Rolf Arne Leer had an unusual upbringing which connects him intimately to outsiders. He is a highly creative, successful, HANDSOME guy who grew up on a farm in Norway that was also a center for mentally ill people. He is the 3rd generation to manage a facility where the working farm provides occupational therapy, housing and medical care for 16 patients at a time. Rolf and his sister were brought up with schizophrenic, bipolar patients, a Down syndrome woman, etc. https://www.quotedmagazine.com/ Quoted magazine is a glorious coffee table book style magazine that are spectacular profiles of 10 highly individualized New Yorkers, curated by Rolf and his staff. Together with Quoted Magazine’s brand Manager, Megan Davenport, Rolf takes us on a deep dive into his life growing up around the mentally ill as a daily part of life. His genuine love and compassion for these people was actually kinda moving to tears for this hard-boiled shrink that I am. I wish the life Rolf describes were Listen →

I got to spend an hour with artist advisor Marina Granger, founder of https://www.theartistadvisory.com/about-2/ and she imparted some art career wisdom that you can’t get anywhere. We’ve all heard of creative coaches, etc., but Marina is truly in a class of her own. She has a lot of experience from her art world experiences working in galleries and museums. Here’s a quote from one of her clients that describes her abilities nicely: “Like the perfect combination of therapist and business coach, she tactfully summarized my struggles to their essence. She transformed the dark complicated mass into one crystal clear nugget that I could hold gently in my brainspace.” Normally I dig into people’s personalities, but Marina’s advice and insights were so valuable that I kept my mouth shut and did a lot of listening. So grateful to her from all of us! She considers this a labor of love for artists so her prices are ridiculously reasonable. If you use Listen →

Rosa has a unique perspective on life and comedy as she comes from a 2-Mommy family, a Jew and a Hispanic. She did know her bio dad and his family, they’re all close, so it sounds a bit like a very modern day and much more interesting version of the Brady Bunch. Rosa is a powerhouse at 25; she’s been in a solid relationship with a guy for two years—all in all, I dub her well rounded and secure. Rosa is on the board of The Black Women in Comedy Festival which is coming up-Feb. 28 thru March 3! www.blackwomenincomedyfestival.com Rosa writes a lot about women and minorities, LBGTQ in comedy, so we get to dive into these topics as well. More about Rosa here: https://www.rosaescandon.com She’s also a highly talented visual artist: http://www.thnk1994.com/ Listen →

I am impressed with comedian/animator Manolo Moreno’s work. It’s highly original and HILARIOUS. Check it out here. Manolo was brought up in Pennsylvania with 4 siblings and parents originally from the Philippines. Dr. Lisa delves into whether he wants to bring his work to a larger audience—if he does, then why the fuck is he burying his impressive credits in the darkest corners of his website??? Manolo is endearing and great at articulating his psychological makeup so there is lots of learning all around. ps: I got Manolo to talk about girls!!! (he's single + hetero) I also found out why Manolo said no to my original invitation to be on the show. A very good reason, too! Why do I always take this stuff so personally? CHECK OUT THIS TALENT!!! http://manolosomething.com/index.html Insta, twitter: @manolosomething https://www.instagram.com/p/BrcOx4sHlD0/ Listen →

You can too! These guys are smart, attractive, and talented, plus they make great, widely respected work together without arguing. IS this real? How is it possible that a married couple can make art together without getting at each other’s throat? I kicked the tires and found out A LOT. They both have equally strong personalities and mutual respect folks! They each come from small towns which helps keep the neurosis in check too. We talk about their current show at Postmasters, http://www.postmastersart.com/archive/jcpo19/jcpo19direct.html which, among some larger pieces, has miniature dollhouse type of recreations of horrific historical scenes, many of which are mass suicides such as Jonestown. There’s also a well-researched recreation of In addition delve into some of their projects which involve more craziness such as driving an illegal re-made tour bus around Chelsea giving tours on the art from the bus and selling strange funny art souvenirs. Listen →

I met Daniel Christmann on the street earlier in the week while he was soliciting signatures for his campaign for Public Advocate. He’s a super passionate guy with very specific, thought out points of view. He shared his views on more than what to do with the L train. He wants to motivate society in general. Daniel’s an interesting guy who has learned the variety of people and neighborhoods through his job as manager of a plumbing company. He’s is REAL. More about Dan and his platform here: https://www.nycpublicadvocate.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/605000943248603 Listen →

