Cindy Liebel shares her journey from military service and corporate leadership to building a jewelry business rooted in creativity and craftsmanship. In this episode, we talk about navigating grief, embracing career pivots, and finding the courage to keep creating through life's challenges.
Check Out These Highlights:
What happens when the life you planned for yourself evolves into something completely different?
In this episode, Cindy Liebel shares her origin story, from dreaming of becoming a fashion designer as a child, to serving in the military, climbing the corporate ladder, and eventually building a successful career as a jewelry artist and entrepreneur. Cindy reflects on how travel, architecture, art, and fashion shaped her creative perspective, and why she believes it's okay if the path you choose at 20 isn't the one you follow forever.
Toby and Cindy also have an honest conversation about the realities of entrepreneurship, including the importance of accountability, the pressure of running a business alone, and the challenges of balancing work while navigating personal loss. Following the recent passing of her father, Cindy opens up about grief, resilience, and the practices that help her reconnect with creativity when life feels overwhelming.
This episode is a reminder that success isn't about having everything figured out; it's about continuing to grow, adapt, and create through every season of life.
About Cindy Liebel:
Cindy Liebel is the founder and designer behind Cindy Liebel Jewelry. Drawing inspiration from travel, architecture, art, and fashion, she creates handcrafted jewelry while sharing her passion for creativity, craftsmanship, and lifelong learning.
Connect with Cindy:
🌐 Website: https://cindyliebel.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindyliebeljewelry/
💬 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindyliebeljewelry
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About Me: https://tobymyles.com/about/
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My guest today is Cindy Liebel, a jewelry designer, artist, and lifelong creative whose work is inspired by architecture, travel, and a love of making things by hand. In this conversation, Cindy shares how becoming a mom led her back to her creative roots and eventually to building a jewelry business of her own. We talk about creativity, entrepreneurship, identity, grief, and the importance of making space for yourself even when life feels full. We also explore the realities of running a business, finding resilience through difficult seasons, and why it's okay when life doesn't follow the path you originally imagined.
Toby Myles: Hey, Cindy. Welcome to the podcast.
Cindy Liebel: Hi. Hi, Toby. Thanks for having me.
Toby Myles: I'm excited you're here. We were talking before we hit record about how, um, you're super busy and we're all busy, but you're super busy this time of year especially, and so, um, I really appreciate you making the time for this. I think it's gonna be a great conversation.
And I usually like to kick things off by sharing how we know each other. Um, you and I go back to, um... Well, you're still a jewelry designer and have a jewelry business. I did once upon a time. Um, a- and, um, I believe that that's where we initially connected, and then we connected again just, you know, over the years.
Um, I helped you with some copy for your website, which was really fun to get to know more about, um, your story and how you got to where you are today. So, um, if I had to guess, you know, maybe it's, like, eight years or ni- I don't know. It's been, uh, it's been some years since we first, um, connected and got to know each other a little bit better.
So, um, I would love for you to kind of take me back to a moment in time, or maybe it's like a cluster of moments, that you feel like really kind of put you on the path that you're on right now.
Cindy Liebel: I think a lot of it is just really, um, a journey of childhood. Growing up with my father being in the military, he retired after 30 years, and so we, um, moved, um, from state to state every three years.
And, um, during that time, I think I just kind of captured life in a way, um, that was artistic. And by that, I mean with my grandfather. I know I'm kinda jumping all over the place, but he inspired my love of photography And my mother inspired my love of fashion design and making my own clothes. Um, my father was someone who was just kind of like subtly in that background.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Very encouraging. He's like my cheerleader, which I really love. So a lot of that I kinda took in into how my creative inspirations formed. Um, I studied fine art and photography in college. Uh, when I was in grade school, I was really fascinated also by, um, drafting and drawing and architecture. Um, and the architecture also comes to play with me with the travels, um, because every place we moved, there was the difference in architecture in, in these locations- Mm-hmm
um, we would normally drive. I remember one trip, it was driving from Virginia to Washington State, and I... It was just a memorable moment in my lifetime-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm ...
