Name that Woman Trailblazer: This woman is a London-born American actress who remarried eight times to seven men and famously became the highest paid movie star in 1960s Hollywood, was an undisputed pioneer of female empowerment.
WOMAN OF THE WEEK
Meet Dani Klein Modisett 👋
Hi, I’m Dani!
I’m a comedian/author/actor/teacher who didn’t always have all the hyphens. I started as an actor in NYC, did my requisite “Law & Order,” episodes and headed to Los Angeles.
I became a comedian shortly thereafter after too many people asked me why I was waiting tables when I could be making people laugh without having to put pepper on their salads. In 2018, I launched Laughter On Call after my mother became depressed facing Alzheimer’s.
I couldn’t make her laugh so I had the idea to hire a professional to do it. It worked and changed her end-of-life experience. I put a camera in my office, hired a few people and started training comedians and booking them.
When COVID hit, we started live streaming interactive comedy so people would feel less isolated and get some comic relief from the insanity of a global pandemic. This was remarkably effective so we reached out to HR people who were desperate for ways to keep their people feeling less isolated.
LOC knew how to help and expanded our services to include virtual “Happier Hours,” and training. I still love to make people laugh and feel lucky to have created something where I get to help relieve stress with a wonderfully talented and generous team of comedians.
🔗 Want to connect with Dani? Say “hi” on LinkedIn and Instagram.
TOGETHER WITH LAUGHTER ON CALL
Bring Comic Relief and Human Connection to Your Team!
Want to know more about how Dani’s company Laughter on Call can bring comic relief and human connection to your teams?
Laughter On Call specializes in remote, hybrid and in-person events that support mental wellness and customizes them to fit the needs of your company.
Offerings include:
- Happier Hour – 45 min. – 1 hr of laugh-out-loud interactive games led by professional comedians
- Laughter Workshop – 1 hr – 90 min. The same laugh-out-loud experience and 3 actionable comedian’s tools to boost morale, build teams and create connection
- Laughter Training – 90 min. – Full day. These sessions are comprehensive and address specific challenges with a six tool L.E.V.I.T.Y. acronym of comedian’s tools and interactive games to reinforce the learning.
- Holiday Parties & more!
Set up a call today
Q&A CORNER
Dani’s Secrets
Q: How did you get into your current role/industry?
A: I’ve always seen the world through a comedian’s eyes.
Laughter On Call is part of my evolution of using laughter to tell the truth and help connect people through shared humanity. Which may be the least funny sentence I’ve ever written.
Q: What’s something you do to help boost your productivity?
A: Make lists!
If I get mired in doubt or fear, I make a list of what I can do that day, simple actions I can take one at a time and do them. If that’s not helping, I give myself 5 minutes to jump up and down and make funny faces and then I commit to doing one thing for the business.
This usually leads to another and another.
Q: How do you find work-life balance?
A: I turn my computer off at 7 pm unless we have a gig. I schedule activities with my family — I think experiences outside of work feed your work, and doing them with people I love is the best.
Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve received so far?
A: Have the courage to pursue your ideas.
Find someone whose professional trajectory reflects what you want, in the field you want to work, and research how they did it.
Q: What’s your favorite software or app that helps with your workflow?
A: My team LOVES SLACK.
I have finally adjusted to it. I get it, it creates boundaries for work, otherwise you are texting people on their personal phones.
Is it too obvious to also say ZOOM? ZOOM makes it possible for us to run events internationally, and now they have a lipstick option!
I also appreciate the convenience for everyone that Calendly provides.
Q: What’s a book or podcast you’d recommend to a colleague?
A: Book: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, podcast: Unf*ck Your Brain.
Kara Lowentheil’s take can run deep in to feminist theory, but the bottom line advice is helpful for getting out of your way, particularly for women.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time outside of work?
A: DANCE!!
I am a closet dancer. Not that I dance in the closet, but very few people know this about me. I take all kinds of classes and danced in my living room through COVID. I love DANCE CHURCH.
TOGETHER WITH OFFICE OTTER
To-Do List Zero
You may have heard of inbox zero, but have you heard of to-do list zero?
It doesn’t mean you have to complete every single thing on your list, but it does mean you’re clearing through your tasks at the end of each day by either completing them or setting time in the future to make sure they get done.
Luckily, Office Otter has a robust number of features that are completely user friendly and will help you achieve to-do list zero, like converting your daily convos into tasks, tagging tasks by priority, and the ability to integrate with your calendar (time blocking FTW!) — to name a few.
Try for free today!
BLESSINGS IN LESSONS
Talk less, listen more
The biggest leap for me from comedian to CEO was consistently showing up as a professional — accepting that it is no longer in anyone’s best interest for me to say every irreverent thing that comes into my head.
As a performer this is a gift, it’s what people love about comedians, the unedited commentary. Turns out, as a professional and a leader, not so much!
Hand in hand with this is talking less and listening more.
You think as a CEO you have to be spouting great ideas and wisdom at every turn. Not so.
What you really need to do is listen to what people need and want, then ask questions and listen some more. Then take the time to think about what is best for the business.
Not what will make my ego feel good, but what response/action can I take that supports the greater good?
For example, my people do not want to come to an office. They never will. They are each independent thinkers and artists whose creativity I value tremendously.
Since these are the people I want, we’re a remote company for now. Bummer, because I really miss Donut Day.
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