Join us as we chronicle the 2024 AATH Conference with first hand interviews, sounds from the actual conference and some opportunities to giggle and guffaw! 

Hear from some of the keynote speakers, breakout rooms and takeaways from this year's conference!

We are unable to name all of the amazing folks that are on this, and we would like to thank all of the organizers for making this amazing conference happen!

Special thanks to INSYNC Photography and Design for their amazing photography! Our AV crew was also spectacular as usual! 

For images and more info about the conference head to 

https://www.aath.org/

https://www.facebook.com/healthyhumor

Ros Ben-Moshe is a Laughter, Wellbeing and Positivity author, academic and practitioner. She is Adjunct lecturer at the School of Public Health and Psychology at La Trobe University, Melbourne, where she coordinates the Australian-first Laughter, Resilience and Wellbeing online short course for professionals. Her latest book, The Laughter Effect – How to Build Joy, Resilience and Positivity in Your Life will be translated into 8 different languages. It follows her highly acclaimed first book, Laughing at cancer – How to Heal with Love, Laughter and Mindfulness. Ros is frequently sought after for her expert opinion on radio, TV and mainstream media. She has written for publications such as The Canberra Times, Huffington Post, and Wellbeing Magazine. More: https://ros-benmoshe.com

Richard Hawk
The Leading Expert on Making Safety Fun

It’s rare to find someone who is both a safety professional and an entertaining speaker and trainer. Richard Hawk has been in the safety and health field for more than 30 years. He spent 15 of them as a safety professional in the nuclear industry and as a safety advisor on constructions projects. Richard’s background also includes theater, where he toured with acting companies and wrote a musical which was produced by Emerson College in Boston. His depth of knowledge and extensive experience make for content-rich, behavior-changing learning programs that are truly “fun.”

Safety Expert

Richard holds numerous safety and technical certifications from various organizations including the National Safety Council (NSC), the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), and The National Registry of Radiation Protection Technologists (NRRPT). He stays on the leading edge of the safety industry through his interactions with thousands of leaders in hundreds of organizations in a wide array of industries. These include energy, manufacturing, chemical, construction, healthcare, technology, retail, food services, transportation, government, and education.

Safety Industry Author

Since 1999, Richard’s bi-weekly Safety Stuff e-zine acts as a clearinghouse for the best ideas from thousands of safety professionals around the globe. He is the author of four popular books: Spice It Up! 52 Easy Ways Turn Your Safety Meetings From Bland to Grand, The Safety Leader’s Guide Book, Just Imagine!, and 250 Super Bright Safety Meeting and Promotional Ideas. His articles are regularly published in safety magazines, and he is a monthly columnist for the U.S. national safety magazine —Safety & Health.

Safety Speaker, Trainer, and Coach

Richard has a talent for connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and industries. His experiences as a union and nonunion employee, manager, safety leader; and now successful business owner, give him the insight to relate to people at all levels, from new employees to CEOs, truck drivers to scholars.

He has been a featured speaker at international conventions for Fortune 500 companies’ safety leaders; he’s presented to engineers and plant managers in India and Dubai, Canadian CEO’s as well as Japanese technicians. He has been a popular keynote speaker three times at the NSC’s Annual Congress & Expo, the largest annual safety convention in North America.

Richard is an avid pool player and an accomplished musician and songwriter. He lives in Southern New Jersey with his wife, Jackie.

Email: richard@makesafetyfun.com

Website: https://www.makesafetyfun.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/makesafetyfun

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makesafetyfun

#safety #humor #funny # educational #Podcast #play

Gina Ramsey, based in Superior, WI, is passionate about making a difference through humor, inspiration, and connection. Her book, "Burnt Gloveboxes: Embracing Life When It Goes Up In Flames," humorously navigates life's unexpected moments. Celebrated for her on-demand singing impersonations and love of screaming rubber chickens, Gina infuses her presentations with memorable charm. Let’s go on a journey of blending humor, positivity, and actionable strategies for manifesting success and well-being.

LINKS: 

Website: http://www.ginaramseyauthor.com

Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/ginaramseyauthor429

Mike Lukas grew up in Cleveland and was a successful internationally touring comedian and improvisor (NBC, Comedy Central, Second City, CBS Radio, A&E) for twenty-four years before he decided to hang up his clown shoes and give writing a full time go.

Now hammering his keyboard out of Dallas, Mike co-raises his two babies when he’s not pumping out sports blogs, short stories, novels, and non-fiction books that unlock the secrets of the universe.