I got to talk with Natalie White about how she came to NYC at 17 from Fairmont, West Virginia, without any specific plan. She met Peter Beard and soon became the muse for a lot of famous artists such as Beard, George Condo, Spencer Tunick, Sean Lennon and many more. At first, she was their inspiration and then went on to creating her own work, becoming an artist herself, with many exhibitions. White then used her boundless energy to make changes for women’s rights, walking 250 miles from NYC to DC. and defacing the Capital upon her arrival. Natalie and I talk a lot about how women handle their sexual power in a way that is positive for everyone concerned. She really is a great role model in this way. We come to the conclusion together that her social power is what makes people respond to her in the long run. More about Natalie White here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_White_(artist)?fbclid=IwAR0ve8QZYMjGQUARzwk-ztIq21gj0Iho9pOQqWt3mGJG7G9wvlJLyEXrb9s Listen →

Paradise Palase founders are Kat Ryals, 30 years old, 5’2” and already married for 10 years, Lauren is 27, 6’ tall and no history of long-term relationships. They discuss the vision for their innovative project Paradice Palace which is a for-profit art space with a non-profit mentality. They have some great ideas! Like this OPEN CALL: https://www.paradicepalase.com/galleryproposals Lauren and Kat are both ambitious and with great art world experience and education. We explore with pointed Dr. Lisa style questions what makes them tick as a creative team both professionally and personally. They started Paradice Palase less than 2 years ago, but you can tell they are just getting started! Find out about this magical place they founded HERE: https://www.paradicepalase.com Listen →

Patty is an excellent visual artist/painter who has just hung a show at Front Room-open until Jan. 6, titled, "Studio Mates", which features 5 pairs of artists who share studios. https://www.frontroomles.com/ We have an engaging and illuminating discussion about what the experience and effect of having a studio mate is on ones art and life. Patty has some great stories about the studio visits she made during the curation of this show. There’s some great stories about Patty’s own studio share with artist Amy Hill. (Here's a Dr. Lisa session with Amy: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/drlisa/episodes/2018-09-25T09_55_52-07_00). We also talk about Patty’s dramatic change of subject in her own work—abstract to an original form of self-portraiture. She says due to her feelings resulting from the election of Donald Trump, but Dr. Lisa pokes around to check if there’s more personal besides her political feelings behind that. More about Patty and her work here: Listen →

Melissa Roth is classically trained stage, film, and voice over actress and writer. Her career is going great right now—she’s playing the romantic lead in a play at the Theater for the New City which opens soon. https://theaterforthenewcity.net/?vh_show=the-bohemians (I saw it, it was FABULOUS and packed!!!) Melissa had a tough 2017. She broke up with her boyfriend and contracted a scary, difficult to diagnose illness. I noticed her resolution and gratitude on a recent facebook post, so I invited her in to talk about what she’s gone through and how she is now in a great place career-wise. When Melissa and I dig in we get to talking about how she missed some waving red flags in her last relationship. She then shares a story about how at age 16, she had a 21 year old boyfriend who turned out to be schizophrenic. His older friends unwittingly involved Melissa in an intervention to get him into a hospital. After that Melissa and I discuss how it’s a worthwhile Listen →

My fellow host Billy C. manned the RFB studio for me while I reported by phone live from Miami Art Week, at Superfine Art Fair specifically with the smooth James Miille co-founder. So much great art and the artists were there, generously allowing me to make fun of them as I am wont to do. https://superfine.world/miami-beach/ Listen →

Kelsey Caine and I connected because we have both competed in pageants. I was Miss Subways 2017, but Kelsey competed in an actual beauty pageant! Miss New York! Anyway it was snowing like a motherf*cker and Kelsey was about 35 minutes late. I had to hold down the fort with stories about bra shopping and a conversation with a call-in baker in Nova Scotia. Kelsey did give us a back scene view of the pageant world from the most HILARIOUS perspective—she was competing in the most subversive way, stained ball gown, etc. Really entertaining and enlightening on how women are treated in these situations. She's great and we will reschedule her for a full episode soon! More about Kelsey Caine: https://www.authorsguild.net/services/members/3183 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/28/opinion/sunday/beauty-pageant-competition.html Connect with Kelsey here: Twitter: @kelsey_caine Snap: kelseylcain Listen →

Loren Munk is an amazing painter and art world chronicler. His art and videos are an amalgamation of art history. The well-known painter, Katherine Bradford said he deserves a MacArthur "Genius" Award and I wholeheartedly agree. As James Kalm, he’s had over 2 million views of his web series covering art, galleries, artists, openings and even some street musicians. There is so much to learn about this former Mormon from Utah. Loren was talented as a child but art didn’t come alive for him until he was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army during the 70’s. Loren was a highly active part of the art world in the 80’s. He never quit, but the art world went through it’s paces and he and his wife, Kate, focused on bring up two boys. In the meantime Loren, reentered the art world with a vengeance. This is genuine inside scoop, folks. There’s even a discussion of, “What’s more important for an art career,-the work or the relationships?” Listen →

