LaughBox

LaughBox

By Jim-Bob Williams and Katy BEEAlternative HealthHealth & FitnessMental HealthEducationSelf-Improvement
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LaughBox episodes

  • Episode 27: Interview with Izzy Gesell
    Where does superman go to change now that all of the phone booths are gone?  Great question, eh?  That’s what you get when you get to spend some time with speaker and comedian, Izzy Gesell.  Izzy shares his insights on how to mine the humor from your everyday life to connect with others and cope with the crap going on around you in this week’s Laughbox!
     
    More on Izzy...
    Izzy Gesell is an organizational alchemist who helps individuals and organizations transform their thinking from commonplace to extraordinary. Through his keynotes, trainings, coaching and facilitated sessions, Izzy offers imaginative, intuitive and immediately useful insights and programs. He is skilled at delivering meaningful material in a way that makes participants enjoy their time with him.
    One of the first to use Improv Theater concepts as tools for personal and organizational learning, Izzy is the author of Playing Along: Group Learning Activities Borrowed From Improvisation Theater,  The Resilient  Caregiver, a co-author of Cancer & the Healing Power of Play, a co-author of Humor Me: America’s Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter.
     His has authored 3 video courses on Linkedin Learning  & Lynda.com: “Essentials of Team Building”, “Humor in the Workplace”, & “Leading with Applied Improv.”
    Recognized by his peers, he has earned a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association. Less than 15% of NSA’s 4,000 members are CSPs
    A former stand –up comedian and public school teacher, Izzy was raised in Brooklyn NY. He has earned a BA in Psychology, an MS in Education and a P…. that’s 1/3 of a PhD and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
    Check out Izzy’s website at:  https://www.izzyg.com/
    32 min
  • Episode 26: Interview with Susan Sparks
    A trial lawyer, a pastor, and and a comedian walk into a bar…. That may sound like a great set up for a joke but it’s what actually happens when our guest, Susan Sparks, goes out on Saturday night ALL AT ONCE!  She’s been (or is) all of those things all wrapped up into one FABULOUS, FUNNY, AND FORTHCOMING person (okay, the last was just me needing another “F” word that wouldn’t make my mother blush).  Sit back and enjoy this interview with a person that is out there making a difference one laugh at a time!
     
    More on Susan (in her own words)...
    Hi y’all, I’m Susan Sparks—a trial lawyer turned preacher, comedian, speaker, author, and Harley-riding cowboy boot addict. I help people regain their grit and reclaim their joy.
    We all know life has curves.Things we never expect.Things that throw us into the wind or down to the ground.
    Trust me, I’ve been there. I’ve lived through a divorce, survived cancer, lost both parents, traveled solo around the world for two years and left a ten-year law practice to create a career as an ordained minister and a standup comedian. I know a bit about curves.
    Here’s what I’ve learned:
    Bends in the road are inevitable. But they are also where life takes flight. They are the places where we have the opportunity to face down our fears, accelerate through and become something more.
    After significant gambles and spectacular falls, I’ve learned to lean into the curves. Now thousands take inspiration and hope from the laughter and wisdom I lead with.
    Join me every week as I share The Shiny Side Up – my weekly journal pages where you’ll get infectious inspiration that will lift you up, make you smile and leave you stronger!
    Sign Up for The Shiny Side Up
    Want to take a walk on the wilder side? Tune in to my motorcycle YouTube broadcast: “Rev It Up!” where you’ll to lean into the curves and live full power.
    You can also connect with me live stream through my sermons via Madison Avenue Baptist Church, and live in person via my keynotes, comedy shows and workshops.
    Hey, we’re all on the same road. Why not face the curves and accelerate out together!
    You can get EVEN MORE on Susan on her website:  www.susansparks.com
    38 min
  • Episode 25: Interview with Yakov Smirnoff
    You loved him on the stage and big screen and now you’ll love him at the AATH conference! What a treat it was for me to spend a little time talking with Yakov Smirnoff on this week’s Laughbox podcast!  Admittedly, I was a little nervous going into it but he quickly put me at ease as he shared some of his insights on laughter, love, and relationships.  I can’t wait to hear more in San Diego!  Listen in!
     
    More on Yakov…
     
    Fans who loved the comedy of Russian born entertainer Yakov Smirnoff throughout his expansive career on television, the silver screen and Broadway can experience the hilarity once again in “Happily Ever Laughter: The Neuroscience of Romantic Relationships.” In this new show, audience members are left in stitches as they enjoy Yakov’s insightful and laughter-filled philosophies on love, relationships and the differences between men and women. The New York Times called Yakov, “Warm-hearted, delightful and splendidly funny.”
     
    A mainstay on the entertainment scene since the late 1970’s, Yakov co-starred in movies with Robin Williams in “Moscow on the Hudson“, Tom Hanks in “The Money Pit“, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson in “Heartburn” and Richard Pryor in “Brewster’s Millions.” Yakov has also given command performances at the White House for several presidents and honored guests. President Ronald Reagan called Yakov, “a national treasure.” Smirnoff was a regular guest star on the award winning NBC sitcom, Night Court. He has been a popular guest of numerous national TV shows including the Tonight Show. You’ve seen him on HBO and enjoyed his humor in his critically acclaimed Showtime special, “Yakov Smirnoff from Moscow…Idaho.”  From 1993 to 2015, Yakov performed at his own two-thousand-seat theater in Branson, Missouri where he entertained over four and a half-million people and produced several outstanding award-winning shows. His comedic style is firmly grounded within his mission statement, “to experience happiness and teach it to the world with passion through comedy and sensitivity.“
     
    Yakov’s quest to understand the science of happiness took him to the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a master’s degree in psychology in 2006 under the supervision of Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology. Today, in addition to being a comedian, Yakov is also an adjunct professor at Missouri State University where he teaches a course on happiness and laughter and is currently earning his Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education & Psychology in Los Angeles, CA.
    In “Happily Ever Laughter”, Yakov takes his comedy to a new level to showcase laughter’s effects on relationships and envisions a world where sadness and tears are replaced with love and laughter. Whether on stage or in a classroom, Yakov’s audiences love him. He is passionate about helping people extend the honeymoon stage of their relationships and “fall in love and laughter all over again.”
     
    Check out Yakov on his website:  http://www.yakov.com/
    27 min
  • Episode 24: Interview with Patty Wooten
    The Power of Levity After Gravity:  An Interview With Patty Wooten
     
    Laughing through a disaster?  Does that seem ludicrous?  Perhaps…but humor always finds a way.  From the treachery and turmoil or being a prisoner of war to the devastation that the recent natural disaster have wrought, humor finds a way.  On this week’s episode of Laughbox, I have the distinct honor of talking with someone who knows the power humor can have in helping you overcome the obstacle, get perspective, and gain strength….Patty Wooten!  I’ve been a long time admirer of Patty and her work.  Some people talk about humor and some get out there and try to use it’s power to make a difference in the world.  Patty has been making a difference for nearly 40 years and, today, she can make a difference for you!  
     
    More on Patty…
     
    From hospital clown to humorist & professional speaker to nurse retention and renewal specialist, Patty has  made her living for more than 20 years studying, applying and sharing the many ways humor and laughter provide therapeutic benefits to individuals and groups.
     
    Even more on Patty in her own voice… 
     
    Since the mid-1980s, I have been speaking, writing and, in general, serving as an advocate and spokesperson for the therapeutic benefits of humor. At the bedside, in the workplace, and at conferences of every kind, I have seen humor work magic and have shared what I’ve learned with hundreds of thousands of people.
     
    I have been on a television panel with humor scholars, such as Dr. Vera Robinson, and Dr. Bill Fry. I’ve clowned with Patch Adams long before the hit movie about his work. And I’ve even been the mystery guest on the hit TV game show, To Tell the Truth. It’s been a fun ride!
     
    While involved with the early leaders of the modern therapeutic humor movement, I have had the pleasure of being a charter member of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, and a long-time member of the International Society for Humor Studies. These two organizations are invaluable for helping our field promote important and accurate information about the many humor and laughter work their magic. In 1999, I was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by my AATH peers.
     
    I have spoken in nearly every state in the U.S. and in 11 foreign countries. I guess being a leader in a field for more than 20 years does result in quite an accumulation of knowledge and some element of notoriety.
     
    Okay, I guess it’s true. Somehow, my life’s journey has earned me the title, “The Icon of Therapeutic Humor.” I’ll humbly accept the title and will continue to work hard to bring humor and laughter to deserving audiences around the world. 
     
    You can get EVEN more on Patty on her website:  www.pattywooten.com
    34 min
  • Episode 23: Interview with Drew Tarvin
    Are we there yet?  I have to go to the bathroom!  I’m hungry!  Yes, I’ve been on enough road trips with my kids to know that they’re not as fun as you imagine before the trip begins.  But that’s because I travelled with them and NOT Drew Tarvin!  Drew’s a comedian, speaker, author, entrepreneur and spent a year traveling to ALL 50 states and sharing a laugh with the residents there.  On this week’s episode, he shares a little about his travels and how you can curate the comedy in your own life to make a positive impact for yourself and those around you.  Take a listen….but have a pen and paper ready ahead of time (you’re going to want to take notes)!   
     
    More on Drew…
     
    Andrew Tarvin is the world’s first Humor Engineer teaching people how to get better results while having more fun.
     
    Through his company, Humor That Works, Andrew has helped more 25,000 people at 250+ organizations—including P&G, GE, ESPN, Microsoft, the U.S. Navy, PepsiCo, and the International Association of Canine Professional—learn to be more productive, less stressed, and happier. Combining his background in business with his experience as an international comedian, his programs are engaging, entertaining, and effective.
     
    Prior to starting his company, Andrew was a top-rated project manager at Procter & Gamble, managing million dollar projects for a $350 million business. He is also an accomplished comedian, having performed in more than 1,000 shows all around the world.
     
    Andrew is the best-selling author of Humor That Works: 501 Ways to Beat Stress, Increase Productivity, and Have Fun at Work, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and FastCompany, and his TEDx talk has been viewed over 100,000 times. He has delivered programs in 50 states, 18 countries, and 1 planet (Earth). He loves the color orange and is obsessed with chocolate.
     
    You can get more on Drew on his website:   http://andrewtarvin.com/
    40 min
  • Episode 22: Interview with Gina Barecca
    “If you lean in, will men just look down your blouse?”  is the new book and this week on Laughbox we discuss that and a lifetime of laughter with Dr. Gina Barreca!  What an honor it was for me to spend some time talking to someone who isn’t afraid to tackle the tough issues and is able to get people to listen because of her smart humor.  You’re not going to want to miss this episode!
    More on Gina…
    Dr. Gina Barreca has appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, CNN, the BBC, NPR and Oprah to discuss gender, power, politics, and humor. Her earlier books include the bestselling They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted: Women’s Strategic Use of Humor, It’s Not That I’m Bitter, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World, and Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League. Of the other six books she’s written or co-written, several have been translated into to other languages–including Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and German.  Called “smart and funny” by People magazine and “Very, very funny. For a woman,” by Dave Barry, Gina was deemed a “feminist humor maven” by Ms. Magazine. Novelist Wally Lamb said “Barreca’s prose, in equal measures, is hilarious and humane.”
     
    Gina’s weekly columns from The Hartford Courant are now distributed internationally by the Tribune Co. and her work has appeared in most major publications, including The New York Times, The Independent of London, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Cosmopolitan, and The Harvard Business Review. She’s Professor of English and Feminist Theory at the University of Connecticut and winner of UConn’s highest award for excellence in teaching. Gina has delivered, often as a repeat guest, keynotes at events organized by The Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, the National Writers Workshop, the Women’s Campaign School at Yale and the National Association of Independent Schools, The Chicago Humanities Festival, Women In Federal Law Enforcement, Chautauqua and The Smithsonian–to name a few.
     
    Her B.A. is from Dartmouth College, where she was the first woman to be named Alumni Scholar, her M.A. is from Cambridge University, where she was a Reynold’s Fellow, and her Ph.D. is from the City University of New York, where she lived close to a good delicatessen. A member of the Friars’ Club and the first female graduate of Dartmouth College invited to have her personal papers requested by the Rauner Special Collections Library, Gina can be found in the Library of Congress or in the make-up aisle of Walgreens. She grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island but now lives with her husband in Storrs, CT. Go figure.
     
    You can get more info on Gina and BUY HER BOOKS here: http://ginabarreca.com/
    44 min
  • Episode 21: Interview with JulieAnn Sullivan
    A funny CPA?  It could be an oxymoron or it could be Julie Ann Sullivan…or both?  This week I had the pleasure of talking with Julie Ann about her work in helping people practice gratitude and live healthier, more fulfilled lives.  We laughed a lot and I learned a lot.  I think you’ll get some strategies you can put into practice right away.
     
    More on Julie Ann…
    Julie Ann Sullivan speaks from experience. Many people consider her “a revolutionary.” She does not shy away from that title! She believes when people are given a new way of thinking they have a better attitude towards work and life. Julie Ann seeks to bring a more positive and productive environment into every business she visits. She is an author and a professional member of the National Speakers Association.
    Julie Ann was a CPA and spent decades involved in the financial services industry.  Now speaking full time, she is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and a member of the World Laughter Tour, Inc. and the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor.
    She has a diverse educational background which includes a BA in Psychology and an MBA in Accounting. She also has a Certification as an Expert Level Practitioner as a Certified Laughter Leader.
    Julie Ann is also an accomplished writer. Her newest book is titled, “A Little Bit of GRATITUDE Goes a Long Way.”
    You can get EVEN MORE on Julie Ann Here:  http://www.julieannsullivan.com/
    44 min
  • Episode 20: Interview with Margarita Gurri
    Sassy?  YES!  Saucy?  YES!  Seasoned?  Absolutely!  Those are the three adjectives I’d always use to describe this week’s guest, Dr. Margarita Gurri.  Whether you’re looking for strategies on how to incorporate humor in the workplace or the bedroom (or both…hopefully not simultaneously), Margarita has got the goods.  We talk, very candidly, about her roots as a Cuban American and how humor has been an integral part of her life and her practice as a psychologist.  Take a load off and listen in!
    More on Margarita…
    Dr. Margarita Gurri is a sassy, seasoned speaker, consulting psychologist, and author with a presentation style that makes even the toughest audiences melt. With a fun, interactive style of communicating she invites audiences to practice key communication skills needed to foster leadership qualities, stress management, and deal with difficult people. Dr. Gurri’s keen insights and practical solutions offer immediate skills with long-term results for brighter futures.
    You can reach Margarita and get EVEN more info on her here:  http://redshoeinstitute.com/
    48 min
  • Episode 19: Interview with Barb Grapstein
    You’ve seen her.  You’ve probably received a card or phone call from her.  She’s smart, she’s funny and, yes, she used to be a hair model…she’s Barbara Grapstein!  Yes, this week I get to talk to Barbara Grapstein.  Barbara shares her own humor story and how it spurred an international quest to make a difference through her non-profit organization, Healing Headbands.  Take a listen and find out how Barbara is making a difference at home and abroad through laughter and art!  
     
