AUTHOR. SPEAKER. STORYTELLER.

AND, APPARENTLY, TERRIBLE AT RETIREMENT.

Lisa Ramelow is a two-time published author, award-winning business owner (Press-Telegram's Amazing Women Award, 2011), professional speaker, storyteller, and dedicated community leader.

She didn't set out to be a storyteller. Life just kept handing her material.

At 33, Lisa's husband died suddenly, leaving her with two young children and a future she never imagined facing alone. She did what she had to do, she figured it out. Not perfectly, not without stumbling, but with the kind of grit and grace that only comes from having absolutely no choice.

Then, as a self-described introvert who didn't even know how to cook Italian food, she bought a restaurant. La Strada became one of Southern California's most beloved Italian restaurants for 27 years, a community hub where she mentored young employees, built lasting relationships, and learned that running a business is really just people management with marinara sauce on the side.

Somewhere along the way, the shy introvert started finding her voice. She began writing. Then she couldn't stop. Over 1,800 stories later, covering everything from restaurant chaos to forgiving her difficult father, from single motherhood to caring for her parents through dementia, from discovering pole dancing in middle age to learning she is no good at retirement, Lisa had become something she never expected: a storyteller who moves people.

After selling La Strada, she stepped into what was supposed to be retirement. She is, by her own admission, terrible at it. Instead, she published her second book, launched a speaking career, and keeps writing stories, because life keeps providing material.

She doesn't do fake positivity. She tells the truth and somehow that's the most hopeful thing of all.

Most inspirational speakers are either too polished to be real or too clinical to be entertaining. Lisa is neither. She's lived through genuine loss, navigated impossible situations, forgiven people who didn't deserve it (but she needed to do it anyway), and emerged with both hard-won wisdom and an ability to find the humor in almost anything.

Her stories don't sugarcoat. They don't wrap everything up neatly. But they always, always leave people feeling less alone and more capable of writing their next chapter.

"'Misadventures in My High Heels' is some of the best writing I've read in my entire life. Everything she writes about, we can all relate to, because it's just so human."  — Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Lisa is available for Book Club Visits, Author Events, Podcast Interviews and Speaking Engagements.

contact
speaker
author
new release

Q & A WITH LISA

  • The moment someone tells me, "I thought I was the only one." That's it. That's the whole thing. Whether it's at a speaking event or a message on Facebook or a book club visit, when someone realizes they're not alone in what they're going through, that's when I know the work matters. I also love that I get to turn the messiest parts of my life into something useful. Widowhood at 33? Check. Running a restaurant, I had no business running? Check. All of it becomes material. Nothing is wasted.

    I love telling the stories of the people and situations in my life.

  • Living through the loss of my husband as a mother with 2 small children, made me realize that I could survive other situations. My audience is struggling through life as well, and it is my hope that my stories will resonate in some way, and will make them feel less alone.

    Also…Facebook. I started writing these little posts about my day, restaurant chaos, parenting fails, random observations, and people started responding. Not just "like" responding but responding. They'd message me privately saying, "I needed to hear that today," or "I'm going through the same thing." After years and 1,800+ stories, I realized I wasn't just writing for myself anymore. I was writing for the people who felt stuck, alone, or like their story was over. Turns out, our messiest moments are often our most connective ones.

  • Authenticity. No fake positivity, no pretending everything's perfect. Just the truth.

    Hope without sugarcoating. You can acknowledge how hard something is while still believing it gets better.

    Humor. Life is absurd. We might as well laugh.

    Empathy. Everyone's fighting a battle you know nothing about.

    Proof that transformation is possible at any age. I'm 67 and just getting started. Your story isn't over.

    Family. Love. Kindness.

  • I walk 1-2 hours a day, and have a sweet dog named Gracie. I’m an introvert who has learned how to be an extrovert (at times)! I feel lucky to live in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach, CA.

  • "The Teenage Years." Hands down. It's the chapter I almost didn't include in Misadventures in My High Heels because I thought it was too dark, too personal. But when I showed it to Jack Canfield, he told me it was some of the best writing he'd ever read. Sometimes the stories we're most afraid to tell are the ones people need to hear most.

  • You don't have to have it all figured out. I didn't know how to run a restaurant when I bought one. I didn't know how to be a widow at 33. I didn't know how to forgive my father until I finally did it. You just take the next step. And then the next one. And eventually, you look back and realize you made it through something you didn't think you could survive.

  • More stories. More speaking. Maybe another book. I'm also terrible at retirement, so probably something I haven't thought of yet. The adventure always continues. Or should I say, the misadventure continues!