Cindy Liebel: um, seeing the landscapes and how things changed just by a few miles. Um-
Toby Myles: Yeah ...
Cindy Liebel: it was just really fascinating to me. But kinda all of that jumbled into one thing was I've always wanted to be creative.
Um, and after grade school- after college, I didn't really pursue, so to speak. I mean, I did, but I didn't get to the place where I wanted to get to, so I joined the military, um, stayed in for a few years, um, and that's what led me into corporate world. Mm. And, um, gosh, fast-forward 10, 15 years, and I also had a little retail experience.
But all of that to say is when I became a mom, I took the time to tap into my creative outlet, um, full force. It was like major hobby into another craft, um, then which led me into jewelry design. Um, we all made jewelry at some point as kids.
Toby Myles: Right.
Cindy Liebel: But I didn't make it in the way that many others did. It was more of a, like I had an obsession with rings.
Toby Myles: Mm.
Cindy Liebel: I would do catalog orders with my mom from this well-known company, which we probably all know. I don't need to name the name. Um, but I would... Every time she would say, "Hey, I'm ordering. Would you like anything?" I'm like, "Yeah, I want some silver rings." And so fast-forward to now, I just really felt like I needed to- Let go and just tap into that creative outlet that I didn't really pursue earlier in my life as a career, um, and also as a hobby at that time Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think that as creatives, at least from my generation, you know, we never were taught that, um, having a creative career was even a thing, right? Like, the whole starving artist thing, like, was pretty alive and well, at least when I was a kid. But like you, I was always making things, always creating things, always imagining things.
And it... And for me, it wasn't until after several tries at other things in college where I was like, "Oh, graphic design, like, that's a thing? Somebody will pay you to be an artist? What is that?" Right? So it, it just... I remember it just was, like, mind-boggling you could actually make a living at something creative.
So I totally get that, you know, you kind of... I don't know, you kind of go into something that feels a little bit more traditional or more certain, right? And you just sort of, like- put the other stuff on the side or the back burner, or you just kinda repress it, right? But as a person who's truly a creative, I think you're not...
I, I'm, I don't wanna put words in your mouth, but I'm gonna say this, and then you can tell me what you think. Mm-hmm. But, um, you have to create. Like, if you are that person who is a creative, that is, like, part of who you are, and when you're not creating, you're not, like, fully yourself.
Cindy Liebel: That's true. Gosh, I'll never forget my mom.
God bless her. She's such, such a sweetheart. She just did not understand or grasp the concept of art and photography as a way of living, so I completely get that. Mm-hmm. Um, uh, 100%, and I think that's what kinda, like, held me back in that aspect. Um, but you're right. Um, I have to create. I have to make something, whether it's knitting or crocheting or sewing or cooking.
Like cooking, I love to cook. I love to come up with some ideas and think about different flavor profiles. I love to dabble in a little bit of gardening, um, when it's not really hot. Um, and I l- I'm constantly coming up with design ideas, you know. It could be in a dream or it could just be me driving somewhere and I'm like, "Oh, I cannot wait to get home so I can, like, somehow fabricate this idea into something," even if it doesn't turn out to be anything.
Mm-hmm. But I have to create.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. I do know that when you're kind of in that, like, deep creative mode, you see and feel creativity everywhere. I used to keep a sketchbook next to my bed, and I would wake up. I'd have these ideas that were keeping me from falling asleep, and so I would have to, you know, sit up, and sometimes I wouldn't even turn the light on.
I had, like, a little, you know, s- fine point Sharpie and a tiny little sketchbook, and I would just sit up and I would just, like, scribble something. And lots of times the next day I'd look at it and be like, "Oh, what was I thinking?" But it was in my brain somehow. So, um- Mm-hmm ... so I'm curious, like, for our listen- listeners who don't yet know your work, um, they will because we're gonna share your website and social media, but, um, I see a, a tie-in to architecture, um- Mm
with, like, your core c- collections. I know you, you have kinda branched out to some other things, but, like, primarily your wire work. Is that intentional? Is that just your aesthetic? Like, can you explain that?
