nothing about their journey. This revelation led her to pursue an MA in Sustainable Fashion in Berlin, where she discovered that despite coming from different cultures and contexts, everyone faced the same sustainability challenges.
In the second half of the interview, Anne and Danielle come to the episode’s central question: How to hold and balance multiple identities and passions simultaneously in a world that keeps asking us to choose just one?
Danielle articulates her personal challenge of wearing many hats – designer, sustainability consultant, researcher, lecturer, mother – in a world that values narrow specialisation. She points out the irony that sustainability itself requires a holistic perspective, yet the professional world often pushes for singular focus.
Danielle beautifully illustrates how her multiple perspectives enhance rather than dilute her work. Universities value her industry connections, clients appreciate her design background, and her role as a mother deepens her commitment to creating a sustainable future.
The episode offers profound insights about the fluidity of human experience, with Danielle describing her journey as walking through a dark tunnel, slowly gathering tools and connections, now beginning to see light at the end. She makes a compelling case that in addressing global sustainability challenges, we need people who can see the bigger picture and understand interconnections – not just specialists focused on narrow solutions.
Their exploration reveals how honesty and authenticity are tied to sustainability, and how bringing our full humanity to our work enriches rather than detracts from our professional contributions. The conversation serves as both validation and inspiration for anyone struggling to honour their multifaceted nature in a world that often demands we pick just one lane.
Happy listening!
Selected links from episode
Connect with Danielle:
LinkedIn: Danielle Keller Aviram
Instagram: @daniellekelleraviram
Website: daniellekelleraviram.com
Danielle's Work:
Truly Precious Foundation (co-founder) - sustainable knowledge-sharing platform for the jewellery sector
Masterclass at Le Trente: "Beyond the price of gold: Unlocking the holistic value in your jewellery box" - December 8, 2025, 5pm CET
Book now: https://lu.ma/0hpywk7k
Referenced in the Interview:
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Louvre Museum heist (recent jewellery robbery)
CIBJO (World Jewellery Confederation)
AMD Berlin (Academy of Fashion & Design)
Shenkar College - Jewelry Design Department
In this episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes Paulette Perhach, a New York Times contributor, writing coach, and creator of the Writer's Mission Control Center software. Author of "Welcome to the Writer's Life" and two viral essays read by millions, Paulette brings her unique blend of humor, vulnerability, and business acumen to help writers build sustainable creative practices.
Paulette traces her writing journey from declaring her ambition at a bus stop at age 10 (where her best friend immediately warned her how hard it would be) to discovering Excel as "the brain I wasn't born with" during college. She reveals how her generalized anxiety disorder intertwined with undiagnosed ADHD shaped her path, leading her to meditation in her early twenties and eventually to creating A Very Important Meeting during COVID—a daily meditation-and-writing community that continues seven days a week.
Paulette also shares with Anne the nearing completion of her novel – a decade-long journey of writing and rewriting, along with the third iteration of her Writer's Mission Control Center software. As a late-diagnosed ADHD writer, she shares how creating structures and processes has become central to both her own practice and her teaching philosophy
The interview explores Paulette's evolution from Peace Corps volunteer teaching adult education in Paraguay to writing coach charging what initially seemed impossible fees.
In exploring their central question, "What are we seeking when we seek a creative life?", Paulette explores a pivotal moment when business friends suggested she could make more money. She revisits pivotal stories from her past, exploring how examples of freedom like spending a day in the sun, power up her desire not only for a creative life but one with flexibility. One made for enjoyment, not just work.
Their discussion touches on her father's death when she was a teenager, a revelatory moment under South American moonlit sky, and her ongoing dance between caring about Instagram likes and seeking profound human connection. Paulette explains her recent embrace of performance — from her viral "Trauma Kitchen" skit to upcoming nunchuck comedy — as something that represents her decision to remove artistic molds and let creativity flow wherever it wants.
A conversation that brilliantly captures the tension between artistic calling and economic reality, offering both practical wisdom and philosophical depth for anyone navigating the creative life.
Happy listening!
