Humor In The C-Suite

Kate Davis | Keynote Speaker & Stand Up Comedian showing Leaders how to Leverage Humor
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Hi this is Kate Davis I’m a comic and keynote Speaker, and thanks for checking out my Podcast Humor in the C-Suite where I interview leaders, executives and business owners on how they use humor and levity to create an extraordinary work culture.  I want to ask the questions that we all want answers to like… Does humor help us or harm us at work? Does humor change our perception of a problem? And how do our leaders use humor to inspire curiosity, success and innovation. I want to be a fly in their chardonnay, I mean a fly on their wall. Honestly, I’m as curious as you are…So join me and a guest every week for Humor in the C-Suite

  1. 4d ago

    Current Affairs: How Amie Fox Trades Sympathy for Empathy to Build Better People Managers

    On this episode of Humor in the C-Suite, I sit down with leadership trainer Amie Fox, founder of A Fox Consulting and author of Mind the Blind Spot: Decision to Done. We talk about why you need to follow current affairs before you joke with a global team, the difference between empathy and sympathy, what to do when a joke bombs, and the keynote where the lights came up and Amie was on the wrong end of the stage. Additional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    Current Affairs: How Amie Fox Trades Sympathy for Empathy to Build Better People Managers

  2. Oct 6

    Two Truths, One Lie: How Mark Wessner Uses Humor to Break Down Hierarchy and Build Trust

    MB Seminary President Mark Wessner once opened a sermon for a church deciding whether to hire him with a game of two truths and a lie: I've done cocaine. I've been in prison. I have a tattoo. He doesn't have a tattoo. Mark joins Kate Davis to talk about using humor to lower the guard that comes with hierarchy, from all-out Nerf battles with his team to the evaluation that told him to be more presidential. He also breaks down the four languages leaders communicate in, what the Birkman Method reveals about why we joke, and his one rule for humor at work: if anyone's paying for the joke, make it you. Additional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    Two Truths, One Lie: How Mark Wessner Uses Humor to Break Down Hierarchy and Build Trust

  3. Sep 22

    How Kevin Dias Makes Room for Humor in a Fully Remote Startup

    Kevin Dias doesn't think he's funny, but he's built a company where everyone else gets to be. From his home in Oyama, Japan, the founder of Ambiki talks with Kate about leading a fully remote startup with levity: jokes flying in the Zoom chat, the teammate who told him a joke about a customer crossed the line, and the annual hackathon that keeps turning play into real product features. In this episode: Why humor has to start one-on-one before it works in a groupLaughing at a situation vs. laughing at a customerUsing self-deprecation to get past imposter syndromeThe cynicism trap, and why the wins deserve as many jokes as the lossesTwo days, four teams, and a hackathon that shipsConnect with Kevin: Website: https://www.kevinsdias.com/Ambiki: https://www.ambiki.com/The Problem-First Method: https://problem-first-method.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-dias-ambiki/Additional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    How Kevin Dias Makes Room for Humor in a Fully Remote Startup

  4. Sep 1

    Build Your Own Building: How NAVAC Founder Lintao Lu Turns Rejection Into Resilient Leadership

    Leadership development, resilience, and humor in leadership take center stage as Kate sits down with NAVAC founder Lintao Lu, author of In Through the Window, for a conversation on grit, authentic leadership, and turning closed doors into opportunity. In this episode, Kate and LT talk about: Why "sometimes you have to realize this building is not for you" — and how to build your own insteadTurning a workplace mishap into trust and team cohesion instead of embarrassmentBridging US-China cultural differences in the boardroomHow humor eases the pressure cooker of corporate life and boosts employee engagementWhy laughing at yourself is the fastest path to authentic leadership and psychological safetyLT's story — from a childhood during China's Cultural Revolution to seven US patents and a career spanning engineering, marketing, and the C-suite — is a lesson in workplace culture built on hope, humor, and grit. LT is the author of In Through the Window: On Forging Your Own Path to Success, available now. Connect with LT: lintaolu.com | linkedin.com/in/lintao-lt-lu-10255b5 Find Humor in the C Suite wherever you get your podcasts. Additional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    Build Your Own Building: How NAVAC Founder Lintao Lu Turns Rejection Into Resilient Leadership

  5. Aug 18

    Humor is Rebellion: How Author Pavithra Venkatesan Uses Humor to Break Free From Old Patterns

    This week, Kate sits down with Pavithra Venkatesan, author of Archetypal Remembering and pattern intelligence practitioner, for a conversation about the identities we build to survive, and the exact moment those identities turn funny. Pavithra traces her path from software engineer to author and life coach, a shift that began the day she became a mother and started questioning whether the life she was living was actually hers. She walks through her framework of archetypes as adaptive roles built for safety, belonging, and freedom, and why humor only appears once you become the observer of your own performance rather than the performer. The conversation moves through workplace culture (why the "manufactured seriousness" of most organizations quietly sidelines the most playful people), a cross-cultural look at humor in India versus the US, and the "hardened softness" archetype she sees most often in women who've learned to look like they don't need anyone. Themes covered: authentic leadership, workplace culture, psychological safety, archetypes, self-awareness, pattern intelligence, and humor in leadership. Plus, the breakfast table story about her husband and one very strong-willed toddler that finally taught her to let go. You'll Also Love The Skill of Vulnerability: How Executive Coach Amy Green Smith Quiets Inner Critic & Builds Trust with Amy Green Smith, since the inner critic Amy describes and the "observer watching your archetype perform" that Pavithra describes are two versions of the same self-awarenessCoding with Humor: How Gamebasics CEO Jeroen Dewort Built a 200 Million Player Empire with Jeroen Dewort, since his humor-as-survival-mechanism story mirrors what Pavithra says about staying alive inside "manufactured seriousness" during her own software engineering daysThe Flight of Authenticity: Bold Leadership Lessons from Crooked Compass Founder Lisa Pagotto with Lisa Pagotto, for the shared thread of staying yourself across cultures, which runs right through Pavithra and Kate's India/US humor conversationAdditional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    Humor is Rebellion: How Author Pavithra Venkatesan Uses Humor to Break Free From Old Patterns

  6. Jul 28

    The Skill of Vulnerability: How Executive Coach Amy Green Smith Quiets Inner Critic & Builds Trust

    This week, Kate sits down with Amy Green Smith, executive leadership coach, master hypnotherapist, and keynote speaker, for a conversation on vulnerability, trust, and communication that's equal parts practical and funny. Amy explains why vulnerability is one of the most disarming tools a leader has, how humor-based communication systems help teams say the hard things without the blowup, and why confrontation avoidance always comes with a hidden cost. She also talks about her background as a master hypnotherapist, breaking down what hypnosis actually is at a scientific level and why it's able to quiet the inner critic, the internal guard that usually blocks new beliefs from sticking. Themes covered: authentic leadership, psychological safety, trust building, hypnosis, the inner critic, workplace culture, and humor in leadership. Plus, the story behind "q-tip stick," a phrase that will make sense once you hear it. Connect with Amy Green Smith  Website  LinkedIn Instagram  Free Private Podcast Series: Boundaries Over BurnoutOther episodes You'll Also Love The Trolley Scenario: Neuroinclusive Leadership and the Hidden Cost of Masking with Ron SosaTwo Truths and a Lie: How Heart-Led Leadership Beats Burnout with Isabelle TremblayWork Happy: Why Humor is the Gateway to Mental Health at Work with Greg KettnerAdditional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    The Skill of Vulnerability: How Executive Coach Amy Green Smith Quiets Inner Critic & Builds Trust

  7. Jul 14

    Know the Room, Own the Room: How Michael Earls Uses Humor to Keep Leadership Human in the Age of AI

    Key topics: Leadership development in the age of AI · humor as an icebreaker in corporate IT leadership · Who are the "new zombies"? · why empathy and emotion are what AI still can't replicate · AI hallucinations and the limits of large language models · curiosity as a leadership trait · knowing your room before you use humor · storytelling as the key to retention. Guest advice: "Own the room. Know the room." Michael's guiding principle for using humor as a leader, learned from a mentor years ago. Standout quotes: "I am copying and pasting, copying and pasting now. I'm a machine now. And that's not what we were built for... We were built for critical thinking. Emotions... And empathy." —Michael Earls"It doesn't have a heart. It's like a tin man." —Kate Davis, on AI and empathyConnect with Michael Earls:  https://www.michaelearls.com/books/finding-direction-in-the-age-of-ai/ Finding Direction in the Age of AI Wired for Purpose The Digital Compass  Additional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    Know the Room, Own the Room: How Michael Earls Uses Humor to Keep Leadership Human in the Age of AI

  8. Jun 23

    The Reframe: Jeff Arnold, Bestselling Author & RightSure Founder, on Humor as a Leadership Strategy

    This week I’m joined by Jeff Arnold: five-time bestselling author, founder of RightSure (North America’s most awarded insurance firm), and a guy who somehow turned standing next to a serious CEO at a drink fountain into a leadership lesson.  We talk about why self-deprecating humor is the best humor, why “yes, and” belongs in your boardroom and not just your improv class, how Jeff kills his own ego every time he writes a book, and the story behind the most expensive speeding-ticket photo in Arizona history. Bring tissues. You’ll need them for laughing. Key Topics Self-deprecating humor as a leadership trust-builderThe “yes, and” philosophy from improv, applied to businessReframing failure as forward motionUsing humor to deliver hard news without losing authenticityWriting 12 books and learning to kill your own ego on the pageHumor and AI: deploying technology without losing the human side of leadershipRebranding insurance agents as “famously friendly humans”Knowing your audience: when to dial humor up, and when to dial it downThe line between self-deprecating humor and “punching down”Guest Advice Lead with self-deprecating humor before anyone else gets the chance to make you the joke. It signals confidence, not weakness, and it’s the fastest way to build trust with a team. Resources Mentioned RightSure InsuranceJeff’s book, AI Forward LeadershipJeff has written 12 books total, 5 of them bestsellers https://jeffarnold.com/books/Jeff Arnold's Website  Additional Links & Resources: Interested in being a guest on Humor in the C-Suite? Reach out to book a call with Kate!Learn more about me and my work at katedavis.ca Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Humor in the C-Suite! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast, share it with your friends, and leave a rating or review. Your support helps the podcast continue to grow.  Hosted by Kate Davis Edited by Chris @ Wider View Studios

    The Reframe: Jeff Arnold, Bestselling Author & RightSure Founder, on Humor as a Leadership Strategy
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Hi this is Kate Davis I’m a comic and keynote Speaker, and thanks for checking out my Podcast Humor in the C-Suite where I interview leaders, executives and business owners on how they use humor and levity to create an extraordinary work culture.  I want to ask the questions that we all want answers to like… Does humor help us or harm us at work? Does humor change our perception of a problem? And how do our leaders use humor to inspire curiosity, success and innovation. I want to be a fly in their chardonnay, I mean a fly on their wall. Honestly, I’m as curious as you are…So join me and a guest every week for Humor in the C-Suite

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Davis | Keynote Speaker & Stand Up Comedian showing Leaders how to Leverage Humor
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    68
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Humor In The C-Suite
  • Show Website
    Humor In The C-Suite