Fifty Cups of Coffee #23: Charlotte Stobbs
Date: August 1, 2024
Location: Zoom
How we know each other
Charlotte is my sister-in-law (divorced from my brother-in-law, but she will always be my sister!), and mom of one of my two nieces and one of my eight nephews. She is someone who has always inspired me, with her energy, abundant curiosity, and passion for storytelling.
What Charlotte is doing now
Charlotte is a documentary video editor and mom of two living in Brooklyn, New York.
Three questions
During these Fifty Cups of Coffee chats, I ask each person the same three questions. The reasoning behind each is as follows:
Question 1 – Social media makes it easy for other people to think that they know us, when truthfully, we all only see a small sliver of someone’s life and who they really are. This is the interviewee’s chance to share something that is important to them that, for whatever reason, other people may not know.
Question 2 – We all have fears, no matter who are are or where we are in life. This helps connect us and show we are all more alike than we are different.
Question 3 – I believe the answer to this question helps show each person’s true values, passions, and their why in life.
There are no right or wrong answers to any of these. I’m including each person’s answers in first person, as they are told to me.
Their answers have been edited from my notes for length and clarity, but these are their words.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?
“I moved around a lot as a child, and lived in many different countries, so I never felt like I belonged. But that also means I am very good at blending into any environment. So people think I’m comfortable, but usually I’m faking it, because I don’t always know the cultural morays… when I moved to the United States, I had to fake understanding of baseball and the electoral college. I never know what’s going on but people assume because I sound like an American that I do.”
What is your deepest fear?
“My deepest fear is Alzheimer’s, or other condition in which my mental capability is affected. I would fare better with a physical disability and still having the mental capacity and outlook to overcome that. But the idea of the reverse – being trapped in a healthy body and mentally not being in control of my life – how do I exit gracefully from that?”
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your life?
“Buy an apartment in Rome, and a lovely house in the countryside but with access to the beach on the East Coast. I would still work. I would choose one project a year where I could tell a fantastic story that I felt was important and noteworthy to get out there. I would live 6 months in the US and 6 months in Italy. I would just travel a lot; go out to restaurants and travel a lot. Travel would be my #1 for sure.”
“I would take classes – Italian classes or pottery classes. I have unlimited curiosity but limited funds, so I have had to make choices because of my budget. But with unlimited funds I would love learning from people who geek out, and seek out experts who are passionate about something, and learn from them.”
Lessons Learned
I had such a great time reconnecting with Charlotte on Zoom! Here are my biggest takeaways from our chat:
- Assume nothing – To me, Charlotte has always seemed like she felt comfortable in any situation. Which makes her answer to the first question a good reminder that we all still have moments of being uncomfortable from time to time, whether we can visually see that uncomfortableness or not. We grow most when we are outside of our comfort zone, but that doesn’t mean the process of becoming comfortable in new situations isn’t challenging or hard work.
- Stay curious – Always learning, always growing. I am a firm believer that’s what keeps us young and truly living, versus simply existing. Charlotte and I both turned 50 this year, and one of my favorite answers of hers is that with unlimited funds, she would take classes and keep learning from those passionate about their talents or hobbies. Charlotte’s abundant curiosity helps drive her work and makes her an incredible storyteller.
- Knowledge is power – In addition to the standard questions I ask everyone, Charlotte and I chatted a bit about what most women our age chat about: aging as a women in today’s society, and all the good, bad, and ugly that comes with it. If there’s one recurring theme from the chats I have with fellow 50+ women it’s that we need to talk about all the things more. Not just chatting amongst ourselves, although we should also be more open with each other, but as a society and in media.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with me for the Fifty Cups of Coffee Project, Charlotte!
Learn more about Charlotte
You can visit Charlotte’s main portfolio website, her IMDB page, and her Linkedin profile to learn more about Charlotte and her work.
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