Cindy Liebel: Um, it's, I love collecting art and I love, um, abstraction and detail, like line art. Mm-hmm. And I just think it's pretty fascinating to take this piece of wire and shape it into something that's kinda somewhat linear.
There's this subtle, um, edginess to the pieces and, um, I like light jewelry, so I really, really gravitate to something that's light. And so that is very intentional in that aspect. And I... The architectural part is also that childhood memory- Mm-hmm ... um, just through travels, being in the military, um, that really gravitate in my mind to, um, and the textures along with that as well.
Um, when, in the beginning when I would design a collection, each collection would have like, say for instance, a hoop earring, and then that collection would be named that hoop. So like Isla collection- Mm-hmm ... or Isla, however you pronounce it. Um, typically I would design one hoop. That collection ended up with like five or six.
I kinda got a little crazy in 2020. Um, and so that hoop was, I used that design to really translate how the rest of the collection would form.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Um, and so and usually everything would just be with just wire work. And it's my way of drawing and sketching on paper, but I'm doing it with the wire.
Toby Myles: Mm.
Cindy Liebel: And I look at it every, on a daily basis.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I love that. I... It reminds me when I was in, um, art school, um, and I was in like one of my early foundational classes in art school, we were talking about like dimension and, um, how to take something and turn it into something else, like a material and turn it into something that you would never expect.
Um, and it reminds me, we had to take a eight and a half by 11 sheet of copier paper and make it unrecognizable. And I would like to say that I had the best solution. I did not. I don't even remember my solution, that's how bad it was. But one of the, one of my classmates, um, cut the paper. It stayed all intact one piece, but he kinda zigzagged back and forth, back and forth, back and forth so that by the time he was done he had this tiny thin strip of paper that went all the way around the room, and I was like, it was brilliant.
You would never would've said this, this, you know, thing started out as a sh- a single sheet of paper, right? But he, he thought of a way to kind of like reimagine it into something that you would never even think of. And when I think of your work, like you talk about the lines, but- You take something that's a line and you make it, and you give it something that has some, like, depth and some volume, which I think is, is really, um...
It's a gift that you have, right, over and over again, um, when I see your work. So, um, that's something that I really love to witness, to watch. Um, so you're, um, you mentioned, like, putting your craft on hold, um, until later, you know, after you became a mom, and I think a lot of our listeners can relate to sometimes kind of like trying to figure out who they are again after they become a mom.
Um, I definitely had that. Like, who I, who am I besides somebody's mother or somebody's wife? Yeah. Um, and, and so I'm just curious, um, what was that experience like for you, and what was it about that that made you reconnect with your, um, love of making things and making jewelry?
Cindy Liebel: Um, some people might call it selfish, but it was just a way for me to tap into myself, excluding everyone else in my life for that, for a singular moment.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: You know, when you've been single for so long, you know, you're used to doing the things that you want to do. But you 110% do anything for your, these little human beings that you're raising, you know?
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Um, but I felt lost a little bit, like I wasn't... Like a part of me was just not me anymore, and I really needed to find that outlet.
And so I just became really heavy in a craft, um, by way of a group of moms I met on Yahoo. You know- ... it gives away my age. Um, Yahoo Groups. I can't remember what it was called at the time now that I'm thinking about it. But, um, I fell heavy into a craft, and being with that group, um, allowed me to be, to really tap into myself more and allow myself time and space to be creative and still be able to raise my kids-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm
Cindy Liebel: um, and be very active in all of their activities. I mean, yeah, there was a lot to do, and I would stay up late at night to complete whatever craft I was doing. Um, and I would still get up early to work out and then be a mom, you know? And when-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm ...
Cindy Liebel: they were going to school, I had a lot more time, you know?