    More on Barbara…
    Barbara Grapstein is the founder and CEO of Healing Headbands Project Inc. As a Global Laughter Ambassador, Certified Laughter Leader and Laughter Yoga Instructor, Barbara's passion is her never ending devotion to helping others through philanthropy complemented by her entrepreneurial spirit. Barbara is actively involved with several organizations including the Association of Applied Therapeutic Humor(AATH), Steve Wilson's World Laughter Tour and Comedy Cures. Barbara is a featured guest on WCWP 88.1 N-Joy show and is well traveled.
    Barbara has had the privilege of engaging with many influencers and leaders in the field including the "Guru of India", Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga. Barbara is a corporate consultant for holistic health, stress management and serves to help children and families living with cancer. The program currently runs in child life centers, universities and hospitals in the North East.
    More on Healing Headbands…
    Healing Headbands Project is a nonprofit organization based in Sea Cliff, New York. Our purpose is to inspire others to develop a healing mindset by integrating laughter with art. Our core program helps healing communities realize their full potential through laughter exercises that awaken the creative mind. We then encourage those participating to express themselves and capture the moment through painting. The artwork is custom printed on special soft UV protected fabric, made into headbands and then delivered with 100% love. Our goal is to build a foundation of joy as a whole consciousness and express to others that through this creation process we hold the power to heal. Wearing a Healing Headband is a daily reminder that happiness is a state of mind.
    Over the past year, we have reached several communities with the Healing Headbands Project and have received a growing number of requests to integrate the project into schools, hospitals and organizations. We are ready to make this happen and to scale our work to a larger audience. We will train hundreds of young leaders that embody the ethos of our mission to share our world healing project.
    Want even more?  Go to http://www.healingheadbands.com/
    34 min
  • Episode 18: Interview with Linda MacNeal
    She’s worked for the circus, she’s an accomplished gymnast, she knows Japanese, she’s run a successful computer training company, she’s a FSP (Former Serious Person)….she’s Linda MacNeal!
     
    This week on Laughbox I got to have a conversation with a dear friend and colleague, Linda MacNeal.  Seriously, there’s not much she hasn’t done and she shares IT ALL with us and also how she came to use humor in all aspects of her life.  Tune in and turn up the volume for this interview with an amazing woman!
     
    A little on Linda’s humor timeline:
     
    Serious Education: 1967-1973
    MA in Japanese Linguistics, University of Hawaii
    Graduate of Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Clown College
     
    Not-So-Serious Jobs: 1973-1978
    Taught Clowning at the famous New York 92nd Street Y
    Clown Professor at NYC College New School
    Hula Dancer at NYC Museum of Natural History
    Margaret Mead's 75th birthday entertainment!
     
    The Computer Years: 1978 - 2000
    Worked for IBM in NYC as a Marketing Representative
    Worked for IBM in NYC as a Marketing RepresentativeIn 1982 founded ComputerEase,
    In 1982 founded ComputerEase, a NYC computer training firmAuthored 6 computer books
    Authored 6 computer books including: Excel for Treasury Managers,Cash Management Templates and Excel Macros.
    Cash Management Templates and Excel Macros.
     
    The Laughter Years: 2000 – till laughter ever after
    Linda is a keynote speaker, CLL, Certified Laughter Leader,
    Linda is a keynote speaker, CLL, Certified Laughter Leader,
    Linda is a keynote speaker, CLL, Certified Laughter Leader, team building
    Linda is a keynote speaker, CLL, Certified Laughter Leader, team building
    facilitator, and ice-breaker games innovator.Linda is a seasoned professional at helping people drop their social facade
    Linda is a seasoned professional at helping people drop their social facade and have lots of good ol' fashioned FUN! 
     
    You can contact Linda and get more information on her here:  http://humorsolutions.com
    41 min

About LaughBox

From the publisher's feed

This humor and wellness podcast features stories, insights, and expert conversations about laughter as a healing modality, humor for mental health, and how humor helps reduce stress, anxiety, and burnout. Each episode offers uplifting humor, practical tools, and real-life applications of therapeutic humor as a coping mechanism for navigating hard moments with humanity and heart. The official podcast of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor