Note: As this is a new endeavor, we are still figuring out the tech. Bear with us, as Beverly’s microphone for this episode was not up to our standards. We appreciate your patience as we learn and grow!
In this episode: “Joyful Journeys: Transforming Lives and Businesses with Katy Bee,” listeners are invited on an enlightening journey into the transformative power of laughter and happiness. Hosted by Beverly, this episode delves into the fascinating world of joy, exploring its profound impact on personal well-being, workplace productivity, and overall life satisfaction. Our special guest, Katy Bee, brings an extraordinary blend of expertise and passion as a certified life and neurolinguistic programming coach specializing in play, happiness, applied improvisation, and therapeutic humor.
The Power of Laughter:
Katy Bee, a beacon of positivity, is on a mission to uplift spirits and spread joy across the globe. She founded the Joy First Foundation and spearheaded the Tour of Joy across the USA, aiming to bring smiles and laughter to as many faces as possible. Her work extends beyond the tour, as she co-hosts the podcast Laughter Box for the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, highlighting the significant role of laughter in healing and therapy. With her extensive background in joyful and laughter yoga, Katy uses these practices to address serious social issues like bullying and suicide among youth and adults. As the conversation unfolds, Katy shares her journey into the realms of play, happiness, and entrepreneurship.
Beverly and Katy delve into the science behind laughter, discussing its physiological and psychological benefits. Katy’s expertise in the field, supported by her involvement with organizations dedicated to the research of applied and therapeutic humor, lends credibility and depth to the discussion.
The episode also explores practical applications of Katy’s work, from laughter yoga sessions to her impactful Tour of Joy. Through stories of real-life interactions and the positive outcomes of her initiatives, Katy illustrates the profound effect of simple acts of kindness and moments of shared laughter. The concept of “joy it forward” emerges as a central theme, encouraging listeners to spread happiness in their communities.
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Joy First Foundation – Evoke, Embrace, Energize
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemcglynn/
Watch on YouTube!
Transcript:
Beverly:Â
Welcome joy seekers and happiness enthusiasts another exciting episode of the Spark and Ignite your marketing podcast. Today we’re diving into the wonderful world of laughter and happiness, where statistics show That laughter can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone by up to 39%, contributing to a significant improvement in overall mood and happiness levels. Lord knows we all need that. Also, employees and workplaces with positive atmosphere, including frequent laughter, are 12%. More productive. So buckle up and get ready to embark on a journey filled with smiles, giggles, and a sprinkle of joy with our very special guest, a clown Katie B, a powerhouse in the realm of wellbeing. As a certified life and neurolinguistic programming coach, she specializes in play and happiness, applied improvisation and therapeutic humor. Katie is on a mission to spread positivity and uplift spirits. She’s the founder of the Joy First Foundation and is currently on the tour of Joy across the USA Katie. Also, co-hosts the podcast Laughter Box for the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. Additionally, she holds the title of Certified Chief Wellbeing Officer and is on her way to becoming a certified humor professional. Katie’s expertise extends to teaching Joyful and Laughter Yoga, leveraging those modalities to combat bullying and suicide in both youth and adults. She also shares her knowledge through workshops on improv, physical theater, clowning, and mime, enriching lives with every step she takes. Welcome Katie. Hi,
Katie:Â
Beverly. You’ll excuse my stuffy nose sound. That’s’cause of the nose. My nose is a little red today.
Beverly:Â
I put that on the cold too. But my nose isn’t quite as rosy and as cold as yours. So let’s dive into your fascinating journey and explore the impact of joy and laughter. Okay. Can you share a little bit about what led you into play happiness and entrepreneurship and like how it all began for you?