Um, and, and I have no regrets, and I hope that they, as my children, understand, um, it's just, you know, it's part of life. This is me. This is their mom.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I think that, um, I don't know, I, I don't, I don't think it's selfish at all. There's no reason why, um, you shouldn't be a whole person, right?
All the things about Cindy that makes you alive and, and whatever, and I know people say, "Oh, well, you can't have it all." But you, you kinda can have it all if you just define what having it all looks like. And it sounds like you were able to pursue that side even though you sometimes did it late at night, but also be very present with your children, which was important, too.
So I'm wondering, um, like how old they were at that age, and did they... Did you ever overhear them tell their friends, like, what their mom does or anything like that? Or were they just kind of like, "Eh, Mom's just Mom."
Cindy Liebel: It was more, "Mom's just Mom."
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Cindy Liebel: They were always embarrassed by me because I would embarrass them
on purpose. Like,
Toby Myles: what- Well, that's kind of your job, right? I mean, yeah. Isn't that our jobs?
Cindy Liebel: Yeah. I still embarrass them to this day. I mean, right now one is, he's 23 and she's 19, so-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm Oh yeah, that's the perfect age to embarrass them. So, but you also de- you also, um, not demonstrated, but modeled something for them that hopefully they will take with them that, like, it's okay to...
Again, I don't think it's selfish. It's you're, you're a human being and you should be able to pursue the things that, um, you're passionate about without, um, being negligent about the other things in your life. So hopefully that's something that they carry with them, too, into their lives and relationships.
Cindy Liebel: Yeah, I hope so as well. Um, you know, it's funny, my daughter, her friends, some of them followed me and I got a little giddy. I'm like, "Oh, cool," you know? Um, I've had a group of Girl Scouts come here to fulfill a, a project to earn a badge, to show them my studio before I re- renovated. Mm-hmm. Um, so that was really enlightening.
Um, and, you know, my son is like, "Oh," I've made him some jewelry, so I've always thought that was great. Um, but yeah, it's, I hope that I... To kinda like backtrack, kinda random, but my son told me, like, I don't know, three to five years ago, he was like, "I don't know if I would ever own a business because you work so much, Mom."
Toby Myles: And- Oh, wow.
Cindy Liebel: And I was like, "Well, yeah, because it's just me working," and honestly I don't mind it. But I think he appreciates it.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Um, and I think for my daughter, I think it's, there's this independence about it that she appreciates as well.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Do you think that they knew how lucky they were to have you have the flexibility to be there for all the things?
Cindy Liebel: I think they do now. Yeah. I think back then, no. Yeah. You know? Um, when I started traveling doing more shows, um, I hated that I missed my son's soccer games. Like, I was up every Saturday morning with him, every evening, um, going through this journey through, through his soccer, through grade school for many, many years.
Mm-hmm. Um, my daughter was in ballet. I was always there. Um, but it did kinda hurt a bit when I had, when I traveled-
Toby Myles: Yeah ...
Cindy Liebel: um, for shows. Um, but I know that they know I was there in heart and, and such, so.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I, when my kids were little, um, I was a freelance graphic designer for many years, and I worked from home before people really worked from home.
And so my kids didn't s- understand, and I've said this many times before on this podcast, that they didn't understand that s- other kids' parents actually went to an office and did their job. And I can remember going to a, taking them to a doctor's appointment one day, um, in, like, one of those medical buildings, and they had no idea even where they were.
They were like, "Is this the movie theater? Where are we?"
Cindy Liebel: Yeah.
Toby Myles: And so I was like, "No, some... This is an office building. Like, m- most of your friends', or a lot of your friends' parents, they go to work outside, you know, not from home, but outside the office and, or outside the home and they go to an office." So, um, I, I think at least my daughter has that entrepreneurial spirit.
I don't think my son does. I don't think that it's something that really... I mean, he's, he, you know, loves music, and I think he would like to, you know, pursue his music. Um, but I can't imagine him really thinking that he would just do that full... He wouldn't do that full time now 'cause he's got two kids, so that's not really an option right now.