Website: https://funnymuscle.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeLukas4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikelukas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mike.Lukas4/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-lukas-writer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mlukas1111/

Our New Year Episode is a repost of Adam Williams of the Live a Beautiful Life Podcast interviewing Katy BEE about Joy First Foundation.

https://www.liveabeautifullifepodcast.com/

photo by Nick Le

A place to explore the many paths that lead to living a beautiful life.

For more information on Joy First Foundation - head on over to https://www.joyfirst.org/

Adam is a musician and vocalist who created this podcast to study emotions in an in depth way with high empathy and understanding. His podcast covered subjects like death and dying, self-doubt, addiction and recovery, trauma recovery and more.

His new song Healing is out and can be found here:

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/dN-7ge0voro

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3hkulId6joIUevsb0ESeLE?si=78e8449d82164a12

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/healing/1606394176?i=1606394177

If you feel you need a healing, listen to the song!

His YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@adamwilliamsmusic9928?si=f9tNy-drj9bJiy7i

He has an amazing voice, and a deep interest in the human condition and connecting us.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamreedwilliams/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adamreedwilliams

In the name of FUN and PLAY we repost Jess Ruggieri from episode 47 with Chip Lutz, Enjoy!!

"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!

jess@thefundept.com

cell 302-383-9934

thefundept.com

@jdruggieri

www.linkedin.com/in/jdruggieri

Roberta is the 2023-2024 president of AATH! Hail to the Chief! LOL

Sign up for her free weekly newsletter, Laughter Rocks! at: www.laf4u.com

Roberta Gold is a Recreation Therapist and a Certified Humor Professional who founded Laughter for the Health of it in 1985 with one mission: To empower everyone to have a more positive outlook by seeing the humor instead of the horror in our world.

Roberta’s Background
Roberta Gold is a Recreation Therapist and uses humor therapeutically. Her proprietary program, Laughter for the Health of it has helped countless businesses, healthcare facilities, schools, organizations, and many others to realize that laughter truly can be the best medicine for whatever ails you, your colleagues, your associates, your family, your staff and your friends.

She is a Certified Humor Professional (CHP) with more than 30 years of experience as a keynote and breakout speaker, as well as a consultant which many have come to rely on, for her insight and instruction on how to invoke humor into personal or professional settings in order to improve communication. Roberta facilitates interactive staff retreats, and has served as a de facto conflict resolution assistant for dozens of organizations. Roberta is an advisor for the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor’s Humor Academy (www.aath.org).

Roberta also:

• Teaches classes for domestic violence survivors providing ways to laugh again.
• Custom tailors her presentations to the specific needs of each organization, such as:
  • Life Is An Attitude
  • Game Changing Tactics For Life Changing Moments
  • The Family That Laughs Together Stays Together
  • Humorizing Ways to Resolve Classroom Conflicts and Build Self Esteem
  • Too Many Hot Peppers? Use Humor to Cool the Fire and Improve Communication
  • Fear Factor Breakthrough: Using Humor to Face your Fears and Phobias

Roberta’s Writings

Her book:

• The Family that Laughs Together… A Quick Guide to Sanity When You Feel Like Screaming
• Laughter Rocks! Tips & Tools to Keep Your Cool and Have a More Positive Mindset

A published author of numerous articles and a contributing author in over 12 books including:

• The Power of Transformation: Reinventing Yourself
• The Community Book Project – 20/20 Vision
• Your Glasses Are on Top of Your Head: Tales of Life, Longevity and Laughter

See more books she is a contributor in on her author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/robertagold

To learn more about Roberta, or more importantly learn how to nurture your own “Humor Bone” contact us today.

Dave, an award winning film and television writer, cartoonist, author, musician and voice actor, has had his writing compared to the likes of Ray Bradbury and David Lynch and his cartoon work to that of Charles Schulz, one of Dave’s idols. As senior writer and head of cartoons at National Lampoon, he put out two best-selling cartoon collections while handling writing and cartooning for the flagship magazine. He was also involved with Comic Relief. His early work includes art for Tim Allen and Robert Wuhl’s HBO specials and, as cartoonist and writer for Tiger Beat's Superteen Magazine he created the popular cartoon Toon Groupies©. Dave’s character Snuggy Bear© was licensed for multiple brands including children’s eyewear by Crystal Clear Vision Group, selling out worldwide after a highly successful premiere in NYC at the International Vision Expo. Dave is also the creator of the popular Hackidu characters for Everybody Loves Raymond.

Dave has illustrated several popular children’s books including Bellaboo, the Purple Princess written by General Hospital star Nancy Lee Grahn and The Lemming Shepherds, distributed throughout China and Taiwan and is being adapted into a feature film. He illustrated and helped edit the book Full Frontal Tenudity from famed comedienne Judy Tenuta. Dave’s own book, Brain Explosion (Bear Manor Media Publishing), a collection of his cartoons and writings from his National Lampoon days has become a best-seller and is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Dave's kids show, Professor Creepy's Scream Party(c) had huge premieres at the 2013 Phoenix Comic Con and Son of Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank, CA. It has been receiving rave reviews and was written up in iconic Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine (April, 2013). Professor Creepy won the Bronze trophy at the 2014 International Independent Film Awards and was an official selection in the 2014 R.I.P. Horror Film Festival. The pilot was picked up for airing on the Monster Channel, August, 2017 and in 2018 was the top show on Roku's Around the World in 80 Screams, airing on 28 networks on Halloween. Dave’s documentary, From Cheesecake to Cheesecake: The Joy Harmon Story (WGAw), about the life of 1960's film/TV icon Joy Harmon, won the 2013 Hollywood & Vine Film Festival and was a top five finalist in the prestigious 2014 Taste Awards and won the Silver trophy at the 2014 International Independent Film Awards.

Dave’s sitcom pilot Against Type, starring Roland Kickinger (Terminator Salvation), Stephen Furst (Animal House) and ICarly's Jennette McCurdy, aired domestically in over forty US markets and was picked up for international distribution by the Global Broadcasting Company in Spring, 2010, CETV (Chinese Entertainment Television) and The Dish Network's Simply Kids channel in 2011. It was also a finalist in the 2015 Taste Awards. Dave is a successful infomercial writer/director in China and his voice work can be heard on the SyFy Channel films Path of Destruction and Lake Placid vs. Anaconda and in the animated series Alien House, co-starring Kim Possible’s Christy Carlson Romano and the new series Cozmo's.  Dave was also a celebrity judge on ICN TV China’s top rated talent competition show, American Stars. He is in the classic rock documentary What is Classic Rock (2018) and entered his documentary Ask Me if I C.A.R.E. into festivals. In October, 2016, Dave's song, I am A Zombie, charted on kids syndicated radio network JenniRadio. In June, 2018, Dave's script for the short film, Selfie, was selected for the 2018 AT&T Create-A-Thon, beating out over 500 scripts to get into the finals. The film was shot at Warner Bros. In 2019, Dave played guitar on the single, Running, by actor Larry Thomas (Seinfeld's The Soup Nazi). Dave's weekly national horror radio show, Cemetery GoGo, began airing on WRSG 91.5 FM December 14th, 2019. In December, 2020, and was picked up in June, 2021 by WAKI FM radio. Dave's children's book, Bag Boy and Sweet Slob(c) was released by Headline Books Inc publishers and is now available worldwide on Amazon and wherever books are sold. In February, 2021, Bag Boy and Sweet Slob won the Reader's Favorite 5 Star Award and honorable mention at the 2021 San Francisco Book Festival in June. Against Type and Professor Creepy's Scream Party were picked up by Amazon Prime TV in December, 2020. In September, 2021, Bag Boy and Sweet Slob won the Bronze Medal at the 2021 International Book Awards sponsored by Readers' Favorite.

UPDATE: Dave's syndicated hit radio show, Cemetery GoGo(c), airs on radio stations around the country including WAKI Radio out of Anapolis, Maryland, Classic WJEG in West Virginia, WBNY 91.3 FM out of Buffalo, NY and WCMO 98.5 FM out of Marietta, Ohio. His hit Spotify podcast, Bitching with Bitchy the Clown(c), is on multiple platforms and is being adapted into a TV talk show. Brain Explosion is being adapted into a TV sketch comedy show. Dave's original songs, The Visitor and Elementary in the Cemetery (recorded by Bitchy the Clown) are included in the soundtrack of the indie horror movie, Slice, which premiered at the legendary Chinese Theatre in Hollywood November 16, 2022.

Other credits:

Wrote theme song for Special Olympics, which named several of their teams after Snuggy Bear©. His cartoon work is part of the Charles M. Schulz (Snoopy) museum in Santa Rosa, CA and the Haig Museum of Cartoons in New York. Former song writing partner of the late Albert Hague (Fame, How the Grinch Stole Christmas). A direct descendent of Vlad the Impaler (inspiration for Dracula). An avid golfer, Dave has been sponsored by Roger Dunn Golf Shops. On the board of the prestigious Environment of People Foundation. Coached basketball with legendary UCLA coach Jim Harrick and former LA Lakers and Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy.

website and more info:

https://psychedelia1.wixsite.com/snuggybear