Angela Sullivan, head of communications for the Americas at Xero, a New Zealand-based company and a Peppercomm client, sits down with Steve and Paul to talk about how humor works in a large, global organization like Xero, and how the business owners they serve are learning to take a lighthearted approach in a challenging climate. On this episode, you’ll hear Angela’s thoughts on:

• The difference between humor in the U.S. and humor in New Zealand and Australia
• How humor is part of keeping it #human
• Using humor when confronted with microaggressions when she moved back to the U.S. from Asia as a teenager 

While Washington does its best to scoff at bipartisanship, two extraordinary women from opposite sides of the political spectrum have made it work – discussing serious matters while keeping it upbeat. Join us as we speak with CNN commentators and political/communications consultants Maria Cardona and Alice Stewart about how they are able to accomplish this. On this episode, you’ll hear:

• Maria sharing a very likable story about Hillary Clinton, whose alleged “unlikability” many pundits say cost her the 2016 election (30 min)
• Alice explaining how presidential candidate Mike Huckabee used self-deprecating humor to address the elephant in the room (28 min) 
• Their embarrassing moments they laugh at now – from accessorizing while on-air to travelling with a presidential candidate while hauling some pretty cumbersome luggage (34 min/38 min)

Listen to the full episode for more!

Communications professionals are behind the scenes at pretty much every major event you can imagine, and few are as versatile or cool under pressure as Jody Fisher, award-winning publicist and vice president at Austin Williams. Listen to some of his stories from working in journalism and PR:

• How he and a photographer had 10 seconds to snap a photo of the first sitting pope to visit a U.S. synagogue
• Doing man-on-the-street interviews with New Yorkers in the 1990s
• His cringeworthy story of taking a nap in a business meeting and receiving a rude awakening from none other than Rupert Murdoch

Listen to the full episode for more!

What do you do when your significant other breaks up with you, but you already have a vacation planned with a plane ticket in that person’s name? Well you look for someone with the exact same name on Reddit, of course, which will then lead you to be part of a reality TV-like saga that culminates in Ryan Reynolds taking you to dinner and saying he’d love to play you in an upcoming biopic. Join us as guest Jordan Axani, co-founder and educational director of Shift Collab, shares how his impossible story was part of the reason he embarked on a career advocating for mental wellness and owning your most vulnerable and cringeworthy moments. 

Special guest Anthony Scaramucci, head of global alternative investment firm SkyBridge Capital, joins Laughing Matters to talk about his infamous 11 days as White House Communications Director under then President Donald Trump and regales us with some of his best anecdotes involving Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and others. He also tells us why he believes self-deprecating humor humanizes every leader, and gives us a perspective from his “end” on how he got treated for cold symptoms on Air Force One.

(Advisory: This episode contains explicit language that may be offensive to some listeners). 

What do you do when you need to bring some levity to the world in the middle of a pandemic? For our latest guest, it’s hosting weekly musical jam sessions from his basement and streaming them live on Facebook! Join us for a compelling conversation with Jon Harris, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at Conagra Brands, who talks about how he came up with the idea for his weekly music segments, who he’d dream of rocking out with, and some great examples of how he has led with humor for some impressive and award-winning campaigns in the food and beverage space.

It’s not easy to find the humor in a tumor, but that’s exactly what our latest guest did! Join Steve and Paul for a conversation with Marian Salzman, senior vice president of communications at Philip Morris International, as she recounts her self-diagnosis of a benign brain tumor and her experience working with her doctors as a three-time brain tumor survivor. Humor played a major role in Marian’s ability to not only survive but thrive. She also explains her role at PMI in educating smokers and potential smokers about the dangers of tobacco. It can’t be easy trying to re-position a brand that’s always been associated with cigarettes, but Marian’s doing it and she’s using the power of humor to lead the rest of the organization.

In our inaugural episode, Steve and Paul chat with award-winning journalist and former Deputy Chief at the U.S. Department of Justice, Michael Zeldin, who has covered the Mueller investigation, the Clinton impeachment and the OJ Simpson murder trial. Listen to some of Michael's favorite lawyer jokes, how he uses humor to help him cope with the daily influx of negative news, and his reflections on the crazy days of '94 when the world was watching the LAPD chase OJ in his white Ford Bronco.