"Just play.  Have fun.  Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan

Are you ready to have some fun?  I am but, then again, I'm always up for having some fun.  But did you know that fun can be functional in improving employee productivity and engagement?  

This episode's guest, Jess Ruggieri, is the Director of Inclusion at the Fun Department and she specializes in helping organizations do just that...using play to enhance the culture and create places where people want to be.  We talk about a lot of cool stuff in this episode but, more importantly after listening to it, you're going to walk away with some strategies you can employ RIGHT NOW to make a difference for you and your team.

This is our last episode of the calendar year.  Thanks for being a great audience and please don't forget to register for the AATH conference, April 4-7th 2019 in Chicago Illinois.  You'll get more information on how to use humor and meet cool people like Jess.  Check us out at www.aath.org.

More on Jess....

Jess Ruggieri has found her place as the ambassador of inclusion at the fun dept., a training and coaching company driven by the implementation of "innovative solutions for a happier, healthier, more connected workplace.”  Featured on various news and media outlets, the fun dept.’s clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those with as few as 10 employees and is partnered with Zappos’s training company, Delivering Happiness.

Jessica's history with the fun dept. goes back nine years when the founder, Nick Gianoulis, went out of his way to work from her coffee shop. “I simply wanted to create a fun and welcoming environment for both my staff and my customers,” she said.  It took Jessica nine years to make a career jump.  With her extensive experience in management, psychology, interpersonal communication, organizational processes, training & development, and having received her Master’s in Health Promotion and her certification as a Health & Fitness Coach, Jessica landed her dream job—utilizing her passions and skill sets to impact company culture.

“It is a simple and unique systematic approach where we teach companies how to design appropriate ‘play’ techniques to connect and de-stress employees.” Jessica and the fun dept. team have been “playing it forward” to improve work environments for customers, employees, and the bottom line!

Connect with her direct!

[email protected]

cell 302-383-9934

thefundept.com

@jdruggieri

www.linkedin.com/in/jdruggieri

Have you registered for the conference yet?  If you haven't, you should!  Why?  Because you'll hear more from this episode's freaky smart guest, Piotr Pluta.  The annual AATH conference is the 7th through 9th of April, 2019 in Chicago!  If you're serious about humor, you won't want to miss it.  Go here to get more info and to register!

On this episode, we're digging deep and talking about the psychology of humor.  My guest, Piotr Pluta, shares some of the research he has been doing in the area of humor profiles and gives us a "teaser" of what he'll be sharing at the conference.

Grab something to write with...you're going to want to take notes!  Enjoy!

More on Piotr Pluta..

Piotr Pluta is the author and administrator of the Psychology of Humor Blog. He has an MSc in psychology from the University of Wroclaw, Poland; he also studied at the University of Valencia, Spain, and the East Carolina University in Greenville, USA. Piotr is currently the Managing Director responsible for consultancy at Human Factors AS in Oslo, Norway.

As many other psychology students at the end of his junior year, Piotr had a life-changing decision to make: chose a research problem for his master thesis.

At that time he had been wondering for a while already, why is it that although people laugh and try to make others laugh so much and so often; close to none systematic thought was being given to it in any of the psychology classes. No humor-theories or studies were being mentioned in any textbooks, not even an attempt at defining humor was made. Humor was everywhere – it seemed – but nobody was taking it seriously!

In the course of doing research for his master thesis, he discovered otherwise – there were a lot of serious psychologists researching humor, who in addition have produced a great deal of work. Leave alone Freud, Koestler and Apter, Piotr has read much more than required for his thesis (which discussed the role of humor in persuasion) and got acquainted with the field fairly well.

He continues to take humor seriously: Piotr is a member of the International Society for Humor Studies; is involved in a research project investigating the strategic role humor plays in one of the popular HR training tools, participates and presents on international conferences, and has developed a humor-workshop he delivers as an organizational consultant.

Piotr is primarily interested in the following areas of humor research: organizational psychology studies of humor, advancement in the cognitive theories of humor, humor in cross-cultural encounters, and the pedagogical use of humor in presentations and training.

Connect with him on his website: http://www.psychologyofhumor.com/

"In order for the parts to be well, the whole must be well." -Plato

Are you ready to get your wellness jam on?  I AM!  And, this week, we're doing just that with wellness expert, Jessika Jake.  She's a super smart person and she shares it all with us in this exclusive pre-conference interview!

Get ready to learn about the eight (YES, EIGHT) dimensions of wellness as we journey into the inner workings of your being.  Okay, I was trying to make that sound cool and dramatic but it ended up flat.  Regardless, get ready to learn.  Grab something to write with and get prepped to be well.  Jessika has got the wellness goods!

More on Jessika...

Jessika is a STEM and Wellness instructor, edutainer, author, instructional designer, coach, and consultant hanging out at the nexus of wellness and technology. Perfect is not an option, so she likes to focus on educating and inspiring people to get "better and betterer" across the 8 dimensions of wellness. Her fave areas these days include; mindset and micro-behavior changes, stress reduction, workplace wellness, Positive Psychology, and alignment of strategy and execution to ensure success across the breadth of wellness goals. In summary, her motto is: Feel awesome. Do awesome. 

Get more on Jessika at: 

EmanantWellness.com

Are you registered for the AATH conference?  It's coming up fast in Chicago, Illinois from the 7th through the 9th of April, 2019.  Check it out and register HERE!

Suicide isn't something we talk about in our society.  There's a stigma associated with it that keeps most of us from having the conversations that need to be had.

Frank King is the guest and suicide is the topic.  Frank is a comedian and former writer for the tonight show but don't let the funny man business fool you.  He's struggled with his own bouts with this topic. 

He shares his own journey but also dispels the myths surrounding suicide.  Most importantly, he shares about how about getting the conversation started and where to go for help when it's needed (links are at the bottom).

I hope you get as much from our conversation as I did.  Please share it.

More on Frank...

Frank King, aka The Mental Health Comedian, is a Suicide Prevention and Postvention Public Speaker and Trainer who turned a lifelong battle with depression into a keynote worth spreading.After writing for the Tonight Show for 20-plus years and performing corporate comedy, Frank’s attention…His mission is to end the stigma surrounding mental health by share his insights with anyone and everyone who will listen in an effort to “start the conversation.”

Frank has thought about killing himself more times than he can count. Like many of us, depression and suicide run in his family. He addresses his own trials and tribulations using a tool people from all walks of life can relate to, humor. With his TED Talk A Matter of Life or Death” he openly addresses topics considered taboo in today’s society.

He believes that where there is humor there is hope. And where there is laughter there is life… Nobody dies laughing.

Frank is originally from North Carolina and now spends his off days in the Pacific Northwest. He travels the United States and beyond spreading his message, hoping to end the stigma surrounding mental health, and influencing the general public to start the conversation.

LINKS FOR HELP:

https://www.nami.org/

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

https://www.thementalhealthcomedian.com/

Well.....IT HAPPENED AGAIN!  My mind got blown by my guest this week with all the cool stuff that I learned from her.  Plus, she sang me a song.

That's right!  The guest is Dorothy Pincus and the topic is awesomeness.  Okay, not really but....REALLY!  She shares her journey of how her voice led her into a life of humor, laughter and healing.  Listen until the end....she's got some pipes!  ENJOY!

More on Dorothy...

Dorothy Pincus (The Human Instrument), is a graduate of the Institute of Psycho-Structural-Balancing (IPSB). She is a Motivational Speaker, hosts workshops, Practitioner Jorei/Reiki Practitioner, Life Coach in Music with CCF (Certified Coaches Federation, Tuning/Sound therapy at Sound Therapy Center, and a Laughter Yoga Leader with Laughter Yoga University/USA. Dorothy is the author of The Spoken Gospel (A one-woman journey through transformation), How to Date Yourself and Fall in Love) and have two poems in the 2018 ONTHEBUS-23 issue. She also is the producer of AYHOU sound/tuning project.

Dorothy has over 20+ years in the music world singing, writing and extended roles of acting and voiceover. She has worked with Legendary artist such as Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Nine Inch Nails, Mariah Carey, Will I Am, Toni Braxton, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dog, Tupac all over the world and studio sessions, Tours, TV appearances with many icons in the business. She also was a vocal mentor for the audition process of American Idol and B-booth the finale year in 2016 and has appeared on the Voice as a vocal supporter. Dorothy is an active member of the United States of Women of Southern California, Women Economic Forum, The Holistic Chamber of Commerce, The Sound Therapy Center and Applied Association for Therapeutic Humor.