Katie:Â
Yeah. I’m gonna get a little serious now. There goes the nose because I’m pretty serious about joy and play and fun and goodness. Yeah. So what led I was told life shouldn’t be fun. Growing up, life’s not fun. Don’t have, I’d go to work and we’d be working our butts off and I’d be wandering around going, no fun, no PHUN, no fun. And I tried to bring some optimism and light to just every job I’ve had, every everywhere I’ve been. And for years it was like people weren’t terribly interested. But I created things like the Aerial action team where we’d repel off historical architecture in San Francisco as clumsy ninjas and silly string crowd. And, that’s where things really started to focus on fun and the importance of play way in the nineties before we ever thought about. How important play is for adults and how much we’ve lost in our development in terms of it’s oh, it stops at seven, that’s the end of your fun. No more playtime, time to grow up. And that’s not true. Science shows we develop throughout our life. I’m involved with the East Side Institute, which is all about development and social therapy and I went to clown school, actually went to circus school in Spain, became a street performer, and when I succeeded in making my living hanging from a tree as Bugs Bunny diving into a bucket or a dead lady under a meteorite, I said, I don’t think what they said about life not being fun, I don’t think that was correct. I think life can be fun. Have you always
Beverly:Â
been like that when you were a kid where you were super dramatic and like always looking for the laugh? Were you that good?
Katie:Â
No. In school? No. So when I was five or something, I was in a dance performance and my mom had to bring me my lunch on the stage. I refused to leave the stage. So there’s that. Okay.
Beverly:Â
But I, this is my place. This is where I belong. This are my
Katie:Â
yeah. But I was actually a sick kid. I was sick from at six months old. I had asthma when I was three. They thought I had cancer when I was seven. Geez. I went through a lot as a kid and in, as a result, I’m actually a highly sensitive being. I can get overstimulated. I have a little neurodivergence probably from a I don’t know where, from maybe that six month reaction to a vaccine. I ha I’m very emotional actually. I can cry really almost too easily and I can get stuck in my, in what life was like growing up. It was hard and I couldn’t do things the other kids could do, and that, that really put some stuff in my head that made, gave me a lot of limiting beliefs, told me I was never gonna succeed, and I’ve been fighting that fight my whole life.
Beverly:Â
So this was your way to combat that or counteract that or just
Katie:Â
Yeah. Accept that? I think so. Indirectly. I follow my gut a lot and my gut has really driven this train and I follow what feels good. And it’s really worked for me.
Beverly:Â
I will see. When did you start following the gut? When was the moment, was there like a spark that said, this feels good and I want more of this? Was there a moment where you like, was really honest with yourself about what you wanted to create for your life?
Katie:Â
I knew I always wanted to be a performer and I knew that Hollywood and people told me no, all through high school, all the way up, anything traditional told me no. So in my late twenties I decided if they won’t let me, give me the power. Give me this opportunity, I’m gonna do it myself. And I started meditating in my early twenties. That was big to start hearing myself. I read the Self-Esteem Prophecy. I read The Secret, I read all those books in the nineties. Those also fed. Yep. A lot of that knowledge and and I think it was really when I started to take the bull by the horns and say, you know what, if I just keep getting told no, then I’m gonna find the way to do it myself. And that’s
Beverly:Â
a, like a very powerful statement. And I think for business owners we hear no a lot. So it’s part of our life. Whether the people think they don’t, that you can’t do it, or that you, that client or that customer isn’t right for you. Whatever the case is, we hear no a lot and either to, that’s a, like a form of resilience, I believe Katie. That either you take the note and you like embrace it or you let it like beat you down. And there’s times where I’m better at that than others, like I’m sure.
Katie:Â
So yeah. Yeah. I definitely have better days. But what’s amazing is the science that I have learned over the last, say four years has really confirmed everything for me. The science behind Laughter, the Science behind Optimism and Positive Psychology, and Marty Seligman, it is feeding the Chief Wellbeing Officer Program, where now I’m a facilitator. All of this we’re, it’s toxic. Positivity is one thing, but true positivity, true positive psychology tells us we can cope with the difficult, but our body benefits scientifically much more by trying to choose more joy and choose the positive and choose the laughter. You can’t have cortisol and your happy chemicals at the same time. So when you’re up here with cortisol and you’re stressed out. Using laughter raises up those endorphins and lowers your cortisol. It lowers your pain. It lowers so many things that science is proving now. Whether you laugh for the health of it and you laugh on purpose, or you laugh because the group is laughing, or you’ve heard a joke. All of that makes a big difference.
