Dr. Lisa Gives a Sh*t

Dr. Lisa delves into Tom's childhood and found out why Tom is driven to do something as crazy as start a new internet station. We find out all about Tom's family and his growing up.

"I find it comforting that, if anything else, what this city gives you is a sense that you're a person apable of making your way in this city, it's really tough and it can be a very tough place to live and work". - David Rogers This was a really interesting talk I had with one of our newish hosts, David Rogers of the Down in Albion Show. Turns out he moved to NYC from the UK with his wife and 10 year old son about 18 months ago. David has had the wonderful opportunity to reinvent himself from a UK economist to a liaison between great bands in the UK and NYC.) He's also getting to spend more time with his son, who has a spot every week on David's radio show. This is clearly a great time in his life and his families life for growth. David is using this time to great results. Join host David Rogers LIVE every Monday, 11am on his show, Down In Albion on an exploration of the best new and emerging music from the UK and Ireland. If you’re curious about new music, and wonder what tunes are making waves on the other side of the pond, tune in every Monday at 11am. About David Rogers David was born in Scotland, grew up in England, and spent much of his life living and working in London. He caught the live music bug early, attending his first gig at a village hall aged 14. David moved to New York a year ago and has dived headlong into the New York music scene, experiencing all genres from NYC post-punk to Appalachian folk. But his first love will always be independent British bands. This show is an opportunity to introduce the bands he loves to new audiences. In his spare time, you can usually find David browsing old books and vinyl, watching live music, sipping craft ales, climbing tall things or riding one of his vintage bikes around NY. Down In Albion Hosted by David Rogers LIVE every Monday at 11:00am Join host David Rogers on an exploration of the best new and emerging music from the UK and Ireland. If you’re curious about new music, and wonder what tunes are making waves on the other side of the pond, tune in every Monday at 11am. About David Rogers   David was born in Scotland, grew up in England, and spent much of his life living and working in London. He caught the live music bug early, attending his first gig at a village hall aged 14. David moved to New York a year ago and has dived headlong into the New York music scene, experiencing all genres from NYC post-punk to Appalachian folk. But his first love will always be independent British bands. This show is an opportunity to introduce the bands he loves to new audiences. In his spare time, you can usually find David browsing old books and vinyl, watching live music, sipping craft ales, climbing tall things or riding one of his vintage bikes around NY.

To really appreciate the impressive amount of progress Calvin Williams has made in the last six years, I encourage you to listen to one of our previous episodes from April 2020 + July 2020. To enjoy Calvin now—I urge you to listen to his weekly 11pm Tuesday show—Lush Vibes or follow him on Twitch @Mejisticlv or on Instagram sounds.by.calvin Calvin is one of our most popular hosts. He joined RFB in 2018 with his how Lush Vibes Radio close to his 400th episode. Calvin did two Dr. Lisa episodes at a very low point in his life—he'd experiences a lot of loss—both grandmothers, 2 uncles and he had been recently diagnosed with Type ONE diabetes, a chronic illness that has to be managed throughout the day, day in, day out which turned his life upside down.Cut to today, April 2026, six years later and it is obvious Calvin is thriving. He is integral to RFB now in so many ways as tech director, besides his weekly show he is doing all the RFB live shows at numerous venues around the city, blowing up on Twitch, getting paying dj gigs, PLUS he now has a healthy relationship with an awesome partner that he has lives with — in my opinion as a fake therapist, they are magic together!

PLEASE NOTE: This is PART ONE of a very intense two part session with Calvin Williams. April 2020 This session with Calvin Williams, host of RFB's Lush Vibes Radio is timely inspiration for all of us, because as a society, we are all dealing with health issues right now. About 5 years ago, Calvin had to deal with losing 3 close relatives in succession and how soon after that he was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes which is rare for someone in their thirties. Calvin takes us through how he went through the hard years and how, just recently, he's starting to recognize himself again.

PLEASE NOTE: This is PART TWO of a very intense two part session with Calvin Williams. July 2020 This session with Calvin Williams, host of RFB's Lush Vibes Radio is timely inspiration for all of us, because as a society, we are all dealing with health issues right now. About 5 years ago, Calvin had to deal with losing 3 close relatives in succession and how soon after that he was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes which is rare for someone in their thirties. Calvin takes us through how he went through the hard years and how, just recently, he's starting to recognize himself again.

I'm a big Matt Ruby fan and this is his third time on the show! I have to say—this was pretty funny—comedian Matt and I got high together and went some places I don't think we would have gotten to—for one thing—I said the way he described his dad was hot. I also check in with him about what Claude AI said when I asked:"What would be good advice to comedian matt ruby from a therapist?" We talk about a lot of stuff. Matt describes his parents—a free-spirited woman from Manhattan and his dad, a lawyer, a prosecutor. They were introduced by his grandma and fell in love right away, His father loved comedy which was obv a huge influence on Matt. We also go down a rabbit hole about the ego and the way ego can affect one's own creativity. There's so much in here—and SO MUCH laughing! Sponsored by KOAN pocket elixers. More about Matt Ruby: Website: mattrubycomedy Instagram: @mattrubycomedy Rubesletter Latest Special: Bolo BIO: Matt Ruby is a comedian from New York City. His smart and dark brand of standup is "button-pushing" and "funny" according to the NY Times. His comedy has been filmed by Comedy Central, MTV, NBC/Seeso, and FOX. His newsletters (The Rubesletter and Funny How) have over 17,000 subscribers combined. He also hosts the podcast Kind of a Lot with Matt Ruby. His latest standup special is BOLO. Standupworld on BOLO: “Matt’s a New York comedy beast. He’s sharp, dark, and funny. BOLO is his awesome special on YouTube and it’s something truly worth checking out. It’s Matt at his best: raw, real, and ripping into life’s absurdities with a signature edge the New York Times called ‘button-pushing’ and ‘funny.’ His style’s a mix of cerebral gut-punches and pitch-black humor. We’re diving deep into how he crafted this one, what it’s like to sling jokes in today’s world, and why he’s one of the smartest voices in standup right now.” Previously: In his comedy doc/special Substance, he performs 4 sets on 4 nights (1 high, 1 drunk, 1 sober, and 1 on shrooms). His previous special, Feels Like Matt Ruby is available on YouTube. His comedy albums (including Feels Like Matt Ruby and Hot Flashes,) are in regular rotation on Sirius and went top 10 on the iTunes Comedy charts. He's also been featured on CNN, The Huffington Post, New York magazine, Time Out, and more.  He's a regular at the legendary Comedy Cellar and co-produces Hot Soup there (Tuesdays), one of NYC’s longest running independently produced comedy shows, and Good Eggs (Mondays and Wednesdays) at NY Comedy Club. He tours around the country and internationally too. Misguided Meditation is his one-man show about mindfulness, psychedelics, therapy, and death.

