Lori Gottlieb
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist, author, and journalist whose 2019 memoir Maybe You Should Talk to Someone became an immediate New York Times bestseller and one of the most widely read books about the inner life of therapy. Born in the United States, Gottlieb followed an unconventional path to her vocation: she worked as a television writer and producer in Hollywood, then earned a medical degree from Stanford before ultimately training as a therapist — a trajectory that gave her an unusually broad and self-aware perspective on storytelling, medicine, and the human mind.
She is a contributing editor at The Atlantic, where her “Dear Therapist” advice column has attracted a devoted readership for its warmth, clarity, and psychological depth. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, People, and many other publications. She is a frequent commentator on mental health for television and radio and has given one of the most-watched TED Talks on the subject of therapy and change.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone weaves together the stories of four of Gottlieb’s patients — a self-important Hollywood producer, a newlywed facing a terminal diagnosis, an older woman stuck in her past, and a twenty-something drowning in poor decisions — with the story of Gottlieb herself seeking therapy after a devastating breakup. The dual narrative structure illuminates the universality of human struggle and the surprising parallels between therapist and patient. The book has been praised for making psychotherapy accessible and for its moving argument that growth requires honesty about pain.
Gottlieb’s earlier books include Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self, a memoir about adolescent eating disorders, and Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough, which sparked a national conversation about romantic expectations. She maintains a private therapy practice in Los Angeles and continues to write and speak publicly about mental health, relationships, and the courage required to change.
