Kevin Hubschmann: How “Laughter as a Service” Builds Stronger Teams
Manage episode 515286371 series 3553749
What if the shortest path to better leadership is a good laugh? We sit down with Kevin Hubschmann, founder of Laugh Dot, to explore how “laughter as a service” and applied improv transform tense rooms into brave ones. Kevin walks us through how improv games—used not for performance, but for practice—retrain teams to listen, validate, and build on ideas with “yes, and” instead of shutting momentum down with “no, but.” The result is real: lower stress, stronger bonds, and sharper problem-solving where it counts.
Kevin shares the surprising data behind laughter’s impact—endorphins up, cortisol down, serotonin up when we laugh together—and how that chemistry translates to trust and recall in fast-moving organizations. We get specific on formats that work: musical improv to craft team anthems, visual-heavy virtual shows across time zones, and simple in-room exercises that strip hierarchy so a CEO and a new hire can learn side by side. He explains why keeping these sessions in the same spaces where work happens matters for lasting change, and how short “laugh breaks” before standups keep skills from fading.
We also dig into the business journey: reframing improv so teams aren’t intimidated, iterating away from comedy-club habits to a clean, corporate-fit baseline, and using feedback to boost customer satisfaction while preserving spontaneity. Then we zoom out to the AI era. Kevin draws a line between convergent tasks machines do well and the human “power skills” we must strengthen—divergent thinking, storytelling, active listening, and comfort with risk. Along the way, he shares practical leadership advice, energy-management habits, and the simple mindset shift that helped him show up more authentically: stop being so salesman, start being more human.
If you’re looking to raise engagement, spark creativity, and make your culture braver without adding more slides, this conversation delivers tools you can try tomorrow and a new way to see your team. Enjoy it, share it with a manager who needs a nudge, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so others can find it too.
How to contact Kevin:
Other resources from the episode:
- Jess Glynne: Ain't Got Far To Go - https://youtu.be/GxPcu7F7gWg?si=QsKELiQH8NpLAv3f
- Olivia Deane: Man I Need - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOKaC-w8XpU
- Nike book - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/520632.Swoosh
Chapters
1. Kevin Hubschmann: How “Laughter as a Service” Builds Stronger Teams (00:00:00)
2. Laughter As A Service (00:00:03)
3. Purpose, Joy, And Work (00:00:43)
4. Pandemic Pivot To Corporate Comedy (00:05:25)
5. Virtual To Hybrid: Formats That Work (00:09:10)
6. Science Of Laughter With Harvard Insights (00:13:47)
7. How Applied Improv Works At Work (00:18:14)
8. Making It Stick Beyond Workshops (00:24:12)
9. Clean Comedy, Iteration, And Fit (00:28:36)
10. Leveling Hierarchy Through Play (00:36:45)
11. Global Reach And Practical Advice (00:43:12)
12. Reframing The Language Of Improv (00:50:07)
13. Lessons From Failure And Growth (00:57:10)
14. AI, Power Skills, And Divergent Thinking (01:06:45)
15. Books, Routines, And Energy Management (01:13:10)
16. Superpowers, Soundtracks, And Mindset (01:20:30)
17. Authenticity Over Performance (01:30:00)
18. Closing Gratitude And Links (01:33:00)
30 episodes