This Special Edition of Laughbox is for Steve Wilson to hand off the Internatioinal Humor Month to Drew Tarvin. Enjoy the history of National Humor Month with Larry Wilde and others in the story of how humor was proven to be the best medicine (and continues to be ).

Steve Wilson, known as the “Cheerman of The Bored” and the one and only “Joyologist”, is the founder of World Laughter Tour, Inc. and has trained 7,000 laughter therapists.

He is the author of seven books and dozens of articles and blogs, and is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning humor expert. As one of America's top-rated professional speakers, Wilson offers popular programs on joy, motivation, teamwork, health and humor. He has also served as a design consultant and spokesperson for the SunChips Laughalizer campaign.

In addition, he earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, and the Rire d'Or Award (Golden Laughter) from L'Ecole Internationale Du Rire et du Bonheur. He is President of the Laughter Arts & Sciences Foundation (501.c.3) and has been featured in numerous radio & TV talk shows and other media around the world.

Dani Klein Modisett is the Founder/CEO of the award-winning company bringing comic relief to those facing Alzheimer’s, Laughter On Call. LOC was launched to help her mother who became depressed facing the disease. In the ensuing 6 years the company has grown to help all people feeling isolated. To date it has trained thousands of caregivers and worked with over 600 companies around the world including META,

Amazon, Capital One, Bristol Myers and FEMA. LOC has been featured in The Washington Post, The London Times, The NY Times and AARP Magazine. Dani is also a comedian/actor and author of the books, “Afterbirth: stories you won’t read in a parenting magazine (St. Martin’s Press) “Take My Spouse, Please.” (Penguin Random House) a part-memoir, part how-to for creating shared laughter to keep your marriage happy and healthy. Dani taught Stand-Up at UCLA for 10 years and has coached keynote speakers, business leaders, and Congressional candidates to use more humor in their communication. She has been a keynote speaker at Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Dartmouth Entrepreneur Forum, CALA, ICAA and UCLA.

She has run workshops at Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Duke’s Fuqua and Harvard Business School where Laughter On Call is currently a case study. Her writing has appeared in AARP, NY Times, LA Times, Parents Magazine and many websites. Her many podcast appearances include Stanford’s “When I’m 64,” and “The Tony Robbins Podcast.” Before becoming an entrepreneur, Dani was an actor who appeared on Broadway and many TV shows including “Law & Order,” “The Lottery,” and “Las Vegas,” for NBC. She was listed in Forbes 50>50 in 2023.

Dani Klein Modisett

Laughter On Call

Founder/CEO

(213) 840-6798

Named Forbes 50 over 50

Author Take My Spouse, Please

Andrew Tarvin is the world’s first Humor Engineer teaching people how to get better results while having more fun. He has worked with thousands of people at 200+ organizations, including P&G, GE, and Microsoft.

In 2025, Andrew became Director of International Humor Month for AATH.

Combining his background as a project manager at Procter & Gamble with his experience as an international comedian, Andrew’s program are engaging, entertaining, and most important, effective.

He is a best-selling author, has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and TEDx, and has delivered programs in 50 states, 18 countries, and 3 continents. He loves the color orange and is obsessed with chocolate.

https://www.aath.org/humor-month

https://www.humorthatworks.com/

Dr. Sam Shay, DC, IFMCP is a functional medicine expert, speaker, and comedian who has helped countless individuals optimize their health through personalized, data-driven strategies. Specializing in energy optimization, brain health, and overcoming fatigue and stress, Dr. Sam combines his health expertise with his unique comedic perspective to make health transformation accessible, engaging, and empowering.

His 25+ years of experience have led him to create the Neuro-Harmony Model, a comprehensive framework designed to nurture and optimize mental, emotional, and physical health. He uses this model to provide clear, actionable strategies to help professionals manage stress, boost focus, and sustain high performance in demanding environments.

Dr. Sam also uses his platform to support professionals navigating the unique challenges of high-stakes careers, offering tools to maintain balance and resilience while achieving their goals. Drawing on his deep understanding of functional medicine, he blends humor and science to empower individuals to tap into their full potential in work and life.

Dr. Sam has been featured on over 100 podcasts and stages, sharing his transformative approach to unlocking human potential and helping professionals thrive through functional medicine.

