Some of you may or may not know this, but I am a former comedian! I performed improvisational and sketch comedy for almost 15 years and I loved it. While I’m no longer on stage a couple nights a week, I still love the art of improv comedy and used so many of the skills I gained doing improv in my everyday life: in my work, all the things. Yup, despite what you may realize, the foundational principles of improv are some of the most effective principles for doing life and business! My guest this week is Travis Thomas, the founder of Live Yes And!, which helps businesses and athletes and people apply the cornerstone improv mindset “YES, And!” This mindset focuses on life-transforming collaboration that results in greater profits, but more importantly a more engaged creative, innovative team. This was such a fun episode for me to do and I cannot wait for you to hear it! THE BASICS OF LIVE YES, AND! Travis has impacted thousands of people by teaching them improv skills that they can apply to everyday life. By working in many different areas over the years, Travis knows that it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, it’s all about building up life and relationships to grow creativity and collaboration. Travis and I talk about experiencing empathy, passion, and collaboration in his workshops and the importance of building trust and respect. NO MISTAKES IN IMPROV It is so easy to let what we think is a mistake determine our happiness or if we succeeded or failed. However, there are no mistakes in improv. Nothing is a mistake because you’re making up your own reality, and this can be applied to real life! Rather than looking at something as a mistake, and instead looking at something as making the best with what we have, life becomes so much better. Travis and I discuss how mistakes are just jumping off points and unexpected gifts. UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT One of the best things about improv is the unconditional support you get from your teammates, and the same can be said for business as well. Once you create and build up that trust, creativity and collaboration come naturally and you can start to take risks that you didn’t feel like you could before. Travis and I talk about the importance of this support and what prevents something good from becoming something great. About Travis Thomas, Founder of Live Yes And!: After 20 years of performing hundreds of improv comedy shows across the country, Travis Thomas has learned that the same principles that apply to improv comedy also apply to business, mental, and leadership skills. As an author, speaker, coach, improv comedian, and the Founder of Live Yes And!, Travis has been helping businesses and athletes apply the cornerstone improv mindset - “YES And!” - to succeed in life and business for the last 10 years. In the world of improvisation, “YES, And” means accepting whatever is being given to you, and then responding and building on that reality. Most of us live life in denial – saying “no” to reality. This leads to a life unfulfilled and lived in fear. Living “YES, And” is about accepting and embracing everything that is happening – even the bad stuff! Why? Because good or bad, the only way to move forward is by facing it and moving through it. As a professional public speaker and coach, Travis has trained thousands of people and dozens of organizations like the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, University of Georgia Football, US Soccer, Gatorade, PepsiCo., and Under Armour on the principles of improvisation and how developing a “YES, And” mindset will help create an engaged, creative, collaborative, and healthier life and workplace. CONNECT WITH TRAVIS:

• Website: http://liveyesand.com
• Instagram: @liveyesand
• Twitter: @LiveYesAnd
• Facebook: Live Yes, And
• LinkedIn: Travis Thomas
• Youtube: Travis Thomas

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