The Mettā Interview:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5204m0Z8im7uQOfFG5mk6L
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-metta-interview/id1832511055
The Mettā View newsletter: https://themettaview.com
Newsletter signup: https://letrente.kit.com/metta-view
Le Trente:
Website: https://LeTrente.com
Connect with Anne V Mühlethaler:
Website: https://AnneVMuhlethaler.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annvi/
Connect with Paulette:
Website: https://PaulettePerhach.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulettejperhach/
Powerhouse Writers: https://www.powerhousewriters.com/
Welcome to the Writer's Life newsletter: welcometothewriterslife.com
Writer's Mission Control Center software: https://www.writersmissioncontrolcenter.com/
Paulette's Work:
Book: "Welcome to the Writer's Life" (Sasquatch Books/Penguin Random House)
Viral essay: "A Story of a Fuck Off Fund" (anthologized in "The Future is Feminist")
Regular contributor: The New York Times, Vox, Elle, The Washington Post, Slate
The Trauma Kitchen skit on Paulette’s Instagram
In this episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes Julia Astok, a passionate multidisciplinary artist based in Estonia. Inspired by nature's poetry and having a keen eye for the extraordinary within the ordinary, Julia's collaborations extend globally with a sincere commitment to storytelling through meticulously crafted visual language, thoughtfully tailored to encapsulate and convey the essence of each project, whether in fashion, lifestyle, art or travel. Beyond commercial work, Julia creates deeply personal portraits that help people reconnect with their own essence and see themselves through a lens of compassion.
Julia traces her journey from childhood play-acting with her cousin in imaginary fairy worlds behind her grandmother's forest home, to discovering photography at age 10 as a means of expression when words felt insufficient.
She opens up to Anne about how photography became a lifeline during her teenage years when she experienced depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts following traumatic experiences. She describes how the practice evolved from dark, escapist imagery to becoming a tool for healing and self-discovery. Her journey took her to London at 20 to study fashion photography, but it was returning to nature - literally and metaphorically - that helped her reconnect with her essence.
A pivotal moment came during a 2020 COVID lockdown shoot where she accepted to photograph a friend’s entire ready-to-wear collection on herself, given that traveling or hiring a studio and a model locally was out of the question. This experience of turning the camera on herself became both a trigger and a catalyst for deeper self-acceptance, forcing her to confront her self-image while editing photos of herself.
The conversation explores Julia's central question: "How can we help people see the magic and beauty and wisdom within themselves?" This inquiry drives much of her current work, particularly her portrait sessions with women who arrive feeling uncomfortable with their appearance and leave seeing themselves in a new light.
Julia shares practical wisdom about healing through nature connection, viewing our bodies as nature rather than separate from it, and the importance of cycles and rest rather than constant productivity. She advocates for seeing ourselves as "works of art" and "works of nature" - appreciating the textures, changes, and imperfections just as we would in the natural world.
Their exploration touches on the difference between being behind the camera (her safe space) and in front of it, the universal female experience of disconnection from our bodies, and how photography can serve as both mirror and medicine. Julia's approach to success has evolved from productivity-focused achievement to alignment with her inner nature and presence in life.
The episode offers both philosophical insights and practical tools for anyone seeking to reconnect with their essence, accept their body as their "soulmate," and find healing through creative expression and nature connection.
A deeply moving conversation about transformation, self-acceptance, and the power of seeing ourselves through nature's non-judgmental lens.
Happy listening!
Selected links from episode
The Mettā Interview:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5204m0Z8im7uQOfFG5mk6L
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-metta-interview/id1832511055
The Mettā View newsletter: https://themettaview.com
Newsletter signup: https://letrente.kit.com/metta-view
Connect with Anne V Mühlethaler:
Website: https://AnneVMuhlethaler.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annvi/
LinkTree (events & free Metta course): https://LinkTree.com/annvi
Connect with Julia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia.astok/
Website: https://www.julia-astok.com/
In this episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes the dynamic duo behind Salt & Sage Strategic Storytelling: Manfreda "Freddy" Cavazza and Felicity "Flea" Haythorn. These former journalists turned strategic storytellers bonded over a shared dislike for "meaningless marketing bullshit" and a communal love for clarity, brevity, and honesty.
The conversation opens with Anne guiding them through a brief centering meditation—modeling the mindful approach central to The Mettā Interview format. This grounding moment helps ease their pre-interview nerves and demonstrates the authentic presence that underlies meaningful conversations.