Connect with her on her website: 

www.meetup.com/LOL-Holistic-Yoga-LA

I get to talk to some really cool people on this podcast and this week is no different.  Jim Wasserman is the guest and he's lived life in the trenches...with Middle School students.  I don't know how he did it (I didn't even like my own kids when they were middle schoolers).  We talk a little about that but also how he's found some peace and solitude living his third life.  I know you'll enjoy Jim as much as I did!

More on Jim...

Born of a Tennessee man and a proper English woman, Jim was born in a log castle as a citizen of the once, yet eternally, independent Republic of Texas.

Jim’s parents often took him to far away and exotic places, only to be disappointed when Jim managed to find his way back. Finally left on his own, Jim was raised by a travelling band of sloths, accounting for his belief that his appearance, dress, and temperament are “normal.” He called the jungle home, at least until he learned proper English and then correctly called jungle “jungle” and the place he lived in “home.”

Jim was “finding himself” (his parents’ phrase) during his college years till he graduated with a degree in psychology and religion (His senior thesis on southern US Jewish communities was docked points for being titled “Red-neck or Eth-neck?”). Discovering a gift for gab, Jim became a litigation attorney and then a teacher (claiming an expertise in history, government, economics, public speaking, and anything else where there is not a definite  right or wrong answer).

Jim met the love of his life through the disembodied, yet oh so personal, medium of the first internet dating sites (the magical land where everyone is tall, has an “athletic build,” and hair). Although wiser than Jim, Jiab still has no reply to his argument-winning line: “I’m obviously smarter than you; look whom each of us chose to marry.” Together, Jim and Jiab have found bliss in raising two boys that are the light of their lives, though aside from these two house cats, they also have two sons who seem to eat and sleep a lot.

Whether demonstrating his own original martial arts moves (such as “curl up in a fetal position and cry like a baby till they stop punching you”) or developing new excuses for losing tennis matches (“The net is higher on my side of the court”), Jim has led a life governed by a single creed, “Dignity is overrated.”

Connect with Jim on his blog:  http://yourthirdlife.com/

Have you ever talked with someone so smart that you wonder how they function talking to ordinary people like you? That’s what it is like when I talk with this episode’s guest, Dr. Gurinder Bains. Seriously, this guy has got a huge brain. I had the pleasure of serving with him on the Board of Directors and got to know that he’s also got a wicked sense of humor…must be why he hangs with AATH, eh? In our interview, he shares some of his previous research that he’s done but also what he’s currently working on. Grab something to write with because you’re going to want to take some notes from this incredible person! Enjoy!

Want more great content like this?  Come to the AATH conference in April 2019!  Humor is serious fun!  Check it out at www.aath.org

Gurinder Singh Bains, MD PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Primary Research Coordinator for the School of Allied Health at Loma Linda University. He has been a co-author in over 25 publications. He received his PhD from Loma Linda University, MD from Ross University Medical School, and a BSc in Finance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has been involved in research that includes humor/laughter, inflammation, high intensity exercise and weight loss, sleep, blood flow, and back pain. His PhD dissertation focused on how humor and laughter can enhance short-term memory in the elderly. Dr. Bains has presented at numerous scientific meetings and his research has gained worldwide media attention such as ABC News Worldwide, CNN, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Men's Journal, FOX News, and Huffington Post to name a few.

Her enormous brain is only matched by her quick wit and her dance moves when the Bee Gee’s start playing.  Dr. Melissa Mork shares it all with us in this episode of Laughbox.  Enjoy!

Dr. Melissa Baartman Mork is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement at the University of Northwestern. 

She is a Certified Humor Professional and the former director of the Humor Academy, the three-year college-level Humor Studies program for the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. She is the mother of two beautiful children and the widow of one hot Norwegian.

At Northwestern, Dr. Mork teaches courses in General Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Psychology of Counseling, Psychological Ethics, and How to Diagnose Your Family and Friends without Their Knowing. 

Although her kids don’t think she’s very funny, Dr. Mork makes herself laugh. A lot. She even has “FUNNY” on her license plate. Her one claim to fame is when Jimmy Fallon read her tweet on “#hashtags”.