Laura Parnes is an extremely accomplished filmmaker and artist . (Scroll down for bio—impressive!!) One of the themes in Laura Parnes's work is female adolescence. Here's a quote from an interview with her in ⁠FEMEXFILM Archive⁠: "A really big focus of the work is the romantic vision of a teen peering in on a culture that they haven’t personally participated in and how this holds potential for criticality. But, it’s really tempered by a desire to gain status, power, and agency. " Bearing that in mind, I wanted to find out about Laura's own upbringing and teen years and how that has influenced her work. It turns out there were about two years in Laura's life that were filled with older friends and drugs. After that she chose to put her energy into art, got accepted to Tyler Art School and the rest is history. Art history to be specific. Laura's work has been clearly ahead of it's time as well as an influence on the period we are living in today. Gen Z has picked up on one of her films from 2017, No Is Yes, depicting two teen girls with a crush on a rockstar they kill accidentally and then mutilate. Clips of it have gone viral on Tik Tok. Please check out her work, if you're not familiar, on her website and Vimeo. BIO:     Laura Parnes’ critically acclaimed films and installations fuse comedy with pathos to probe social and political trauma. Informed by traditions and genres in narrative film, video art and queer theater, her work blurs the lines between conventions of storytelling and experimentation. The performers in her projects are often part of a diverse community of artists and musicians, many of whom are responsible for the rich underground scene in NYC, and who have shaped and affected other mainstream art cultures. Laura Parnes has screened and exhibited her work widely in the US and internationally, including: The Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio; The Institute of Contemporary Art University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; The International Film Festival Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece., LOOP Festival, Barcelona, Spain; Light Industry, Brooklyn, NY; Kusthalle Winterhur, Switzerland; Overgaden- Institute for Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark; iMOCA, Indianapolis, IN; Cinematexas, Austin, TX; Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius, Lithuania; Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid; Whitney Museum of American Art (1997 Whitney Biennial), NY; Dunedin Public Art Gallery, New Zealand; PSI Contemporary Art Center MoMA, NY; Miami Museum of Contemporary Art, FL; and Brooklyn Museum, NY. Her solo exhibitions include Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY; Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY; Human Resources, LA, CA; Fitzroy Gallery, NYC, NY; LAXArt, LA, CA; Alma Enterprises, London, UK; Locust Projects, Miami, FL; Upstream Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, LA, CA; Participant Inc, NYC, NY and Deitch Projects, NYC, NY. She has had solo screenings at The MoMA, NYC, NY; The Kitchen, NYC, NY; MoMA PS1, LIC, NY; NYCATE 10-year Anniversary, presented by the School of Art Institute of Chicago and Video Data Bank, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL; Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, CA; Vtape, Toronto, Canada; and in a two-person screening at The MoMA, NYC, NY. She was presented by Participant Inc. in a two-person exhibition at No Soul for Sale at X Initiative, NYC, NY.      Parnes is a 2021 MacDowell Fellow, a 2019 Yaddo Artist in Residence, a 2019 Wave Farm Media Arts Awardee, a 2016 Creative Capital Awardee, a 2014 NYFA recipient, a 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellow and has lectured as a visiting artist at numerous institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University and UCLA. She has participated in panels at Yale University, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and MoMA PS1.

Comedian Matt Ruby and I agree there is a lot Non—Trump voters missed (myself included) about how society views a large group of men. It's not simple, especially since we are all in our info silos. Matt put out a great substack opinion piece on this topic. Even discussing this shit nowadays is risky, but necessary for all of us to understand these issues. I was inspired to listen to this Joe Rogan episode after our chat and it was further illuminating. We MUST UNDERSTAND the other people! Btw: Did you also know that Matt Ruby is an AWESOME COMEDIAN?? HERE'S PROOF More Matt Here: https://www.mattrubycomedy.com/ @mattrubycomedy/ The substack we discussed here: https://mattruby.substack.com/p/incessantly-calling-men-toxic-is Incessantly calling men toxic is a bad way to get their votes How to win 'em over: Less dunking, more persuading. It’s my fault. As ambassador of the elites, I take full responsibility for this defeat.First off, let’s admit it: He’s the greatest con man ever. The first time around, people might not have understood what was happening. This time, everybody knew — and they went for it anyway. When you get the marks to volunteer for the duping, you’ve achieved true con mastery. Am I mad? Nah. Frustrated, but this is just who we are. It’s the same way I feel about the rise in antisemitism. We act like something new is happening, but really we just moved the rock and are now seeing what was underneath all along. I’d rather stare it in the face than pretend it’s not there. This is who we are. (Also, let’s be real: I’m a white dude who lives in NYC so I’ll probably be insulated from the worst of it.) Plus, I kinda saw it coming… mattrubycomedy #mattruby #mattrubycomedian A post shared by @mattrubycomedy “Butts in seats” is the comedy version of elections. It’s our way of saying, “Scoreboard!” The lesson we’ve learned: You can go on Colbert 15 times and it won’t have the impact of one Rogan appearance. Especially if you wanna reach dudes. Ezra Klein explained this in the NYT: She should’ve gone on Rogan, and much else besides…But Rogan is symbolic of something bigger. There is an alienation that’s grown between young men and much of the Democratic Party. For years, there’s been no real way of talking about masculinity in liberal circles that didn’t attach the word “toxic” before it. There’s been a reveling in growing female strength and a deep critique of male culture. You can have any view you want on the merits of that, but it’s had consequences. The Republicans are the roast and the Democrats are the HR department. And America wants cruel jokes more than a DEI seminar. If any/all of this annoys you, I return to this question: Do you want to win next time or nah? Because what I’m really getting at… It’s time to realize that incessantly calling men toxic is a bad way to get their votes. The truth is men are suffering and retreating right now. Richard Reeves has been discussing this at length. Here's a taste. I worry that we’re not signaling strongly enough to young men now we need you. We in very different spaces. We the families, we the mothers, we the labor market, we the community. Not just we need people, but we need you. And absent that sense of we need you, I think we see a lot of young men retreating. #mattruby #comedy #comedian

I saw Matt do a super interesting comedy show at a yoga studio last month called Misguided Meditation. It was great and he's doing another one January 22 at Yoga to the People – East Village TICKETS HERE He has a great newsletter too = sign up here: THE RUBESLETTER He's a really great comedian where you walk out thinking about what you were just laughing about. This episode stuck around in my head for a while—like a good acid trip. Matt really shared a lot of personal stuff. He’s has a very successful career as a comedian performing regularly at The Comedy Cellar. His comedy is hilarious! Plus exceptionally smart, thoughtful and his work has some great messages about toxic masculinity, which was refreshing to hear from a straight dude. I harassed him to share more specifically about the points he is making, why those issues speak to him and where they come from (a prosecutor dad and artist mom). Matt understand his feelings and is very articulate, There’s a lot to draw you in. More Matt: BIO Matt Ruby is a NYC comedian that tells smart/dark jokes for people with a finely tuned BS detector. He's a regular at the Comedy Cellar in NYC, in regular rotation on SiriusXlllllllM, his album "Hot Flashes" went top 10 at iTunes, and he's been seen on Laughs on FOX, MTV's Girl Code, and The Comedy Show Show on NBC/Seeso. He's also the creator of Vooza, a video comic strip about the tech world (called the "The Spinal Tap of startups" by Mashable) and co-producer of Hot Soup, one of NYC’s longest running independently produced comedy shows. H Outside of standup, he's the creator of Vooza, a video comic strip about the tech world that’s received millions of view and was called the "The Spinal Tap of startups" by Mashable and (SIGN UP FOR THIS!!! ) he’s the author of the Rubesletter, a weekly newsletter with over 15,000 subscribers.

