Dr. Lisa Gives A Sh*t

I don't usually like to have close friends on because I know the answers to most of my questions and I don't like faking it—but Holly DeRito and I had never discussed the experiences she had when she was working full time as a Dominatrix before she became the Founder and Director of Waggytail Rescue, a small dog rescue with a wide national/international footprint—or should I say pawprint? in the mid-aughts. Holly is a true self-made woman with a highly energetic, generous spirit and is the least judgmental of all beings, including humans that I know. She shares amazing and funny stories of the men and her associates that she worked with as a Dominatrix as well as growing up in rural Pennsylvania, and coming to NYC with some musician friends that were traveling there. Waggytail Rescue is the real deal. A great community of volunteers and fosterers. If you've ever thought about fostering a dog, you can't go wrong working with Waggytail Rescue. They look out for their fosters every step of the way. They also hav

I have followed artist Eric Doeringer's career since the mid-oughts and he has been a guest on this show many times. Once of the particularly facinating aspects of Eric's work is that every project or body of work he takes on involves a complex and new way of making work that he must investigate, analyze and then. execute, which he does masterfully. Artist Eric Doeringer's latest project is an appropriation of a project artist Tom Sachs is doing. What is "appropriation art" you ask? Appropriation, similar to found object art is "as an artistic strategy, the intentional borrowing, copying, and alteration of preexisting images, objects, and ideas" It's so fun hearing Eric talk about his experience creating the work, the adventure of launching it in the desert, and going to one of Tom Sach's launch with hundreds or rockets, art collectors and a formally dressed staff. Eric's project intersects with the NFT world as well and I learned a lot from Eric about his process and the process of incorporating NFT's and wh

I don't talk about this a lot (shrinks are supposed to be a blank slate, ha!) but, I make art too, conceptual art @lisalevyartwork - check it out, This is a bit complex to explain, but Sharilyn and I created a persona which came to life using a sex doll that I got from a therapist that specializes in sex dolls. The doll is named Skye Cleary. Sky works as an "exotic dancer" to get enough money to pay for her MFA without taking out loans. She resents the men sometimes, but she also loves the power and money she gets by showing herself. She's conflicted. The gallery show is a pretend art studio with all the work Sharilyn and I made for her on display. All those emotions are what she uses to inspire her work and expresses her thoughts through her paintings. In this episode, Dr. Lisa, (Lisa Levy), Sharilyn Neidhardt, Gallerist/curators M Charlene Stevens, Roman Kalinovski, Moderator/artist, Christopher Stout discuss the artwork, the relationships to Skye and the whole adventure. There's an artist talk at the galle

As I’ve known Eryn for all the years she’s been with RFB, we’ve been able to watch her advance in her life/career. At our last session, several years ago, Eryn was emerging from too much of “catering to others.” In this session, we get to hear some bold moves Eryn has made in her life/career, including returning to school to learn professional audio engineering.. At the time of this session, Eryn has just finished school literally less than a week earlier. We get to hear about her full-on job hunt, a valuable new friend and share some of the excitement/trepidation as she embarks on the next phase in her life. I’m excited to see where she lands. I’ll report in again when it happens!

Leigh Celent is a great musician and a gold standard of anyone leading a band. She’s been on before where we discussed her evolution and process a bit so this time we got insight into what someone who leads a band and lives a life in music which is means being out in crowds is routine for her . Leigh is the real deal—she navigated a pandemic to come out stronger and more creatively committed than ever. 3 new songs are included in this episode. http://www.castleblackmusic.com/ https://soundcloud.com/castleblackmusic Previous episode with Leigh Celent from 2018

I found out Paris Campbell was autistic from a joke she made about herself onstage. I approached her afterwards and invited her to be on the show because seeing her/meeting her made me realize how little I know about autism and as a self-proclaimed psychotherapist, I needed to know a lot more. Paris is a smart, beautiful, charming and funny. I am grateful for all the first hand knowledge she shared candidly and am glad to be able to hopefully create more awareness about a neurological condition that in my opinion, is greatly misunderstood. We can help neurodivergent people just by learning about them and better understanding them! Follow Paris Campbell on TikTok, Insta and Twitter @stopitparis Learn more about autism HERE and HERE And HERE! What people with autism wish you knew: 'We want to be understood, not hidden away' https://nationalautismassociation.org/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/04/28/autism-awareness-what-autistic-community-wishes-you-knew/9542346002/ 3 What is Autism?

