“You can walk in life or you can crawl in life,” says the comforting yet soothing voice on the radio to one of her thousands of callers. “Educate yourself. I don’t like victims. When a person finds a reason for living, success comes on its own.”
That’s the voice of “the angel of the airwaves,” better known as “la doctora Isabel Gomez-Bassols.” For almost 10 years, she has hosted her own Spanish call-in advice show on Univision Radio. Her three hour show airs in the top Hispanic markets around the country, from San Francisco, Houston, and Chicago to New York, Atlanta, and Miami. She dispenses advice in a tell-like-it-is tone that is part motherly and part girlfriend. It’s a rare combination and I know whenever I feel down or troubled about something, I can listen to her online, on the radio in Miami or when I’m in New York and feel like she’s talking directly to me. I always feel better and inspired. 
The reason thousands of callers dial her show weekdays is because they know her advice makes sense. She laces her suggestions with spirituality and you can’t help but feel her goodness radiate over the radio and reach deep down into you, sort of like a Cuban Julie Andrews would. No matter who she helps – from Latinas having marriage problems to a mother learning how to accept her gay son or daughter or men trying to add some romance to their lives, Isabel’s advice resonates because she cares. This explains why she’s often sought after by Cristina or Sabado Gigante and other Spanish talk shows as their guest psychologist. She’s an advocate for teens and gays. (She also played herself a few years ago on CBS’s The Bold and The Beautiful as the psychologist to Brooke Logan Forrester. Si, she’s bilingual.)
If you’re ever feeling down or need a spiritual pick-me up, tune into “la doctora” on your AM dial and chances are, you’ll feel better. I wrote a story about her a few years ago for The Globe which explains how she went from being a Miami middle school biology teacher and a child psychologist to help her students to hosting her own national call-in advice show. If you’re interested in finding her show in your city, check out her website: www.doctoraisabel.net She posts a thought of the day there as well as information about her bestselling books Seven Steps to Success in Love and others. So if you see me with my headphones on in the afternoon or deep in thought inside my white Jeep, I’m probably listening to la doctora.
“Hola! This is Dr. Isabel, your friend, your psychologist, reminding you that you have the power to change!”