Tim Seeberger s his music. As founder/frontman of PopMusic his band is gatherering heat and opportunities. As he has transitioned from a devoted Christian to a devoted queer musician who is also Christian, Tim has experienced a lot of identity adjustments, starting in a new way when he went away to college. He has a good relationship with his family, lots of friends and above all, his music will always ground him. There’s still some work to do on intimacy but he’s only 27. Also, on a personal level—I really like this music. It has a genuine uncynical authenticity just like Tim. Listen to PMFD on Spotify Watch their Another Screen video Another Screen by Pop Music Fever Dream, from their new EP, "Songs For Emotion." Starring T. Seeberger, Carmen Castillo, Domenico Bancroft, and Nicole Harwayne Directed by T. Seeberger Produced by T. Seeberger, Carmen Castillo Cinematography/Vfx by Sam Blieden (Instagram: @s.r.b) Edited by Sam Blieden, T. Seeberger Acting Coaching by Carmen Castillo Special thanks to @TheFilmMakersCooperative Pop Music Fever Dream is a post-punk/no wave band from NYC. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pmfd.nyc/?h... Bandcamp: https://pmfd.bandcamp.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SZRh... Apple Music:   / pop-music-fever-dream   Here's some great interviews with Tim: https://swimintothesound.com/blog/2024/9/9/the-name-of-the-band-is-pop-music-fever-dream https://www.bkmag.com/2023/10/02/inside-the-queer-punk-revolution/ #timseeberger #popmusicfeverdream

Alvaro Gamboa is an awesome human and a great comedian. He sums up his POV here:, “I have a background in critical race theory. I have a have a degree in that. And so it's something that I find amusing, I guess I could say, where like just trying to find the intersections between race, gender and class and how those play out in our daily, not just in my upbringing, but in our day to day lives and how that affects it.” You’ll also hear how Alvaro, a good-looking young man, likes the ladies—and I’m here to tell you personally, as a witness and friend, he is very respectful of women. https://www.youtube.com/@AlvaroJokesGamboa rebelioncomedy : Mondays 6pm @bkmadecomedy

Sarah Cummings is a young trans woman who I hadn't met before. She is from a fairly small town and has had to make her own path as she is trans and bi-polar. Sarah is very serious about becoming an accomplished writer. Currently she is an editor at https://sentencedlit.org/ She's been in New York for 3 years. As Dr. Lisa, I'm thinking it must be disorienting to be an outsider until you move to New York and fit in. Going from being an outsider to fitting in will challenge anyone's view of themselves and therefore, their creative work. Sarah puts a lot of pressure on herself, but she's only 25 and has good footing to get to where she wants to go.

DLG1425 Machine Dazzle can only be 100% who he is — a major reason he is the creative force that he is.

Casey J Salengo has just released his special, "Welcome To The Jungle," so I wanted to hear about his experience and his feelings about completing such an awesome project. Casey is super talented and is hilarious to watch as well as listen to. This special, any special for a comic, is a HUGE project that involves great comedy but with a serious side of production. I really want you ro WATCH HIS SPECIAL cause I want you to be happy! Look for the stuffed fox when you watch it. Casey and I talked on Dr. Lisa in 2017, LISTEN HERE, when he was single and I was trying to get him a date from a call-in. Now he's happily married to great woman, also a comic, Courtney McGuiness. Courtney is funny but also really good at all the things that are valuable that make for a great career as a designer. with a good, consistent salary and benefits. We take a deep dive into how this relationship has facilitated his growth as a human. Let's face it—women rock! PS: My husband listened to Casey and I talking and it helped him understand me better. I actually did some good therapy for my own relationship on this one! Insta: @caseyjsalengo #comedy #unlicensedtherapy #comedians #caseyjsalengo #courtneymcguiness #therapy #creativework #creativestruggle #creativerewards #drlisa #drlisagivesashit

Aamir Ashad is a stand up comedian who moved to New York from Rochester a year ago to pursue comedy. he's smart, funny and with a good work ethic, he is making great progress in reaching his goals. When I met Aamir at an open mic a few months ago I invited him on to discuss arranged marriage, as that is how his parents met. We have a deep discussion about Aamirs view of arranged marriage as well as his own thoughts about dating and sex. Aamir is Muslim, 22 years old and has very set ideas about women, staying pure and marriage. As Dr. Lisa, I tell him he sounds like he might be repressing some important feelings that would help his personal growth. He then lays an unexpected bombshell on me which changes our whole understanding of the discussion right there and then. (Go to timestamp 51:23) Conflict ensues, but we finish as mutually respected friends. Follow @aamirdoesstandup

Megan Cossey is highly educated (Cornell, ba cum laude, Columbia Journalism, MFA) from a tiny, southern town, that didn't follow the script she was brought up with. After graduating from Columbia, she embarked on a career in communications at the UN. Currently, she co-parenting her teenage son with her ex-wife and her ex-wife's partner and reinventing her work career, all while pursuing an increasingly active comedy career. She talks about how her perspective is changing along with circumstance out in the world. Megan has learned a lot about men from raising her son who is doing well in school and has a girlfriend. She sees how boys are restricted from expressing emotions except for anger and mean girls make fun of emotional boys. @megan_the_cossey

This is Ben Louis' EIGHTH time on the show! Ben has solidified his position at Siriusxm. Currently a Music Program Coordinator for SiriusXM Heart & Soul. as well as being the Producer/co-host of the Platinum 20 Countdown on Heart & Soul.As a self-proclaimed workaholic and R&B expert, Ben's has gone from Radio Free Brooklyn to R&B Sirius XM radio influencer who is sent to represent SiriusXM at music festivals all over the us in 8 short years. Ben's father is a preacher and Ben talks about the connection he has with his dad's work ethic and skills as a pastor  Ben's SiriusXM Show: ⁠Sunday Mimosa,⁠ Sundays 5pm + midnight on channel 47, Instagram: ⁠@benlouisradio/⁠ #BenLouis #Siriusxm Listen to Ben's personal and professional journey as recorded with Dr. Lisa annually since 2018: Ben Louis: First session DLG1204 - 2018 Fellow RFB "Ben Talks" host, Ben Louis talks recent gf breakup. Ben Lous: 2nd Session, DLG1840 2019 Ben Louis, host of RFB's BEN TALKS, comes in for a follow-up session! Ben Louis: Third Session - DLG220 2020 Fellow RFB host, Benjamin Louis of BEN TALKS, talks candidly about his personal growth. Ben Louis: Fourth Session DLG260 2021 Ben Louis, former RFB host is on the cusp of living his dream! Ben Louis: Fifth Session DLG286 2022 Former RFB host (now at Sirius), Ben Louis, comes in for an annual check in with Dr. Lisa Ben Louis: Sixth Session DLG319 2023 Former RFB Host now SiriusXM Host, Ben Louis. Ben's life in a creative career is inspiring. Ben Louis Seventh Session DLG339 Sept. 2024/ Ben Louis has made it—now he’s under pressure. We know he’s got this.

Bryant Denton is a bright, affable, young man who has a growing career in radio having worked at NPR, WNYC and Vermont Public Radio. I got to know Bryant fairly well since he is a fellow radio show host at Radio Free Brooklyn, but I have always sensed that Bryant was just a little more grounded and mature than most guys his age and on the show we find out why. Check out Bryant's RFB show, LIFE SUPPORT, which airs weekly from 11pm to midnight on Fridays,. Bryant went through some major upheaval in his relationship with his brother, when he and his brother first moved to NYC together and became roommates. There was conflict, with Bryant eventually moving out . They weren't in touch for about 2 years. In the beginning of this year Bryants' brother reached out and they actually spent time together about a week ago—it went well. Bryant and his brother have a difficult background — their mother is disabled due to a car accident when Bryant was 8. Soon after the accident, Bryant's father left the family so he and his brother with a disabled mother, brought themselves up. Its so encouraging to hear Bryant talk so openly about his life and what his experiences have been like. Clearly this is a story of resilience, growth and hard work.

Sarah Boxer is foremost a thinker! The author of s⁠everal books, graphic novels and articles for many storied publications such as the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, Brooklyn Rail and many more. Dr. Lisa began her career as a self-proclaimed psychotherapist in 2001 and Sarah, on staff at the Arts & Ideas desk at the NY Times, wrote a feature story on Psychotherapy LIVE! READ IT HERE Lisa's live stage show where she did "Psychotherapy" on audience volunteers. A LOT has happened in the last 25 years. Sarah has a 22 year old son and she's putting the finishing touches on a book of her drawings she did of him from birth to age 5 that is to be published soon. She discusses what effect it had on her to do those drawings, how she first dived into Freud's writing at age 15 (her father had his books in the house) and her impression of Psychotherapy LIVE! all those years ago (a good impression!) It's compelling to find these women with their separate journeys back in the same room, years away from when they first met in July, 2002. Sarah Boxer Bio: WHO AM I? ​​I am a writer of non-fiction and graphic fiction from Colorado who now lives in Washington, D.C. I have drawn & written two psycho-comics -- In the Floyd Archives, based on Freud's case histories, and its post-Freudian sequel, Mother May I?  I have also written reviews and essays for The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, The Comics Journal, The L.A Review of Books, The New York Times, Photograph, Slate, and Artforum. Now I'm working on a third volume of my Shakespearean Tragic-Comics, a series that so far includes Hamlet: Prince of Pigs ​and Anchovius Caesar. For more detail, see my CV.  WHO WAS I?​​For many years I worked at The New York Times  (1989-2006) where I was, at various points, a photo critic, a Web critic, an arts reporter, an editor at The Week in Review, and an editor at The Book Review.  In 2008 Vintage published Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks From the Wild Web, an anthology that I edited. My first book, published by Pantheon in 2001 was In the Floyd Archives.

Kevin Townley Jr. is one of those fascinatingly multi-talented creative people who doesn't fit neatly into any box—he's an actor, filmmaker, writer, meditation teacher, and now author of "Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again," a book that connects 26 artists to Tibetan Buddhist teachings about transforming negative emotions into wisdom. His upbringing was pretty wild: raised in 1990s Colorado by his father in a spiritual commune filled with tarot cards, alchemy experiments, and Native American rituals after his parents had a messy divorce (his mom literally punched his dad in the school playground). Despite growing up poor and dealing with instability, Kevin learned early on to embrace his theatrical, queer sensibility—dyeing his hair orange and wearing purple suits to middle school as an act of defiant self-expression that basically made bullies back off. He didn't formally start practicing Buddhism until his 30s, though it was always part of his world growing up in Boulder's spiritual scene. Now he's making independent films the DIY way, gathering NYC creative friends to shoot projects over months without traditional Hollywood budgets or gatekeeping. His approach to everything—from Buddhism to filmmaking—seems to be about creating nurturing, non-judgmental spaces where people can express themselves authentically. The whole conversation reveals someone who turned a chaotic childhood into a superpower: an ability to see possibilities where others see obstacles and to gather communities around creative visions without manipulation or cruelty. BIO: Kevin Townley is a writer, filmmaker, actor, singer, and meditation teacher. He began formally studying Buddhism in 2010 and currently practices with the Sokuko-Ji Zen community under the guidance of Kyoun Sokuzan. He has taught Buddhism and meditation for over a decade. His film and television work include appearances in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Men in Black III, The Detour, and Law & Order. With his band, Bambï, Townley adapted Rossner’s Looking for Mr. Goodbar into the rock opera called GOODBAR, performed at The Public Theater. He has written extensively for the Waterwell theater company and Rookiemagazine. He has also led hundreds of art tours in museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

I've known Martin Kramer since he was a kid, so it's pretty exciting to see how accomplished he is now. At age 25, as a director, producer, writer and actor. We reminisce about his interest in comedy—taking classes as a high school student and his pivot to film, influenced by his lifelong best friend, Leo Rauf. Martin went to Concordia University in Montreal and fell hard for film making. He speaks enthusiastically about the videos he's made recently for Leo Rauf's band Big Leather—they are well done and highly original. Martin's also done quite a bit of acting at this point, starring in a commercial for the Baycrest Foundation for which won a Young Guns silver lion at Cannes. Martin's latest music video: Big Leather: Lemon Lanes 2025  More of Martin's work HERE: Leo Rauf's Band: https://bigleather.bandcamp.com/ Video of Dr. Lisa psychoanalyzing Martin and his dad, David Kramer

Comedian Ibhan Kulkarni at age 27 is a rising star as a comedian hes been on Just For Laughs Fresh Faces and more recently on Americas Got Talent. Dr. Lisa's first impression of Ibhan is that he is a well adjusted, happy guy and for the most part, he is. He and his family left Mumbai, spent 2 years in Singapore and then moved to the states when he was 10. Ibhan is great with people and relationships, he has a girlfriend and a best friend, comedy co-creator and RFB radio show co-host James Azzaretti Episode 1925. James and Ibhan co-host James & Ibhan Radio Show—live Sundays at 11am! Turns out Ibhan is conflict-avoidant, which is fine in his personal life, cause he's close to people that handle conflicts, but when the shit hits the fan at work it pushes him to get a new job and go to therapy. Once again proving we are all human. Also please note: Ibahn is cleaner than either his girlfriend or James. Instagram: @doublelagaan @jamesandibhan@chickenbigcomedy

Read about Felix's Spot Art in the New York Times Felix is an artist I've know for a long time and havent had a chance to really get to know. He's pretty well-known for his Good Luck Spots as Hug Spots along with his Bad Luck Spots and suicide spots Felix's work is interactive: people walking down the street notice the spots. While some may avoid them, others walk into them and others are inspired to kiss or hug. Felix is driven to make art. He's truly lived the life of an artist risking a lot for his work including harrassment and homelessness. Felix was born here six days after his mother came here from Columbia. They went back and Felix lived in a rural town there with his 2 brothers and one sister until he was 11, when his grandmother visited Columbia and brought him back with her. Through hard work and perserverance, Felix was able to attend Pratt Institute and the Art Students league, growing to become the successful working artist he is today. More about Felix and his art HERE: https://www.felixmorelo.com/ Follow Felix on Instagram: @morelofelix

Diego Barnes is a natural performance artist on a mission. To make the world a better place—and make sure everyone has a blast doing it. As a community organizer, his role that acolytes have crowned him with is Madame President. His platform is @Project2049 Witness it HERE. Diego takes you on his journey into emerging as a leader with generosity and humilty. And most important of all hilarity. He's got some big ideas worth listening to here. If you want feel personally empowered to make the world a better place, this is the Dr. Lisa episode for you. Sign up for Diego's Substack: @fromthedeskofmadampresident HERE

Having Ralf Jean-Pierre aka PRECIOUS GORGEOUS on today was great. He's a very talented Actor, Rapper-Songwriter, Comedian, Podcaster, + Professor. He is a great Radio Free Brooklyn Host as well—his completely original improv show, No Suggestions is HILARIOUS. LISTEN HERE I know from listening to this episode where he says he hasn't been in a relationship for three years and he's getting ready to be in one, so I thought this was something we could work on. Ralf generously shares why the realtionship was great, how he was taken by surprise when it ended and all the hard work and changes and BIG GROWTH he's gone through as a result. I felt super optimistic about him by the end—I hope he did too! Instagram: @presciousgorgeousralf @nosuggestionpod https://preciousgorgeous.com/ No Suggestion Podcast HERE Ralf Jean-Pierre BIO: Ralf Jean-Pierre aka Precious Gorgeous, is a first generation Haitian-American rapper-songwriter, actor, and comedian from Brooklyn, NY. He earned a BFA in Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has studied improv comedy at the People’s Improv Theater, and has studied clown with Christopher Bayes, Virginia Scott, and Eric Davis. In 2012, Ralf and his collaborator Jolie Tong developed a one-man musical chronicling the true account of how Ralf spent all of 2012 riding his bicycle around the United States, performing a one-man Shakespeare on the streets called WHAT SHOULD BE THE FEAR, which debuted at Gamba Forest in 2017. Precious Gorgeous released the self-produced record Tryna Get My Live Together, the mixtapes TRIP and Brooklyn Petting Zoo, and Everyone Dies From a Bullet vol 1, a secret, underground covers record, all of which you can find on Precious Gorgeous’ music page.  From 2018-2023 Ralf was a member of North Coast, NYC’s premier and hip-hop improv comedy team. Previously Ralf held a number of prestigious teaching artist positions, like teaching improv comedy to incarcerated youth for Drama Club, as well for working as teacher-performer Puppetry in Practice, and the NYU-Creative Arts Team. Since 2022 Ralf has hosted the weekly improv comedy podcast No Suggestion, where has deep, thoughtful, meandering conversations with the funniest comedians in NYC, and creates improv comedy with them, live, based on those conversations. Ralf currently teaches as an adjunct professor for the Brooklyn College BFA and BA, NYU Tisch BFA, and Columbia University MFA acting programs.

It's comedian Lana Siebel's 4th time on the show! Lana is someone I personally look up to because I've witnessed her build a thriving career as a comedian, in spite of a difficult childhood, immigrating from Ukraine at age 7, an extremely critical mother, check out ep: 277 for the details. Lana's comedy career has continued to accelerate and it's fun to hear about it (maybe not always fun for Lana—serious hard work!) Her 13 year old son has gotten into the act and opens for her, participates in creating and performing in her reels. Her husband is the director/filmmaker. Lana is always inspiring. And unstoppable. If you feel stuck, this is the episode for you. Lana's Website HERE Follow Lana's Insatgram HERE Lana on TikTok HERE Previous Dr. Lisa Episodes: DLG344 This is a radical episode as comedian Lana Siebel does psychodrama with Dr. Lisa as her mother—it's CRA-ZY DLG277 Lana Siebel is a rare find in the comedy world: talented, hilarious, smart and KIND.⁠ ⁠DLG323 A funny/serious session with comedy mentor Lana Siebel.

Gavin Rogers has the most genuinely positive vibe of anyone that I canpersonally think of. I think because his happiness is the real dealand hard won. He was diagnosed with non-hodgkin's lymphoma the dayafter his 7th birthday and was very sick, in and out of hospitals,doing chemo, and all the difficulties that go with that. Gavin was lucky and remains grateful today to his rock solid supportive family for getting him through all that and coming out ok. In my opinion, on an emotional development level, maybe even better. He's been inremission since then, some 20+ years. He's still processing hisexperience, since as he gets older his perspective changes, but he isone happy dude! He has found a passion for comedy in the past few years, performs regularly, has his own show @coldbeercomedy. And that's not all! Gavin met the love of his life 10 years ago (he's only 30 now!) and they are getting married Valentine's Day!!!! I just wish I could bottle the rare version of Gavin's positivitycause it is real and you can feel it-not like "influencer" fakepositivity.

This is the 3rd time I've had Lana on my show and we rocked it. Lana is a brilliant rapidly rising comedian whose doing the hard work it takes to get to where she is—performing at The Comedy Cellar and having her own special (shot—coming out soon) on DryBar comedy . We start talking about Lana's relationship with her mother and I suggest doing a "role-play" where I act as her mother and she says what she wishes she could say to her. I think we surprised ourselves on what came out of this. I know this sounds like a teaser, but it is seriously hard to describe. Absurd, hilarious and VERY REAL. Check out Lana at these spots:@drybarcomedy SPECIAL @amazonprime @nycomedyfest @comedycellarusa HEADLINING Peckville, PA 9/28; VA 11/1 ; MD 11/16 & lots more tba Instagram @lanasiebel Hear Lana talk about being a refugee from Ukraine to American at 7 years old. how she built her comedy career, her husband and now 11-year old son (destined for comedy, I think) on our previous episodes here: DLG277 Lana Siebel is a rare find in the comedy world: talented, hilarious, smart and KIND. DLG323 A funny/serious session with comedy mentor Lana Siebel.

Charles H. Traub is a photography legend. His accomplishments are vast. He taught my husband photography at SVA 25 years ago. I was grateful to have a chance to interview him (Charles H. Traub is the chair of the Photography, Video and Related Media department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City)—BUSY GUY), in conjunction with his solo exhibition, Something Funny in the STILLLIFE at the Dog House Gallery, which is a gallery I run to highlight funny artists such as Charles, housed in the offices of The Brooklyn Comedy Collective, 137 Montrose Ave., Brooklyn, NY. The show is up until Jan. 2, 2026. Gallery Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 1:00pm - 7:00pm. Sundays 12-6pm Since I am a pretend *shrink*, I wanted to talk to Charles about his life and emotional/creative development in relation to his work. After reading about Charles's family on his website, I was really curious to learn how his relationship with his father had a foundational role in Charles work as well as his relationships with mentors and students. It was really interesting to hear about, as a young man, Charles formed a lot of relationships with other older photographers, inspiring him to became an innovative leading educator and world-renowned photographer. A real treat was talking with Charles about the work he's making today. His face lights up with the childlike enthusiastic vibe thats as shiny and inspired as ever. Instagram: @charlestraub Charles Traub Bio Charles Traub Website

I had a blast with Kevin Allison in this session. At over a million downloads a month, live shows all over the country, a book and more-RISK! is described as, "a hit podcast where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share." Listen to any episode and you will see what we're saying! It's sooooo exceptional. Kevin is a professional sharer, so he didn't hold back with Dr. Lisa. He talks about his gay group therapy that shrinks kept quitting, his current shrink, what he's really like vs. the onstage version of Kevin, some of his dating experiences, how relationships with his fellow members of "The State" developed throughout the show, and how there will never be enough downloads to make him happy.

I've always loved Brian Boucher's work and I was finally introduced to him by Ben Davis at the spectacular Zero Art Fair opening. Anyway, I immediately invited him to guest on the show. Doing research on Brian, I observed that in his writing, he was an art writer that often gave voice to the voiceless, writing in a compelling manner about issues at the intersection of art and social causes that might otherwise go unnoticed. This recent piece in ArtNet about a rediscovered David Wojnarowicz mural in Kentucky is a great example. The other observation I had about Brian is how he doesn't inject himself into his work or even his career. Unlike many other art writers, (NO JUDGEMENT) , you don't see him sipping drinks at lavish art parties, and dinners, although I am sure he's invited and likely attends them. Which spurred me on to find out why not—what in Brian's personality influences his work? I found out he was a drummer in a punk band, 2nd youngest of five boys and a hellofalot more. Cheers to Brian for being a good sport! Bio: Brian Boucher covers art-world news in New York. He has also written for publications such as the New York Times, Playboy, New York Magazine, Frieze, Art in America and ARTnews. He studied art history at Vassar College and Williams College. Insta: @brianbboucher

WARNING: This episode may inspire you to work harder. George Hayward is a brilliant guy and a brilliantly original comedian. I met him at a favorite open mic at @PineBoxRockShop run by @steve_malden and @bobby.condon. George is very smart and talented, but his work ethic is a super power with his LASER FOCUS on standup is phonomenal. George has quite a life story. His mother is black, his father is white. Education was the top priority in his family, George is a testament to that. He got a full scholarship to Phillips Exeter Academy, then a BA from Harvard and a AB/JD degree from Stanford. Here's a story about how a kid who once thought he might become an astrophysicist, put himself through a rigorus education and found himself exceeding at standup. George has been on many prestigious New Faces shows and is well on his way to a thriving standup career. Not bad for a guy who's been in NYC for only a year. Here's some of the videos we discuss in this session: Take Ya Time: George Hayward Live From Pine Box | Stand-up Set 14:00 George Hayward Delivers The Good News in 1997 First Communion 1:04 ( Clip of George lecturing as a child ) The Good News: George Hayward Addresses the 1Ls at Stanford Law School 25:00 The 25 min set to the Stanford law students that started it all Talk to Em: George Hayward Addresses the MBAs at Stanford Business School 1:10:24 - the 60-min set with no previous open mics that started George on his professional path

