Alexo Wandael, Italian Director

Please welcome to our shows, Alexo Wandael, Italian film director, producer, and director based out of LA and NY, and he joins us to discuss an incredibly interesting project he’s been working on called ITALIANY.US, where he photographs his subjects and black and white, all of them from Italy, and interviews them about the life they’ve created here in America.
Why did they come here, what are their dreams, their passion for life. And we turn the tables and ask him this same question.

Alexo has been a celebrated fashion and celebrity photographer, having worked for some of the more prestigious magazines in the world. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, featuring “To My Pink Lady,” “A Woman Makes A Plan,” and “Tomato Soup In Skid Row.” These are magnificently insightful works of art, and we will discuss his continued passion for his ongoing film and video projects, including “Vanity Fair Italia, Maye Musk.”

Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you as part of our community.

Alessandra Repini, Author, “The Italian Lady. The Book.

Please welcome our shows Alessandra Repini, who wrote, “THE ITALIAN LADY: The Perfect Guide To Making Yourself ever Cheerful, Classy and Admired.”

Alessandra talks about how to discover the “modern day dolce vita and enjoying it wherever you are in the world,” which is another subtitle to her book. Have you ever noticed how Italian women always seem to look elegant, cook with finesse, and just seem to have an incredible warmth? Perhaps I’m biased, but I think they do, and Alessandra writes about that, everything from fashion, to furniture and food (the three F’s). She also talks about travel and art in her book, how to stay fit and healthy, and it all follows what’s natural to the Italian lifestyle. Alessandra lives in Italy with her family, maintains impeccable style, and she shares some tips on how we can absorb some of these Italian ways, too.

Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and we encourage you to invite your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you as part of our community.

Joshua M. Greene, Author, filmmaker, educator and Holocaust scholar.

I’m thrilled to welcome to our show, Joshua M. Greene, who, in his own words, says he’s spent much of his life’s work “sharing extraordinary stories about extraordinary people.”

Mr. Greene spent countless years practicing yoga and meditation with George Harrison, and eventually wrote “Here Comes The Sun,” a biography that chronicles the spiritual and musical journey of former Beatle. We’ll ask him about that. Joshua is also a renowned Holocaust scholar and filmmaker, whose books have sold more than a half-million copies worldwide, including “Unstoppable,” “Justice at Dachau,” and books for young adults, including “The Girl Who Fought Back,” and “Signs of Survival, A Girl on Schindler’s List.” We’ll ask him about all of them.

Mr. Greene is a popular lecturer who has spoken at the Pentagon, and his films and documentaries on Holocaust history have aired on PBS and Discovery. He’s received numerous awards, including the Gold Metal at the NY International Film and TV Festival.

On a personal note, Joshua M. Greene is married to Esther Lynn Fortunoff, of the famed Fortunoff family department store chain. They share a love of art and storytelling, two children, and an immensely eclectic and interesting life.

Please join me in welcoming Joshua M. Greene on all video and audio podcast platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us.

Susan Lieu, Author, “The Manicurist’s Daughter Memoir”

Author, playwright, performer, and TEDx speaker Susan Lieu joins us to talk about her tell-all book, “The Manicurist’s Daughter,” along with her one-woman theatrical show, 140 Pounds: How Beauty Killed My Mother, which has been on a 10-city sold out national tour.

About Susan: Her family are refugees from the Vietnam War, escaping to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Her mother successfully opened two nail salons, and life seemed to be going just fine, until one day when Susan was 11. Her mother died suddenly from a botched tummy tuck, with little mention of the incident even at her funeral.

So, for the next twenty years, Susan looked for answers about what happened, and also why her mother felt the need to change her body. Did she struggle with body image issues? Was it pressure? Susan finally uncovered some disturbing facts, and which we will talk with her about, as well as the impossible ideal of beauty.

Please join me in conversation with Susan Lieu about grief, trauma, and determination to get to the truth. And invite your friends, too. Our show, #DeborahKobyltLIVE is available on all video and audio podcast platforms. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and thanks for joining us.