But, um, but I know my daughter is, even though she, you know, works for somebody else, she would love, um, to just be a full-time entrepreneur. It sort of suits her personality. Which I guess leads me to the next part of this conversation. Like, w- you and I know, um, that having your own business, running your own business is not easy.
Like, we love it, and we're passionate about it, and we do put in a lot of hours for that reason, um, but it's not easy. And so I, I'm wondering, like, when things maybe feel, like, challenging or hard, or you feel like you're doing a lot and not making progress, and maybe not so much now, but maybe at, at a time, you know, some time in the past.
Like, what is it that keeps you going through those difficult moments?
Cindy Liebel: Oh my gosh, that's a good question. I actually went through that this past seven months. I felt like I was just coasting.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Um, my father had recently passed away, so dealing with his illness for that time, I was just... felt like I was at this lull, like what am I doing?
But I kept going. Um, for me it's really just taking a step back and thinking about my why a little bit more, um, thinking about my future, um, where and how I started in the business, and where I see myself going, and where I've already been, and how I could elevate that even more. Um, and then I'm just wholeheartedly passionate about it.
So I just tend to kinda like take a day or two off or, um, I might call up a friend, "Hey, let's have lunch. I need to vent. I have all this going on." Like, "Help me reset." So I just find different ways to just kinda reset and take a step back-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm ...
Cindy Liebel: um, and think about the positives. Sometimes I write things down and I just kinda repeat it in my head and, um, you know.
And then I also write the negative things down, and then I... you know, once I write that d- write that down, I kinda like look at it and then I trash it or burn it. You know, kind of like release that negative energy. So, and a lot of it is me finding that positive energy and seeking, um, not necessarily validation, but seeking that something from those that will help me reset, um, and such.
So it's really just a matter of really taking the time to think about where I see myself in 20 years and finding space to really let go of any kind of negative, negative energy moving forward to get through challenges.
Um-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm ...
Cindy Liebel: I know sometimes I beat myself up a bit, um, but I, like, take that step back and just realize, you know, that's life. I think about all the other challenges I've gone through in my life previous to what I'm doing. Mm-hmm. And sometimes I think about that, you know, how did I get through it? What did I do, um, to get through it?
And then I l- kinda like use that as a guide, um, to get through those challenges in the business.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think that's so interesting because I, I do think that, um, we tend to put this expectation on ourselves that everything is just gonna be growth and forward motion, and, you know, next year is gonna be better than this year, and, and on and on, and it doesn't always go like that.
And I think that it can be day to day, you know, sometimes just frustrating or hard to just- Like, what am I even doing? Like, sometimes I just am like, "What am I even doing?" And, you know, I- there are days when I'm just like, "You know what? I'm just- I just don't want to do it anymore," right? But like you said, like, that d- is not usually where I land on.
It's usually like, "Okay," like, "time out. You're not burning anything to the ground. You need to, you know, s- maybe something didn't go well. Get some distance from that." You know, uh, for me it's, you know, it could be, like, um, launching my course, right? Like, sometimes it goes great, s- other times it's just not, you know, the right fit for people.
And those are the moments when I'm like, "What- what is going on? What am I even doing," right? And I just like, "Forget it." I just give up, right? But then, like a few days or even the next morning it's like, "Okay, you're not... Like, time out." Talk it out. Like you, I have, you know... My husband, who usually just, you know, kind of laughs at me and says, "Yeah, you're not- you're not doing that.
Like, you're fine. It'll be fine," which is right. He's right. Um, and he's learned not to try to, like, solve any problems. He just needs to just listen to me, you know- Right ... 'cause I need to vent. And then, you know, my- my- Kristi, who's my business accountability buddy, we are on- in contact all the time, you know.
"What do you think about this? What do you think about that?" Um, and, you know, you work it out and you keep moving on. And in fact, she said something recently, uh, on a post on LinkedIn about the goal isn't to, um, to not ever make a mistake. The goal is to, like, learn from those mistakes, and then you just keep going.
