Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

Arts & Entertainment

Dr. Lanny Latham, Life Coach

Ben Kharakh

Published May 25, 2007

Modified Mar 6, 2008

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Ben Kharakh

Published May 25, 2007

Modified Mar 6, 2008

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

If you've been suffering from the doldrums or just lacking that zip that used to make life worth living, then you need to make an appointment with Dr. Lanny Latham . The life coach has changed thousands of lives with his Get Psyched method, which you can experience every Thursday night at 8 at one of his seminars at Rififi . Gothamist sat down with the East Village Guru to learn more about this amazing system.

How did the Get Psyched system come to you?
I was actually in a dark place when the Get Psyched system came to me. I had just gotten out of the hospital. And I was wandering around the streets of downtown Jefferson City when I looked down an alley and saw a dog whimpering in the corner. It dawned on me that things would be a whole lot better for that dog if it simply got more psyched. So I went up to the dog and told it to "get psyched". And it worked. The dog started barking like crazy. So I took it in with me and tried out some more of my get psyched philosophy on the dog - and the dog just ate it up. So I figured I had a gift that I should share with other less fortunate people, or dogs. And then I got my life coach certificate and moved to New York City where I've been spreading the Get Psyched philosophy ever since.

What can Gothamist readers do right now to Get Psyched?
Right now Gothamist readers can Get Psyched by practicing my 7 Steps to Living a Better Life. They are as follows:
1. Get Psyched
2. Have Fun
3. Pump It Up
4. Go For It
5. Enjoy
6. Drink Plenty of Fluids
7. Get Psyched

What was your life like when you almost hit rock bottom and how close to the bottom were you?
Well there's really no "almost" about it. I really did hit rock bottom - both literally and figuratively. I had just gotten fired from my job as a P.E. coach at Jefferson City Day School. I guess the school principal just didn't get my teaching methods. Her loss, not mine. So I took some time off to travel and audition for various reality TV shows. But nobody called me. At the time I was also heavily into Crystal Meth. One late night, I decided it'd be a good idea to try to jump off the local rock quarry into a lake. Only there wasn't a lake there. So I literally hit rock bottom. And I could tell because I was taken to the emergency room and that's what the doctors told me.

At any given moment, how psyched are you?
At any given moment I'm usually pretty damn psyched. But I want to make sure I maintain level of psychedness at all times, so I carry around a Psych-odometer. A Psych-odometer is an instrument I invented that can measure your psychedness level. My level of psychedness is always at least 6 ohms, which is a very healthy level.

If somebody's Psychedness Level is anywhere below 4 ohms, right off the bat I would say they're just not psyched enough. I have a Get Psyched Test that I ask my students to see if they need to be more psyched. Some questions include: Have you ever in your life felt stressed out? Have you ever felt down or sad? Have you ever gotten out of bed in the morning and thought to yourself, "Man, I'm still pretty tired. I wish I didn't have to get up and go to work. Things would be a whole lot better if I could just lie back down and not do anything"? Stuff like that. If anybody answers, "Yes" to 2 or more of the questions, they are suffering from a severe case of antipsychedification and should schedule an appointment for intense Psychedness therapy immediately. And if they answered "Yes" to 2 or less of the questions, they should still schedule an appointment sometime soon.

What are some activities that lower one's psyched level?
There are several activities that lower one's psyched level, such as death, rejection, taxes, conference calls, dentist appointments, and stubbing your toe. There are also several activities to increase one's psyched level such as music, dancing, puppetry, and shuttle runs.

Please share your strangest "only in New York" story.
I was presenting my Get Psyched seminar one Saturday afternoon in Central Park when some break-dancers took over my space and started dancing around me. Apparently they thought I was on their "turf". But I wouldn't budge, so the break-dancers continued to do the moonwalk, the worm, and the butterfly kick all around me while I gave my seminar. At one point I unknowingly served as an audience "plant" in their routine. While I was in the middle of explaining my 7 Steps, one of the break-dancers leaped over my head as the audience cheered. I think the break-dancers ended up earning more money than I did that day, but I know I changed a lot more lives.

Which New Yorker do you most admire?
That would have to be Regis Philbin. He's the most psyched human being I've ever encountered. I once took a measurement of his psychedness with my Psych-odometer: it was 8.7 ohms. That's twice the level of most humans. And it's very close to being a world record.

Given the opportunity, how would you change New York?
I wouldn't change a thing. Except I'd make it mandatory for subway conductors to say "get psyched" at the end of every one of their announcements. So they'd have to say, "Please stand clear of the closing doors. There is a train directly behind us. The next stop on this train is 23rd street. Get psyched."

Under what circumstance have you thought about leaving New York?
There is no way I'd ever leave New York. That being said, if I got an offer to present my Get Psyched seminars in another city with more money, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

What's your idea of a perfect day of recreation in New York?
First I'd climb up to the top of the Empire State Building and shout out my Get Psyched philosophy through a giant mega-phone to every single New Yorker who could hear me. Then I'd go to Times Square and single-handedly break the world record for psychedness on my Psych-odometer. Then l'd go to the movies and watch Spider Man III.

Tagged

And I

Better Life

city

dogs

downtown

east village

fun

gothamist

HAVE FUN

hospital

interview

It Up

new york

new york city

people

So I

Ben Kharakh

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain

Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 23, 2026

In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff

We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff

We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."

James Ramsay

A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings

Hannah Frishberg

A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history

Sonia Rao

The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.

Sonia Rao

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .