Ilaria Borrelli, Filmmaker, Women’s Rights Activist, Mother.

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show the immensely talented Italian director and actress, Ilaria Borrelli, who is also a human rights activist. In fact, much of Ilaria’s activism is reflected in her work, often with an emphasis on the rights of woman and young girls.

I met Ilaria at the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, when she was speaking about her film, “The Goat,” about an 11-year-old pregnant orphan forced into marriage in her small Ethiopian village, only to escape with her goat, which provides nourishment, companionship, and even friendship throughout her difficult journey to find her her father, and ultimately peace. The film stars Mira Sorvino and John Savage, along with young Egyptian Tik Tok star, Jessica Hosam.

Ilaria has been behind some of the most prolific films throughout her career, including “Life Is Beautiful,” and “A Girl from the Brothel,” among others. We will talk with her about her adventures filming in often dangerous condition, her life’s work as an actress and eventually behind the camera, and how it all began in Naples, Italia. She will also discuss her intense interest in spotlighting the dangers of human trafficking young girls, and how she hopes to shed a spotlight on the issue through her work.

I’m honored to present Ilaria on our show, and thank you to my friend, Lorenza, for suggesting an interview. Please find my full conversation with Ilaria on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us.

Marianna Cuomo Maier, Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, Founder of Grata Wellness

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please give a warm welcome to my guest, Marianna Cuomo Maier, certified health & wellness coach and founder of Grata Wellness, which helps people take charge of their health, find more joy in their lives, and often, she says, it starts with food.

Marianna holds wellness workshops, meditation, and journaling groups at wellness events in support of finding our healthier, more balanced selves. And as she tells it, Marianna was not always a healthy person. She had to learn how to do it.

Marianna also writes for @AppetitoMagazine, and in fact, we were introduced by Appetito‘s founder, @AndrewCotto, as well as my friend, @AmyRiolo, writer of many books on the Mediterranean Diet, specifically the Dummies series.

Marianna is also founder of the Emerging Leaders Council of the Italian Language Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting Italian language and culture nationally.

And if the name Cuomo sounds familiar, she is of the infamous New York Cuomo family. Her grandfather, Mario Cuomo, was a beloved governor of New York. Uncle Andrew was also NY governor, and Uncle Chris is a well-known, award-winning TV journalist.

Please join my conversation with Marianna on how we can all be healthier in a world that often promotes fast living and fast foods. She also talks about life growing up Cuomo, and how her Italian heritage helped form her wellness routines she lives by today. You’ll find our #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast on all video and audio podcast platforms. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for joining us. Please also invite your friends, too!

JoJami Tyler, Owner of Fancy PantsGardens. Kitchen Garden Coach.

Deborah Kobylt Live

Love to garden and eat fresh veggies and fruits but have no idea how to start, what to plant or when to plant? Have you tried gardening but didn’t quite have the touch? Well, this is a must-listen to show, because our guest can turn anyone into an expert gardener who can enjoy fresh, home-grown food all year long!

Meet JoJami Tyler, a kitchen garden coach and founder of Fancy Pants Gardens (there’s a reason behind the name, and we’ll get into that). JoJami and I met at the @InfluencersOfMidlife conference in Vegas where I was a speaker, which is run by my friend, @RobinLaMonte. And we got to talking about food, what’s in so much of the food we purchase at the grocery store, in addition to the rising cost of many store-bought foods.

JoJami joins us to teach us what vegetables grow best in what climates, when to plant, how to get rid of pests, and virtually walks us through how to grow anything, even if you live in a small apartment. So please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I’m excited to be learning how to improve my gardening skills with you!

Bunny Hall, Grammy® Award Winning Songwriter, Founder & Executive Director Dream A World Education

Deborah Kobylt Live

Meet Bunny Hull. Bunny is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter with 20 Gold and Platinum Certifications. She’s the recipient of the GMA Dove Award, BMI Performance Award, Parents’ Choice Awards, and that’s not even why we’re having her on our show today!

Hull, who has also been inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame, joins us to talk about something truly dear to her heart, in addition to music. She founded Dream a World Education, whose mission is to provide social-emotional learning and an understanding of cultural diversity through art-based education in early childhood. Dream a World partners with schools throughout Los Angeles county and beyond to empower children to discover their own creativity and understand how we are all connected. It’s a magnificent program, and Bunny joins us to talk about the many students they’ve touched through arts education. Of course, we will ask about working with some of the greats in her music career, like partnering with Irene Cara and working with Michael Jackson. And she’s got stories!

Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE,
And invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I’d like to welcome you here and thank you for joining our show

Zibby Owens, Author, “Blank,” & Owner, Zibby’s Bookshop

Deborah Kobylt Live

Please welcome to our show a woman who appears to have more hours in her day than the rest of us, Zibby Owens. Zibby is an award-winning author who will join us to talk about her latest book, “Blank.” She also hosts an award-winning DAILY podcast, Moms Don’t Have Time To Read Books. In addition, she owns and operates Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica, which is an incredibly inclusive space for writers, authors, and anyone interested in books and learning how to get started as an author.

Want more? The Zibby-verse has become a mini empire, led by Zibby Media, which includes Zibby books publishing house, retreats for authors, book club, writing group, not to mention her bookstore on Montana Ave. and her podcast. She lives in NYC with her husband and FOUR kids under the age of 16, attended Yale and Harvard, and spends a good chunk of time working in LA, too. And she smiles a lot, too, perhaps because she’s truly doing what she loves. But she’s faced a lot of rough patches, too, and we’ll talk about that, because Zibby is an inspiration to many, a woman who has followed her passion for books and reading, and sharing that with the rest of us.

Please join #DeborahKobyltLIVE on all video and audio podcast platforms, and make sure to share with your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for joining us.

Andrew Cotto, Award-Winning Novelist & Co-Founder, Appetito Magazine

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please join us in welcoming Andrew Cotto, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Appetito Magazine. Andrew is also an award-winning novelist of seven books, a regular contributor to the New York Times, and he loves all things Italy, particularly food and wine. His passion is to write and talk about it, and share his experiences so we can fall in love with the Italian way of living as he has.

Andrew likes to say that “food is his muse.” He draws a comparison between mental health and healthy eating, and talks about how Italians instinctively know how to do that. While he was raised in the states, Andrew fell in love with his ancestral homeland the first time he visited, and decided to plant his own roots there for a time and learn all he could about the Italian lifestyle and good health. He’s been a regular on Good Day New York, and has interviewed some of the top culinary experts in his Appetito magazine, including Rachael Ray. And now he joins us on our #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and #DeborahKobyltLIVE, to share all he’s learned with us. And there’s a lot.

Please find our show on all video and audio podcast platforms, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us today.