Abigail Tucker in her book, Mom Genes, explains how mothers’ brains are transformed during pregnancy. And as far as transformations go, this is the final episode of Five Things that Make Life Better. All 150 episodes are available at lisabirnbach.com as well as on apple podcasts, google play, stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio etc. Watch this space fo…

Senator Al Franken has returned to civilian life. He is a hands-on grandpa, a podcaster, a talker, and a policy wonk. When we met for breakfast recently -- duly separated by 6 feet -- he was interrupted constantly by supportive New Yorkers urging him to run for something, anything. He still wants to help Americans, by providing help for the needy o…

You already know Kenneth Cole from his irreverent messaging, cool footwear, and from his longstanding, passionate support for HIV-Aids research. But now Kenneth is trying to help people find the courage to deal with their mental health issues, through the Mental Health Coalition, a group of resources that you can find online at TheMentalHealthCoali…

Who is the cool jeweler on the block? It is Marla, whirlwind on Instagram. In real life she gave up a substantial career in Corporate America to make jewelry inspired by hardware -- tools and gizmos. Now she gives away charms to single moms and is raising money for the hurting restaurant business through a sterling silver chair. Lisa Birnbach’s 5 T…

We may be two white women talking about this judicial moment, but the Minneapolis police brutality case was a crucible for everyone in this country, regardless of race. Is progress a victory? What about the hundreds of other police brutality cases from coast to coast? How will the national curriculum change and how will that change affect the thous…

Nancy Jo Sales is known for her ability to connect with “the youths” of America. Her new book, Nothing Personal: My Secret Life in the Dating App Inferno, is a window into how the apps have taken over our lives both from interviews, and from being a subject of her own experimentation with the apps. In this week’s podcast interview, Lisa Birnbach di…

In her illustrious career as a filmmaker, Liz Garbus has made films that make you think, and often, make you act. Her documentaries have earned countless awards, and she has added scripted films to her portfolio. Her newest movie, All In: The Fight for Democracy is of the moment. With Stacey Abrams as her guide, she shows us both historically and p…

The cards weren't stacked for writer/actor Annabelle Gurwitch when she divorced. If she sold her house, she would never be able to buy back into the real estate market, so she had to find a new way to earn. With trepidation, she began renting out a bedroom to strangers. As a funny, thoughtful, and woke writer, Annabelle writes about regaining her f…

You know her from her major roles in meaty tv series, but Gloria Reuben is one of the most prominent women of color to lead an international environmental organization, the Waterkeeper Alliance. With 350 groups under its watch, the goal of the alliance is to provide clean water to the people who live within its purviews. How does this busy actress/…

Guests Joey and Daniella Pantoliano talk frankly and with humor about their own struggles with mental health. The award-winning actor (The Soprano's, Memento, The Matrix) and his daughter, a filmmaker have just launched a new podcast, “No Kidding, Me Too” to fight the stigma of talking about emotional troubles of all kinds. Daniella’s Five Things: …

Meet Joyce White Vance, the MSNBC legal analyst, law professor, podcaster, and chicken raiser (among her many talents). You know her from tv where she uses her experience as a prosecutor to explain the consequences of the bad and very bad behavior we experienced for four years. An incredibly well-rounded person, the five things that make her life b…

Lisa Birnbach’s guest this week, Journalist Mark Harris, met the director Mike Nichols when he directed "Angels in America", the iconic play written by Harris' husband, Tony Kushner, for HBO. The Broadway and film director of "Barefoot in the Park," "The Graduate", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", "Carnal Knowledge", "Heartburn," "The Real Thing" …

Lisa Birnbach chats with journalist Casey Schwartz, who was offered her first Adderall during her first semester in college. The concentration! The ability to focus became the best thing in her life; more appealing than hanging with her friends. Eventually Casey had to tackle what had become an addiction. She decided to interview scientists in the …

Lisa Birnbach invites Norm Eisen to remind us why the nation may still survive despite the acquittal of Donald Trump after his second impeachment. Norm's background, intelligence, and optimism make him the perfect guest for this week. Also, did you know that Norm was a first-generation American who grew up in Los Angeles with a dad who owned a hamb…

Chris Frantz has it all — a great story, a wife he adores, and membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Drummer and co-founder of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Frantz joins Lisa to discuss his new memoir. Travels with the Ramones, working and falling out with David Byrne, love, marijuana, and happiness with Tina Weymouth, and a recording stu…

After watching Mary Trump speak out for months on tv, it was terrific to have a longer conversation with the author, a psychologist by training and the niece of the former president. Which is her favorite of his three wives (so far), why was the Trump homestead so toxic, and after all is said and done, is Donald intelligent? You won't want to miss …

If you think the oath of office of the president is sacred, wait until you hear the true meaning of "conservancy of the Union" as explained by Lisa's guest this week - former FBI special agent - and now MSNBC contributor, Frank Figliuzzi. If the FBI has been compromised, what happens to what Frank calls the 7 C's he lays out in his new book, The FB…

This podcast was created as a hedge against the bad news and vitriol from every Twitter-filled day of our former (yes I can say it!) FORMER president - so this is a very good day. There will be no guest today, just my meditation about the inauguration of president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris. It's a short episode, so this is a great …

Comedian, Paul Ollinger takes Lisa Birnbach on a journey from Business School to Silicon Vally to Stand Up Comedy. What makes Mark Zuckerburg laugh you ask? Find out on this weeks podcast. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Impeachment 2.0., 2. My 90 year old progenitor got her first shot this past week, 3. Sheila the puppy, 4. App Drive & Listen, 5. Codenames th…

In one of the most compelling and revealing interviews of this series, Lisa Birnbach hears from former "Celebrity Apprentice" staffer Noel Casler - NDA be damned - about the details inside Trump's inflated celebrity world. Noel confirms stories about sex, drugs, diapers, and Trump's bottomless ambitions for power. Wow ! Lisa Birnbach's 5 Things tha…

Lisa Birnbach unravels the secrets of Beethoven's love life with Patricia Morrisroe, author of The Woman in the Moonlight. Join us for this New Year's episode. Something to think about besides you know who. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Great customer service, 2. Satsuma oranges, 3. My new chair pillow, 4. My Aunt Yona, who turned 94 this past week, 4. Our y…

Merry Christmas 2020. In November, Lisa Birnbach was invited to interview the incomparable author Joyce Carol Oates for the Covid challenged 2020 Miami Book Fair. This was their conversation. Unfortunately, this was not originally scheduled to air on 5 Things with Lisa - so even though we learn about Joyce's new book "Night. Sleep Death. The Stars.…

Just in time for the holidays! Join Lisa Birnbach as she discusses Open Studio: Do-it-yourself art projects by Contemporary Artists. The new book and home art project book by Sharon Coplan Hurowitz & Amanda Benchley. Sharon and Amanda's 5 Things: 1. The Met (Metropolitan Art Museum), 2. Central Park, 3. Sant Ambroeus 4. The Public (Theatre in NYC),…

This week, Lisa Birnbach talks with psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee. She's the editor of the New York Times bestseller, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, and she has a warning about the mental health of Donald Trump. With all her worries about the country, she also has the optimism to identify the five things that make her life better. Dr. Bandy Le…

You heard it here folks. Our guest, Lawrence O'Donnell from MSNBC's "The Last Word" promises our host, Lisa Birnbach, that Trumpism will surely die. Listen to find out why! They also talk about the Five Things that made their lives better this week. Lisa Birnbach’s 5 Things: 1. The United States Postal Service, 2. Reading glasses sprinkled around m…

Happy Thanksgiving 2020. While there are so many crazy things going on in November 2020, there are still MANY things to be thankful for. There will be no guest this week, just you and me, the thing I'm most grateful for at this moment - my listeners. Of course I still have the 5 things that made my life better this week. Lisa's 5 Things: 1. Rachel …

