In this kickoff to the 3rd season of the podcast, I chat about what it means to be a Seriously Funny, how it is strategic and the cake - not just the frosting! - and why it matters for your company's (and peoples') adaptability, resilience and innovation.

She has called herself an "Unlikely Comedian." In 2020, Megan Jeffrey didn't just hit pandemic burnout like all of us, her mother had terminal cancer, she found out her then-husband was unfaithful to her and she found herself a single mom of 3 young kids. Then...she lost her job.

She then turned to social media, posting videos of her doing accents, particularly Trinidadian ones (her ex-husband is), and exploring comical clashes being an American woman in its culture. She expected to find an outlet for her creativity and ease the burnout; then she 'blew up' as posts went viral.

It was unexpected. She wasn't trying to be a comedian.

What she learned was a lot more about redefining herself and bouncing back. In this convo, Megan and I chat about:

• The power of betting on yourself
• The ridiculous standards that women have to adhere to (and why we gotta laugh!)
• Why 'tone it down' is the call to do the exact opposite (it's cool; it often takes time to realize it)
• Letting of perfection

Want more? Check out past episodes

Be sure to Visit

meganjeffrey.com

keepingithuman.com

On Insta

@klotzguest, @kathyguestcomedy, @themeganjeffrey

"Funnier" is the title of Anne's Upcoming book.

Comedy is WAY bigger than jokes. It's our words, our voice, our humanity and how we show up.

I was not going to release the whole hour at once. Originally I was going to break it up into sections.

I just couldn't break the convo in two because it was TOO GOOD. And it's worth many listens.

Anne is a woman after my own heart. I studied sketch writing at Second City. And comedy changed how I think, show up and create. Yes, I perform. And humor matters in business. Comedy teaches us skills of connection. And we need it.

Anne is funny, brilliant and thinks and teaches deep stuff: what makes things funny and how can we be funnier.

I connected with her when she said, "I get asked, 'Can you make me funny?" Her response, "I can make you funnier." And I relate. I get asked that and I think the answer is 'Funnier.' I can't make anyone funny. We can all be funnier.

This convo is not only funny; it will make YOU funnier.

Grab a cup of coffee and sit down with pen, paper or computer. We talk about:

-Thick humor (vs thin humor)

-Humor and comedy are more than jokes (preach, Anne!)

-Humor and AI (chat GPT writes bad jokes!)

-Narrative (story arcs matter!) and characters

-Humor as recognition (starts with a truth - audience must recognize it)

-Distance (time)

-Improv and the power of discovery - being present in the moment

Take notes. Laugh. Rinse and Repeat. Please check out Anne's work and her upcoming book, "Funnier."

About Anne

Anne Libera is Director of Comedy Studies at The Second City where she also serves as Artistic Consultant. She is an Associate Professor at Columbia College Chicago where she created and coordinates the Comedy Writng and Performance BA. Northwestern University Press which will also publish her upcoming book Funnier: A Theory of Comedy With Practical Applications. Contact her: Alibera(at)secondcity.com

About Kathy

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA is a stand-up and improv comedian, author and speaker. A former tech exec for two decades while doing improv and stand-up comedy at night, she is the Founder of Keeping it Human℠ and the Seriously Funny podcast. Her mission: to help companies, leaders and teams think differently and get bigger results through improv and comedy concepts. Her last book, "Stop Boring Me!" was a top 10 selling book on Amazon in Creativity and Humor. Kathy(at)keepingithuman.com