Dr. Shay also shares practical health insights in his stand-up comedy, making health transformation fun and relatable. His one-hour comedy special, "NeuroSpicy: Love, Life, & Comedy on the Spectrum", shares his journey and includes powerful insights on embracing neurodiversity.

Website: www.DrSamShay.com

Genetics program: https://go.drsamshay.com/sp-dna-decoded

Facebook: www.DrSamShay.com/sam.shay.792

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/tenpointwellness

Mike Goodwin is a refreshingly funny comedian, keynote speaker, and content delivery coach. His signature bowtie represents his expectation-defying brand of comedy that leaves a variety of audiences - from churches to corporate events to swanky galas - laughing hysterically and completely inspired, without a foul or vulgar word spoken.

A native of Camden, South Carolina, Mike holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of South Carolina, is a veteran of the U.S. Army, and a former primary and secondary education professional. He infuses his varied life experiences into his act, making him relatable to audiences from all walks of life.

Using his ability to merge leadership and laughter, Mike is a powerful communicator whose primary goal is to leave places and people better than he found them. The TEDx speaker has appeared on America’s Got Talent, Dry Bar Comedy, Today Show, Lifetime, BET, Amazon Prime,TBN, Daystar, USA, the Word Network, Circle TV, and SiriusXM.

A southern gentleman with a curious mind, love for people, and heart for God, Mike Goodwin is in a class all his own. He resides in Columbia, SC with his beautiful wife Rozalynn and their two children.

mikegoodwin.com

I am an Executive Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and Humor Ambassador.

I specialize in translating evidence-based techniques into actionable

tools for teams. I have 25+ years of leadership experience in

multinational companies and organizations. s and individuals, focusing

on mindset shifts, communication, and leadership skills. I hold

workshops integrating humor and improv with psychological research to

enhance creativity, flexibility, and performance.

I hold presentations and workshops at international conferences. My

passion is helping people laugh more and complain less.

As a speech coach, I supported 100+ presenters for TEDx and

professional conferences.

I am a member of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor

(aath.org), the Applied Improv Network

(https://www.appliedimprovisationnetwork.org/), the International

Society for Humor Studies (https://www.humorstudies.org/) and

Toastmasters International.

My links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bea-bincze-pcc-actc-dtm-4679bb13

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bea.bincze

Company: https://businesscoach.hu/en/humor/

For over forty years, John Johnson (Simply Saint Nick) has been a character actor and historical presenter, notably bringing the role of Santa Claus to life in the most authentic way. His debut on stage (and as Santa no less) was at the age of six in an elementary school production of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Since then, John has gone on to study acting with the Alban Arts Academy in Saint Albans, West Virginia. He has also attended classes taught by such artists as Pam Chibora, Leah Turley, Sean Watkins, Adam Bryan, Marlette Carter, and Kelly Strom. He has performed regionally in such shows as “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” as Father Christmas (2011), “Miracle on 34th Street” as Kris Kringle (2012), “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” as Nicholas (2013), and “Adventures in Santa Claus Land” as Santa (2019). He has also performed the role on local television commercials and on various Christmas specials regionally.

But it isn’t his acting abilities that make Santa John unique. Rather, it is his great faith in Christ – the Reason for the Season. Yes, John has always portrayed the role from the Christian perspective which goes all the way back to Nicholas of Myra (270-343AD). Nicholas was the prototype of the Santa we know and love today. Santa John has studied carefully over his lifetime both the history and the traditions of the character that he portrays. His portrayal emphasizes service to Christ, love, joy, peace, and hope – the bedrocks of the season. Couple these things with the fact that Santa John truly loves children, maintains a jolly demeanor, and a deep love of the role and you have something special in him. The additions of real whiskers, custom tailored suits, and real accessories make Santa John someone to believe in. In 2023, Santa John even wrote a book about his life, his faith, and role as Santa Claus. It is available at Westbow Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbooks.com. Click the title to get a copy of “Simply Saint Nick: My Life as a Real-Life Christian Santa Claus.”

Amazon link https://a.co/d/97qKnNo

Interview with the Christian Chronicle, December 2023 https://christianchronicle.org/peace-on-earth-and-goodwill-to-men-christian-santa-professes-christ/

https://simplysaintnick.com/