How and/or where did you start comedy?

I started in Improv comedy in about 1997 and did that for about 8 years performing with two different troupes.  I totally loved it but had to pull back because it was a little harder when my kids were born.  I said I would never do standup because it looked too hard.  But then I took a class with Kristina Hall I think somewhere around 2010.  It was SO much fun that I knew I had to do more.  

I took more and more workshops from her and kept performing in shows and open mics and now I do comedy full time.  I just quit my Facebook marketing business that I built to run Moms Unhinged.

 

 

What inspires you or drives you?

Right now with the Moms Unhinged brand, impact drives me.  I want to make a difference in the lives of the mom comedians who are a part of our group and I want to give moms who are having a challenging time a chance to laugh.  I know how hard it is to find time to perform and get on shows as a busy mom and as a woman.  And I know how challenging motherhood can be.  We are sometimes struggling to hold everything together and keep things running.

 

I'm inspired by the women who are part of our group.  We have a talented group and we all have our own challenges that can make life even harder like health challenges, being a single parent, relationship challenges, taking care of aging parents, and more.  It's hard and these women are finding the funny so that we can all laugh together and realize we aren't so alone.  Laughter is so healing.

What is some advice you would give to aspiring comics?

Get good at editing your jokes down.  Every word matters in a joke and when you remove the extra words, you get to the punchline sooner.

Take classes.  A class can shave years off of your learning curve.

Are there obstacles you've faced and how did or do you persevere?

Well Covid was a tough time for comedy.  Luckily I was working at that time so I didn't have to hustle so hard for shows during that period.  Zoom comedy was not fun.

As I've been growing Moms Unhinged I've had shows that didn't sell well and I've lost money.  But I think my business background has really helped me approach this as a business and know that I'm taking calculated risks.  I am saving a good cushion for the slower months like December and August so that I can ride with the ups and downs.

 

What's something awesome that's happened to you recently?

Moms Unhinged has really taken off.  We are so excited to be booking shows in more and more states as well as keep selling out our Colorado shows.  It's been a dream come true.  Before the pandemic, we had only had a few shows a year.  Then when the pandemic ended I wanted to do more shows because they were so fun and we all needed to laugh more.  Then I said let's blow the roof off and we have.  I am so excited to see how the next few years unfold!

Are there some big accomplishments and or credits you're proud of and would like mentioned?

 

I'm really proud of my boys.  They are both in college now and they are such great humans.  I feel so lucky to be their mom.