Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti & Jenna Esposito, Feast of San Gennaroin NY’s Little Italy Turns 100

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The Feast of San Gennaro NY turns 100 this year, and the 10-day celebration in New York’s Little Italy promises to be one of the most exciting ever! And we have some of the headliners joining our show today!

Please welcome someone I’m a huge fan of, Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti,” an Italian-American crooner who rose to national fame as a finalist on America’s Got Talent season 22, and he’s been entertaining ever since! Known for his deep baritone and larger-than-life personality, Sal revived the classic Rat Pack style of entertainment, and I’m thrilled to have him join us. Maybe he’ll even charm us with his legendary rendition of Sinatra’s “My Way.” Please also welcome the entertainment organizer for the Feast of San Gennaro, Jenna Esposito, a highly-acclaimed vocalist renowned for her dynamic tributes to “The Great Italian-American Songbook.” Jenna will be performing on the last day of the Festival, and we’re thrilled to also welcome her to our show.

The Feast celebrates the life of San Gennaro of Naples, who was Bishop of Benevento, Italy and martyred in 305AD by refusing to renounce his Christian faith during the persecutions of Christians ordered by Roman Emperor Diocletian.

The Feast of San Gennaro runs from Sept. 17-27 in NY’s infamous Little Italy, and raises money for a variety of charities. Jenna and Sal will tell us all about the festivities during our conversation about this 10-day party! And we can’t wait!!!

Please find my full interview with Jenna and Sal on all video and audio platforms of #LittleItalyPodcast & #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here. Tell your friends, too! #SanGennaro

Ellie Laks, Hope & Healing From Animals

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Ellie Laks, founder of The Gentle Barn, is like a saint when it comes to animals, and she joins us today to talk about the nonprofit she founded to rescue and rehab severely abused animals. She also has a new book to talk about, “Gentle: Hope and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary.”

The Gentle Barn operates with a unique dual mission – nursing unwanted farm animals back to health while providing an opportunity for distressed children and adults to work with these animals to promote their own healing. The “Hug a Cow” program, for example, has become legendary.

Ellie has authored multiple books. Her latest is a children’s picture book centered on hope and healing through animal rescue. Inspired by the true story of a sick, orphaned calf named John Lewis, and his unexpected bond with a dog named Sky, the story highlights how quiet love, kindness, and resilience can transform anyone’s life – animal or human.

We will talk to Ellie about her journey to provide healing to humans and animals
through genuine love and care for all creatures. Her story has captured the hearts of many on how the animals at her sanctuary have become therapeutic mentors for humans struggling with trauma, grief, and stress. Simply put, the world needs more of what Ellie brings.

Please join me in discussion with Ellie Laks on all video and audio platforms of
#DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to have you join us today. Please share with your friends, too!

Céline Hovette, Balance Hormones, Boost Fertility, Restore Flora

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Hormones out of whack? Then please tune in to our show with Celine Hovette, hormone health specialist and author, “Take Control of Your PCOS: Naturally Balance Your Hormones, Restore Intestinal Flora, and Boost Fertility.” Co-authored with Dr. Vincent Renaud, the book offers a science-based blueprint to managing a variety of health issues that are unique to women.

The book explains how high-stress environments, poor diet, and endocrine disrupters sabotage our hormonal function and how to make small changes with a big impact. And yes, microbiome is discussed, starting with how to restore intestinal flora which can alleviate many PCOS symptoms from mood swings to chronic inflammation. And let’s not forget weight gain. Discussing which micronutrients, probiotics, and herbal therapies can tackle everything from thinning hair to infertility and stubborn weight gain. I put some of these remedies to the test, and instantly felt a difference.

Join me in discussion with Celine Hovette on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.

Laurel Woods, Growing Up Inside The Strip Club Industry

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Please welcome to our show Laurel Woods, a Los Angeles-based author who took over her family’s adult entertainment empire and wrote about it in her telling book, “Strip Club Heiress: The Jet Strip, My Father’s Conviction, and the Murder of Mac McKenna,” a true-crime drama that literally upended her life.

Laurel’s story is indeed unique. Her father, Michael Woods, left his job at the California Highway Patrol after an injury and co-founded the Jet Strip Club with Mac McKenna, who was found shot to death in his limousine. Laurel’s father was arrested and convicted of the crime. Laurel then took over his strip club business while simultaneously trying to clear his name.

Her memoir is riveting. “What I life,” I thought, while reading it. In fact, her story offers an insider look into living a constant nightmare that has been the subject of multiple true-crime documentaries. Please find my conversation with Laurel Woods on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.

Dr. Jennie Byrne, Embracing The Adult Brain With ADHD

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So many adults struggle with undiagnosed ADHD, and often times, they are high-performing individuals able to juggle multiple tasks at once. On our program today, we speak with Dr.Jennie Byrne, a board-certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist who specializes in ADHD, how it affects high-achieving individuals, and often goes undiagnosed.

Dr. Byrne wrote “ADHD in Professionals: Embracing Your Brain,” which talks about the difference between adult ADHD and the symptoms in childhood ADHD, including how adults often mask symptoms but feel an internal restlessness. This often turns into burnout, self-doubt, and organizational issues in adults. With proper diagnoses and hands-on therapies, adults can learn to manage their ADHD, and we’ll talk about what that looks like.

Please find my full conversation with Dr. Byrne on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, and please share with anyone you know who wants or needs more information about adult ADHD. In your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt. Thanks for joining us.

