Advertise on podcast: Radio Maine with Dr. Lisa Belisle

Being your own boss can give you freedom over your work, your schedule, and your life. It can also leave you without anyone to turn to at the end of the day. Dustyn Bailey built the Bebop Collective around that tension: independent creative people who want to stay independent, but still belong to something. Raised in Bethel, Maine, Dustyn found that conventional workplaces didn’t always fit. Today, he brings together more than 50 freelancers, assembling teams around projects while preserving the autonomy that drew people to freelancing in the first place. With Dr. Lisa Belisle, he talks about leading strong personalities without dictating, learning from failures, and why the most useful feedback doesn’t always come from the person with the biggest title. Their conversation also takes up AI and a question that reaches beyond the creative professions: what do we lose when we skip the hard work of learning? Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Dustyn Bailey today on Radio Maine.

Amy VanHaren is a founding partner of the Northbound Company, which helps women prepare their businesses, and themselves, for an exit, so they can walk away with the wealth and dignity they've earned without doing it alone. More than a decade ago, while working full-time and breastfeeding her second child, VanHaren found herself pumping in an airport bathroom stall after another cross-country work trip. Overwhelmed by the logistics, exhaustion, guilt, and lack of support, she realized she was far from alone. That moment helped inspire pump spotting, a company that would go on to create community and resources for mothers navigating infant feeding. After nearly a decade of building the company, VanHaren began to recognize another experience that was rarely discussed: what happens when it is time for a founder to leave. By 2024, she was exhausted and beginning to feel internally that it was time to let the business go. A panic attack while waiting for her son at an orthodontist appointment became an unmistakable signal that the company was no longer good for her. What followed was a two-year process of selling and ending the business—and confronting the grief, identity, self-worth, and uncertainty tied to leaving something she had spent years building. That experience eventually led VanHaren to her next chapter with Northbound. VanHaren and Dr. Lisa also explore storytelling, friendship, motherhood, leadership, and the challenge of separating personal worth from the public story of what we build. From the friendships that have carried her through different stages of life to the relationships she believes have shaped her success as a leader, VanHaren reflects on the connections that allow us to change without losing ourselves. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Amy VanHaren today on Radio Maine. More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

For 50 years, Mel Allen has been listening for stories. His first published piece appeared in the Maine Sunday Telegram in 1975, beginning a career that would take him throughout Maine and eventually to Yankee Magazine, where he rose from senior editor to editor-in-chief. Along the way, he met people whose lives might have unfolded in very different corners of New England but whose experiences revealed something larger about compassion, loss, community, and what connects us. Many of those stories are gathered in his book, Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All. Mel shares some of the people who have stayed with him: Samantha Smith's mother rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss; a community of tour boat captains stepping in after one of their own was catastrophically injured; and Mainers rallying around families and neighbors when life changed without warning. Mel and Dr. Lisa consider why those stories may feel especially important now. In a moment when polarization can make people feel increasingly disconnected, Mel believes people are hungry for reminders that human beings are capable of more than accusation, fear, and division. The stories he has collected are rooted in particular people and places, but the emotions within them are not limited to New England. They also explore Mel's approach to storytelling itself: curiosity, listening without relying on a fixed list of questions, earning the trust of the person whose story he is telling, and recognizing the responsibility that comes with putting another person's life into words. That philosophy has shaped not only his journalism but decades of teaching, from his earliest years as a fourth-grade teacher in Gorham to the writers he continues to teach today. Now 80 and retired from going into the office, Mel says he is not retired from looking for stories, reading great writing, or teaching. He and Lisa also consider what storytelling means in the age of AI - and why Mel believes human experience still supplies the heart, empathy, and texture that make a story worth remembering. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Mel Allen today on Radio Maine. More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

Jeff Zachau grew up around construction. His father started a small carpentry business in 1969, his mother kept the books, and Jeff spent weekends and summers helping wherever he could. After graduating from the University of Maine with a background in accounting and finance, there wasn’t much discussion about what came next: the Monday after graduation, he went to work alongside his father. Nearly four decades later, Zachau Construction has changed considerably—but Jeff believes many of the values behind it have not. Building honest relationships, doing good work, continuing to grow, giving back, and approaching problems with a positive attitude have become the articulated principles of a company whose culture Jeff traces back to his father’s earliest years in business. Now Jeff is considering what it means to carry that legacy forward. After years of succession planning, Zachau Construction transitioned to employee ownership through an ESOP, creating an opportunity for employees to build meaningful value in the company themselves. At the same time, Jeff is watching a new generation enter Maine’s construction industry—bringing new technology and education to work that has traditionally depended heavily on hands-on experience and craftsmanship. Jeff and Lisa also explore the creativity inherent in construction and business, the importance of creating opportunities for younger Mainers, and why growth doesn’t have to be measured only in revenue. For Jeff, it can mean giving talented people room to grow—and trusting them to help determine what comes next. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Jeff Zachau today on Radio Maine.

