"Love's A Secret Weapon" Podcast Donna Loren and Dr Adam Gerace

In this episode, Donna and Dr Adam Gerace are joined by musician and author Jim Wilson to talk about his new book “Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man”!

Jim has had distinct, but complementary careers as both a musician and performer alongside his work as an expert piano tuner-technician to music royalty, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Burt Bacharach, and Carole King.

In conversation with Donna and Dr Adam, Jim shares his journey from being a young boy in Amarillo, Texas to his work in California as the go-to-person transforming the Steinways of legends with a revolutionary MIDI-adaptor for acoustic piano. Along the way, tragedy drove his desire to face his fears and follow his dreams of stepping into the limelight as an award-winning and charting musician with four recordings on the Billboard Top-20 and two PBS specials.
Beyond his wonderful showbiz stories, including sharing one of his compositions with a Beatle, Jim’s conversation with Donna and Dr Adam reflects the importance of listening to one’s inner voice and how the power of one thought, one decision or gesture can forever change our lives and the lives of those around us.

In this episode, Donna and Dr Adam are joined by longtime radio DJ Leslie Stevens! Leslie has 45 years’ experience as a DJ, including hosting his own long-running syndicated show “Route 66 Oldies Show”, which brings back the sounds and memories of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

In their conversation, Leslie shares his journey from a small radio station in the LA mountains to hosting, producing, and reporting for radio and TV stations in California and Arizona. Remember KHJ Boss Radio in Los Angeles? Or perhaps you had your own favourite radio station in your city growing up. We’ll revisit those memories and more in the latest episode of Love’s A Secret Weapon Podcast!

In this special episode, Donna and Dr. Adam are joined by musician Maurice Gainen! Maurice, who is a woodwind musician, producer, composer, and engineer, first worked with Donna to rejuvenate her signature song “It Only Hurts When I Cry” in 2009. He then engineered Donna’s first album in decades, “Love It Away” in 2010, and he provides the distinctive saxophone sounds on her modern holiday classic, “Merry Christmas Baby”!

In conversation with Donna and Dr Adam, Maurice invites us into his Silverlake recording studio, and tells us about his long and diverse music career, which includes his own recordings, live performances, production work for major labels, and his mastering of 187 CDs for Starbucks. Maurice shares how he is committed to a global music movement and how he brings together collaborators from all over the world to create a unique global jazz sound.

You’ll also hear about how his career started on Bob Barker’s “Truth or Consequences”, how by chance he ended up with his unique silver saxophone, and what Joni Mitchell said about his mastering of her recordings!

Billboard Magazine said “Maurice is a man to hear”, and Donna and Dr Adam are delighted that you can hear him on Season Six of "Love’s A Secret Weapon Podcast".

This conversation is available as an audio episode and will also be available as a video with Donna, Dr. Adam, and Maurice!

Maurice's new album "Hope Thru Music" was released 2 April, 2024.

Welcome back to Season 6 of Love’s a Season Weapon Podcast!


In this episode, you’re invited to a dinner party! Join Donna, Dr Adam, and special guests Sheryl Farber and Steven Stanley, who recorded this episode while Donna, Sheryl, and Steve were out to dinner in Topanga, CA.

Sheryl Farber and Steve Stanley are music producers, musicians, archivists, and historians, who have produced and worked on hundreds of music compilations and re-releases that showcase or rediscover fabulous artists, sounds and productions. Sheryl is a Grammy-nominated producer for the compilations “Wild Tales of the Ramones” and “One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found” and Steve is the founder of Now Sounds Records & Radio, with over 50 releases focusing on the sounds of the ‘60s West Coast music scene including Donna's "These Are the Good Times: The Complete Capitol Recordings" (2014 Gold Bonus Disc Award Winner).

In their conversation against the background of clinking glasses and happy diners, Sheryl and Steve take you behind the scenes of their work. They share how they produce music compilations and box sets that breathe new life into well-known songs, and shed light on forgotten, obscure, or never-heard-before music. So, join the dinner party! You’ll feel like you’re in the vault at Capitol!

“Truth is a mysterious entity. I love it and cherish it. Anytime I can speak the truth about my feelings, a little more of Me comes into focus. All the tears I’ve swallowed flow more freely now and I await the day that I can sing for you again”.

In this final chapter of Donna’s memoir…

It’s August 14, 2008, a pivotal day that led to Donna deciding to make music again. Donna takes us back to her decision to step out again, her recording of her album “Love It Away," and the decision after 15 years to leave Hawaii and return to Los Angeles.

In reflecting on three years of this podcast, Donna and Dr Adam discuss the important work we all must do to integrate the different selves that make up all of us.

While this is the final chapter of the original memoir, there are more stories to tell! And so, Donna and Dr Adam will be back in 2024 with more stories and fan guests.

Love is Not a Part Time Job…so Let LOVE Be Your SECRET WEAPON!

In a special episode, Donna and Dr Adam are joined by author, journalist, and podcaster Natalie Zett! Natalie has written Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told, a work of historical fiction that draws on her own family’s tragedy. At the center of the story is the death of Natalie’s real-life great aunt, Martha Pfeiffer, who lost her life in 1915 on the SS Eastland ship disaster in Chicago. Natalie’s historical backdrop allows her to tell a story of intergenerational trauma and the ties that bind us to our ancestors. Donna, Dr Adam, and Natalie chat about how Natalie unearthed her family’s hidden story, the opportunity to give a voice to our ancestors, and how these stories from the past can inform us now to live more fully in the present. Plus, Natalie shares how Love’s A Secret Weapon Podcast inspired Natalie’s own podcast!

You can find Natalie’s website and podcast here: https://www.flowerintheriver.com/