Speaking Engagements
Lisa has been a professional in the creative arts and personal/professional development for over 25 years, uniquely blending her interest and expertise in the arts, humanities, communication, mental health and business human capital/ talent management consulting. She is a musician, author, producer of cross-disciplinary work (performance and collaboration with Jungian therapists), and she advises/coaches for individuals and organizations, works therapeutically, and is an engaging professional speaker.
Lisa’s appearances and talks– whether they be performances, keynote speeches, workshop facilitation, or one-on-one– are entertaining, informative, motivational, provocative, stimulating, ear- & mind-opening….
»» CONTACT LISA for consultation about her delivering keynotes, leading workshops or other speaking engagements at your event at:
| April 2012 | Speaking Engagement presented by Alma Mater Youngstown State, Eng. Dept–”What to do with an English Major?” |
| July 2010 | Workshop Presenter– Natl. Alliance of the Mentally Ill, Annual Conference, PA Chapter, Harrisburg, PA. “The Color of Sound” creative therapy |
| June 2010 | Panelist– The Historical Society (Boston-based) annual conference, Washington, D.C. ”Stimulating Communities Via Their History” |
| April 2010 | Panelist– The Pennsylvania Hospital/ University of Pennsylvania History of Women’s Health conference, Philadelphia. ”Women Artists and Mental Health & Illness” |
| Nov. 2009 | Panelist–Seton Hill University, Westmoreland, PA. Women in Art–Creative Entrepreneurship |
| Sept. 2009 | Keynote Speaker– PA Assoc. of Rehab Facilities Annual Conference, State College, PA. “Creativity, Personal Power & the Essence of Help” |
| March 2008 | Keynote Speaker– Art Institute of Pittsburgh Faculty In-Service. “Nurturing Creativity in Midst of the Marketplace” |
| Spring 2004 | Workshop Presenter– National Alliance of the Mentally Ill, PA Chapter Annual Conference, Harrisburg, PA. “Esther Phillips, Creativity & Mental Illness” |
| Summer 2003 | Keynote Presenter– Youngstown State University’s Women’s Center Gala. “Women & Creativity” |
| Nov. 2002 | Panelist–Seton Hill University, Westmoreland, PA. Women in Art |
| Winter 2002 | Faculty Workshop Presenter– Art Institute of Pittsburgh. “Applications of Cross-Disciplinary Creative Work in Teaching” |
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS/ TALKS:
”Empowering Employees… Transforming Your Workforce” For Business Leaders– A provocative look at Human Capital and Talent Management as the premier means of bettering a business. Inspiring yet practical strategies for getting employees to see and understand their assets, know their liabilities and be actively engaged in transforming challenges into opportunities, with crossdisciplinary approaches to workplace problems.
This Fantastic Struggle: The Life & Art of Esther Phillips (2002) Lisa’s Biography/Arts Advocacy Essay on the struggle all creative artists face in trying to make a living at art. Esther Phillips was a painter who lived a colorful life in Greenwich Village, was institutionalized due to starvation & stress, yet who proclaimed she lived “the best possible life” because she followed her passion.
Resurrecting Allegheny City: The Land, Structures & People of Pittsburgh’s North Side (2007) Lisa’s best-selling regional book that examines the tale and legacy of Allegheny City… “Educational and entertaining for all individuals even slightly curious about the goings-on centuries ago in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
“Creativity & the Essence of Help” A stimulating look at the “The Color of Sound” and other therapeutic creative applications, including creativity-infused learning across academic and other disciplines.
“Personal Power: The Self-Designed Life” A colorful and motivational look at the keys we each hold to go after the life that most speaks to us in this world, and to transform challenges into assets that drive us forward.
“Roots of Home: The Forces Behind Community Identity” This seminar will delve into the significant sense of “place” & “home” that each of us attaches to where we live. Utilizing her book, “Resurrecting Allegheny City,” as well as her work as a teaching artist, Ms. Miles will explore this subliminal component that underscores the shaping of not only neighborhoods, but larger metropolitan areas– as well as discuss strategies to “stimulate a community via its history.”
“Artist as Worker–The Creative Artist’s Role in Society” An examination of the concept of Artist as Worker. Ms. Miles will lead an engaging discussion, based in part on research from her book, “This Fantastic Struggle,” that posits the most critical need for individual artists in this country– to be seen as viable workers with coveted aesthetic commodity.
“Dis-Ease: The Mental Illness in Each of Us at Some Point in Our Lives” A provocative look at illness and mental health– how very few are ever spared from this unique characteristic of being human, and how being even temporarily unwell can shape the mold of one’s life and affect future balance.
~A special performance combining a set of original music & any speaking presentation also available for galas, special functions and conference presentations. * Lisa is a Personal & Professional Development Consultant & Coach: Creatively empowering individuals and managers to better understand and utilize assets and resources within themselves and their employees, to transform liabilities and challenges into opportunity, and to explore cross-disciplinary approaches to problemsolving.
See also Teaching/ Creative Therapy , Consulting , and Author Appearances
For specifics on individual presentations Lisa might bring to your group, agency, classroom, or business: