About Lisa
With a foot on each coast, Lisa Montanaro is part no-nonsense Italian American New Yorker and part sunny Californian. Lisa has a unique background, having traveled the path of a performer who didn’t want to be a “starving actress” so said no to Broadway, worked as an instructor and interpreter of the Deaf to put herself through law school, and became a lawyer specializing in employment law for 9 years. She then “defected” from the practice of law and started her organizing and productivity business on the heels of the 9-11 tragedy. (Visit her executive coaching and organizational training website at LisaMontanaro.com.)
Writer & Author
Lisa has a life-long love affair with the written word. She has been keeping a journal, by long-hand, since she was 8 years old, which she has filled with countless pages of prose and poetry. Her book, “The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life” was published by Peter Pauper Press in 2011. It sold out after a limited print run, so is now out of print, but can still be found as a used book through select bookseller sites.
Lisa is a prolific non-fiction writer! She was a Columnist for the Young Professionals Life-Work Balance section of the Poughkeepsie Journal newspaper and the Hudson Valley Insider Lifestyles section for several years, has had several articles published in Comstock’s Magazine in Sacramento, and has published hundreds of articles on topics such as productivity, life-work balance, business, law, and entrepreneurship online and offline. Lisa is presently a freelance writer for The Bike Campaign, which promotes cycling as a means of transportation, exercise, and joy. She gets to combine two of her great loves: writing and cycling!
However, Lisa has been drawn back to her first love of creative writing. She is presently revising what she hopes will be her debut novel, a multi-generational Italian-American family drama, which she will be seeking agent representation later in 2021. Lisa is a born storyteller. Whether she is conveying the power of someone’s written words through performing in a play or musical or sharing stories with her audiences as a professional speaker through her presentations, Lisa appreciates the power of story and creativity in all its incarnations.
An avid reader since childhood, Lisa enjoys reading for business and pleasure. She is a supporter of authors, the publishing industry, and libraries and bookstores (especially indie ones!). She is actively involved in several collaborative author-reader online groups and virtual book clubs and is considered a book influencer. Her book reviews can be found on Goodreads, Amazon and NetGalley.
Since 2012, Lisa has been residing in beautiful Northern California with her veterinarian husband, where she is a community theater geek, an avid cyclist, a dedicated gardener, a voracious reader, and enjoys spending time spoiling her crazy, but lovable, rescue mutts!
Writer Coach
As a Branding, Business & Productivity Coach for writers who is also an author herself, Lisa can provide strong support for authors at any stage of their writing career. She helps writers boost confidence and productivity, develop and promote a writer brand, and transition from hobbyist to professional. Visit the Writer Coaching page for more info and to view testimonials from her awesome author clients.
Speaker
They call Lisa a “Pint-sized Powerhouse!” With the stage presence of a performer, the brains of a lawyer, and the heart of a teacher of the deaf ~ all wrapped up into one to deliver a productive, purposeful, and passionate presentation! Lisa has years of experience as a professional speaker, webinar host, and podcast guest. She has had the pleasure of serving as the Webinar Program Leader and Host for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) since spring 2019, and often speaks for writer groups and organizations. See more details on the Speaker page. And if you’re looking for a speaker for your writer conference, podcast, book club, or any other writing- or reading-related event, contact Lisa to discuss.
Writers Workshops, Conferences & Retreats Attended
Professional Affiliations
Lisa’s Book Review Sites
