Dreamers & Doers: Dani Klein Modisett: The ROI of Laughter

May 20

Dreamers & Doers: Dani Klein Modisett: The ROI of Laughter

What if laughter wasn’t just entertainment, but a practical tool for building trust, easing burnout, and sustaining change-makers through the heaviest work? In this episode, you’ll hear how comedy, courage, and everyday joy can transform Alzheimer’s care, corporate culture, and social impact leadership.

In this episode, Kristine Michie sits down with Dani Klein Modisett, Founder and CEO of Laughter On Call, to discuss the profound ROI of Laughter. Dani shares how her journey, from stand-up comedian to Alzheimer’s caregiver, led to a breakthrough realization: humor is a bridge that can cross even the widest gaps of isolation and cognitive decline. They delve into how leaders can use "intentional laughter" to lower team stress, the importance of authenticity over "being funny," and why joy is a radical act of endurance in the face of hardship.

Key Takeaways:

Laughter can be intentionally used as a tool to create trust and deepen connection, especially in high-stress environments like caregiving, healthcare, and social impact work.
You don’t need to be a professional comedian to use humor effectively; what matters most is authenticity, presence, and a willingness to reveal something true and specific about yourself.
In leadership, self-awareness is critical: humor lands best when leaders acknowledge how they’re perceived and use lightness in a way that aligns with their own style and their team’s reality.
Joy and humor are not a denial of hardship or injustice; they are often what make it possible for people to endure difficult conditions and continue doing hard, necessary work.
In times of crisis, play and laughter can become powerful community builders, bridging isolation, crossing cultures, and helping teams feel human, seen, and connected.

"It's very hard to feel joy when you don't have health care [for example]. And so that's where I think [joy] becomes a social responsibility. If we believe that joy is part of human condition, how do we as a nation support all our people in having access to that." — Dani Klein Modisett

"After they laughed, she handed my mother a glass of water, and my mother took the water because trust had been created, because that's one of the byproducts of sharing laughter." — Dani Klein Modisett

More About Dani Klein Modisett:

Dani Klein Modisett is the Founder/CEO of Laughter On Call. She is also a comedian/actor and author of the book, “Take My Spouse, Please.” (Shambhala Press, 2015), 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 speaker at CALA, ICAA, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, UCLA, Dartmouth, Fuqua and Harvard Business School where Laughter On Call is used as a case study. Her writing has appeared in AARP, NY Times, LA Times, Parents Magazine. Dani is part of the Milken Alliance For Better Aging and has been named to the Forbes 50>50 list.

Connect with Dani Klein Modisett:

Website: https://www.laughteroncall.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laughteroncall/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laughteroncall

Twitter: https://twitter.com/laughteroncall

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/laughter-on-call

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6CpHvRdIgr0X7mh7kaWsMQ/videos

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laughteroncall

Connect with Kristine:

The PlayFull Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-playfull-podcast-with-kristine-michie-bringing-fun/id1676838213?action=write-review

Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc