Dr. Joyce Brothers, the pioneer and the model on how to be a radio shrink

dr brothersDr. Brothers sat behind a large table in her demur sweater set and smiled that Mona Lisa smile of hers. At least I thought it looked like a Mona Lisa smile. She was laughing at something her aid said when I approached her to look the books she had in front of her. I was a young, newly minted therapist at a Psychology of Media convention in California, and she was the great guru of radio therapy. In those days I hosted a “Sex with Sue’ call-in show on an Ottawa am station called 54 Rock. I could answer the listeners questions, but had absolutely no radio skills.
Her advice was “to offer up the facts, and deal with the person, not the issue” when I asked her why she thought she had been so successful.
Her advice resonated. At least what she did for women in media- especially women Psychologists in Media, was to show that you could be authentically yourself and still be heard.
She was a great broadcaster, an ever better Psychologist and she helped so many people. She died yesterday at the age of 85. She was a great lady and she died as she lived. With class and grace.