Laughing Matters

You might groan when you hear you’re about to listen to an economics presentation, but Chief Economist Luke Tilley of Wilmington Trust explains how working at the Philadelphia Fed and a premier financial institution has shown him that his peers may be funnier than you think. Luke shares how humor plays a surprising role in his day-to-day and discusses:  Why humor is so effective, disarming and hum...

Being a leader at a global consulting firm for over two decades taught Stacey Jones many things, not the least of which is that she was a MUCH better basketball player in real life than in the Metaverse. Stacey joins Laughing Matters to talk how she turned this rude awakening into an icebreaker and also discusses:   Why laughter and humor are essential components she’s looking for in the next chap...

Some people may think hot-button topics like race and humor have no business together. But when done right – minus the cringe – it can be a powerful tool. Dr. Luvell Anderson, associate professor of philosophy at Syracuse University, joins the podcast so share some of his insights on how to go about this in a genuine way. He shares:  His two rules of engagement when using humor in DEI training Bal...

Think you've got a full plate? Just listen to some of the mega personal and professional changes former Peppercommer "Smiling" Sam Sanders (née Bruno) of Marriott Vacations Worldwide has experienced in the past few years. She joins the podcast to talk about using humor to help her do it all during the pandemic and beyond – from doing a 1,000-mile career move, to getting married, to...

Episode 19 – How to use humor to become an award-winning global CMO superstar. Sometimes you have to use humor to tell the same stories in a completely different way from what your competitors are doing. Laughing Matters recently welcomed Rupen Desai, co-founder of The Shed 28, who talked about how he did just that in his former role as CMO of Dole. His insights include:   Why he’s done working wi...

 Tina McCorkindale, the first female president & CEO in the Institute for Public Relations’ storied 65-year history, shares LOL stories that include:  Hiking in the Cascade Mountains (and figuring out how one manages the call of nature in the midst of nature) Navigating the worlds of academia & business (and coping with a toilet flushing during a very serious taping) Examples of celebritie...

Tone Viera, producer at SiriusXM, stand-up comedian, and content creator joins us on the Laughing Matters podcast to talk how comedy fuses with hip hop. He breaks down how he fell in love with comedy and his experience working with some of the most influential hip-hop artists of today. Some notable takeaways: The down-to-earth nature of the hip hop artists he interacts with, including one who happ...

Wayne McDonnell (aka Doctor Baseball), a sports consultant, college baseball broadcaster, and part of the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, joins us on Laughing Matters and takes a headfirst slide into the reasons why laughter separates the great players, managers, and teams from the also-rans. He also discusses: How the very best athletes and teams use laughter to manage stress and setbacks What he lea...

A recent Oracle survey found that nearly half of participants haven’t felt happiness for more than two years! People want to smile and laugh, but the survey also found 95% of business leaders fear using humor with customers. Ruder Finn CEO Kathy Bloomgarden joins Laughing Matters to talk happiness, while also expounding on the following: - Her examples of leaders and brands that incorporate humor....

Riding for hours in a constricted, highly pressurized cylinder with a bunch of total strangers can be tough, especially if you don't have a sense of humor. Luckily, the airline industry has Linda Rutherford, executive vice president of people & communications and chief communications officer at Southwest Airlines. She joins Laughing Matters to discuss: - Their history of having a humorous...

Comedian David Horning joins Laughing Matters and teaches us a fresh take on how to reframe even the most difficult situations (hint: make a conscious choice to poke fun at yourself). In this podcast, you'll learn: How he went from trying to be a lawyer with a political science degree to waiting tables at New York's finest comedy clubs How one improv course where participants were initia...

Teaching business execs how to be leaders is no small feat. Our latest Laughing Matters episode features renown executive coach Ken Jacobs, who talks about critical ways for leaders to blow off steam. His insights include:  The identity of one exec from a major U.S. airline who brings tremendous humanity and humor An experience from early in his career when one executive leader would literally rol...

Listen to our insightful discussion with renowned comedian Clayton Fletcher, as he weighs in on how the business world has gone from looking at comedy and humor as a “nice to have” to a necessity that helps solve different challenges and pain points with their employees and client interactions. Clayton also discusses:  What has changed in how businesses approach humor in his last 13 years as Chief...

We’re joined by Liz Joynt Sandberg, who talks about her role as Head of Comedy Arts at the Theatre School at DePaul University and how helps students and businesses bring their most unique, “weird” parts of themselves to the performing arts. Liz also shares: How she uses humor to motivate her students and artists she works with to take a break from the anxieties of the world.  How comedy “ate” her...

Jon Gelberg is executive editor of content strategies at Inc. Media, but he also moonlights as a stand-up comedian in the New York comedy club circuit. Listen to our latest episode to hear Jon talk about how he got into comedy, some of his embarrassing moments, and how he overcame a serious medical diagnosis with humor. Jon also shares: His experiences at some of New York’s most famous comedy club...

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 be...

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 shar...

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. synago...

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 a...

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 humani...

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 m...

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...

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 reflection...