We recently connected with Lisa Weiss and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I was a child, my father showed me a small box he’d kept from his own childhood. The box contained tiny treasures — a miniature deck of cards, toy soldiers, a whistle, a magnet. Very small things that meant a lot to him. When he was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, miniature toys came inside cereal boxes. His family couldn’t afford to buy toys, so he collected these little giveaways. When my father shared these items with me, I noticed how each object felt meaningful, even magical, in that they brought him so much joy. Those moments of sharing brought us closer together. And the experience showed me that when we share special objects with someone else, we deepen our understanding of one another. This moment from my childhood, when I connected to a tradition formed during my father’s childhood, planted a seed in me that would later become my project: Object Diaries: Stories About Human Connection Told One Secret Object at a Time.

Lisa , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I run a storytelling company where I use my background as a 3x Emmy Award-winning storyteller to help people and organizations tell stories that matter. My flagship project is Object Diaries: Stories About Human Connection Told One Secret Object at a Time. It is a multidisciplinary project using objects as vehicles for stronger connections. Object Diaries helps people discover and share the relationship wisdom they already carry, using personal objects as conversation starters to tell stories about the connections that have shaped them.

I’ve had a long career (20+ years) as a media executive and writer. I started out working for a TV talk show in Chicago, answering phones and running errands for the producers. I worked two jobs, 60 hours a week as a production assistant at the talk show, and also waiting tables Friday/Saturday/Sunday evenings so I could earn enough to pay my rent. Thanks to a recommendation from my boss at the talk show, I was later recruited as a freelancer on The Oprah Winfrey Show. I was eventually hired full-time working for Oprah. Between my years working for Oprah, I also worked for CBS News in New York, traveling the country and covering stories including President Barack Obama’s inauguration and first presidency. I was one of the founders of Oprah’s Super Soul. Along the way, I won three national Emmy Awards for my work.

I’m most proud of my ability to tell meaningful human stories at scale. I’m skilled at drawing out what matters most in someone’s experience or expertise, then shaping it into a story that’s both accurate and deeply felt. What I love most is uncovering the unexpected detail or throughline that sparks recognition, and often, real change.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

As a society, we undervalue art and artists, or, when we do recognize their value, we too quickly commodify (or even steal!) artists’ work and turn it into a product. We need a better model: one that values art and creativity as human differentiators in an era of increased automation.

I believe we’d be a stronger, more connected society if we treated art and creativity as essential. Artists and creatives help people process trauma, build empathy, strengthen communities, and imagine better futures. These are real, measurable outcomes. But because this work doesn’t produce immediate profit or fit into familiar categories like healthcare or education, it’s often ignored or underfunded.

That’s a market failure, not a failure of creativity. We don’t expect scientific research or public health programs to turn a profit. We fund them because they address long-term, systemic needs. Creative work that improves connection, well-being and resilience deserves the same approach. We need more robust and flexible funding models that support pilot programs, facilitate evaluation, and foster collaboration between artists and institutions.

In my own work, including Object Diaries, I’ve seen how creativity can transform how people connect with themselves and each other. The need is there. What’s missing are the systems that recognize and resource this work for what it is: a vital force for connection and resilience.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

We all have deep insights about human connection hidden in our personal stories, but most people don’t recognize this wisdom or know how to share it. Object Diaries creates a way for people to access these insights through objects that hold their relationship memories, then apply what they learn to connect more authentically with others.

Objects take the discomfort of sharing away, particularly for introverts. For some, it is much easier to put the object in the spotlight versus oneself. It make the vulnerability feel safer, more grounded.

In a time when we’re more digitally connected than ever, we know people still feel lonely, isolated, and hungry for deeper, more meaningful relationships. The solution isn’t always another app or platform. It’s slower. More tactile. More human. Sometimes, all we need is a shared story, someone to listen. And something to hold onto.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.objectdiaries.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-weiss-story/
• Other: https://www.storybeatstudio.com

Image Credits

Meka Hemmons (short-sleeved black jumpsuit photos, series of three)
Lisa Weiss (all other photos)
Eileen Molony (pink blouse)