Freddy and Flea share what's bringing them joy: morning yoga that provides calm before the storm, and the wisdom of allowing family downtime before a holiday rather than micromanaging productivity. These personal touches reveal the human side of their professional partnership.
Their origin stories unfold through childhood memories and early career experiences. Freddy recounts a pivotal horseback riding lesson from her farmer father in Brazil, where falling off seven times was framed as part of becoming a good rider—a metaphor that shaped her approach to resilience. Flea traces her writing journey to early encouragement from teachers like Mrs. Henderson, whom she still contacts today.
The duo met through Instagram DMs five years ago when Freddy needed editorial help for a Fatface catalog project. Their collaboration revealed complementary skills: Freddy's copywriting expertise paired with Flea's production and subediting mastery from her magazine background. What started as project-based work evolved into a thriving partnership built on mutual support and creative energy.
Both share transformative career challenges that shaped their paths. Freddy describes her experience as a Daily Mail business reporter dealing with imposter syndrome, and how having children paradoxically made her more focused and "ballsy" at work. Flea reflects on being naturally shy and sensitive in corporate environments, initially seeing these traits as weaknesses until a career coach helped her recognize empathy and sensitivity as superpowers essential to good storytelling.
The heart of their conversation explores their central question: "How do we weave authentic narrative threads to support a brand voice in an age of AI-generated content?" They explain their revolutionary approach of replacing rigid "content pillars" and "content buckets" with flexible "narrative threads" that weave together like a tapestry, allowing for more creative and cohesive storytelling across all platforms.
Their philosophy centers on authenticity through depth—going beyond surface-level statements to uncover the real stories, decisions, and values that make brands unique. They emphasize the importance of foundational messaging work: understanding the what, how, why, who, and where of a brand before crafting content.
The discussion reveals their nuanced relationship with AI: they use it as a "junior copywriter" for structure and initial drafts, but then "edit the shit out of it" to infuse humanity and brand voice. They worry about AI making people feel inadequate about their own voices, potentially keeping entrepreneurs small when their authentic stories are exactly what makes them compelling.
Throughout the conversation, they demonstrate their core belief that confidence and voice are inseparable—that much of what they sell is actually confidence through words.
The episode offers both strategic insights for content creators and a deeper exploration of what it means to maintain human connection in an increasingly automated world. Freddy and Flea make a compelling case that the future belongs to those who can weave authentic narratives that AI simply cannot replicate.
A rich conversation about storytelling, authenticity, and the irreplaceable value of human experience in business communication.
Happy listening!
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!
Selected links from episode
Listen to the Metta Interview:
The Metta Interview on Spotify
The Metta Interview on Apple Podcast
The Metta Interview on YouTube
Discover show notes, full episode transcript on the website at https://letrente.com/the-metta-interview
Sign up to the Metta View
Connect with Anne V Mühlethaler online:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-v-muhlethaler/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annvi/
In this inaugural episode of The Mettā Interview, host Anne V Mühlethaler welcomes Amber Theurer, a strategist, coach, and creative devoted to bridging the digital and physical to create a more human world. Through her work with founders, creatives, and communities, she helps people slow down, reconnect to their own rhythms, and design lives and ventures that reward human connection as much as growth. She is the creator of Slow Sessions and co-founder of HUMAN AF, a media and community ecosystem exploring what it means to build…and to *be*...human in an automated world.
In their conversation, Anne and Amber explore how they first connected through the Write of Passage community and bonded over their first 90-minute Zoom call where they discovered their shared fascination with human-centered approaches to business and life. Amber shares her joy in returning to New York City after 14 months in Mexico City, describing the beautiful experience of walking familiar streets through a new lens of appreciation and noticing.
The discussion delves into Amber's origin story, treasured childhood memories, and traces Amber's unconventional career path from studying corporate social responsibility at Temple University to dropping out of college at 20 to pursue consulting opportunities in New York. She describes her transformative experience working at a community grocery store in Fishtown, Philadelphia, where her genuine curiosity about customers naturally led to her getting her first clients — demonstrating her belief that "it's people more than anything else, more than product that determines product market fit."
In the second half of the interview, Anne and Amber explore their central question, one of the leading premises of the Metta Interview — meeting around a question. Amber’s personal struggle centres on "How do you make resources move with more integrity in a transactional society?"
