Noreen Braman – 67
Speaker, Author, Smile Side of Life Laughter & Happiness Club
About me
Noreen Braman is all about the healing power of laughter.
In 2010, she became a certified Laughter Yoga Leader. Her mind was blown at a conference called “Can Humor Save the World” and she studied the Psychology of Laughter at Rutgers University. She added certification in Laughter Wellness, studied the Science of Happiness through The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, joined the Association for Applied & Therapeutic Humor (AATH), and has been presenting laughter for the health of it through her Smile Side of Life Laughter & Happiness Club presentations ever since.
Noreen continues to add to her knowledge of laughter through continuing education and certifications, workshops, conferences, and seminars, and she is an instructor at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University and shares her message of well-being with organizations nationwide.
What do you do and why do you do it?
After a few rounds of reinvention, including a contentious divorce, corporate downsizing due to an economic recession of historic proportions, and facing my own midlife issues, I took my skills as a strategic communications professional, humorist, and performer in a new direction. Inspired by a conference called “Can Humor Save the World,” I became a certified Laughter Yoga Leader and did not stop there… I am continually learning about the impact that laughter can have on well-being.
Now I spend every day living and teaching my mission of finding joy and happiness on a daily basis to develop the resilience to manage life when it gets difficult. And sometimes all you need is a good hearty laugh for the health of it!
What changed for you after age 50?
As a divorced Mom with 3 teenagers, I realized that I, and only I, had to take care of myself, be strong for my children, and never depend on a partner to define or control me.
What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?
Knowing what I know now at a younger age, might have caused me to do things that did not lead to my 3 children, 6 grandchildren, and love of my life after 50. The only thing I would maybe say would be: Stay strong.
What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?
I didn’t go gently, I went laughing.
What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?
Provide me the opportunity to share my personal story, and why laughter is important for human survival.
Who or what inspires you and why?
Linda Richman, author of I’d Rather Laugh: How to Be Happy Even When Life Has Other Plans for You. She gave me permission to have a “pity party” when I needed it, demanded that it be limited, and I would come out of it ready to continue dealing with life.
Something else I’d like to share
As a daughter of laughter and chaos, it took years to realize that laughter was not a weapon to demean, belittle and control me. My life changed in 2010, and I continue to share my story and what I have learned,
“Laughter has helped me hold things together when things were not funny. It can be used as a tool for personal and professional development, and can be incorporated in various professional settings, including the legal profession.”
Noreen Braman
The Brief
This interview was co-hosted with Iris Goldfeder, CEO of Gas Stove Creative. It was such fun.
Noreen Braman is the founder of The Smile Side of Life Laughter & Happiness Club, and is all about the healing power of laughter. She’s literally a hoot!
After a few rounds of reinvention, including a contentious divorce, corporate downsizing due to an economic recession of historic proportions, and facing her own midlife issues, she took her skills as a strategic communications professional, humorist, and performer in a new direction.
Laughter is a powerful tool for personal and professional growth
Noreen shared how laughter transformed her life and career after several personal and professional challenges. Reinventing herself after a contentious divorce, corporate downsizing, and midlife issues, she leveraged her skills as a strategic communications professional and humorist in a new direction to inspire others.
“When I was 50, I had to rethink my whole life and it set me on this path. I found that you do end up having a reassessment of your personal mission and vision. There’s something important about that midlife part of your life that tells you what is it that you really wanted to do. What is the thing that really makes you happy, really feels like you’re giving something to the world? And I have found it through laughter Wellness.”
She shared more about how laughter has been a healing part of her journey, helping her survive difficult periods and build resilience. “Laughter has helped me hold things together when things were not funny. I’ve built my resilience through laughter. After going through a divorce, going through some health things, laughter holds me over.”
Laughter has a significant role in workplace dynamics
Noreen uses laughter to break the ice in a variety of professional scenarios, especially with lawyers. She emphasized the importance of incorporating laughter into corporate situations, noting that if everything is taken too seriously, nothing becomes serious.
She recalled, “With dentists and lawyers, it can be difficult for them to let go because they feel they’re very serious people doing very serious work. But if you can bring humor in, it becomes a pattern interrupt.” Braman also stressed the positive impact of laughter in creating a more harmonious and productive work environment.
Laughter can be learned and practiced as an exercise
The conversation turned to how laughter can be practiced as an exercise and used as a tool to release endorphins, reduce stress, and energize individuals. She shared a simple laughter exercise involving three laughter sounds – ho, ha, and he – associated with different parts of the body. It was fun and quite relaxing, give it a try.
Here’s how you do it… there are three laughter sounds ho ho ho, ha ha ha, he he he. Breathe in through your nose out through your mouth vocalize that laughter sound. If you do this a few times, it releases endorphin, it raises your heart rate, it energizes you for wherever you have to go to speak somewhere.”
The brain doesn’t know the difference between pretend and genuine laughter, so even making the sounds can trick the brain into releasing feel-good hormones. This simple exercise can be done quietly too.
Visit Noreen’s website to connect and learn more about her. Don’t forget to laugh!