Beverly:Â
So you found something that your gut believed in that was backed by science. Yes. So how did you get to the path of science? Like here you’re like, okay, I’m gonna do this. This makes me happy. Now what, where did the path go and veer more towards the science side of things? Like how did you find that?
Katie:Â
So during Covid when this clown was shut down I created what I called a tunnel of joy. I was isolated, I was lonely. I wanted people, so I went and I found the Applied Improv Network, which is improvisation for science, for helping problems. And so it’s Second City or Chicago style improv, except you’re doing it for a purpose that is about solving problems and learning more about the science behind it. I joined the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, where they’re all about the science. They’ve been around for 40 years and they were, it was started by nurses and they wanted to know the science behind their particular style of humor. And in 40 years now, we have comedians, clowns, jugglers laughter, yogis other laughter folks that have PhDs in la behavioral psychology, and did all the research for us on laughter. That’s where the science is coming from. Is those two organizations. And I went to. Conferences, like the Funny Business Bootcamp with A TH and Play, perform, learn and Grow, which was a conference that’s usually in Europe, that was online at the time, that was beautiful and primarily in Greece. But again playing, a little spirituality, a little mythology, a lot of play, a lot of movement. And yeah, I became a laughter yogi through Laughter University online.
Beverly:Â
So I’ve heard of goats in yoga being a little more unique, but I haven’t heard until I read your bio Uhhuh of Laughter and Joy Yoga. Can you maybe like even, is it odd for me to even ask like an example of like how you would do like a chair yoga with laughter? Could you even do a moment with us
Katie:Â
or? Sure. So if you’re sitting in your chair Yeah. Kind of plant your feet on the ground. Okay. And raise your arms up and take a deep breath in and exhale, sending all of your stress and worry out to the horizon for the earth to recycle it into joy for you. Take another big deep breath in and now we’re just gonna laugh it out with a quiet giggle. And now we’re gonna imagine as we’re sitting in our office chair that we got a piece of mail. That we didn’t want. It’s a bill. It’s a summons, it’s a, it’s that piece of mail you really didn’t wanna have arrive. Yeah. And we are gonna open that mail. Okay. And we are gonna look at it and we’re gonna laugh. Ha. There you go. That’s a very small example. Now, joyful Yoga, which I’m in the process of experimenting with, is I’m trained in Kundalini, I’m certified, okay. In Kundalini, haha. Children’s Yin and Laughter Yoga. Okay? So I’m combining, first of all, children’s yoga. They sing songs. They do improv. They laugh, they renamed all the poses like easy seat is crisscross applesauce. Nice. And I said, why are we not doing this for adults? Uhhuh, why not
Beverly:Â
so accessible? Making it
Katie:Â
so accessible. Oh, so fun. So I’ve, I’m taking Kundalini, which is energy based yoga, calisthenics. It’s very repetitive. A lot of fire breath, lot of lung cleaning, goodness. I’m taking that, the children’s yoga and the laughter yoga and a little bit of haha. And I’m putting it all together into a class that I hope will raise vibrations, bring those endorphins and have us leaving more bonded and more joyful after an hour. So the other thing I wanna say too, about laughter, joy, play, those are bonding. So if you’re in your business Harvard Business Review just posted an article about the importance of play and fun at work. If you think work needs to be dry, you’re doing a disservice to your employees. If you think you need to micromanage and keep everybody in line, you’re doing a serious, you’re doing damage to your business and your productivity and your turnover and your brand. And your brand, right? Because with all the turnover, how do you keep your brand going? With with people walking around feeling like they’re just in a grind,
Beverly:Â
that customer experience is gonna be horrible. Yes.
Katie:Â
I. Yes. And we need and play just sounds like something that you shouldn’t be doing as an adult. And I 100%
Beverly:Â
who pretended that? Who said that’s right? Like I don’t That’s right. I don’t subscribe to that. You’re right. No, and I even, the way I parent is very playful. I think that children need to play and be played with. That is like a thing you need to do with them. And you can teach through play. There’s, it’s very powerful and they didn’t even realize they’re learning’cause it’s play, right? Yes. But I, even with my staff and my husband’s notorious for and during an argument. To try to make me laugh or something. Awesome. And sometimes that’s a little infuriating. Sure. But it usually does get us to laugh and diffuse the situation. And really why is, why are we so upset about this? Like the, in the grand scheme of things, it’s really nothing. So he’s notorious for being what I call a clown. And since I have known him since high school, he was the class clown and has not changed in many ways. He’s matured, but he is not stopped that like inner essence of himself. So yes, I think that those, that playfulness. I even remember Katie, when I was younger, I wanted a husband who if I threw a pancake at him, he would throw it back. Nice. That was a legit item on my list. Like most people are like, he has to be tall, he has to be handsome. My list was, if I throw a pancake, he better throw it back. Like it has to be playful. So I feel like that sense of play is just it’s like life is short.
Katie:Â
That’s right. Laugh. Yes. Yep. And by the way, really one of the best tools for arguments is kazoos. I think everyone in the world needs to have a kazoo. And when you start to argue with your partner, you break out the kazoos and you argue talking through the kazoo, you not laugh. I’ll tell you, we all have stuff. We’re not talking about every single person on this earth. Is dealing with something they, they don’t tell everybody. I think
Beverly:Â
Covid highlighted some of that. Yeah. People were more apt to be vulnerable and talk about it on TikTok or Instagram Right. Or whatever. They were talking about mental health and what they were struggling with alone and in the tunnel I feel like, it’s a really, I think it’s a really good thing for Arch my child Yeah. To live in a world where we’re more accepting of people who have and struggle Absolutely. And can be a little bit more authentic about it as opposed to hide it and, and shame. By doing the things that you are doing and the science that’s being done, it is it’s revealing it in a way that I think is extremely positive. So the power of that is amazing. Oh yeah. We’ve gotten off track here. Let me That’s okay.
Katie:Â
Bring it back in.
Beverly:Â
Yeah. So we definitely know you a little bit better and I think how your journey started and what’s important to you. So can you highlight a moment or experience that sparked let’s see, let’s do maybe you’ve talked a little bit about like the theories and science. What are you seeing as the trends of like where things are going, those sparks that are opportunities for you going forward? What do you see as the trends that are happening in this space?
Katie:Â
So after Covid I started the Joy First Foundation, Uhhuh, and I’m currently on the tour of Joy. Which right now I’m in a van, I live in a van and I’m. A hundred percent on tour throughout the United States. Where are you right now? I’m currently in Rockport, Texas. Okay. Experimenting with, I’m for a year. I moved every two days, so I’m experimenting now with staying a few months in one place to see how I can impact the community. And so far it’s been very interesting. And this, and Joyful Yoga is one of those things that I found a place that was interested and we’re gonna go for it and see how it turns out. And then that’ll be something I can offer on the road. And I’m moving. I also do video editing on the road, by the way. That’s one of the ways I keep my personal self moving. But Joy first, so what have I noticed? Wow. So on the tour of Joy, it started as an experiment of just. Acknowledging everyone who took care of us during Covid, the grocery store workers, the staff at senior centers, staff at hospitals, fire, police, all those folks, right? I would walk up to random strangers and loudly thank them for being alive. Thank them for getting us through Covid. They didn’t get raises. Let’s think about it. What happened to these folks? They didn’t get unemployment. They didn’t get a raise. They risked their health every day. They risk getting, horrible things from people that didn’t wanna respect. I don’t wanna go too far into it, but you know what I’m talking about. So my first purpose was to approach all those people and say, thank you. Give them a standing ovation. And I had some little things like these little 3D printed joys and clown noses and kazoos, and so I would give them a little gift. I noticed the minute I approached someone to say thank you, a lot of them started to cry and started telling me stories. Yeah. And they weren’t stories about joy. They were stories of their struggles. So I would listen and then we would try and raise their vibration up a little bit and I would try and leave them the way I call it, it’s a crack in the, if I can open this door just a little bit and give a little bit of light, then they have the power to open the door further. What we noticed was there was a reciprocal effect. So not only are they getting a moment of joy. I’m getting a moment of joy and there’s a ripple effect. So anyone within hearing or seeing distance Yes. Of that moment of joy also had a smile on their face, also received something also reacted to what they were seeing in a positive way, and we found that it was exponential. You gave
Beverly:Â
me goosebumps when you said the ripple effect. I think the power of that. Gosh, it’s so powerful. Yeah. A moment. Just a simple moment. Yep. And the power of that and that you did it for them, but then you had the benefit of it. Yes. Coming back. But anybody with an earshot or visual shot also, and I’m sure they went home and they talked about it as well, so further
Katie:Â
rippled out. Yeah. So one we witnessed that a couple times. I was with a laughter yogi friend of mine in Venice, Florida. We were at a a farmer’s market. We were mostly focused on seniors and one woman was in her nineties and I had these little 3D printed little joys. So we did a moment of joy for her. We handed her the little joy. We thanked her and we went on our way to do more joyful moments. And as we made ourselves around this area, we saw her, she wasn’t sitting in the same place. She’d crossed the street and was sitting at a bench across the street. She was handing her joy to someone else and telling them all about the moment of joy. And we said right there, that’s the goal. Call it joy it Forward.
Beverly:Â
that’s so appropriate. It’s been three years since Covid. Are you still focusing on the covid workers or are you focusing on just general people?
Katie:Â
No, so what’s happened is on my, in my travels, I start, I talk to everybody and I have friends everywhere from travels years before and things, and someone said, the kids I’m a teacher in the, and it was summer, she said, my kids are judging each other based on their parents’ political beliefs. They’re bullying each other. Based on things they shouldn’t even know anything about. And I said, let me come in, let me do something and see if we can make something different or at least, offer an opportunity to for change. So I called the program Building Bridges and it was with the, not only the students, but the staff and the teachers that were available. And I offered laughter Yoga. And I talked about the improv mindset, which we can go back to. And then we did a compliment car wash. So what that is an improv game where people line up like a dance line and one person goes through and as they’re going through, everyone is shooting compliments. And I said, we all know what it feels like to be criticized. Let’s remind ourselves what it feels like to be complimented. And we have a choice whether or not to criticize or compliment the person in front of us. How about if we choose a compliment? So I noticed that people didn’t like going through the dance line
Beverly:Â
yes. It’s a spark. Ultimately it’s a spark that grew into a blaze, right? But that’s. That’s the beauty part of these. And I think when you’re working on a passion project that really means something to you, it’s extremely authentic and it’s quick to catch fire. So Agreed. When you’re on your right track you know that’s what you’re supposed to do. Yes. It feels right. It is right. That’s sitting in that comfort of what is right is good. And having the opportunities open up to you
Katie:Â
Beverly, I’m in need of grant money. We take [email protected]. You can donate through Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal on the website. You can join the newsletter on the website again. Are we, are you recruiting people
Beverly:Â
to help you with the movements? I feel like you don’t have to be a clown No. So how can people even participate in the joy forward movement?
