Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle

Joan Fischer is both an artist and a retired attorney, a life path that has taken her from courtroom arguments to colorful canvases. Though she practiced law for decades, art was always her release—first through textiles learned from her immigrant grandmothers, later through bold paintings inspired by color, rhythm, and joy. Today, Fischer brings that sensibility to the Portland Art Gallery, where her vibrant fish paintings and pla...

Ann Trainor Domingue is a Portland Art Gallery artist whose work beautifully explores the intersections of landscape, seascape, and human connection. With a background in graphic design, Ann brings a distinct visual language to her paintings, blending sharp composition with emotional storytelling. Her creative journey includes decades of sketchbook explorations, moments of experimentation with abstraction, and the incorporation of ...

Sarah Giffen Carr is a conservation leader whose lifelong connection to Maine’s landscapes has shaped both her personal journey and professional career. Raised in Hallowell, she spent summers with her family in a rustic cabin built by her father. As a result of that yearly re-immersion into the natural world, Sarah developed a deep love for the outdoors that guided her toward studying geography and environmental science at McGill U...

Contemporary landscape artist Sam Chappell brings a compelling blend of intuition, emotion, and resilience to her creative journey. With a background in art history, focused on the Renaissance, Sam never imagined she’d return to art through painting—especially not in the loose, expressive style she now embraces.

After years in nonprofit fundraising and the corporate world, she rediscovered painting during the isolation of the pande...

Dr. Lisa Belisle, physician, writer, and host of Radio Maine, returns with a deeply personal solo episode exploring the rhythms that shape our inner and creative lives. Drawing on her experience in medicine, motherhood, and writing, Dr. Belisle reflects on the power of slowing down, honoring transitions, and reconnecting with the quiet wisdom within us. She weaves insights from traditional Chinese medicine with her own stories of l...

Michael Keighley, Chief Yoga Officer of Archangel Yoga and former Army helicopter pilot, shares a powerful and deeply personal journey from war zones to wellness. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Michael found his way to Maine through the University of Maine ROTC program. He served more than eight years in the military, including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. Struggling with PTSD and disconnection after his militar...

Anni Pat McKenney, Director of MaineHealth’s Coulombe Center for Health Improvement, joins us on Radio Maine to share her inspiring journey from occupational therapy to pioneering community-based youth health programs. Raised in Newcastle, Maine, Anni Pat brings a deep personal connection to the communities she now serves. With past experience in the mental health field and a passion for service, she has helped transform school-bas...

Ginny Hussey, General Manager of Canopy Portland Waterfront, brings a deep passion for hospitality and an abiding love for Maine to her leadership role in one of Portland’s most dynamic hotels. Raised in Colorado Springs but with early connections to Biddeford Pool, Ginny moved to Maine with her family when she was in high school. After returning to Colorado for college, and gaining experience in the hospitality industry, Ginny ret...

Dr. Gerard Gawalt, esteemed historian and author, joins us from New Harbor, Maine to share his deep knowledge of the state’s often-overlooked past. With a career rooted in archival work and a passion sparked by his wife’s Maine lineage, Dr. Gawalt has spent decades uncovering the complex layers of our history—from intertribal conflicts among the Abenaki to the turbulent land disputes involving Henry and Lucy Knox. Dr. Gawalt also e...

Dr. Rebecca Boulos, Executive Director of the Maine Public Health Association, brings an extraordinary blend of academic insight, personal experience, and deep-rooted commitment to her home state. With a PhD in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts, along with degrees from Yale and George Washington University, Rebecca has spent years exploring how our environment, mindset, and stress shape health outcomes. A Cape Elizabeth ...

Dr. Lisa Belisle—physician, writer, and host of Radio Maine—returns for a solo episode that resonates with emotional depth and quiet strength. In this intimate reflection, she explores the art of wayfinding: how we move through uncertainty, loss, and transformation with grace and authenticity.

Drawing on recent experiences, Lisa speaks candidly about the death of a cherished patient, the evolving role of caregiving, and the one-yea...

Krista Cole, owner and Director of Operations for Sur Lie in Portland and Gather in Yarmouth, brings Northern Maine grit and hospitality to the heart of the restaurant world. A two-time James Beard semifinalist, Krista’s journey began in healthcare management, where she built a foundation in operations and strategy before stepping full-force into entrepreneurship. Her story is one of dual passions—caring for people and creating mea...

Chip Brewer, founder of Growth Story LLC and a Bowdoin College alum, joins Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine for a dynamic conversation about storytelling, community, and the power of collaboration. A longtime resident of Cape Elizabeth, Chip blends decades of corporate consulting with his passion for improv, screenwriting, and novel writing—crafts he uses to explore themes of teamwork and empathy. From teaching improv to the Bowdoin...

Christoph Gelfand, Wes Sterrs, and Jeff Griecci—filmmakers behind the dynamic short documentary Final First Edition—join us for a lively and insightful conversation about collaboration, creativity, and a deep dive into pop culture history. This trio, each with impressive individual credentials in Maine’s tight-knit film community, came together to chronicle a fascinating project: collector Rich Horn’s mission to recreate the origin...

Ryan Kohler is a Portland Art Gallery artist known for his vibrant mixed-media paintings that blend acrylic and collage into energetic “parties on canvas.” Based in Skowhegan, Ryan’s journey to full-time art began with a brief stint in architecture, followed by years immersed in music—writing, performing, and producing—before a major life shift brought him fully into the studio. His process is intuitive and tactile, often sparked b...

Karla Brannen, principal at Brannen CPA Services, shows that accounting is as much about insight and problem-solving as it is about numbers. A native of Maine's Aroostook County and graduate of Thomas College, Karla has built a thriving firm grounded in expertise and a deep understanding of her clients’ unique situations. In this Radio Maine interview, she shares how no two tax returns are ever quite the same, and how careful inter...

Documentary photographer Nick Gervin has spent the last decade capturing the soul of Portland, Maine—its beauty, its struggles, and its untold stories. In this inspiring Radio Maine interview, Nick shares how photography became a lifeline in his recovery from traumatic brain injury and substance use disorder, guiding him from solitary nighttime shoots to a vibrant artistic community at the Bakery Photo Collective. His work, includi...

Susan Woods, MD, MPH is a digital health pioneer whose career has bridged the exam room and the cutting edge of technology. In this inspiring conversation with Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine, Dr. Woods shares how her Maine roots and collaborations with forward-thinking public health pioneers like Dr. Richard Rockefeller, Deborah Deatrick, M.P.H., and Dr. Dora Anne Mills helped shape her path—from launching the Maine Tobacco Helpli...

Dr. Jeffrey Barkin is a practicing psychiatrist, multimedia journalist, and co-host of A Healthy Conversation on WGAN, where he brings clarity and calm to today’s most pressing healthcare issues. Known for his positivity and thoughtful communication style, Jeff has spent decades helping people navigate uncertainty—first in clinical settings and now through public dialogue. A Swarthmore and Yale-trained physician, he traces his love...