Dr. Joel Goodman, founder and Director of The HUMOR Project in Saratoga Springs, New York, is a popular speaker, consultant, and workshop leader on the positive power of humor throughout the United States and abroad (Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Panama, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, Norway, Sweden, England, Germany, South Africa, North Dakota, and funny places in between). He has addressed more than two million people at national and state conferences and in-house training programs for corporations, organizations and professional associations. Joel is one of two professional speakers in the world to present in all 50 states and on all seven continents.
Joel started The HUMOR Project in 1977, which was two years before Norman Cousins' best-selling book accelerated interest in the humor-health connection. The HUMOR Project is the first organization in the world to focus full-time on the positive power of humor and creativity.
The HUMOR Project has sponsored 55 international conferences on "Survive AND Thrive: The Positive Power of Humor and Creativity." Over the decades, this renowned, learning-chocked, laughter-charged, life-changing conference has attracted tens of thousands of people from all 50 states, six continents, and the Moon (including Moonwalking astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell). This year's conference features Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary and Edison Pena (rescued Chilean miner who will receive the first international Survive AND Thrive Award.
Dr. Goodman has authored ten books and edited an exciting quarterly magazine, LAUGHING MATTERS, which has generated rave reviews and much laughter from thousands of people throughout the U.S. and 20 other countries. Dr. Laurence Peter (creator of The Peter Principle) noted, "LAUGHING MATTERS is clearly the best periodical on the subject of humor and its uses. If you want more humor in your life, LAUGHING MATTERS is for you." Joel also created the HUMOResources Mail-Order and On-Line Bookstore, and serves as publisher of The HUMOR Project Press (publisher of Some Days You're the Pigeon... Some Days You're the Statue). Joel's jest-selling book is Laffirmations: 1,001 Ways to Add Humor to Your Life and Work.
Joel has been a pioneer in focusing on practical ways for people to develop and use their sense of humor. His work has been featured in over 7000 television and radio shows, newspapers, and magazines in 175+ countries, including: The TODAY Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, PBS, ABC NEWS, CBS This Morning, BBC, Latenight America, Donahue, CNBC's Management Today (with John Cleese and Lily Tomlin), P.M. Magazine, All Things Considered, the front page of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Readers' Digest, Tom Peter's On Achieving Excellence, Successful Meetings, Parents magazine, numerous AP and UPI national features, and Voice of America. The April 1992 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association includes a special section on the pioneering work of The HUMOR Project.
Described as "the first full-time humor educator in the world," Joel was delighted to join Red Skelton, Willard Scott, and Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters in receiving the prestigious International Lifetime of Laughter Achievement Award. Joel also was honored by the Business Review as the Business Person of the Year. He has also received the Hometown Hero Award and was selected to receive the first International Punster of the Year Award. Joel is the founder of AHA!, the American Humor Association, which includes over 165,000 humor conspirators.
Believing that it is important for business to "do well and do good" at the same time, Joel is a dreamer and a doer. His HUMOR Project has provided grants to 500 schools, hospitals, and human service agencies to help them develop services and resources that tap the positive power of humor. Joel takes his work very seriously, and he takes himself very lightly. In helping people to get more smileage out of their lives and jobs, he agrees with Victor Borge's notion that "A smile is the shortest distance between two people." His own most important mentors when it comes to humor are his 35-year-old son, Adam, his 31-year-old daughter, Alyssa, and his young-at-heart wife, Margie!