And I think it's so key because, again, back to what I was saying, like, we feel like we have to have it all figured out, and everything has to, uh, uh, you know, roll out perfectly the way we imagine it in our heads, and rarely is that ever- the case. It's so
Cindy Liebel: true. It is so... Oh my gosh, it's so true. Like, I could have my stuff together and then for like a period of time, and then maybe like one week or a month, I don't have myself together.
You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, 'cause that happens often, um, and stuff. But that, that is true. There's so many mistakes that are made, you know? There's so many mishaps at the bench that's being, that's being created, and you really have to just kinda move forward with it. And accountability, I think, is very key and important.
Um, and I think if you aren't accountable for y- if you don't have accountability, it can be kinda difficult to stay on track, I think. Mm-hmm. Um, it's interesting that you mention- use that word because, um, there is a program I was a part of, um, outside of jewelry, and so I'm missing that accountability.
Toby Myles: Mm.
Cindy Liebel: And I have considered rejoining this program just so I could have that accountability. Mm-hmm.
Toby Myles: And I think
Cindy Liebel: that's what I've been missing this year. Um, and so I'm just kind of like backtracking and thinking about, um, moving forward with that again.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I d- I think that it is. It's hard. You know, the, the term solopreneur gets thrown around a lot, but-
Cindy Liebel: Yeah
Toby Myles: um, you know, I, I feel like we never really are successful all alone. Like, we always need other people, not just our clients, but other people that are, you know, can kind of, um, I don't know, just be a sounding board or, um, maybe they're further ahead on the journey than we are and we can kinda look to them to see the things that they're doing.
And so, um, you know, I definitely think, like, that is, is so key. Even if, like even if you said if it's not, like, in the industry, but just someone to just say, "Hey, you know, how's it going this week? You said you were gonna do X, Y, and Z. How's that going?" Um, but I also wanted to just touch too on, like, life stuff.
You know, you mentioned, um, your dad passed away not that long ago. And, um, it's these things, these big things that happen in our lives, like, I find that I think, like, I can just keep going business as usual. And then when I'm in the middle of it, I realize, like, no, I actually don't want to. I wanna focus my attention on family and what's, you know, what's important in this moment.
Um, I'm grateful that I can do that, but when I get to the other side of that, I find it difficult to get back into my groove of like, what was I even doing? What was, you know, what was going on before I just kind of like put, you know, put a pin in it? And so I'm wondering, um- Like, has that been the case for you?
Or do you feel like things are kind of like you just jump right back in and
Cindy Liebel: Um, it was kind of like that. I, in all honesty, I stayed busy. Um, I think part of me was trying to hold back the emotions, um, especially when I had so many deadlines that I needed to meet on top of being there for the kids. Even though they were away at college, they still needed me.
Mm-hmm. So it's like, "Oh, Mom, hop in the car. Drive an hour there and back." You know. Um, for me, I think going through this whole grieving process, I've gone through it before. It was a friend that passed away, uh, three years ago, I think, and that was real- really tough as well. Um, I feel like for anyone who's, like, younger...
Like, I'm Gen X. Um, and, you know, I think about how many more years I have left in doing what I'm doing. But I think anyone who's younger than us, me, so to speak, um, I think if you're doing this as a solopreneur or anything that you're doing, think about the long term in a sense where, are you... When you are building your business, think about all the things in life that can come unexpectedly.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. And
Cindy Liebel: how would you prepare for that?
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Um, I think I was somewhat prepared for it partially, but not as a whole, because it is just me. I think when you have that assistant in whatever it is that they're doing, it can help with that workload. Um, and for me, it did not. Um, and I think also, I don't wanna say I handle stress very well.
I think I kinda hide it pretty well.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: Um, so a lot of people, they... I just don't share that often.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Cindy Liebel: Um, but it's been hard, and for me, it's... it was more of a matter of keeping busy. Um, and the emotions and grieving goes in waves still to this day.
