Meet Lisa Marranzino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Marranzino.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a Denver native, and for reasons, I will soon share, the name “VoyageDenver” ties in nicely with my story. Just in the way of a little background, I earned a Bachelors’s degree in Technical Journalism from Colorado State University and a Masters Degree in Psychology from Regis University in Denver. I’ve been in private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Denver Tech Center for 18 years. I’m also a new author.

About five years ago, I noticed that an increasing number of new clients were coming into my practice reporting a feeling of “just going through the motions” in their lives. I call this becoming “the real walking dead”. Sometimes the reasons for this numb feeling were clear–trauma, job loss, divorce, illness, loss of a loved one–but many times symptoms emerged for no apparent reason.

At about that same time, I realized that somehow I had joined their ranks. For me, the feeling seemed like the classic void of a midlife crisis. Yet my midlife crisis came during the absence of a crisis. As a therapist, I knew that refreshing how we think about and respond to life is one of the biggest opportunities to we have, in our control, to increase happiness. So with a need to move beyond my midlife malaise and gather fresh perspectives on life and happiness for my clients, I approached my husband Pocky with an idea. We would tap into our retirement savings early, break out of the routine, travel to faraway places, and interview people with lives and perspectives very different than our own about how they find happiness. I’d combine my interest in journalism and phycology and share their ideas and insights in a book.

“Happiness on the Blue Dot”, was launched in April. It’s a global voyage, travel journal, and, most importantly a collection of conversations about life. From Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, I journeyed to discover what lies at the heart of personal happiness. Tango dancers in Argentine, a survivor of the Killing Fields in Cambodia, a prostitute in Amsterdam, a tracker in the wilderness of Africa, a man who made peace with his kidnappers during the Arab Spring. With the backdrop of their exotic locations, these and other amazing people share their intimate stories and the personal philosophies they developed in times of prosperity and despair. I discovered that happiness is a universal quest and that people all over the world enjoyed sharing ideas about it.

One of the things that creates the most happiness in my life is helping others find peace, hope, courage and fun in their lives. “Happiness on the Blue Dot” is filled with beautiful places, intriguing people and insights on life, death, love and joy. I share the stories of the incredible people I met in the book and through my practice so that they may inspire fresh approaches to living life abundantly and help others discover their own brands of personal happiness.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In an odd twist of fate, just a few months after completing my travels, I had to rely on everything I learned about happiness in my work and adventures in a way I had never imagined. It began a few days after recovering from a particularly nasty bout with the flu. I woke up one morning with weakness in both legs. A few hours later, I was in a hospital bed in the ICU, unable to move my legs, feet, arms, or hands. As the creeping paralysis continued to move up my body, the doctors became concerned my respiratory system would be affected and I would need to be intubated.

That afternoon, the doctors told me the diagnosis: Gillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare but serious condition in which the immune system goes haywire and attacks the body’s healthy nerves, interfering with the ability of the brain to send messages to parts of the body. Most people recover, but there are no guarantees. Recovery is slow, usually taking a few months to a few years.

The upside in my downtime was that I was able to finish the book. Without the ability to move around and with the luxury of time I found new insights. That joy and pain are not mutually exclusive, and that some of our worst experiences can plant fresh perspectives deep within our brains, becoming a catalyst for positive change and happiness. Today, a year and eight months later, I am about ninety percent recovered.

We’d love to hear more about your practice.
I am an author and a licensed professional counselor with a private practice in the Denver Tech Center. I work with individuals and couples and specialize in relationships, transitions, personal growth, and developing resilience in challenging times. I also provide coaching and conflict resolution services for business organizations.

My approach with my clients is conversational and collegial. We work together openly and straight-forwardly to get to the bottom of whatever might be holding them back from living their best lives and discover the most positive, healthy ways to move forward.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I enjoy studying individuals I fondly call “Diamonds in the Rough”, those who have overcome overwhelming obstacles and managed to find their way to happy and meaningful lives. There is so much wisdom there that we can all benefit from. I am so grateful to my clients and the people I met in faraway places during the writing of the book for trusting me enough to share their stories. It’s amazing how quickly we can make real connections with others when we approach conversations with genuine curiosity and an open mind. We have so much to learn from one another, especially, I believe, when we are different!

Contact Info:

• Address: I can best be reached at my office number at (720) 488-6230.
• Phone: (720) 488-6230
• Instagram: lisakmarranzino (Instagram)

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.