Chris Whipple, documentarian and author of Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency and The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future, joins Lisa Birnbach to talk about transitions - more specifically, White House presidential transitions. What could go wrong? Just in case they also talk about th…

Lisa Birnbach is joined by legal journalist, Sr. Editor at Slate, and podcaster Dahlia Lithwick to discuss the squirrelly goings-on at the DOJ and the White House. (Hint, they are supposed to be separate). Also an insider's look at SCOTUS - - Clarence Thomas as you never imagined him! Lisa Birnbach’s 5 Things: 1. Joe Biden, 2. Kamala Harris, 3. The…

Lisa and investigative reporter Barry Levine get down to the nitty gritty in their conversation about Barry's new book The Spider: Inside The Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. There are new facts, details and explosive correlations between Epstein, Maxwell, and many high-powered and well-known figures. It's a must listen episod…

A woman and her camera. Lisa talks with documentary filmmaker, Alexandra Pelosi, about her new film American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself. A look at America at a granular level in the midst of a presidential election and Covid-19. Lisa Birnbach's 5 Things: 1. Voting, 2. Mom’s published humor article, 3. Decluttering, 4. Merino Wool, 5. Fake Mel…

Lisa Birnbach talks with investigative reporter Joe Conason about his mentor, Wayne Barrett and what it takes (and what you can lose) to be a great investigator. Joe has written the intro to the new book called "Without Compromise: Wayne Barrett, and The Brave Journalism that First Exposed Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and the American Epidemic of Co…

Let's hear it for young people. At age 23, Will Haskell is the youngest State Senator in Connecticut. Join Lisa Birnbach as she tries to discover what it is that compels a young man, or woman to work in the political system today - then hear about the five things made Will's and Lisa's life better this week. Lisa Birnbach's 5 Things: 1. Shipt, 2. G…

Lisa talks with the lead prosecutor in the Mueller investigation, Andrew Weissmann, about his new book "Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation". Insider information, Robert Mueller, and the Mob! What else could you ask for beside the five things that make Andrew's and Lisa's lives better this week. Lisa Birnbach's 5 Things: 1. Journalism,…

MSNBC Commentator, ex-military, author, cryptologist and terrorism expert Malcolm Nance joins Lisa Birnbach for a wide ranging conversation about the international compromises caused by the Trump Administration. Even with that, they find time to discuss the 5 Things that make their lives better this week. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Holidays online, 2. Bei…

This week Lisa talks with witty political protester, Claude Taylor. Claude has spent the last 3 years in an effort to defeat Trump. He has created the Mad Dog PAC to plant clever billboards around the country. He's also the co-creator of "Room Rater", a twitter account which rates the zoom backgrounds of pundits working from home. Claude Taylor's 5…

Lisa values her young friends. Lisa Birnbach's guest this week is Amelia Nierenberg, recent Yale graduate, the co-writer of the New York Times’ Coronavirus Schools Briefing newsletter. A member of the first class of New York Times fellows, she wrote on the Food Desk, and now continues on assignment for the Times. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Fruits and vege…

Author Christopher Buckley joins Lisa Birnbach on a fun discussion about the current administration, satire, and his new novel, the satire titled "Make Russia Great Again". And of course they relish the 5 things that make their lives better. Lisa Birnbach’s 5 Things: 1. Burgers Never Say Die, 2. Kismet restaurant, 3. Roscoe’s House of Chicken and W…

Lisa Birnbach invites James Beard award winning Chef, Kwame Onwuachi, to discuss the future of Eating out, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. They also discuss what it means to be a black man, and a chef, in America - in these days of national reckoning and the Black Lives Matter movement, his book "Notes from a Young Black Chef" and to top it…