Kate Danaher, Victoria Woodhull America’s First Woman Candidate For President

Deborah Kobylt Live

Did you know that more than 100 women have run for President of the United States, the first being Victoria Woodhull in 1872, long before women had the right to vote.

Her story is a fascinating one, and today we speak with Kate Danaher, author, “UNSTOPPABLE: The Victoria Woodhull Story,” who tells us all about the woman who rose from poverty in Ohio to become a trailblazing social reformer, journalist, and political figure before it was fashionable for women to do so.

Victoria’s progressive views made her one of the most prominent, and controversial, figures of the 19th century suffrage movement. In 1870, backed by railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, Victoria and her sister opened the first female-owned firm on Wall Street. She also co-founded a weekly publication promoting women’s right to vote, labor rights, and birth control.

I’ll be speaking with Kate about this remarkable woman that many in today’s world hardly know about, but should, because Victoria paved the way for so many women who came after her. She ran for President under the Equal Rights Party, and had the backing of some of the nation’s most influential, and wealthy citizens of that time.

Please find my interview with Kate Danaher on all video and audio platforms of
#DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to
welcome you here.

Frederick Vars, Empowering People With Mental Illness

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Mental Illness has many faces. It also has vastly different treatments. Today, we welcome mental health law expert, professor, and author Frederick E. Vars, whose book, “Through the Fire: How People with Mental Illness Are Empowering Each Other,” offers an inside look at the mental health challenges in America and the community-driven, peer-led solutions that seem to be helping.

Vars blends his professional expertise with his own personal experience inside the mental health system after suffering a psychotic break. The book examines how traditional approaches, such as police-led crisis responses and involuntary hospitalizations can negatively impact individuals, sometimes with devastating outcomes.

He highlights successful, frontline reform that emphasizes community and compassion, including respite housing programs and peer-to-peer services. Hismessage advocates treating mental illness strictly as a medical disease rather than a character flaw, empowering individuals to act as mentors and advocate for one another. And he said the long-term results have been positive and successful.

People with mental health challenges and their families don’t have to suffer, Vars says, and there are alternatives. Please find my full conversation with Frederick E. Vars on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host,
#DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.

Michael Gier, Heroism of 9/11 Narrated by Gary Sinise

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Actor Gary Sinise narrates the powerful documentary, “The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11: From Tragedy to Triumph,” and today we speak with the director/producer of the film, Michael Gier, who says his documentary focuses on some of the uplifting stories that rose from the ashes of 9/11, attempting to bring hope to thousands who have been affected by this great American tragedy.

This year is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and the film highlights the bravery of first responders, survivors, and everyday citizens who spring into action on September 11th and the days and weeks that followed.

The film focuses on the World Trade Center and Pentagon response, in addition to the bravery of the passengers on Flight 93. It is produced in association with SoldierStrong and The 9/11 Legacy Foundation, and will stream on Amazon Prime and Apple TV starting August 21. It’s an important part of our history, told from the perspective of hope.

Please find my full interview with #MichaelGier on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here and support this film.

Gary Hoffman & Valentina Castellani-Quinn, The Life of Italian Journalist Oriana Fallaci

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The life, career, and loves of Italian journalist and author Oriana Fallaci is historic, complicated, and needs to be told on a grand stage. Please welcome award-winning Hollywood screenwriter Gary Hoffman, along with internationally-acclaimed producer Valentina Castellani Quinn, who join us to speak about their one-woman play currently in production, “Fallaci – A One Woman Show,” which they hope to premiere soon in New York and London.

A world-renowned Italian journalist and political interviewer, Oriana was well-known for her aggressive, uncompromising interviewing style. As a teenage partisan in the anti-fascist Italian resistance during WWII, she developed a life-long distain for authoritarianism, which later defined her career as a war correspondent and political interrogator – almost unheard of for a woman.

Oriana interviewed Kissinger, Khomeini, Gaddafi, Meir, Arafat, Gandhi, among others. In fact, Kissinger called his interview with Oriana, “the most disastrous conversation I ever had with the press.” In addition, Oriana was a front line reporter during the Vietnam War, Indo-Pakistani War, and conflicts across Latin America, the Middle East, and in Mexico City.

Oriana also had a very complicated love life, as her need for affection often dominated her personal life. There’s much to uncover with this multi-talented, iconic woman, and we’ll get into all of it with Gary and Valentina.

Please join our full interview on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here. And please share with your friends, too.

Diana Giovinazzo, The Story of Three Sisters from 1940s Naples

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome Diana Giovinazzo, author, “Daughters of Naples,” whose newly-released historical fiction is inspired by the real-life Italian women who risked everything to fight for their homeland against Fascist domination and Nazism.

It’s a fascinating read, one I could not put down! The story centers around three Cozzolino sisters who navigate changing wartime dynamics that threaten to tear their family apart. Set in 1940s Naples under Mussolini’s regime, it’s got all the elements of survival, sisterhood, romance, and shifting loyalties during the time of Italian resistance, a complicated time in the history of Italia.

We will speak with Diana about the historical significance behind this book, and the research that went behind it. A self-proclaimed “history nerd,” Diana enjoys writing about historical fiction based in Italy, and has achieved high acclaim for her previous novels. She is also the creator of the Wine, Women, and Words Podcast, a weekly show featuring interviews with authors over a glass of wine! Love this!

Please find my full interview with Diana on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.