Melissa Errico, Broadway superstar and NYC treasure

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show Broadway superstar and NYC treasure Melissa Errico, recently hailed as “a unique force in the musical life of New York City.” And she’s related to me by marriage, so I can call her my “cousin,” too, although the theater
genes didn’t get passed down to me!

Melissa just launched her latest album, Sondheim In The City, a jewel that celebrates New York “as it was, might still be, and will yet become,” through the words and music of one of the City’s most enduring poets, Stephen Sondheim.

Melissa has been a Broadway classic since she debuted in Les Miserables in the 1990s. She also starred in My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain (who was my neighbor in LA when I first moved here), as well as the title role in One Touch of
Venus. She’s earned two Tony nominations, and often tours the country and internationally singing and performing. In addition, Melissa is a contributing writer to the New York Times, has served on the National Endowment for the Arts, went to
Yale, has three beautiful daughters and is married to broadcaster and former professional tennis player Patrick McEnroe, whom she’s known since grade school. Melissa has two siblings, her dad is an orthopedic surgeon and concert pianist, and
mom is a sculptor and former teacher. Her great Aunt Rose had a big career in the Ziegfeld Follies, too. In fact, Melissa is the spitting image of Aunt Rose. Clearly, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree!

To say she’s led a blessed life would be an understatement, but it’s all because of the love and passion she brings to her life and work. She’s a quintessential New Yorker, lover of theater and the arts in a way that makes New York great. And I’m beyond thrilled to be speaking with Melissa on our show.

There’s lots for us to talk about, from family to her early years, growing up Italian, marriage into a legendary tennis family, raising three girls and work that she not only enjoys but embodies. Please find our full interview with Melissa on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us!

Lena Prima, Jazz Singer, Recording Artist, & Daughter of Jazz Legend Louis Prima

Deborah Kobylt Live, Little Italy of LA

Please welcome to our show one of the most dynamic jazz performers of our time, Lena Prima, daughter of jazz great Louis Prima, who has clearly carved out a name for herself in New Orleans and around the globe for her electrifying stage performances and albums.

I grew up with Louis Prima’s music playing in our Italian household. My parents, aunts, and uncles would dance to his music late into the evening on many weekends. So I was thrilled to meet Lena at the Italian American Museum in LA where she performed a few months ago, celebrating the Louis Prima exhibit currently on display there.

Lena is a one-of-a-kind of jazz singer and performer, much like her dad. Her energy is the kind that comes around once in a generation, and watching her perform with her band, I can only imagine what it was like for her on stage with her dad when she was a kid. Sadly, Louis Prima died when Lena was 11, complications from a benign brain tumor. But everything about him in those eleven years made a permanent impression on Lena to this day.

Lena grew up in Vegas but frequented New Orleans where her dad grew up. And her mom, Gia Malone, was also a singer and performer. Lena started her career in rock, but got the calling to perform jazz, and eventually plant roots in New Orleans, where she performs to this day.

There’s a lot to talk about with Lena. Please join our conversation on all video and audio platforms of my #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, & #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for being here. Please invite your friends, too! We’re so excited to have Lena Prima joining us !

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.

Stan Zimmerman, Author. “The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore chronicles”

Deborah Kobylt Live

Please welcome to our show, Stan Zimmerman, author, “The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. Stories about all the wonderful women I’ve worked with…and Roseanne.” Let’s just say Stan has worked with them all, and is a prime example of someone living his dream by living his truth.

Stan Zimmerman grew up a self-proclaimed gawky Jewish kid from the suburbs of Detroit, who dreamed of becoming a wildly successful actor, rich enough to buy his own mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The actor part didn’t quite work out, but he found success as a writer, producer, director, and playwright on some of the most noteworthy shows in the business.

The book chronicles his days from acting in plays in his basement as a kid, to attending NYU on scholarship, where he met his first serious boyfriend and somehow became Andy Warhol’s photo subject at Studio 54 one evening.

This is a story about friendship, finding one’s sexuality after battling years of homophobia, and honoring the many women in his life who have been supportive through it all. This is about success and thriving in Hollywood. Did he get his big house in the Hills? We’ll ask him about that, too.

Please join our interview on all video and audio platforms or #DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s a pleasure to have you join us. Make sure to invite your friends, too.

David Richman, Author, “Cycle of Lives” – a Journey Through the Emotional Chaos of Cancer”

Deborah Kobylt Live

David Richman was once an overweight, sedentary smoker who was jolted into making big changes in his life. Now an entrepreneur, athlete, public speaker, and author, David joins us to discuss his latest book, “Cycle of Lives,” which chronicles the stories of 15 people, five-thousand miles, and the journey through the emotional upheaval of cancer that David and his family endured after his sister was diagnosed with brain cancer, which ultimately claimed her life.

“Cycle of Lives” was created as the result of many years of dedication to raising awareness and funds for cancer research and care, inspired after his sister was initially diagnosed in 2007. Over the past 15 years, David has completed several events including a 104-mile run along the Pacific Coast Highway, 87-miles from Cancun to Tulum, numerous bike rides and other events to raise money for the American Cancer Society and Moffitt Cancer Society. David is also donating profits from his book sales to the cancer organizations he supports.

The book talks about the emotional ride of dealing with loved ones with cancer, and we will talk about the bravery his sister displayed throughout her battle with this disease.

Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE, and share with your friends, too. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s an honor to have you here with us.