Healthcare Industry

"My late friend and colleague, Norman Cousins, would have loved Kathleen Passanisi's use of humor and positive emotions to help health professionals reduce stress and enhance enjoyment in their work. Kathy's infectious joy transforms exasperations of everyday life into an opportunity to have fun without exploiting the vulnerabilities of other persons. We laughed together—not at each other!"

"The Chairman of Anesthesia at UT Southwestern called me to say that you were the best presenter that they had ever heard and I whole-heartedly agree. You made the program, thank you so much."

"Kathy Passanisi was a tremendous success as the guest speaker for the Dermatology Nurses Association Annual Convention luncheon. She was funny, inspirational, truly energizing, and she had over 425 women literally screaming with laughter for nearly an hour."

"It was very clear to us, the attendees and especially us board members, that you had done your homework on us before agreeing to come and be a major portion of our program. Your preparation was on target; your presentation was professional; and your execution was worthy of imitation. We got lots of pointers on the value of stress reduction, and how to re-frame real life situations in such a way as to either lessen the sting, or deflect it with a dose of humor. In the world of healthcare, my world for the past 27 years, I can tell you we need a potion to deal with the vicissitudes of life, and you were just the tonic! Too many of us take ourselves far too seriously; and as our heart statistics demonstrate, with chilling, as in killing, results."

"Your presentation surpassed everything we had anticipated at our Physicians Retreat which included physicians, administrators, corporate personnel and spouses. Your ability to tailor a two-hour presentation to meet the criteria for everyone in the group was SPECTACULAR! In a room full of egos, your presentation was able to relieve tension and poke fun at the medical profession because of your membership in that profession. Here are some of the comments made by the participants:"

"'I was laughing so hard I had to take my glasses off because they kept fogging up.'"

"'She's so much better than anybody we have ever had that it is hard to find words to describe her.'"

"I haven't seen some of those folks laugh like they did in a long time . . .Because of the intensity of our work here at Parkland, our employees are a tough audience—no one knows stress like they do. Because of your background as a health professional you gained their confidence."

"Not only was the content of your presentation excellent, but you were right on target in meeting the needs and expectations of the audience. Not one of our previous speakers has received the accolades that attendees have bestowed upon you. . . . Both the cleanliness and sensitive nature of your program show you to be a special person. Indeed, as the gentle philosopher Spinoza said: 'all excellent things are as difficult as they are rare.'"

"As usual—the highest scores. They loved you!"

"Margorie is well into chemotherapy. After your talk, she decided to go look at wigs. That is a step she had been uncertain about. When we got to the store there was another couple there for the same reason. The four of us—especially the women—proceeded to have quite a time. Both of them ended up ordering wigs, and feeling good about it. The point, I guess, is like you told us: reframe the moment, laugh, play and get on with getting on. Again, thank you."

"Her ability to connect with an audience, provide them with a humorous look at themselves and at the world and yet come away with a sense of empowerment and higher level of self-esteem is incredible. She has a wonderful ability to adapt her presentation to the needs of your audience and makes the topic appropriate to their own situations. I have used her for women's groups that vary from working women, young moms, seniors and for a group of women religious. I have an admiration for Kathy on a personal level since she really lives out her message and has the ability to maintain integrity in her life and appropriately recognize the value of humor."

"Your talk at the Texas Association of Hospital Financial Administrators' meeting in Dallas brought tears to my eyes. Too much laughing. I envy your ability to put health care reform and our own attitudes in perspective through humor. And your comfort level at giving a long, smooth, and stimulating presentation is remarkable."

"You showed an insightful understanding of the plight of those of us who are caring for both our parents and our children. Your personal stories really highlighted the points that you wanted to make and your compelling, comic delivery kept us all engaged and excited to hear your next thought."

"It is the rare occasion that we can find a way for our patients and friends to learn, gain insight and enjoy themselves, all at the same time."

"The audience included a diverse group of professional backgrounds who are engaged in a highly complex and rapidly changing industry. Your ability to reach all of them with the universal language of laughter was evident throughout as well as the positive 'buzz' and feedback afterwards."

"Speaking on behalf of an institution with hundreds of endowed professorships, scholarships and lectures, it is my opinion that an endowed Passanisi lecture series would be a fitting tribute to your talent and your message and a welcome tonic for our hard working staff."

"Kathleen did two keynote presentations each tailored to PHS' needs. The time she spent preparing for her presentation was incredible; Kathleen did her homework and it showed!"

""Awesome." "Refreshing." "Great addition to the meeting with so much to help our personal effectiveness and team building." "She was among our highest-rated presenters ever and really stole the show at the conference." (300 member leadership team)."

""Kathleen Passanisi was stupendous." "Kathleen gave me great ideas to take back to my unit!" "I highly recommend Kathleen to speak at healthcare symposiums. She will leave the attendees feeling good about themselves and teaching them techniques to improve their practice.""

". . you were able to raise challenging topics within a humorous, non-threatening context. This enabled our staff to address issues that we have been sweeping under the run for far too long. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the work you did."

"Many of these patients and survivors commented that they laughed harder than they had in a long time and gained a new perspective on facing their illness. We are thrilled that we chose Kathleen Passanisi as our keynote speaker for the 'Celebration of Life' and we look forward to working with her in the future. I believe that any program that features Kathleen will be a guaranteed success!"

"During our team meetings my colleagues and I are utilizing the tips you have us to help diffuse tension within the group. I have learned to laugh again with abandon and I recognize more quickly when I am slipping into 'awfulizing' behaviors. I would recommend you as an inspirational and motivational speaker for any group because you touch the very essence of who we are as humans."

"We had invited industry representatives to receive recognition prior to your presentation. Unknown to me, they made an agreement that they would all leave 15 minutes into your portion of the program. They were instead so delighted with your presentation that they were riveted to their seats for the entire hour. Afterward they commented that this was the best plenary session they had ever attended."

"Kathleen has a way of addressing the topic that I have never before experienced. She takes dramatic life events and helps the audience appreciate the positive outcomes that can occur if one is open to change. It is with great pleasure that I recommend Kathleen Passanisi to any organization."

"Here is one comment that I feel captures the spirit of the entire audience, 'I have been an employee for 25 years and I think this luncheon was the best yet. I left feeling very positive. The speaker was excellent!!!' Yes, laughter is the best medicine."

"I speak for everyone when I say that you ARE TOTALLY AWESOME! The content of your material could not have been more appropriate - not to mention the true to life humor you add while delivering your message. . . We look forward to having you back again. Better yet, can we put you on our payroll? Hmmm. . .imagine the morale in this place!!"