By Stephen Finn
Mornings can be rough, and sometimes we could all do with a little extra motivation to get our day started off on the right foot and our own feet out the door.
Northeast native Lisa Bien, an author, TV host, motivational speaker and mother, knows this well and has recently been bringing her message of self love, compassion and overcoming hardships to the masses with a recurring segment, “Morning Motivations,” on PHL 17 Morning News.
Bien, a Northeast High School graduate who has a master’s degree in education from Holy Family University, has a lot to say and many avenues through which she gets her messages across. Fittingly, she uses her degree in education to teach in the communications schools of Rowan and Temple universities. Professionally, she works full time as the vice president of communications for Acuity Healthcare.
In her books, Life Happens: Bounce Back! and Divorce Happens: Bounce Back!, Bien relates some of her own hardships and how she overcame them using her “bounce back” philosophy.
“I have bounced back from two divorces. I have bounced back from losing my job, going from unemployment to starting my own company. I filed for personal bankruptcy. I have been through the same things that other people have, but I decided to write a book about it,” said Bien, who grew up near Welsh Road and Roosevelt Boulevard and attended Pollock Elementary School and Austin Meehan Middle School.
At Temple, she also hosts her own television program, Your Best Life with Lisa, on Temple TV. Each episode features a guest Bien helps to confront personal or professional struggles, covering topics such as anxiety, job loss, relationships, homelessness and self-esteem.
She has been a keynote speaker, led personal development workshops and acted as a one-on-one coach for business professionals.
As if all this weren’t enough, Bien’s latest venture has brought her to an even wider audience as the host of a motivational segment on PHL 17 Morning News. Her Temple show, along with this more recent network TV debut, represent the realization of a lifelong dream for Bien, who lives in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.
“I always wanted to be on TV. That was always my dream, but when I was very young I didn’t think I was pretty enough to follow my dream,” Bien said.
This mindset initially kept her from pursuing this dream wholeheartedly, choosing instead to utilize her talents in speaking and communication in the field of public relations.
“When I was growing up everyone on TV had that perfect look – blond hair, blue eyes,” Bien said.
These days, however, she says she is seeing this tradition slowly starting to fade.
“Today it’s great because there’s no box you have to fit in anymore. That’s what is so great about the world we live in today, there’s no perfect look for TV,” Bien said.
Like in her books, Bien draws on her own personal life experiences and struggles in the messages she delivers in her morning motivations on PHL 17. Her most recent segment covered managing expectations during the holiday season.
She believes we have an unhealthy tendency around the holidays to compare our own lives to others we see on social media, chasing the “perfect” look, tree or gift – a mindset that can overwhelm us during a time that is supposed to be about so much more.
One of her tips involves keeping open lines of communication with your family, holding meetings and exploring what everyone hopes to get out of the holiday.
“Try to incorporate what everyone wants to do. It’s really important to be flexible,” Bien said.
Life can be a never-ending learning experience as we grow, try new things and strive to be better people. Despite often being the one dispensing life advice, Bien considers herself a learner as well.
“I try to offer advice from things I’ve learned. I feel like I’m a student of life,” Bien said. “My goal is to help people become better each day. Every day we can do something that makes us better.”
For more information about Bien, her work and philosophy, visit lisabien.com. ••
