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Fresh Ideas, Real Stories, and a Lot of Laughs

Insights on laughter, leadership, and team culture direct from our founder

May 21, 2026

Memorial Day - More Than a Mattress Sale

My father, Victor Klein, gone 30 years last week, was a veteran of two wars. Growing up, my understanding of this came mostly through stories of his war buddies, how grateful he was to leave his mother’s house and the dogtags he held on to from the Korean War.

May 14, 2026

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month: “Fine” is Never Funny

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I’m not exactly sure who makes these designations in our yearly calendars, because I would definitely campaign for Shared Laughter Month, but I’ll take what I can get!

May 7, 2026

Get Out of the House to Laugh Stat

Last night I had the chance to see Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David live talking about all things “Seinfeld.” Fun to witness the same chemistry between these two comedy legends that created this iconic show. Just as compelling were the five “Seinfeld Trivia Experts”- the producers brought to Los Angeles to stump the two of them on details about episodes they had forgotten. The audience packed with what can only be called “Seinfeldians” hung on every word.

April 30, 2026

Laughing At Yourself Without Selling Yourself Out

Bit of Dani trivia - because apparently I’m referring to myself in the third person now - yesterday I was on the phone with a director and producer working on a documentary about laughter: why it matters, what motivates

April 23, 2026

What Makes You Smile - and Why it Matters

Yes, that’s an iced matcha latte and yes I am SO LA. To be fair, it’s not just any iced green drink, it's topped with a “tahini, butterscotch cold foam,” and was served to me on its own wooden plank.

April 16, 2026

The Comedy Tool that Tears Flesh

Not to be political here, but I’ve been shocked this year and, impossibly, even more shocked last week, by the language and tone of the current leader of the free world. His communication is a study in the negative use o

April 9, 2026

Quiz: Do You Have a Sense of Humor About Yourself?

I understand that this might not be top of mind right now, what with the leader of the free world threatening to blow up civilizations. Nevertheless, here’s a fun diversion that might actually yield an insight or two! Th

April 2, 2026

Scam #2 - This Time It's Personal

Last week an e-mail came in from a comedian friend of mine, “Please join me for a special celebration dinner.” It was Thursday and the dinner was Saturday.

March 26, 2026

Women’s History: We’re Going to Need More Than a Month.

It's not too late to recognize Women’s History Month. Phew! I didn’t know it began locally in Sonoma County in 1978, first as Women’s History Week, which included International Women’s Day, March 8, 1911. Seventy six years later, Congress gave us the whole 30 days!

March 19, 2026

Getting Old on the Inside

I get the joy of Botox and the thrill of wearing clothes from college. There’s no reason to look angrier than I am, and it’s definitely cheaper to “vintage shop” from your own closet. Cosmetic intervention, try as it mig

March 12, 2026

Love is Blind…So Why Can’t Stop Watching It?

How do I defend looking forward to reality television the way other people anticipate their “5 o’clock somewhere,” glass of Chardonnay? I guess I don’t. As Sheryl Sandberg would say, just not about this, I lean in, I cla

March 5, 2026

What REALLY Makes Us Laugh?

When I was teaching stand-up at UCLA, people often said, “You can’t teach someone to be funny.” I understand the argument. Many comedians seem born that way. Their outsider status, fearless silliness, or even the sound of their voice makes us laugh more consistently than most. Think Gilda Radner, Lucille Ball, Jack Black, Abbott & Costello, Chris Rock, Atsuko Okatuka, Wanda Sykes, Maria Bamford - the list is long.