Dr. Carrie Niederman knew something had changed. An athlete and veterinarian with a background in biochemistry, Carrie became suddenly ill in 2009 after what initially seemed like a viral infection. She never returned to her previous level of health. But as test after test came back normal, finding an explanation became increasingly difficult. Over the next eight years, Carrie moved through a healthcare system that often didn't know what to do with a patient whose symptoms were real but difficult to measure. Eventually diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Carrie began confronting not only the realities of chronic illness, but the loss of the life she had known. She even gave her illness a name—“Vivi”—as part of learning to live with it rather than spending the rest of her life chasing the person she had been before. Her experience also exposed gaps in a medical system she understood from the other side as a clinician: short appointments, fragmented specialty care, diagnostic uncertainty, and biases that can prevent patients from being fully heard. Carrie and Lisa consider what happens when a clinician doesn't have an answer—and why curiosity, continuity, and simply believing that a patient's experience is real can still be meaningful forms of care. Now Carrie is bringing that perspective to future physicians, sharing her story with medical students in the hope that one encounter might cause someone to approach a complicated patient differently. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Dr. Carrie Niederman today on Radio Maine. More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

Bibby Gignilliat stopped painting at age 10 after an encounter with a critical teacher helped turn her into a perfectionist. But the idea of becoming an artist never completely disappeared. After eight different careers and two decades running a successful culinary team-building company, Gignilliat began creating a runway toward the life she really wanted. She returned to painting, initially feeling like the worst student in the room, and eventually discovered a visual language built from collage, found materials, intuition, and layers of personal history. That process has taken on new meaning following the recent deaths of both her parents. Her mother’s paper dolls, report cards, family documents, and other saved fragments are now finding their way into paintings—sometimes visible, sometimes buried beneath the surface. Among those papers, Gignilliat even discovered a message from her younger self: she wanted to be an artist and a teacher. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Bibby Gignilliat on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/when-what-we-keep-becomes-art-bibby-gignilliat More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com/artist/bibby-gignilliat

Most of us already know the basics: move more, eat better, manage stress, stop working at a reasonable hour. So why can doing those things still feel so difficult? Wellness coach Jason Gootman calls the space between knowing and actually changing the “implementation gap.” In this conversation, he explains why lasting change depends less on willpower than on learning specific skills—and why making a healthy choice convenient, enjoyable, and personally meaningful can be far more effective than simply trying harder. Jason also turns the tables on Dr. Lisa Belisle, coaching her through a familiar challenge of working from home: how to step away from the screen and create a real end to the workday. Their exchange reveals why small steps, supportive relationships, and even our instinct for instant gratification can work in our favor. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Jason Gootman today on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/why-knowing-what-to-do-isnt-enough-jason-gootman More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

Sometimes helping someone isn’t about doing something for them. It’s about standing beside them long enough for them to discover what they can do themselves. Stella Libby learned that lesson early, accompanying her grandfather as he volunteered with Maine Adaptive. Years later, while coaching Special Olympics athletes, she watched a skier attempt a bigger trail after Stella and others convinced her she could. That same belief in meeting people where they are now shapes Stella’s work with Best Buddies—and her plans for a career in veterinary medicine. In this conversation, Stella reflects on why genuine inclusion requires more than simply saying everyone is welcome, what 2,500 people gathered around a shared purpose taught her about community, and why caring for an animal sometimes begins with listening to the person who loves it. Across very different settings, her philosophy remains remarkably consistent: pay attention, understand what someone needs, and show up. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Stella Libby today on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/the-most-powerful-thing-you-can-do-is-show-up-stella-libby More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

A hospital that looked dirty helped Dr. Stephanie Taylor question what a healthy environment actually is. While working in Papua New Guinea, she expected poor infection outcomes amid cracked concrete floors, limited gloves, and conditions that seemed far less sterile than American hospitals. Instead, patients often did surprisingly well. That experience helped send Taylor, a Harvard-trained physician, back to school for a master’s in architecture—and toward a career studying the largely invisible relationship between buildings and human health. In this conversation, she explains why dry indoor air can weaken our natural defenses within minutes, why eliminating microbes isn’t necessarily desirable, and how humidity, ventilation, building materials, and even dogs can influence the microbial environments that surround us. Taylor makes the case for treating human health as a measure of how well a building performs—and for moving medicine further toward prevention. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Dr. Stephanie Taylor today on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/what-if-the-building-is-part-of-the-treatment-dr-stephanie-taylor More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