Five days before the historic 2018 mid-term elections, I sit down with creative entrepreneur, Yulia Laricheva. I’m on the hunt to find out where her drive and ambition comes from. It's hard not to feel like a lazy ass around this lady! This leads to a deep dive into her experience of moving to the U.S. from the outskirts of Moscow when she was 10 years old. Yulia feels lucky to have the opportunities she has as opposed to what they would have been if her family hadn’t left Russia, and she doesn’t want to miss a single minute in her creative quest to help women and minorities succeed. Also Yulia really opens up about her life in all sorts of ways. More about Yulia and her company, DREAM NATION here: http://www.dreamnation.io/ Listen →

This session is a follow up to very intense personal session on Feb.1, 2018 that I had with fellow Radio Free Brooklyn host of Ben Talks. https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/drlisa/episodes/2018-02-12T13_00_17-08_00 Also check out Ben's show-Thursdays, 5-7pm!https://radiofreebrooklyn.com/show/ben-talks/ Here on Oct. 25, 2018, we check in again in this session, 9 months later, RFB host, Ben Louis is going places fun, EXCITING and scary. The last time I sat down with Ben on Feb.1st, 2018, he was going through a breakup of a long-term relationship. On the eve of his 28th birthday, Ben is poised to take off - on radio and live on stage. He’s focused on his career and it’s taking him places. There’s a lot of inspiration in here for you lazy asses out there. I’m looking forward to having Ben back in a bunch of months to hear what’s happened from this glance into his future. Listen →

Thanks to the Ecuadorian Film Festival, I get to sit down with accomplished actress and jazz singer Cristina Morrison, appearing in one of the main selections, Agujero negro (Black Hole) http://www.ecuadorianfilmfest.com/copy-of-template-5, who grew up in Ecuador and Miami but has also lived in Galapagos. Fascinating to hear how as a young girl she grew up in 2 very different cultures, American and a strict Catholic Latin American one. Her story about a childhood trauma involves being locked in a car! She has two sons and they can’t take her seriously when they see her act-it’s just mom acting! We were also joined by Andrea Taps,www.andreataps.com who was in the studio, representing the Ecuadorian film festival, so we get to hear the 2 ladies talk Ecuador and speak a bit in Spanish. Also got a recommendation for a great Ecuadoran restaurant in Manhattan. Besides hearing about her work and life, we got to fit in some of Cristina’s remarkable voice. Listen →

Nikhil Melnechuk, is the director of the Bowery Poetry Club and https://www.bowerypoetrystudios.com and producer of feature documentary "Don't Be Nice," https://www.bowerypoetrystudios.com/dont-be-nice/ which is about to premier at 2018 Bushwick Film Festival https://www.bushwickfilmfestival.com. We had a great deep dive into the world of slam poetry, which is a great template for understanding performance, writing and art in general. What's more important, "Making the work or pleasing the audience?" question gets turned over and examined a few times. More about Nik here! https://www.bowerypoetrystudios.com/staff/nikhilmelnechuk Listen →

Anthony is a thoughtful guy for such silly songs. I guess I’m thinking now his silly songs are not very silly at all when you really think about them. https://music.anthonykapfer.com/ He’s super-talented and can’t help following his own path, which makes for a lot of great stories. We really bonded, especially since he reminded me of Frank Zappa. We got to play his music, a song from his album “Songs for Children to Cry To”— “D is for Divorce,” which is hilarious and created an earworm that I still have right now. Thanks Anthony :/! There’s some really intense conversation about 2 car accidents, one that affected Anthony as a young child and one as an adult. This episode is extreme crying and laughing. I really felt like we got a window into Anthony in this one. www.anthonykapfer.com/ Listen →

I’m really depressed and overwhelmed because of Bushwick Open Studios self-pressure, as well as all the other shit going on in my life. A commission – making 12 paintings in 2 weeks! You can feel my distress in the beginning of the session, then Norton comes in and we talk about the spectacular show he is curating at the gallery 100 Bogart which is next store to the studio.so When he comes in, I finally chill out. Norton, who is a spectacular curator and artist, http://www.nortonart.net/ also lives in my same building — we were able to have a direct hilarious conversation about the tension between our dogs! Norton also has a terrific Insta: http://www.nortonart.net/ Listen →

Marianne Faithful, who knew! I love Billy-I’ve gotten to hang with him at the RFB studio quite a bit. He makes me feel better about my age group cause he’s such a cool guy and has totally kept up, showing me you can stay young forever! Billy’s had a life in music and hosts TWO RFB shows, Thursdays 11am: https://radiofreebrooklyn.com/show/the-attitude-adjustment-show/ AND Sundays 11pm, https://radiofreebrooklyn.com/show/cosmic-debris/ He met Marianne Faithful at the 8th Street record store he was working at in the late 70’s There’s also a lot of boldface music names in this episode from Billy’s adventures. Billy’s childhood includes a tough dad which has likely made him more sensitive. In the past few years, he’s also been devoted to making art and paints all the time, which I didn’t know—great to hear about the motivation behind his paintings. Listen →