The Lighter Side with Jay

Teresa Troiani has balls. Big, cement balls that she made herself so that she could maintain her exercise regimen of lifting very heavy things during quarantine. She's also been carrying around the grief of losing her father, the disappointment of not finishing nursing school because of a technicality, and a gigantic unicorn costume she purchased to entertain her nieces and nephews. 

Teresa has been working as a traveling nurse and has been on the frontlines during the virus, and also serves in local government, so her experience during all of this has been fraught with frustration, but she has also been really coming into her own. I loved talking to her and I know you'll enjoy our talk. 

Jamie Berger is a partner in her own Family Law firm. It is a firm run entirely by women, which takes a more holistic and gentle approach to the sticky subject of divorce. We talked about what it is like to handle clients who were on the way to signing those papers when the pandemic hit, and now have to occupy the same space. 

We also talked about how Daniel Hillard of Mrs. Doubtfire would have fared in an actual Family Law court. (spoiler: he would not have his own public access television show) Jamie was very open about her own struggles with anxiety and handling her 3 kids and winning-smiled husband Scott during this pandemic. 

I thought I loved pizza. Scott Weiner of Scott's Pizza Tours showed me that my love barely begins to scratch the surface. Scott is a leading voice in the pizza community. As a monthly columnist for Pizza Today Magazine, host of Thrillist's Really Dough, and Guinness World Record holder for largest collection of pizza boxes, it's clear that he turned obsession into a lifestyle, and a full-on career.

The pandemic has sidelined the tour biz, but Scott is hard at work giving virtual tours and lectures on the history and significance of pizza. He has also teamed with Slice out Hunger to create Pizza vs. Pandemic, which has raised a staggering $600K to feed front line workers during the pandemic. 

Scott is a cool guy, and I am more than happy to talk about pizza.

Anthony DiDomenico has lost 200 lbs and gained a reputation as an inspirational weight-loss figure, which he is somewhat at odds with as a stand-up comedian who doesn't always say the most inspiring things. Regardless, he is out on Long Island, grilling up a storm and itching to get back on stage.

I needed to laugh, and this right here did the trick. Listen to Anthony's podcast, The WW Bro Podcast, on which he discusses his weight loss journey in very real, raw detail.

Follow him on all the things. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.  I don't imagine he has a Tik-Tok. 

Becca Makris has lost 140 lbs. She has made over 1,000 masks for front line workers and friends during the corona outbreak. She has suffered unimaginable loss, but has come out stronger, and somewhat inconceivably, even MORE driven than she was before.

I first met Becca through my weight loss group, The Lighter Side of Weight Loss with Jay, over two years ago. We have become friends, and I am endlessly taken back by not only the things she is willing to share about her life in order to help others, but also the things she is able to accomplish. 

The USA Singers are creating true protest music, with songs like "Bigly Hands", "Border Wall", "Kavanaugh", and "We Will Resist". They are a group of virtuoso musicians, melting faces and using their superlative talents for the power of Good. I got to speak with Rutherford P. Hayes and Frankie D. Roosevelvet, two founding members of the band.

Follow them on Instagram , Twitter, and Facebook for further hijinks, and make absolutely sure to go their website and purchase The Orange Album, a 16-track opus of protest music. 

Danielle Moodie is the host of Woke AF and the co-host of Democracyish, two podcasts aimed at tackling politics from a progressive, black point of view. She is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, a columnist for Zora magazine, has had works published in Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Essence, The Atlantic, Ebony, Huffington Post, and is an advisor for LGBT Policy & Racial Justice at the Center for American Progress.

She's also just totally badass and, like me, does not give one single sh*t. She knows we are at an important moment in history, and her practical advice on how to be an ally for the black community during this time is invaluable. I LOVED every second of this conversation. PLEASE listen. PLEASE spread the word, and PLEASE follow Danielle on every platform known to man.

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Jo Ann Marie Cimato is the head of all things Drama at the Beacon School in NY, where she and her faculty and students put on professional-caliber, cutting edge productions every year. Prior to the pandemic, the theater department suffered the devastating loss of a student. Months later, and just after the next show had been cast, the school closed down. Jo Ann, being a teacher in the truest sense, bent over backwards to be sure her students would still have an artistic outlet. 

She ALSO has had to deal with her father being diagnosed with COVID-19, but has held steady in her Brooklyn apartment, where she is slowly becoming a professional gardener. Before all that, she and I went to both high school and college together. We talked about all of it, and I absolutely adored getting to catch up with my friend. 

Farrah Barow has a story to tell about her husband getting diagnosed with cancer right at the start of the pandemic. She has a story to tell about her daughter having to spend her 17th birthday alone while Farrah waited by her husband's side. She has a story of getting (rightfully) furious with the state of the world. BUT, she ALSO has a story of how she took back the narrative, changed her focus, and began an impromptu challot delivery service. 

I loved speaking with Farrah, and I think you will really enjoy this talk. 

Joseph Lezza is not fine. He isn't uncomfortable saying it, and that's part of why my conversation with the Disney employee turned marketing wiz turned author was so refreshing. Joe is holed up in NJ, navigating the quarantine solo, and using the time to reflect upon the path that brought him to this point, as well as the next steps toward what I am sure will be a very bright future.