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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Lori Gottlieb

Revealing the truth of who we are is the glue that binds us together.

Psychotherapist | New York Times Bestselling Author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

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How Changing Your Story Can Change Your Life

Lavin Exclusive Speaker

Stories are the way we make sense of our lives—but we’re not always telling the right ones. Thankfully, psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Lori Gottlieb is a masterful guide for helping us rewrite the narratives that keep us stuck. Her TED talk was one of the Top 10 Most Watched of the Year, her book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone has sold over a million copies (and is currently being adapted for television), and she’s the author of The Atlantic’s weekly “Dear Therapist” column. Compassionate and charismatic, Gottlieb shows us that vulnerability isn’t a weakness, but a superpower for cultivating our healthiest, happiest, and most productive lives.

“Rarely have I read a book that challenged me to see myself in an entirely new light, and was at the same time laugh-out-loud funny and utterly absorbing.”—Katie Couric

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist who helps her patients unravel and change the stories that no longer serve them. But what happens when a therapist experiences her own personal crisis? In her brilliant book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Gottlieb speaks candidly about her experience on both sides of the therapist’s couch, and in the process, guides a much broader conversation on mental health, vulnerability, fulfillment, and human connection—themes that are especially relevant in our current moment. Called both “provocative and entertaining” (The Washington Post) and “irresistibly candid and addicting” (The New York Times Book Review), Maybe You Should Talk to Someone spent 27 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. The memoir was also named a Best Nonfiction Book of the year by O, The Oprah Magazine, was an Amazon Best Book of 2019, and one of the 100 Must-Read Books of the year by TIME Magazine. Lori is also the creator of the Maybe You Should Talk To Someone Workbook: A Toolkit for Editing Your Story and Changing Your Life. A groundbreaking companion guide to her bestselling memoir, the workbook offers a step-by-step process for becoming the author of your own life—complete with eye-opening concepts, thought-provoking exercises, and compelling writing prompts. “There is a reason people get stuck at the very point at which they are most ready for change,” explains Lori. “Making a true shift in our lives is an inherently vulnerable act.”

On stage, Lori is deeply relatable, disarmingly funny, and startlingly profound. She blends her clinical experience with real-world stories, fascinating research, and the latest cultural developments to lift the curtain on the mystery of our own lives. Opening up conversations about our emotional lives in a way that is both approachable and inspiring, Lori shifts our perspective and creates powerful change. Her talks help us to find meaning at work, have difficult—but necessary—conversations, and tap into our feelings as a guide to living the lives we want.

In addition to her clinical practice, Lori is the idiosyncratic voice behind The Atlantic’s weekly “Dear Therapist” advice column, co-host of the popular Dear Therapists podcast produced by Katie Couric, and a regular contributor to The New York Times. She has written hundreds of articles related to psychology and culture, many of which have become viral sensations, and is a sought-after expert on media such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, CNN, and NPR’s Fresh Air. To date, Lori has shared the stage with numerous emotional health advocates and thought leaders such as Katie Couric, Arianna Huffington, Esther Perel, Geena Davis, Jane Fonda, and Tara Westover. Lori is also a TED speaker, a member of the Advisory Council for Bring Change to Mind, and advisor to the Aspen Institute.

Testimonials

Lori Gottlieb's event was one of the most successful—and talked-about programs of the season. She is a terrific speaker, and has that rare gift of being entertaining and brilliant. Her topics of interest and research are just one step ahead of the cultural conversation of the moment, and spur public discourse that is provocative and important. People turn out in droves for the opportunity to hear her.

Writers Bloc

Testimonials

We were thrilled to host Lori Gottlieb as the featured speaker at our annual fundraiser Gala attended by several hundred people, including Jane Fonda. Lori's remarks struck a balance between being exquisitely sensitive and hilariously funny. She showed a deep understanding and profound insight into the complexities of the topic, and courage in revealing herself personally as well. Our guests loved Lori!

Eating Disorders Information Network

Testimonials

We were honored to host Lori Gottlieb as the keynote speaker for our Embrace Hadassah Luncheon. She was delightfully entertaining, brutally honest, and incredibly uplifting at the same time. We applaud her for doing a masterful job of making her topic relevant to a very diverse, intergenerational audience. Lori was a wonderful speaker and our guests won't soon forget her!

Embrace Hadassah Luncheon

Lavin Exclusive Speakers

Angela Duckworth

Author of Grit, the #1 New York Times Bestseller | Pioneering Researcher on Grit, Perseverance, and the Science of Success

Daron Acemoglu

2024 Nobel Prize Winner | 3rd Most Cited Economist in the World | MIT Institute Professor | Bestselling Co-Author of Why Nations Fail and Power and Progress

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-Winning 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius

Greg Hoffman

Nike's Former Chief Marketing Officer | Author of Emotion by Design

Nicholas Thompson

CEO of The Atlantic | Former Editor-in-Chief of WIRED

Speech Topics

Mental Health and Fitness

Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneHow Changing Our Stories Can Change Our Lives

One day, Lori Gottlieb is helping patients at her therapeutic practice in LA—the next, she finds herself in a crisis that lands her on the other side of the therapist’s couch. In her groundbreaking new book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori opens up about her experience as both professional and patient. She examines the truths and fictions we tell ourselves to live—stories of love, desire, meaning, mortality, guilt, and redemption—and asks what happens when those stories are wrong?

In this illuminating new talk, Lori shows us that it’s not our external circumstances that hold us back, but the way we narrate them that has a powerful effect. When we cling to a faulty narrative, we end up living that life story—and becoming trapped in it, unable to grow or change. Funny, thought-provoking, and above all else, honest, Lori shows us how to rewrite our stories—even those that are deeply held—so that something transformative can happen. When we change the narrative, Lori reminds us, what we are really changing is the quality of our lives.

Psychology

Feelings Aren't a Bad WordDiscovering Emotions as Our Superpower

When it comes to feeling successful and in control of our lives, we tend to think of our feelings as distracting, irrelevant, or even a sign of weakness. But embedded in those beliefs is a profound irony: though we tend to avoid or outright fear our feelings, our feelings are the most powerful tool we have to live a fulfilling life. Even so-called “negative” emotions like anger, anxiety, and envy can be used as a barometer to guide people toward getting what they want. In this riveting, eye-opening talk, esteemed psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb discusses the many ways we tend to bury this superpower, and she shows us not only how to access our feelings—but how to use them as a navigation system for creating happier, more meaningful lives.