Toby Myles: Sure.
Cindy Liebel: Um, and but I also take into account that-
I don't take things for granted, and if I need to take a day or two to grieve, there's no regret in it.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm. Um,
Cindy Liebel: and I just find peace and grace in that-
Toby Myles: Yeah ...
Cindy Liebel: you know, moving forward. Um, and I, I try to be, to connect and communicate that with may- you know, clients I'm working with- Mm-hmm ... um, with an ongoing commission or something like that, and maybe retail buyers.
Mm-hmm. Um, but it is, it is, it can be challenging. I think if you find a way to just take time to
Not, not, I don't wanna say dwell on it, but just take time to understand that this is part of life. Mm-hmm. Everybody goes through it at some point or another, and that it's okay if you need to take the time off from your business. And if you do, and coming back into doing the work and you find it hard Um, one of the things I like to do is visit a museum, find inspiration that way Mm-hmm Um, maybe even go to the library and just immerse yourself in some art books.
Um, that's something I haven't done in a long time, and I love doing that. I love to read and look into art books. Um, just find something that kind of gives you that energy to want to create. If you love nature, nature inspires your work. You know, go on a hike, take a road trip somewhere, you know. Um, do journaling and sketching.
Those are other things that I do to kind of get myself back into that mode. And sometimes, you know, it's just really, if you're a jeweler, just go to the bench and just start making.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Cindy Liebel: Go through your little scrap bin and just start melting-
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm ...
Cindy Liebel: melting metal. Melting stuff.
Toby Myles: Playing with fire.
Cindy Liebel: I think just melt it- Yeah.
hammer it-
Toby Myles: Yeah ... your frustration. Yes. I
Cindy Liebel: mean, I have done that before. Yeah. I spend like three hours. It's like, "Okay, I'm fine." Not fine. Yeah I'm, I'm ready to make again.
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I think that's- Um- Yeah, that's so, that's so, such good advice, right? And not everybody gets to play with fire and hammers, but there are equivalents of that, I think, for everybody.
You know, get out and go for a walk, go to the gym, um, take a kickboxing class. Whatever it, whatever is the equivalent of that, I think is good. Yeah.
Cindy Liebel: That's true. Uh, working, I work out almost every day. Weightlifting and spinning and Pilates, that's like my jam. Mm-hmm. And I think with the stress, that helps release that stress.
And maybe that's why I'm really good at hiding it, um, externally. Um, internally it's not doing the body good, but, you know-
Toby Myles: Yeah ...
Cindy Liebel: it's, it's what helps me get through, you know?
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You have the outlet for s- for stress, and maybe it looks different than other people. And I think, too, the part you said about, you know, just being honest with people, like letting people know, like, "Hey, you know..."
Yeah, I don't think you have to give every single detail. But I h- find that people are much more understanding than sometimes we think they're going to be. And just being honest about something, um, you know, whatever it is, that, it, that our clients and people that we work with are usually very understanding.
Mm-hmm. Um, m- I'm fortunate that I work with great people. Um, every single one of my clients, um, has been super understanding with me as, you know, my husband's gone through this cancer journey, and I've had to just, you know, pause tele- um, conference calls and things like that. Um, so yeah, I think that that is one of the things that we, like it is one of the reasons, at least for me, why I have my own business.
I want that freedom to, to be able to decide when I need to- you know, take time off if I need to or want to, um, for whatever. So, um, I think sometimes we, at least for those of us who come from, like, a 9:00 to 5:00 world prior to owning our own businesses, sometimes I think we still carry that, um, feeling that we have to have that same sort of structure.
Um, and, um, it's good. It's good to have that discipline, but also, like, it, it doesn't have to be that way either, so.
Cindy Liebel: That's true.
Toby Myles: Yeah. So, um, before we wrap things up- Mm-hmm ... you talked about, um, when you were little and traveling and being inspired by the different architecture. Do you think you knew, or do you remember as a little girl thinking you would be an artist when you grew up?
Cindy Liebel: Um, when I was a little girl, I thought I, I really wanted to be a fashion designer and a model.
Toby Myles: Okay.
Cindy Liebel: I mean, and, um, and a ballerina. That-
Toby Myles: Okay ... those
Cindy Liebel: were the three things I wanted to be. Um- Uh, and I think, you know, I contribute the whole fashion thing, you know, with my mom, um, you know, and me making clothes and sewing and all that stuff.
But yeah, I just, yeah. I did not think I would be here doing what I'm doing now in my 50s, you know?
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Cindy Liebel: That's a completely different- ... spotlight. And, you know, and, and I think I've mentioned it to my kids before, it's like, "Hey, you know, you are going to college to do this thing. And I hope you can land that job doing the thing that you wanna do that you spent all this time and money to learn.
Um, and then sometimes in life it might change," and it's like, it's okay.
Toby Myles: Yes.
Cindy Liebel: You know, honestly- Yeah ... would I go back to working in the corporate world if I had to? Yes, and then that would be a huge change, but I would be mentally prepared for it because I've done it. You know, we've done it before, so it wouldn't- Yeah
really be a big deal, you know?
Toby Myles: Yeah. Yeah. I think that's interesting because, um, it, um, I feel like kids... I hate... This sounds like I'm so old, but kids nowadays, but I do s- see that I with, um, like my stepdaughter and my nephews who are, um, college age now, and them feeling this pressure to know what it is they wanna do, right?
Mm-hmm. And, um, you know, I've got twin nephews. One of 'em is very certain and is in college studying this thing, and then his twin brother is just like, "I don't know. I don't know what I wanna do. I'm..." You know? And I think that, you know, they're, because they're twins, he's maybe feeling like, "Oh, I should know, because my brother knows," right?
But we tell 'em all the time, like, "You don't have to know." Like, you could be interested in multiple different things, and you can try them all out and make that decision, because you're in that sta- you're at that stage of your life where that's what you're supposed to be doing, is exploring and figuring things out, right?
You know, your early 20s, all your 20s really, honestly, I think is, is really where you kind of figure who, figure out who you are. So, um, so yeah, I think it's great advice to give, um, our children and, you know, anyone getting ready to go to college or coming out of college. Like, and it's okay too if you studied something in college and that's not the job you get.
Cindy Liebel: That's true. I know my son had a hard time. He didn't know. He couldn't figure out what he wanted to do, so he went to community college for part-time for three years before he decided on IT. Mm-hmm. So he's at a, um, four-year school, um, I think it's four years, uh, up in northern Virginia, which is great. Um, but I, I, and I have always told my kids, "Don't let it pressure you."
I didn't like the pressure growing up, um, at all. And, you know, in my mid-20s, you know, as a young kid, like I said, I wanted to be a fashion designer and model and all these things. But then when I tapped into a corporate world after leaving the military, I thought I would be cli- climbing that corporate ladder.
Like, I- Mm ... that was, like, my focus.
Toby Myles: Mm-hmm.
Cindy Liebel: And then, of course, things change. So, you know.
Toby Myles: Yeah.
Cindy Liebel: You know. Yeah.
Toby Myles: Yeah. It's okay.
Cindy Liebel: Yeah. Y- It's okay.
Toby Myles: Exactly. It's okay. Well, Cindy, this has been amazing. Again, I appreciate, um, your, um, being here, your time, and just, um, your candor with these conversations. Um, where can people find you and follow you online?
Cindy Liebel: So, um, my website is CindyLiebel.com. Um, L-I-E-B-E-L. And online, on social, it's just Cindy Liebel Jewelry, um.
Toby Myles: Awesome.
Cindy Liebel: Yeah.
Toby Myles: Great. Thank you so much. This has been so much fun.
Cindy Liebel: Thank you. I had a great time, Toni... Toby.