The Good Fight - Marla Mase of the Lael Project

Send us Fan MailThis week on the show Marla Mase stops by the show to discuss her daughter Lael Summer Feldman. We discuss her life and death as well as The Lael Project.The Lael Project is the vision of Marla Mase, Lael’s mother, to encourage open discussions about suicide, mental illness, eating disorders, and depression. It is her belief that through the sharing of stories, music and song, healing can begin.****Marla Mase, is a native New Yorker and the mother to two beautiful souls, Lael and Yanai. She is also an entrepreneur, writer, performer, recording artist and COO of True Groove Records. She most recently returned from a whirlwind tour of the UK promoting her most recent release, Infinite They Went. She is currently touring Being Somebody, a show she co-wrote and performs with her 88-year-old father to sold-out audiences across the East Coast. Her theatrical works have been featured at venues such as La MaMa ETC, NYC SummerStage, and SXSW. Tragically, Marla lost her daughter Lael to suicide in 2017. Since that time Marla has been sharing her family story with the hope that it might in some way benefit others and help to remind us that we are all connected in our human experience.The Lael Project is named in memory of Lael Summer Feldman, who tragically took her own life on July 26, 2017, after a courageous struggle with depression, an eating disorder, and suicidality.Lael struggled throughout her adolescence, spending most of her teenage years in and out of various treatment centers. She credits her fifth treatment center in Utah, where she spent 17 months, (between the ages of 15 and 17), as lifesaving. Lael completed high school in her hometown of NYC and went on to receive her Bachelor of Music degree from the elite Popular Music Performance Program at USC’s Thornton School of Music. She released two albums, Burden to Bear (2013) and Life in Color (2015) on True Groove Records. She was written up as “the one to watch” from various music sites such as: Kings of A&R, EarMilk, AbsolutePunk, The Big Takeover, SoulTracks, RockNYC and PopDose, to name a few. Her songs are an amalgamation of soulful anthems, many of which challenged the inner negative voices of her eating disorder and depression.Known for her sassy sense of humor and badass irreverence, Lael’s lyrics, whether a ballad or a dance floor banger, were always an offering of strength, hope and empowerment.You can find out more here: https://www.thelaelproject.com/aboutNeed help call or text 988 the line is available 24 hours.*****If you would like to contact the show about being a guest, please email us at [email protected] guests can be found: https://dmneedom.com/upcoming-guest Follow us on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_d.m.needom/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettertopodcastwithdmneedomIntro and Outro music compliments of Fast Suzi©2025 Better To...Podcast with D. M. NeedomSupport the show