The Dr Libby brand is nothing short of a juggernaut. Through her talks, books and articles, Dr Libby Weaver has been changing women’s lives the world over with sound, accessible advice on nutrition and wellbeing. But behind the public face, there have been private battles.
Last year, in a touching statement, Libby announced her split from husband of 10 years, Chris Weaver. This much is known – but now in a refreshingly candid chat with NEXT‘s Emma Clifton, Libby talks about the reasons for the split… and how their relationship is playing out at the present time.
In this interview, we discover how solitude is of paramount importance to Libby as an individual, and to her business success; what she believes is the key to true happiness; and why she doesn’t like the notion of ‘balance’.
But much of the conversation is devoted to Chris, who not only continues to be chairman and CEO of the Dr Libby brand but also, and perhaps more important, he remains a close and trusted friend.
“We work incredibly well together,” Libby divulges. “The minute there’s anything that feels a bit off for either of us, we have a conversation about it. If there’s a decision to be made and we don’t agree, he listens to my side and I listen to his. We’ve always had really good communication and that’s continued.”
Not only have the pair successfully navigated the past year, they’ve also produced a new book, What Am I Supposed To Eat? Libby has always avoided, up until now, getting prescriptive and giving people meal plans, preferring to advise people on why they need to eat certain foods based on their biomechanics. But it’s the question everybody asks, she says.
“People will say, ‘I’ve read about the benefits of being vegan, I’ve read about the benefits of paleo, I’ve read about the benefit of what’s now called keto… should I be vegan, paleo or keto?'” she says.
“You can still pick up a book that tells you to eat carbs because they’re essential for energy then next to that will be a book that says don’t eat carbs because they’ll make you fat and tired. How are people supposed to make sense of well-meaning information, when it’s conflicting?”
It doesn’t have to be that hard, she explains in her book – just like trusting in the situation meant her personal separation didn’t have to affect her and Chris’s working relationship.
For more about Libby’s new life, and the personal health journey that spurred her career success, pick up the latest copy of NEXT magazine.
