LaughBox

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

Katy has always used humor to diffuse stress and anxiety of patients but was intrigued to learn more of the practice of Laughter Yoga when her work started an Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. She traveled three hours to participate in several programs before taking the leap into becoming a Laughter Leader, and then after a few years to become a Laughter Teacher. Katy is known as the Laughing Nurse. With a quick wit that creates laughter, patients and staff feel welcomed and engaged in their own journey. With a magnetic, captivating and high spirited style, participants after a session comment on how they feel calm but energized through the use of this Mirthful Medicine.

Katy believes in education and that stress management is important as stress is a risk factor for job satisfaction. Working in healthcare has always been stressful but since COVID started it has elevated the stress and disconnect to new levels never seen before. For this reason, healthcare teams are currently at high risk and needing tools in order to survive these trying times.

Laughter is a simple and fun tool for reconnecting teams, reenergizing staff, and reducing stress for health professionals in the workplace. Three separate studies have shown that regular laughter sessions increased Workplace Wellbeing by connecting people. It increases oxygen in our lungs by 25% which when distributed to the body cells improves energy levels and also to the brain which helps us think more effectively. And a 45 minute session of Laughter Yoga decreased participants' stress by up to 65%. A Sgori study on using comedy to make participants laugh and be happy showed that they work more productively due to improved morale.

Katy Maag BSN, RN, CCRP is a Registered Nurse in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit where she assists heart patients in stress management and heart health education. She is a Stress Management Coach, Laughter Therapist and Teacher, a Member of the American College of Cardiology, American Association of Cardiac Pulmonary Rehabilitation, and active in advocating for Heart Health and Mental Health for healthcare teams and patients at a national level. She has been nominated as a Nurse of Hope and presented several times for The Ohio American Association of Cardiac Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

https://www.kmwellnessconsulting.com/

“We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” —Joseph Campbell

Steve Wilson returns to LaughBox with Katy BEE and Jim-Bob Williams to talk about the inception and history of laughter clubs and what “Good Hearted Living” can do for us with six practices!

Since its inception, World Laughter Tour has been recognized as a significant global influence in the practical applications of laughter and humor for health and world peace. Steve Wilson is a very popular and talented Certified Speaking Professional, experienced educator of mental health professionals, member of key professional organizations such as Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH), International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS), and the American Humor Studies Association (AHSA), as well as having been the 2010 recipient of the Doug Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award, and Rire d’Or Golden Laughter Award in 2007 from the French School of Laughter and Well-Being.

He still maintains a very active presence in WLT and will often answer phone calls and inquiries, as well as making himself available to trainees, attendees, the media, or other interested parties who wish to speak with him personally.

Connect with him at:  www.worldlaughtertour.com

Megan Bendtzen is the CEO and Founder of TheDoctorofFun.com. A former Fortune 100 Work Zombie 😆, she walked away from her 25-year corporate career to bring new life to the world she left when she discovered the Prescription for Happiness and the Cure for the Common Life!

Megan’s mission is to help individuals and organizations inject more fun into their lives and work so they are more engaged, energized and happier! Using her unique P.L.A.Y. to Win Approach, she teaches how to use Fun as a professional tool to increase productivity, profitability and improve overall mental wellness.

She is a Speaker, Consultant and Fun Specialist inspiring audiences to get serious about fun! She is the Creator and Host of a groundbreaking Personal Development Game Show, the first virtual show of its kind to feature a live virtual studio audience, while uniquely integrating Neuroscience and Funology in designing the games to improve mental health and wellness for the players AND the viewers! Her program, “Get in the Game Show” has gained national recognition and is featured as a recurring segment on ABC reaching millions of viewers.

Megan has studied Communication, Leadership, Personal Development, and Relationships for over 20 years and has worked with thousands of people successfully delivering countless impactful seminars to an array of esteemed clients including recognized industry leaders.

Her work has been featured on ABC, NBC, Fox, iHeart Radio, The List TV Show, The Unstoppable Female Entrepreneur Summit and many other media outlets and podcasts, showcasing her ability to bring positive change through the transformative power of fun.

Your free entry into Megan's FUNSHOP! https://thedoctoroffun.mykajabi.com/funshop

Website: TheDoctorofFun.com

Follow her on social media! 

LinkedIn  Tik Tok  YouTube Instagram Facebook  

Allen Klein is a Jollytologist® and “Ambassador of Light” who shows audience’s worldwide how to use humor and positivity to deal with life’s not-so-funny stuff.

He is a TEDx presenter on the power of intention and the author of over 30 books including the best-selling book, The Healing Power of Humor, as well as  Embracing Life After Loss, and The AWE Factor, which SpiritualityandPractice.com called “One of the Best Spiritual Books” the year it was published.

(https://www.allenklein.com/books.htm)

Comedian Jerry Lewis has said that Klein is “a noble and vital force watching over the human condition.” More information about Klein can be found at www.allenklein.com

Nancy Norton is an award winning comedian and keynote speaker who
presents  "The Power of Humor"

She is the first woman to win the Boston Comedy Festival, then the very
next year, placed first in the Seattle International Comedy Competition,
the first woman to win that since 1985 and then, for Humility,  placed
3rd in South Dakota. (LOL)

She is a former Nurse who now heals with humor, her new Podcast: 
Tromedy, spelled TROMEDY.  (I like to spell it for obvious reasons)...is
Transmuting Trauma using Comedy.

  Find Tromedy online wherever you find your podcast.
https://open.spotify.com/show/749BXG5Z0uWTQjsJIi35Kd

No Matter What, Keep Laughing!

Nancy Norton
Stay AWAY from Home Mom

NEW DRY BAR Comedy Special - SUPER DORK

2021 Best of the Fest Show with Jay Leno at The Burbank Comedy Festival
2019 Champion of the Seattle International Comedy Competition
2018 Winner of the Boston Comedy Festival FIRST WOMAN TO EVER WIN IT!
2016 Grand Slam Storytelling Champion of Truth Be Told
www.nancynorton.tv
nancy@nancynorton.tv
Phone:  303-803-8824
Standup Comedian for Clubs and Corporations with over twenty years
Headlining experience
Professional Speaker: The Power of Humor   Laugh and Grow Rich
Enjoy the many benefits of Humor for business, stress management and
health enhancement... WHILE learning and laughing
Team Building Improv workshops

May You Be in the Present Moment...for Now.

Tim is a firefighter and a curator of side jobs. From operating a Paleo bakery to implementing an electric powered, residential landscaping company, there are a lot of things he has said, "Yes, and!" to. 

This episode, we revive the Chip Lutz interview with the one and only Allen Klein! Yes, Allen, Jim-Bob and I would love to do a follow up interview with you! Meanwhile, enjoy this vintage episode one more time! 

Go back in time in this episode to the humble beginnings of Chip Lutz as he just started the Laughbox Podcast. 

Enjoy the intro, and the deep velvet voice of Chip as he interviews Allen Klein.