I was blown away by Richard Pasquarelli's solo exhibition, As It Should Be at BravinLee Programs. The show is up until May 14, 2022. GO SEE IT!  526 West 26th Street #211 NYC 10001 212-462-4404   info@bravinlee.com Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 12-5 Richard Pasquarelli is a New York based artist whose paintings study the psychological relationships between our minds and the physical world. He has what he refers to as Organizational OCD. This condition was originally pointed out to him around 10 years ago by his then teen-aged sons after a long period of watching their dad continuously straighten out everything around the house, including their casually placed backpacks. It was a bit of a wake up call for Richard and he went into a deep dive researching his condition, including attending a professional conference on hoarding and visiting hoarders' homes, immersing himself in their environment and personal stories. RIchard Pasquarelli's journey is a great example of how art is healing. Not only did Richard's exper

Drew and John were both producing/hosting storytelling shows in Beacon, NY. Over the pandemic they decided to join forces and it's to all of our benefit—their Artichoke Storytelling show is a hit—sold out shows and top storytellers every month! I learned so much about creative collaboration from listening to these two gentlemen. Also, I have to say, I really pushed these guys on their personal lives—they were great sports and so candid! Drew Prochaska is a Brooklyn-based writer/performer and two-time Moth StorySlam winner, who has been featured on the “RISK!” and “Stories in Session” podcasts. Drew was the creator of the SPOILER Comedy Film Project, a bi-annual film night featuring original films by some of today’s top comedy stars. A graduate of The Tisch School of Arts Dramatic Writing Program, Drew’s writing was regularly featured on the website of Running with Scissors author Augusten Burroughs. John Blesso: John Blesso is a writer, storyteller, mediocre guitar player, singer and woodworker, and artisana

If you know anything about the art world, likely you've heard of Bill Arning. He's been an important influence on art in many areas since he emerged as a prominent figure in the 1980s East Village art scene, serving as chief curator of the alternative art space, White Columns. Prior to joining Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 2009, he was a curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts for nine years. Arning is also known for his personal collection of roughly 800 works by gay artists and recently announced the opening of Bill Arning Exhibitions, his new gallery in Houston, in October of this year. Most importantly, Bill is getting married and just bought a house in Old Chatham, NY with his fiance, a terrific artist—Aaron Michael Skolnick. Aaron's work is connected to. nature—Aaron does plein air painting, so living in Houston full time just wasn't practical for them. Here's a quote from Bill's Instagram: Just bought a house from 1830 in Old Chatham NY - I’ve never lived out of the

Noah Becker, American and Canadian artist, jazz saxophonist, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art. has become a friend of Anna Delvey/Sorkin through their mutual friend, Alfredo Martinez. Noah recently joined Anna from her ICE detention jail to have a discussion about the Netflix series “Inventing Anna” - based on her notorious life as NYC’s “fake heiress.” and her future direction. LISTEN TO THIS CONVERSATION ON WHITEHOT PODCAST HERE: Dr. Lisa is curious about this phenomenon: Anna is a combination of brains, talent, drive, beauty, charisma, outsized confidence and a felon in jail. In this session, Noah and Dr. Lisa talk about Anna's personality, motivations and her work which leads them to a deeper discussion about art, celebrity, society and (as Noah put it)—the "pixie dust" aura of art. Details about Noah's participation in a recent group show with Anna Delvey and Alfredo Martinez HERE. More about Noah Becker and his painting HERE. More about Whitehot Magazine HERE. Noa

I was taken by Christian FInnegan's comedy special, SHOW YOUR WORK which he made during the pandemic, because I felt he really found a way to open himself up and share his experience in such an original, hilarious, moving way. I have seen a bunch of comedy specials made during the pandemic when comics couldn't tour, but none hit the level of truth that Christian was able to access and share. This is a special built to last. Show Your Work is a standup special about playing the hand you’re dealt. Filmed in a tiny backyard at the height of the pandemic, Christian Finnegan brings his brand of hilarious and insightful ‘social autopsy’ to topics that range from the dumb (pharmaceutical names, baguettes) to the super dumb (QAnon). More than that, Show Your Work celebrates the determination to keep moving forward when the world has gone haywire. Onward! Christian was just as open in this Dr. Lisa session about the feelings, logistics and creative process behind the making of this special and how it came into being.

RIck Prol has a solo exhibition, Empty City up at at James Fuentes Gallery, 55 Delancey St, NYC, through Saturday, March 26, 2022, Prol has been a well-know artist for over 40 years with a consistent practice, His work is beautiful, engaging to look at with a dark spin. I dig into the emotional connection in Prol's life experience to find out where it came from. Rick Prol was a contemporary of all of the famous East Village Artists of that time and Rick articulates well what it felt like to live in the East Village and how genuinely dangerous is was. Also his Dad put A LOT of pressure on him! James Kalm has a great video of the opening of this show. You can see the work and feel the excitement in the room HERE. More about Rick Prol: Born: 1956, New York, NY. Cooper Union, BFA, 1980, also studied at New York Studio School, 1975-76. Currently lives and works in New York City.  Rick Prol started showing his work in 1982, during the heyday of the East Village art scene of the 1980s. The East Village scene embrace

I invited Chris Gersbeck to be on the show mostly to chat about the huge career strides he's made in the last 2 years as producer, publicist, and podcaster and founder of DUMB Industries, but I inadvertently roped him into helping me with my own self-esteem issues. I felt much better at the end. But we did manage to squeeze some Chris info in. A great story of how he made DUMB Industries happen. Chris really is a special person—people feel better just being around him, but I can't say exactly why or how—he's just that way. I'm not the only person that feels that way, I'll bet a lot of the famous people he works with would say the same thing. There's too many famous people to list here and he's got plenty of his own following as well. Do your own research! Ok well I'll mention a few he's working with in April— Dave Hill, Frank Coniff, Trace Beaulieu, Mary Jo Pehl but that's it! ALSO you can learn a lot from listening to him talk about his approach to work. Think of it this way—Chris is the product of both pare

Adam is a super talented, upcoming painter with a solo show that opens at Mother Gallery on March 18. More about Adam HERE and HERE. I met Adam Amram when I was spending a month in Beacon NY at my own DIY artist residency. A terrific artist, Adam Amram was nearby in an official residency at a prestigious gallery, Mother, nearby. In this session we dig into the head of Adam and how his childhood experiences—his family moved to the US from Israel when he was 4years old—may have influence on his work. Adam has a very tight relationship with his family and his partner. Dr. Lisa thinks he need to develop more boundaries and with his neighbors. Dr. Lisa is VERY IMPRESSED with this artist's work—very much worth a trip to Beacon for anyone who is curious about what is happening in the contemporary art world.

David Kramer is a very accomplished, original, hilarious artist and a close friend. He has a show opening at the prestigious Freight + Volume Gallery the next day, I've seen the work, so this is a good chance to check in with David about how he feels about his new work and career. I love giving David shit so I dole it out pretty liberally here. We make a connection between his imagery and his parents going out in Manhattan leaving young David behind in the boring suburbs of New Rochelle. Check out/follow David's work on his instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/dkramer5000/ View David's current show online at Freight + Volume HERE: VISIT IN PERSON HERE: DAVID KRAMER ...I Am The Boss of Me 39 Lispenard St. February 25 – April 2, 2022 David Kramer ...I'm The Boss of Me February 25th - April 2nd  Opening Reception February 25th 4 -6pm If you want to take a deep Kramer dive, here's the previous episodes: 2015_ 1523_https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/RADIO6413307743.mp3

I became a HUGE FAN of Tom's work on Insta so I invited him in to meet him and discuss his work. It was unexpected but lovely—he brought his wife Meg. In this session, I got to see the big picture of how Tom, his wife, their relationship and their 9 year old son all come together to help make Tom's work as fabulous as it is. I loved hearing how Tom brought his work to the public and how it was so positively received. His son definitely a big influence. If you struggle with relationships (I do!) there's a lot to learn here. Most importantly check out Tom's work!!! https://www.instagram.com/mancostudio/ https://www.mancostudio.com/ And drop by his BRAND NEW GALLERY and studio: Mancostudio, 199 Ave. B, between 12 + 13 Street.

I take personal pride in Ben Louis's success as I met him 5 years ago when he first started his career in radio at Radio Free Brooklyn. I encouraged Ben as I watched him get his dream career on track at Sirius XFM with hard work, careful planning and tenacity. I got to know Ben and talked him off of a ledge occasionally when he would get frustrated cause I believed in him. You can follow his journey with me by listening to the past 4 years of Ben being my first guest of the year here. This time Ben is exploding with so much great news—a promotion, an apartment, a wonderful relationship! But there are challenges—one in particular that we discuss. As usual Ben doesn't hold back. He's 31 now with adult stuff to deal with. Here's the earlier episodes— Ben Louis: First session DLG1204 - 2018 Ben Lous: 2nd Session, DLG1840 2019 Ben Louis: Third Session - DLG220 2020 Ben Lous: Fourth Session DLG260 2021

EPISODE DESCRIPTION The easiest way to describe what Joseph Keckler makes is music. But that doesn't begin to cover it-the Vice Articles, videos, books and EVERYTHING.. The New York Times declared him a “major vocal talent” who “shatters conventional boundaries. In this session we explore Joseph's creative process and how he handles the press making such a fuss about him. He is very genuine the whole time I am asking him bull-in-a-china-shop questions. I got to meet him because he is the talent for the Art F City Benefit this year and I am helping plan it. LISTEN TO THIS MUSIC - completely unique and undescribable: http://www.josephkeckler.com/

I've interviewed a lot of natural born comedians, but Jim seems to have had no other paths or detours since birth and had been doing his craft and passion for more than 3 decades. Also, Jim had a great story in response to my question about his favorite comedy experience. Jim performed for the troops stationed in a top secret base—so secret—the soldiers families didn't know where they where! http://www.jim-mendrinos.com/ #Comedy #psychotherapy #DrLisa Jim is pictured here with RFB station director, Tom Tenny. From May 20, 2016

Shirley Weir, author of Mokita,: How to navigate perimenopause with confidence & ease and founder of Menopause Chicks, is now an expert on menopause from a physical, psychological, emotional and sociological point of view. She has helped countless women and created a community of over 27k women to support each other on these topics. We have a very frank discussion about menopause and that it has gotten an unnecessarily bad rap—how can we change the perception of menopause and perimenopause—a normal life transition that no one wants to talk about. As usual for me, I was very frank about my own feelings and experiences. Shelly was smart, graceful and supportive. If our conversation doesn't convince you that menopause is normal and not all bad and we need to change the perception of it—well then, just stay in your cave! About Shirley Weir Shirley Weir introduces herself as a Menopause Chick. Sore boobs, sleep deprivation, depression and brain fog led Shirley to her doctor’s office, the book store and “Dr. Goog