Mick's special: Don't Be So Positive HERE. Mick's webseries HERE. Mick's previous episode on Dr. Lisa HERE. Mick DIflo has appeared on Amazon Prime’s ‘Hunters’, AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live, Inside Amy Schumer, and was a contributing writer to ‘The Idiot’s Guide to Jokes’, Jest Magazine, The Huffington Post and thecomedyconsultant.com. His webseries ‘Mick: Don’t Be So Positive’, written & directed by Roger Aylward, is based on Mick’s standup comedy. The webseries won Best International Webseries at Dublin’s International Comedy Film Festival and Mick received Special Mention for Best Actor. The series also received an honorable mention award at Worldwide Short Film Festival in London. More about Mick Diflo ⁠HERE⁠. Here's a bit of what we talked about: Mick started using drugs at 11, had hepatitis twice by 17, and became a successful boxer with 10 wins out of 13 fights. But addiction derailed his boxing career when he developed double vision from too many punches. He got sober at 28 in 1984 with his brother's help - that's 41 years clean now. After recovery, he worked as an addiction counselor for 15 years before accidentally falling into comedy. What started as an acting class in Philadelphia turned into sketch comedy, and when his group couldn't make a New York show, he went solo and discovered stand-up. Now he's been doing comedy professionally for 21 years, recently released an album called "Don't Be So Positive," and created an award-winning web series. His dark humor draws from his life experiences, which makes perfect sense. He's been married to Rita for 21 years - they met in recovery, got engaged after 9 months, and she now "heckles" him during his acts while working on her own novel. Despite everything he's been through, Mick has this calm, philosophical outlook and uses comedy to process his experiences.

Misha Wurman is a professional bartender and cocktail creator. If you want to get one of Misha's original cocktails, here's 2 options of where you can visit him bartending— Paradise Lost (Tuesdays) 100 2nd Ave., New York, NY, 10003 Public Records upstairs cocktail lounge (Friday/Saturday) 233 Butler St, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Misha Wurman is 27-year-old bartender who Dr. Lisa has basically watched grow up since he was born. He's got this really interesting mixed background - Afro-Caribbean on his mom's side and Russian/Swedish/Jewish on his dad's side. Growing up was pretty complicated because he'd spend weekdays with his mom and grandma in Spanish Harlem, then weekends with his dad in this fancy SoHo loft. When his mom got sick, he ended up living with his dad's parents in Rhode Island for over six years. How He Got Into Bartending Misha went to Hampshire College to study film, but while he was there, he discovered craft cocktails at this bar called The Dancer on the Lower East Side. Now he works at two spots - Paradise Lost and Public Records - making these fancy $18-28 cocktails. He's got this whole creative approach where he calls it "making potions" and comes up with wild combinations like a white mezcal Negroni with cold brew. Every drink he makes has its own story behind it. What Makes Him Good At It The thing is, all that bouncing between different family situations as a kid actually made him really good at reading people and handling different personalities. He sees bartending as more than just mixing drinks - it's about meeting people where they're at emotionally, whether they're out having fun or dealing with something heavy. He loves how collaborative the whole cocktail scene is, and you can tell he's found a way to blend his artistic side with his natural people skills.

⁠http://saraschaefer.com/⁠ @saraschaefer1 Crafting Through It on YouTube This is a great session with Sarah Schaefer, a comedian and artist who's created a fascinating art exhibit called "A Few Slight Concerns" - three miniature rooms at 1:12 scale representing her personal anxieties. There's a hotel room (from years of touring comedy clubs), a green room where comedians wait before performing, and her own craft room. She's literally "minimizing" her problems by turning spaces where she's had obsessive, anxious thoughts into art she can put on a shelf and walk away from. Sarah's been doing comedy for 23 years and has performed everywhere from Comedy Central to Netflix, but she's questioning whether to stay in the industry because of the moral compromises it seems to require. She grew up in Richmond where her mom ran an amazing charity operation feeding homeless people, which gave her strong values but also this sense that her own problems weren't "big enough" to matter. Recently diagnosed with ADHD, she now understands her obsessive, hyperfocused work style - like how she gets so absorbed making miniatures that her workspace becomes what her husband calls a "nest." The interview captures this really relatable struggle of being a creative person trying to figure out meaningful work when the world feels chaotic. Sarah's doing a solo show called "Going Up" that combines comedy with miniatures, and she's honestly wrestling with whether art matters and what direction to take her career next.

⁠Jen Dalton ⁠+ ⁠William Powhida⁠ are the founders of the ⁠Zero Art Fair⁠. The basic concept that drives the fair is to get great art that artists have in storage—out of storage and into people's lives, irregardless of their financial situation to purchase art. They started the⁠ fair upstate last year ⁠and this year, they were invited to present it at a highly respected institution in Chelsea, ⁠The Flag Art Foundation. ⁠ Bill and Jen explore and illuminate their ideas and innovations with Dr. Lisa. They discuss their various projects and processes, (their first project together was in 2008), leading up to this fair and where they are now—getting work into art lovers hands, especially if those folks don't have the disposable income to buy art. Such a fun talk to hear how Jen and Bill have really honed their thinking and process, keeping in mind the desire to make these fairs and interventions scaleable and sustainable simply so the plans can be implemented anywhere. I encourage you to listen to this episode as Bill and Jen describe this important project which seeks to go beyond an art fair and open a dialogue about so much more—such as what is the value of art and what is the social purpose of it? The basics of the Zero Art Fair ⁠HERE⁠ JEN DALTON https://www.jenniferdalton.com/ @jendalton_ Bio: Jennifer Dalton (born 1967) is an American artist. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in 1997. Dalton's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally, including the FLAG Art Foundation in New York, the Curator's Office in Washington, DC, Kunsthalle Wien (Vienna), Contemporary Museum in Baltimore and the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. She was also included in La Superette at Deitch Projects, Participant Inc. and The Cult of Personality: Portraits of Mass Culture at Carriage Trade, both in New York. She has been an artist-in-residence at numerous artist colonies, including the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Vermont Studio Center, Millay Colony for the Arts and the Smack Mellon Studio Residency Program. She was a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2002. WILLIAM POWHIDA https://williampowhida.com/ @williampowhida BIO: William Powhida (born 1976) is an American visual artist and former art critic.Powhida's work is critical and addresses the contemporary art world. Powhida received his Master of Fine Arts in painting from Hunter College in January 2002. He is currently represented by Postmasters Gallery (NY), Charlie James Gallery (LA), Poulsen Gallery (DK), and Platform Gallery (WA). He holds a BFA in Painting from Syracuse University and an MFA in painting from Hunter College. His work has been written about in the New York Times, Artforum, Art in America, The Los Angeles Times, Hyperallergic, ArtFCity, The Guardian, the New Yorker, New York Magazine, and October among other publications. His work in the collections The San Diego Museum of Art, The Henry Art Museum, The Crocker, The Orange County Museum of Art, Casa Maaud, and JP Morgan Chase.