Author and commentator Kurt Andersen returns this week to talk about one of Lisa and Kurt's favorite subjects, Donald Trump. Kurt, whose SPY magazine dubbed Trump as the "short-fingered vulgarian, and Lisa, who was the first correspondent to visit Mar-Largo when Trump turned it into a club, are uniquely qualified to explore the shyster that has bec…

Writer Kurt Andersen joins Lisa Birnbach to talk about his important new book "Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History" and how we got to where we are. Then of course - The 5 Things that make their lives better. Part 1 of 2 (listen next week to episode 112) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti…

Lisa Birnbach and author Daphne Merkin have a frank talk about obsessive sex and love, and Daphne's new book "22 Minutes of Unconditional Love". Strangely enough neither sex nor love are one of Lisa's or Dahpne's 5 Things that make life better. Listen to find out why. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Her friend Shelley’s sour cherry pie, 2. Her mother’s 90th bi…

Actress and creator Jamie Lee Curtis, and Lisa's own "Exhibit B", Writer Boco Haft, join Lisa Birnbach to talk about their new scripted podcast Letters From Camp. Hear how a long lost letter Boco wrote to Jamie from summer camp when she was 12, became the inspiration for their new family friendly podcast from Audible. And then - the 5 Things about …

Harlem Chef JJ Johnson joins Lisa Birnbach in a far ranging conversation about being a Black Chef in America in 2020. Join their conversation about the joys of cooking, the beauty of rice (yes RICE!) and what it means to be a black Chef in the year of the Pandemic, his restaurant - FieldTrip, and his cookbook Between Harlem and Heaven. Lisa’s 5 Thi…

If you watch film or television documentaries , you've seen one produced by Sheila Nevins, long time president of documentary film at HBO and this weeks guest on 5 Things That Make Life Better with Lisa Birnbach. Join Lisa and Sheila as the discuss Sheila's new book "You Don't Look Your Age... and Other Fairy Tales" and the five things that made th…

Health expert Andy Slavitt joins Lisa Birnbach on a wide ranging conversation about Health Science, the Covid-19 pandemic, health insurance, and Andy's podcast (with his son Zach) "In The Bubble". Of course they also discuss the 5 Things that made their lives better this week. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Sitting at my desk, 2. Frozen pastry crust, 3. Readi…

Kari Lizer - Comedy writer ('Will and Grace", "The new adventures of old Christine"), memoirist, and animal lover joins Lisa Birnbach for a far reaching conversation about kids, empty nests, and chickens. What ! Oh, and they talk about Kari's new book "Aren't you forgetting someone - Essays from my mid-life revenge" Of course they also talk about t…

If you're like Lisa, you suffer from Migraine. Guest filmmaker Susanna Styron joins Lisa Birnbach to discuss her new film "Out of my head - Migraine. It's not just a headache" and explain why this condition that affects nearly a billion people world wide remains so deeply misunderstood. Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Rhubarb 2. Going to the hair salon, 3. The…

"Sweetbitter" author Stephanie Danler joins Lisa Birnbach to talk about her new Memoir "Stray", Surviving her early life. Family, Neglect, Love and Life, it's all so complicated! Lisa’s 5 things: 1. Family, 2. Extended family, 3. Early voting, 4. Her kitchen scale, 5. Cured of shopping via Instagram disease. Stephanie Danler’s 5 Things: 1. Poetry, …

Lisa talks to funnyman Alan Zweibel. He's written for Saturday Night Live, Billy Crystal, and Gilda Radner among many others, and now he's written a new book LAUGH LINES: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier. Lisa’s 5 Things: Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. Structure, 2. Regularly scheduled Zoom and conference calls, 3. Writing and receiving mail, 4. Buying…

Lisa speaks with photographer and director Jeff Vespa about his new film Voices of Parkland. With no distractions, the film allows survivors of the Parkland school shooting to express what they did and how they felt in that moment. February 14, 2018. (This interview was conducted in February 2020) Lisa’s 5 Things: 1. The Press, 2. Emotional Support…