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. 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.
Her debut novel, Everything We Thought Was True, a multi-generational Italian-American family drama, will be published by Red Adept Publishing in 2024. Her chapter, “The Brand Called You! Personal & Professional Branding for Authors,” was featured in Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book, published by Red Penguin Books in 2023. She is also the author of the book, The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press in 2011.
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, virtual book clubs and the Bookstagram community on Instagram. Her book reviews can be found on Goodreads, Amazon, NetGalley and BookBub.
Lisa is a passionate member of the WFWA Diversity & Inclusion committee, and serves as the facilitator of the Retro COLAGE group for adult children of LGBTQ parents.
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, Mindset & 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 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