Katie:Â
Tagging Joy first Foundation on YouTube, on Facebook, on any social media is extremely helpful for us. Helping to find funders. We’re looking for board members. And that’s to help with the skeletal base of the project. But I’m also recruiting Joy First ambassadors, and there’s a whole program that I’m hoping to put on Udemy that is a it follows the acronym respectfully on how to approach strangers and move the movement forward by giving joyful moments. And you can do it in your own way. What I find is someone donated these cute cards. They’re dorm and I designed them. She said. Here, I want you to make these, I want I see this thing. I want you to design a hundred, or you, I just want you to design’em. So she’s giving me 1200 of these cards. This one is just a little light for you. And on the back it’s all the joy. First information, so these are easy ways to to give a little joy or I love it. I found tokens of appreciation at a dollar store, and so these are like. They say thank you for everything. And token of appreciation. And so even just having a trinket, and if you can videotape it or take a picture with the person you’re inspired to give a joyful moment to you can tag joy first. And we would love that. I have about eight joy first ambassadors so far that I’m still in the process of training, but they’ve been improvisers. So together we’ve gone places and just spread the joy. So a lot of my travels, I’ve stopped at many improvisers, therapeutic humor and social therapists. Houses and I would camp in front of their house and then they would join me. I’d get a little window into their life, which was interesting, and they would join me on joyful moments. And a lot of times people were a little shy, so they’d usually hold the camera while I did it, but they still got the benefit. And I find people are afraid of talking to strangers, so that’s okay. So what if you leave a token of appreciation or a little note on the table of your wait staff so that when they collect their tip, they see a note from you and a compliment, or you’re able to do it personally. Think about how can you make everyone that comes in contact with you feel a little better today? I
Beverly:Â
love that. Now let’s uncover the secrets to igniting her marketing and business success with joy and laughter. So you spoke a little bit about the cards that you have, but they’re not really branded to you. They’re not really like specific to One of’em was, had the joy in the back of it. Oh, they all do little compliment things that those are from the dollar store. Yes. But what has been your most effective marketing tactic for your tour of joy? What has helped you the most?
Katie:Â
Actually the most, let’s see the most in interacted post on TikTok was I went around a St. Louis Walmart and gave joyful moments to all of the staff and. Some were more playful than others, but there were two points where we got a lot of traffic and one was two ladies where I gave them joyful moments and told them they could have anything they wanted in life just because they exist. And we had a big hug at the end and people said, can I have some of that? And part of what I wanna do, part of my plan is to take that impetus, right? And start making individualized videos and videos that are talking out to the public, giving joyful moments. Also, there was one guy in Walmart who, when you watch the video on TikTok, on YouTube and all the socials, I think he gets very emotional and he asked us to turn the camera off. So we did, his mom was homeless and he was working two jobs to try and get her out of homelessness and take care of himself. And it was the biggest wake up call for me because that really showed, he was so joyful and friendly when we walked up. It so showed me what people are dealing with in the background. And then, you know what I thought to myself? Does Walmart know? What his, their employee is dealing with? Every day. Do they care? As a Chief Wellbeing officer who is now trained to guide businesses through the surgeon general’s wellbeing at Work framework and cities and countries. And communities. Excuse me. I think Walmart needs to know what’s going on with their employees and I think they need to pay more attention and bring some more fun. So Uncovered
Beverly:Â
boss has this segment where they Yeah, they like connect, oh,
Katie:Â
go on.
Beverly:Â
And yeah. And they oftentimes they’re struggling with something, whether they’re trying to put themselves from school or they have a sick mother or something. Something. I feel like it’s very human. And the undercover boss had no idea that was happening and somehow supports them at the end of the show, which always makes me cry’cause I feel like that’s the human connection that we need. And, as. A boss myself. I feel like it’s part of our responsibility to take care of our people. That is the wellbeing of our people. And we’re connected in more ways than just business. And so it’s a beautiful thing. Like it’s truly beautiful. And you’re highlighting that aspect of it from your perspective of you, you accidentally figured it out with him. Yeah. Like it wasn’t like you intended. So what’s your problems? Because you probably would’ve said, I’m not gonna talk to you. But you approach it in such a positive way.
Katie:Â
Gratitude. Yeah. Thanks for being alive today. That’s my first line. And it makes somebody giggle. I’ve had people say, yeah, I’m still alive after all I’ve been through, and immediately they have a reaction to that phrase. And then when you think about it, who else is giving us gratitude for simply being alive? Nobody. Maybe on your birthday, maybe. Yeah, maybe. But you matter. There’s a man who started an organization with a number of friends in Uganda, I believe. No Tanzania. That was a You Matter campaign, and it made a huge difference to all of the people that they ended up interacting with. And those words, we do not hear them enough. And I think some of whatever, if we’re in some kind of a shift, I know it’s like black and white, right? It’s really, we are having war. People are starving to death right now. There’s things I can’t control that, I can’t stop that, but I can acknowledge the person in front of me because they exist.
Beverly:Â
And ultimately, there are costs involved in what you’re doing for sure, but for me to do that to another person is free like that. That’s right. The cost is simply getting over yourself in some way. Maybe to say that, yeah, your shyness or whatever, but it’s free. It’s not something that you have to
Katie:Â
pay for. Not at all. You can just notice that. Oh, look, Beverly. I love your sweatshirt. It’s so cute.
Beverly:Â
Such a color. Yeah, you were so kind when we first got on. So you like, you do, you take a moment to acknowledge the person when you first interact. Oh yeah. It’s beautiful, right? It’s
Katie:Â
really
Beverly:Â
beautiful. Thank So, I gotta believe like what you’re doing is. Like storytelling on a, on such a deep level, which is, marketing, the storytelling and authenticity is so important. So you’re doing video, which is powerful. Especially right now. If you’re not doing video, you are missing a huge opportunity for your business. Yep. You have to package the story in a way, and you’re having these really unique, very authentic experiences. So how do you have a coordinated campaign that you’re using? Or are you just simply allowing it to flow as it happens and sharing it as it happens? Have you really thought through the strategy that you’re using for that?
Katie:Â
No, my goal right now is followers. Okay. So follow Joy first Foundation on TikTok, on YouTube, on all the socials. You know what’s really funny is on YouTube the most traffic comes from shorts of me juggling random things in random moments in random stores. So the first one was, I found these dog toys that are pigs, and I juggled them and made, they make noise as I juggle them. And that got like almost 5,000 hits on YouTube. Immediately. I follow the trends. So every once in a while I’ll add another juggling video because I know those are getting fed out there. I’ve been a video editor since the nineties, and I’ve worked in social media for other people since 2015. Now it’s about. Mine, and I’m doing it the way I wish all businesses would do it, which is I take a little bit of risk. I have an improv mindset. So our improv mindset says the first thing you say is Yes. And you build on what’s offered. So when my audience says, Hey, we really these juggling photos or videos, I say, all right, I’ll spatter them in with the joyful moments. And then you can enjoy those while get a little bit of the other part of this project. Another thing about an improv mindset is don’t be afraid to fail. Sometimes I make a video and I put it on YouTube and it gets no hits for some reason. I don’t know why time of day, who knows I just keep going because I want to give my audience what they wanna see. And if that means brand awareness comes from juggling random things in random RiteAid then that’s what it is. But I’m getting the brand I don’t pay for followers. I’m going to let it grow organically and it might be slower, but I don’t lose people. If I have to take a break for a minute, I don’t lose a hundred thousand followers. I might lose a couple, but I keep all my organic followers.
Beverly:Â
The power of stories, power of video. Yes. The power of persistence. The power of practice. Because the more you do it, the better you get all. Yep. Lessons, right? Those are great lessons. I have a little sec segment in the podcast called The Lightning Round where I Okay. Ask you a few rapid fire questions to kind, awesome. Inspire other business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to maybe learn something from people you find interesting or the things you find interesting. Okay. So are you ready for rapid fire? The lightning round?
Katie:Â
I’m ready.
Beverly:Â
Okay. So what is your favorite way to connect and
network?
Katie:Â
Talking to strangers.
Beverly:Â
What is your favorite business or marketing book?
Katie:Â
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was very influential to me back in the day. Okay. The element finding Your Element. It’s a great book. Right now The Humor Habit by Paul Sen Cup, I highly recommend it for everyone. He just published, it’s gonna be out in April. Okay. He’s doing you can see him doing all sorts of press on the internet right now. He’s a keynote speaker and a standup comic, and he’s amazing.
Beverly:Â
What’s your favorite podcast that you have to listen, you binge like you love it.
Katie:Â
Conan O’Brien needs a friend.
Beverly:Â
What is your favorite business tool or app that you have to have on your phone or with you all the time?
Katie:Â
Toggle. Toggle is when I’m working for other people doing video editing or whatever. Marketing or graphics. I use Toggle, T-O-G-G-L. It’s a timekeeper and a reporting app that allows me to send my client my time sheet. Okay. Basically. Okay. If it’s project based, that’s a little bit different, but if it’s hourly, that’s how I keep track of my hours. It’s one of my favorite apps.
Beverly:Â
What’s your favorite source of inspiration?
Katie:Â
Oh, my gut and Steve Jobs. Stay Curious, think different. Those have been lifelong influences for me, and kindness and improvisation are my number one sources of inspiration. I think
Beverly:Â
people really inspire you too, like just. The connection
Katie:Â
for sure. Yes.
Beverly:Â
Who’s your favorite entrepreneur to follow? You mentioned Steve Jobs. Is there anybody else? Yeah. You really admire and inspire you?
Katie:Â
Yes. There’s a comic, a comedian lady named Tony, T-O-N-I-N. She is hilarious. She’s doing very different work that is so full of joy and truth. She will talk about difficult subjects while she does this impromptu interpretive dance behind it, and she will have you laughing. Your socks off.
Beverly:Â
I love like hearing what people are using and doing and what inspires them because I think we all bring, find inspiration in different ways and tools and apps that help us differently. We’re gonna shift gears to our last segment, which is the Blaze Forward segment. And it really is about giving entrepreneurs an actionable strategy they can use right now, like today, after this podcast, I can go and I can do this. What is one easy actionable step? Ca Katie, that a small business entrepreneur or somebody who wants to start a business and somehow this conversation has inspired them to take the next step that they can do today to spark their unique opportunity and maybe ignite their marketing.
Katie:Â
Follow your gut experiment. Say yes to opportunities. Take what comes to you. Learn from it and try it out, and if it doesn’t work Helen Abel from Harvard is the mother of mindfulness. When things don’t work out, reestablish your goals. Refocus.
Beverly:Â
reframe.
Katie:Â
And if you Google failure and some of the biggest entrepreneurs out there today, they all failed. Every one of’em, every single book
Beverly:Â
starts with this thing happened, Michael Jordan talks about all the shots he missed versus the shots he actually made.
Katie:Â
One of my favorite books is the Peaceful Warrior, which is about a gymnast who has an accident and accidentally finds himself in this place with a Phil Philoso philosopher who has all the answers in life, and how to fight your way through with resilience. He was, that was a very popular book, and he did extremely well. He was an Olympic gymnast, right? Then he crashed in a motorcycle accident, and I think this is in order, and he was injured horribly, and he ended up writing another book called no ordinary moments. Which is how he, again, he rose to the top in the peaceful warrior and then he crashed. And no ordinary moments tells us what to do when we’re at the bottom to help us get back up at the top.
Beverly:Â
Those stories of human like coming back from something like that, are they are extremely inspirational and powerful I believe in the power of the human spirit and how much we can affect others with that. I would just really wanna take a moment to say thank you, Katie, for joining us today. I found this conversation to be extremely enlightening and I encourage people to explore the transformative power of laughter and happiness in their lives. And to remember that it’s never too late to add more joy to your life. So thank you for tuning in and until next time, keep laughing and spreading happiness everywhere you go.
The Spark
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