She traces this inquiry back to her father's wisdom during her turbulent childhood: "When you're rich in love, everything else follows suit." This foundational belief shaped her understanding that love as a currency and resource creates abundance in all other areas of life.
Their exploration reveals practical frameworks for identifying our true currencies — whether time, freedom, money, or connection — and how honest acknowledgment of these priorities can transform both personal relationships and business interactions. Amber shares how slowing down in Mexico City allowed her to see clearly what had always been shining: her commitment to putting people first in all her work.
Throughout their conversation, Amber demonstrates her gift for making profound concepts accessible through personal stories and practical tools. From her early days following creative intuition to helping founders lead with more clarity and resilience, she embodies her belief that rewarding the human often leads to more profit, not the other way around.
The episode touches on trust, intuitive decision-making, the importance of fluid relationships with time, and how mortality awareness can help us identify and remove unnecessary obstacles. Amber's approach isn't about rejecting transaction, but rather finding ways to infuse integrity and love into how resources — including attention, energy, and care—move through our lives and work.
A thoughtful and inspiring conversation that offers both philosophical insights and practical tools for anyone seeking to align their work and relationships with their deepest values.
Happy listening!
The Mettā Interview website: LeTrente.com/the-metta-interview
The Mettā View newsletter: https://themettaview.com
Anne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annvi/
Anne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-v-muhlethaler/
Le Trente: LeTrente.com
Connect with Amber:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amber.the/
Substack: https://amberthe.substack.com/
Calendly: https://calendly.com/ambermtheurer
Welcome to The Mettā Interview: generous conversations with brilliant humans.
In this introductory episode, host Anne V Mühlethaler shares the journey that led to this podcast - from five years of writing The Mettā View newsletter and hosting her long-form interview podcast Out of the Clouds, to launching in person salons and a new business, to a pivotal Zoom call moment with a brilliant friend that sparked everything.
Discover or revisit the meaning of Mettā (loving-kindness), why Anne approaches conversations through this lens of unconditional friendliness, and how her background in luxury fashion shaped her commitment to detail and depth. Explore what makes the Metta Interview a different kind of conversation: instead of showcasing expertise, each episode explores a question that feels alive for Anne’s guests right now.
This is where it all begins - an invitation into a new kind of podcast experience where curiosity meets wisdom, deep listening dances with insights and emergence.
About Anne V
Anne V (for Virginie) Mühlethaler is an entrepreneur, coach, and mindfulness teacher who spent 17 years in luxury fashion, including six years as SVP of Global Communications for Christian Louboutin. Now based in Geneva, Switzerland, she guides purpose-led brands and individuals to tell better stories through her unique blend of strategic thinking, insightful questions and contemplative practice.
A certified coach and passionate advocate for conscious communication, Anne believes everything in life can be solved by better communication. She's particularly committed to helping people find their "outside voice" - supporting those who've built deep expertise internally to share their knowledge with the world. Whether working with accomplished professionals ready to transition from expert to thought leader, or helping women claim their space in public discourse, Anne creates safe containers for authentic expression.
Through Le Trente and The Metta Interview, she's creating spaces where expertise meets humanity and genuine connection drives transformation.
Anne is currently writing a memoir while caressing other ideas for non-fiction books. She writes The Metta View, a weekly newsletter offering her perspectives on branding, communication and the future of work through thoughtfully written essays and a regular Digest.
About Le Trente
The Metta Interview is the podcast home of Le Trente, an emerging social learning studio creating a global community for open-minded, purpose-driven individuals. Headquartered in Geneva and online to the world, Le Trente offers transformational workshops, masterclasses, and intimate gatherings where guests are invited to get inspired by each other and explore big and small questions together. Each guest of
The Metta Interview is a carefully chosen contributor to Le Trente - wonderful guides, coaches, and experts from all walks of life who bring both knowhow and passion to their work. These conversations serve as an introduction to these teachers before perhaps registering for one of their sessions or becoming part of our community of practice.
Connect with Le Trente: letrente.com
Newsletter: letrente.com/metta-view
Events: lu.ma/letrente
Work with Anne:
Coaching: letrente.com/coaching
Consulting: letrente.com/consulting
For speaking requests email: info@letrente.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/le-trente
Instagram: https://instagram.com/annvi
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/annvi.bsky.social
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