James and I had a very deep therapy session about James relationship with his mother and his relationships with women in general. It was highly personal and too revealing to post — so if you didn't hear it live, you missed it — but enjoy this video of James as Artist-in-Residence of Lockheed Martin . Here's James show on Radio Free Brooklyn: James & Ibhan Radio Show: Hosted by James Azzaretti & Ibhan Kulkarni LIVE every Sunday at 11:00am James & Ibhan are Brooklyn Comedians who's lived and performed in the area for close to a decade. These golden voiced gods will regal you with wit, charm, smarm, and calm. Music, special guests, and special bits. Only here, only now. Insta: James Azzaretti: @snazzaretti Ibhan Kulkarni: @doublelagaan @jamesandibhan@chickenbigcomedy

I invited comedian Casey James Salengo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StE2tnXqaU8 Montreal Fresh Faces-and a Comedy Central 1/2hr to come - tres talented and funny. He's also good-looking. I put it out there that the ladies should call in for a blind date and with him.... and well, I spent most of the time digging into his history and personality. He turned out to be a lot more substantial and mature than I was prepared for! #comedy #therapy #art

“When the war broke out, Konstantin and Vlada were both 29 years old. They had been together for eight years, and married for five. The Odessa couple originally planned to flee for safety when the full-scale invasion began. But with bags packed and ready to depart, they could not bring themselves to leave.” When would a fake shrink get to talk with a married couple with a career photographing from the harshest edges of the war in to talk about their relationship? What a privilege!!! Btw, they learned to do war photography when Ukraine was invaded. Literally trial by fire. When they were first together and married, they had an extremely successful, creative, wedding photography business. Konstantin and Vlada are in NYC on the last leg of their tour throughout the U.S. to accept an award from the US Embassy in Kiev. (I may have some award details wrong here, but you get the point.) As they agreed to be on the show, I told them I wanted to focus on discussing their relationship in such an intense situation, especially since they had begun their practice as wedding photographers. I mean talk about a growth experience! Beyond my imagination. I found them fascinating. And do you know what I found out? When they were first married Va was a chic princess. Always perfectly clean and perfectly coiffed. But then, trenches…. MORE INFO: THEIR INCREDIBLE PHOTO WORK: https://www.ukrainianphotographers.com/en/photographers/kostiantyn-and-vlada-liberov A detailed photo story about their experience during the invasion in Odesa, Ukraine: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/en/stories/viyna-tse-ne-statystyka-a-konkretna-lyudyna-zi-svoim-konkretnym-strashnym-gorem A fantastic 14 min. doc about them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDt_PK1SU1c Instagram: ⁠@libkos⁠ Website: https://www.libkos.com/

Caroline is a really talented comedian who is very busy with her comedy career, partner and Vet School! Listening to Caroline talk about her childhood and having been home-schooled, she helped me understand why home-schooling can be a really damaging experience. And maybe that's one big reason why, when she moved to NYC, she went alcohol-crazy (who wouldn’t? + also simplifying) —if you want to know details, you have to listen. Anyway, here’s someone who really turned their life around and getting very close to achieving more of her goals. Her comedy is going great, she’s in a healthy 4-year relationship and soon, she will be certified as a  Vet Tech and making bank $$$.  @carolineblaircomic

NOTE: To get the full effect of who Tom was 10 years ago when he first started the station, listen to this episode with Tom at the very beginning of RFB: May 15, 2015—⁠ Dr. Lisa psychoanalyzes RFB co-founder Tom Tenney Tom Tenney, the station co-founder, (along with Rob Pritchard), was my first guest patient when I began my show on May 15, 2015 and this session with Tom is exactly 10 years later, this time Tom is my 10th anniversary guest patient so we have plenty to reflect on as well as looking forward. Tom's entire life was Radio Free Brooklyn for many years in an obsessive way, which as a fake shrink is why he was able to make something so major into an organization that currently thrives with other capable people now leading the charge.Tom's life has evolved during the last 10 years: from Bushwick to Washington Heights, new psych meds, from being single for a very long time, to a successful thriving relationship with a wonderful woman who he lives with in a nice place and a job in retail while he continues to evolve his new ideas. Radio Free Brooklyn had changed so many lives over the last 10 years, but possibly no one more than Toms.Tom's show:Previous May 15, 2015— Dr. Lisa psychoanalyzes RFB co-founder Tom Tenney May 14, 2020— Tom Tenney, Radio Free Brooklyn’s Executive Director return’s to Dr. Lisa’s couch in honor of RFB’s 5th anniversary and it’s on his birthday too! Nov, 2020—Breaking down the WALL OF LIES experience with creators Tom Tenney and Phil Buehler.

Leslie Goshko is a talented comedian, storyteller, writer, musician, singer and great human. She's been successful in a range of endeavors but at this point she is one of the very few elite live karaoke pianists and music directors with regular gigs at Good Judy and Arlene's Grocery. Leslie had some heavy shit go down in the past year with her husband having medical problems and emergency room visits where Leslie was the point person in a series of stressful situations. A huge out pooring of support from folks during this difficult period for Leslie and Kyle took them as a big surprise, I know these guys, so I will say it makes sense that people would rush to help this kind, generous and hardworking couple. Thankfully, he's much better now, and we are still working on Leslie accepting help from other people. (She says her professional shrink is too!) Here's Leslie's previous Dr. Lisa Gives A Shit episodes: 2019: DLG218 Comedian, Writer, Musician, Singer Leslie Goshko and I demonstrate the value of creative people supporting each other. 2016: DLG1646_Leslie Goshko is great at too many things. More about Leslie Goshko HERE

Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani is an accomplished artist with 2 books, Contested City and a new book, The Cities We Need. Gabrielle makes work about how people connect to their neighborhoods in a communal emotional way by touring and photographing the neighborhood with individuals that live there. Dr. Lisa wants to know haw an artist as accomplished as Gabrielle is hasn’t put the regular amount of navel gazing that most artists put into their work—what connects Gabrielle to these stories made personal by the people that tell them? After much discussion it seems as if Gabrielle is maybe just grounded and fulfilled on her own that she is able to be generous and connect with her neighbors by making them the stars of her art and photographs. Thinking later, after the session, I thought maybe since she got along so well and felt understood by her parents, so perhaps instead of a typical adolescent rebellion to the authority of her parents, her rebellion manifested in reaction, as a professor, to the authority of academia. About The Cities We Need Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani is an urbanist, curator, and artist practicing new modes of public arts, design, and urban research for community engagement, and is author of Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation at New York's Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (University of Iowa Press, 2018). She is principal of the design and research studio Buscada and teaches urban studies and public art at the New School. She was a post-doctoral fellow in visual culture at the International Center of Photography and holds a PhD in environmental psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY. She regularly consults with arts and culture organizations on community and art engagements and strategic visioning. Her creative practice has been shown at institutions including MIT, the Brooklyn Public Library, the Center for Architecture, Artists Alliance/Cuchifritos Gallery & Project Space, the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, and Tate Britain. Her work on cities, culture, and photography has appeared in journals, including Visual Studies, Urban Omnibus, Space and Culture, Society & Space, and Buildings & Landscapes. She lives in New York City.