Watercolor asks an artist to give up something most of us spend our lives trying to hold onto: control. For Marion Wilson, that willingness to collaborate with water has become especially meaningful during a season of profound change. After years of teaching and creating ambitious public art projects, Marion lost the institutional support that had helped sustain that work. Instead of fighting her way back in, she asked a different question: What would it mean to become a painter again? That decision eventually led her toward a quieter, more personal daily practice. Now, following the recent death of her mother—an artist who lived determinedly on her own terms—Marion is giving herself permission to paint without judgment or expectations. She talks about grief, the freedom to break artistic rules, what plants can teach us, and why losing one path can sometimes make room for another. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Marion Wilson today on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/what-her-mother-taught-her-about-breaking-the-rules-artist-marion-wilson More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com/artist/marion-wilson

Growing up inside New York’s postwar art world gave Gina Sawin an extraordinary education. But becoming her own artist required something else: getting away from the center of it. In Maine, Sawin found the space to develop a painting practice rooted in birds, the natural world, and the delicate ecosystems her husband, conservationist Charles Gauvin, taught her to see more closely. Her paintings may appear to capture a flock observed in flight, but Sawin reveals that they are carefully constructed—composed to create the feeling of something that never existed exactly as painted. She and Lisa also consider the ancient human impulse to depict animals, from 25,000-year-old cave paintings to Sawin’s contemporary birds, and why solitude is only part of an artist’s life. Even alone in the studio, Sawin says, generations of teachers and artists remain present. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Gina Sawin today on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/the-freedom-of-not-being-at-the-center-artist-gina-sawin More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

For five years, Radio Maine has brought people together through long-form conversations. Now that conversation is moving into the room. Recorded before a live audience at Portland Art Gallery, this Radio Maine Live gathering brings together people who have previously joined Dr. Lisa Belisle—and a room filled with artists, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and other Mainers—to consider one deceptively simple question: What kind of Maine are we building? Tobias Parkhurst, Quincy Hentzel, Ginny Hussey, and Phillip Hussey bring distinctly different perspectives to a conversation about growth, affordability, workforce, healthcare, quality of life, and the opportunities that exist beyond Portland. But some of the most compelling ideas emerge around what Maine’s next generation will need—and whether we are building a state they will choose to call home. Radio Maine Live is also about what happens when thoughtful people gather in the same place: ideas collide, connections form, and the conversation continues after the cameras stop. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this special live conversation today on Radio Maine.

Art isn't about avoiding rejection. It's about creating anyway. Artist and Portland Art Gallery associate Jill Cremens shares the story of presenting her work to one of her artistic heroes... only to be met with silence. What followed wasn't instant success. It was self-reflection, yoga, travel, and a deeper understanding of why creativity matters. From weaving and environmental sculpture to mindfulness, Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, and the idea that we only have about 4,000 weeks to live, this conversation explores what keeps artists creating when no one is applauding. Whether you're an artist, entrepreneur, writer, or simply trying to build something meaningful, Jill's perspective on rejection, resilience, and creativity offers lessons that extend far beyond the studio. If this conversation resonates, please subscribe for more stories exploring creativity and the human spirit. #RadioMaine #Creativity #Artists #PortlandMaine #Art #Mindfulness #TheArtistsWay #Yoga #Inspiration #CreativeLife #Resilience

Some of the art we live with becomes inseparable from the lives we’ve lived. A painting can recall a graduation, a marriage, a place we love—or someone who is no longer here. For Emma Wilson, director of Portland Art Gallery, those connections are at the heart of what art can offer. In this conversation, she reflects on moving through her own divorce, the recent death of her mother, and the unexpected ways creativity can make room for both grief and hope. She shares stories of collectors whose paintings became part of family histories, and of artists whose work continues to connect people even after they are gone. Emma also offers a glimpse into the intuitive work of curating a gallery, where seemingly different pieces can begin to “talk” to one another—and where relationships matter as much as aesthetics. Join Dr. Lisa Belisle for this conversation with Emma Wilson today on Radio Maine. Full episode page: https://radiomaine.com/episodes/why-some-paintings-stay-with-you-forever-gallery-director-emma-wilson More Radio Maine episodes: https://radiomaine.com/episodes.html Portland Art Gallery: https://portlandartgallery.com

Most people think of physical therapy as something you do after an injury. Dr. Philip Finemore believes it has the potential to be much more. Founder of WorkFitME Mobile Physical Therapy, Philip joins Dr. Lisa Belisle to discuss why preventing injuries, improving movement, and helping people stay active should be just as important as rehabilitation. Their conversation explores entrepreneurship, innovation in healthcare, the realities of remote work, and why building the right team—from primary care providers to strength coaches and massage therapists—can help people stay healthier for longer. Rather than waiting until something hurts, Phil encourages a different approach: one that helps people continue doing the things they love, whether that's training for a marathon, keeping up with grandchildren, or simply living without pain. Join our conversation with Dr. Philip Finemore today on Radio Maine. Produced by Portland Art Gallery.