I’ve been getting hit with a lot of reflections for 2024. I definitely enjoy a greatest hits newsletter whether it's from a family I don’t see often or a small business that’s forging new ground. I love hearing about perseverance - getting through the thick of life - and managing to keep a sense of humor.
This was definitely part of the Laughter On Call story this year! I am so happy to report we pulled it out in the 9th inning, as they say, and had our highest grossing year. Truly appreciated after a few months where it became clear I hadn’t planned for the cyclical nature of laughter. Kidding of course, laughter is evergreen! But scheduling workshops and training for caregivers and business teams does have a rhythm that I am now getting the hang of six and a half years in.
Six and a half years? Hard to believe, and yet something I am most proud of! From a desperate impulse to make my mother laugh, with the help of my incredibly talented team, we’ve built something that is truly having an impact. This year alone we’ve helped thousands of people figure out how to use laughter to create happier, more productive cultures around the country. FEMA,Microsoft, Hilton, Amazon, Capital One, and Comcast are just a few of our loyal clients.
And we’ve never lost touch with our roots in eldercare. We adore the workshops we run for caregivers with our partner Hilarity for Charity. We are eagerly preparing for our third CareCon event with them in February. We had a great time engaging with the caregiving community in San Francisco through Healthipeople. Memoir classes with our 85 - 95 year old students at Avocet keep getting better, as do the audiences for the shows we produce with them. This year they even made t-shirts!
Some other 2024 greatest hits include keynote speaking for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) in Denver and the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) in Chicago, and for my alma mater at the Dartmouth Entrepreneur Forum in San Francisco. Most recently, I joined the roster of speakers for Vistage, one of the most extensive executive coaching organizations worldwide. Standing by with Google translate, my Laughter And Leadership (L.A.L.) talk.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention our wonderful webinar guests this year including Congressman Dan Glickman and Bank of America’s Director of Financial Gerontology Cynthia Hutchins. Stay tuned this month for a great conversation with author and professor Alison Fragale of Likable BadAss fame on Jan 23, 2024.
On the eve of 2025 I am excited to report that we’ll be kicking off January right here in Los Angeles running sessions for Tubi at FOX studios and E&S Ring at the Skirlball Center, the latter of which will be our second fully bilingual event!
Finally, a BIG THANK YOUTO YOU. For traveling the long and winding road of bringing laughter to those who need it, which really, who doesn’t? I heard recently that if you want people to listen, make them laugh first. We feel very grateful for the chance to do both.