Joseph Arthur's has worked hard, evolved and shares the value he's found in forgiveness. Joseph Arthur is a well known and respected musician. Joseph grew up in Dayton, Ohio, the son of a lawyer father and insurance salesman mother. It seems as if Joseph had a lot of conflict with his parents, but has some thoughtful things to say about forgiveness. He is someone who works hard on himself, physically, emotionally and spiritually. His creative work is instinctual whether it's songwriting, music,, poetry or visual art. Joseph Arthur started working in high school with a band of guys all older than him, 5 nights a week making  a good living so he never went to college or even needing to look for a side job. An outspoken voice about his opinions about vaccines during the pandemic, along with the birth of his daughter around the same time, affected his career and recharged it. His opportunity to revisit his career and opened a lot of new doors and he's now enjoying life now more than ever. https://josepharthur.com/ #josepharthur @joseph_arthur Song/Video RISE Current Tour

Artist Scooter LaForge is a delight. To be honest, I somehow felt like connecting with him on this show was healing for me-now who’s the shrink!? Scooter’s work is amazing and so instinctual- he cannot not do it. Even though he’s worked with big names like he is as humble as can be. So much to learn from his perspective—growing up as a gay man in a tiny town in Arizona. I have to say I was envious hearing of all the free-range outdoor time he had, but alas the town, it’s sounds really small and devoid of gays which means a pretty homogenous group of people (boring!) Scooter is the best of what an artist is—someone fueled by their work and satisfied because of it. He complimented me a lot, so I’m going to give him an A as a guest rating. Follow and learn more about Scooter HERE: https://www.scooter-laforge.com/ Instagram @scooterlaforge @scooter_laforge_a_life_of_art/ BIO: Scooter Laforge began his love affair with art at a very young age while growing up in the small town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. His burning desire to render things beautifully began with his singer/songwriter mother, and his landscape painting father; both equally inspired his creativity and lust for art. Laforge’s work can be characterized as Pop Art partnered with abstract expressionism and Dutch classicism. His paintings and drawings are portraitures, landscapes, and objective subject matter, utilizing his special painting techniques and incorporating his homoerotic, in your face, non-apologetic lifestyle.  Like Golden Books on acid, his work employs a 50’s illustrated storybook technique, modernized by 70’s color palettes and are influenced heavily by gay pornography, cute fluffy animals, and sometimes iconic cartoons (i.e. SpongeBob Square Pants, The Cookie Monster, and Popeye and Brutis) which are reoccurring characters and themes within his work.  LaForge earned his BFA from the University of Arizona in 1993,[5] and began his career as a painter in San Francisco.[6] He moved to New York City in 2001,[3] where he attended the Cooper Union School of Art under a fellowship.[8] His art is in the collections of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art[9] and Beth Rudin DeWoody.[10] LaForge has a line of hand-painted, unique clothing items that are sold through fashion stylist Patricia Field.[11] He has twice collaborated with Belgian fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck.[12][13] His clothing has been worn by Susanne Bartsch,[14] Sandra Bernhard,[15] Beyoncé,[8] Miley Cyrus,[6] Boy George,[3] Debbie Harry,[8] Nicki Minaj,[3] Madonna,[8] Iggy Pop,[3] Rihanna,[6] and Lil Wayne.[3]

Joe Kelley has a very long, successful career in the music business, both on air and off. Currently he runs his own management company, Black Jeans Management which represents bands such as @houseofharm, @socialordermusic and @rosegardenfuneralparty Joe is also a fellow host with his own radio show on, Fascination Beat, live every Thursday, 4-5pm on @radiofreebk I note in the beginning of this session with Joe Kelley is that a first impression presents as a physically large, outgoing, charismatic person who is going to just through his natural vibe likely more often than not becomes the focus of many of the rooms he enters. It's a natural gift that he has. I ask him about it, and in this session we find out if's a double-edged sword and also in the ways that it is. Joe had a traumatic experience with his group of friends in high school. The residue of it is evident today. Does Joe's large personality and physical appearance make people jealous? its seems thats something that his mother and I agree on. About Joe Kelley Joe Kelley is a seasoned music industry professional with over a decade of experience in artist relations, booking, and concert and content production. Since 2010, Joe has been actively involved in the music scene, making significant contributions to the industry. Joe's passion for promoting talented artists led him to manage the internationally renowned online performance platform, BalconyTV, in New York. During his tenure, he played a key role in discovering and showcasing emerging artists, helping them gain exposure to a global audience. With a strong focus on fostering talent, Joe joined Billboard as the head of artist relations. In this influential position, he oversaw most of Billboard's artist bookings across all departments, showcasing his extensive expertise and network within the industry. Additionally, Joe created and curated the long-running BillboardLive series, which became a highly acclaimed franchise showcasing exceptional live performances from renowned artists. Following his success at Billboard, Joe joined Magus Entertainment to work alongside a small team as management for Duran Duran and other acts. In this role, he contributed to the production of Duran Duran's 15th studio album, Future Past, and was instrumental in coordinating a series of festival appearances and a long-awaited tour. His work with Magus Entertainment underscored his capability to manage high-profile artists and navigate the complexities of the music industry.

Kambri Crews is an extraordinary woman. Not only in her notable achievements (NYT bestselling author, QED comedy club founder/owner, just to name a few), but also how her hard-to-imagine childhood as the only child of 2 deaf parents, growing up between a shack and a trailer in rural Texas, having a father in jail because of violence against his girlfriend that she witnessed.  As a performer, club owner, publicist, writer, producer, Kambri has a full pedigree in the comedy world, as well as being married to comedian Christian FInnegan, Comedy Central, James Corden”, “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show”. (And even Dr. Lisa!—episode 291 + episode 314. It's a joy to have Kambri on Dr. Lisa at this particular moment in time. She's concluding an 11 year stint of owning/creating a beloved (voted #1 venue in NYC by TimeOut New York readers 2022) comedy venue and is turning the reins to a hand-picked, new owner, comedian and friend, Hannah Lieberman, who is eager to embrace her new mantle as owner of QED. Kambri will still be involved though, she's not going anywhere! It seems like this is perhaps, the first time in her life, Kambri feels she has finally accomplished enough that she can take her time deciding on where to put her focus next. In the meantime there's always ice skating and watercoloring to do...

I've known Jane Mogel since we were freshman in college—50 years!!! And her smart, funny, charming husband, Peter Pitts for almost as long. I went to their wedding in the mid 80's. Jane has a successful business as an interior designer and Peter has a global trotting business as the co-founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest. His research, reporting and public appearances range from the New York Times to The Daily Show with John Stewart. Though I don't usually have close friends on, (I'm trying to be a real shrink, remember?!!), I make an exception here so Jane and I can exchange some college stories and we can talk about Jane and Peter's parenting adventures with their two boys, Jeremy and Ben, now both in their mid-thirties and doing well. Jane would invite me to stay with her family in New York City in the later 70's and her parents were a big influence on me. They were very sophisticated for a young person like me and they opened my mind to a lot of new things. Her father, Len Mogel was the publisher of the National Lampoon in it's heyday, so some fun stories from that time too. I moved to the East Village right after college and Jane had her own place in the city by then, so we had a lot of fun running around NYC in those years too!

Miller is a comedian that exudes positivity. He has OCD and has struggled with depression which led him to ocd eating and at one point at 6'1", he was 400 lbs. In 2020, he suffered a series of strokes and took charge of his health—he's close to 1/2 the size he once was. Art is healing. Millers journey through comedy has made him a happy man. He has a close circle of comedy friends and is producing a show of his friend @tahaakahn Halalarious It's coming to the @sohoplayhouse May9, 2025 Sohohttps://ci.ovationtix.com/35583/production/1228838.  Follow Miller HERE: @themillermark Miller is obsessed with sports! Listen to his podcast HERE: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/miller-mark3

Roman is 18 years old lives w his mom in Stuyvesant town.  He’s studying sociology at Pace university and he also founded and fronts a band, Holiem. Roman is all about his music and his band. Dr. Lisa is a bit verklempt listening to a young person who has found his true love - and his excitement of starting out on his journey in music. He is also in love with his girlfriend-personally - I had a little counter transference of envy witnessing his excitement of the world that’s open to him at this phase in his life. He’s humble and grateful to his folks, his 2 brothers and his girlfriend.  Listen to his music on Spotify HERE: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5HQOT0L9FSN2ek1xiVJHpM?si=oiDsRZlBQy-Sx-G_XMvGig Follow Roman on Instagram HERE: @holiem__