# The Spirit of TA DA: When Work Becomes Play

An episode of [Amplify Speakers Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1874167939), 22 Jun 2026, 45 min.

Audio: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/f027c125472473e010f7d918b1e74c48fa7741037da3f03861f9be98c76457c4/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI0YzkxOThjOC00NzJmLTRjMjMtOGUzMS0yZmNkYzZlOGQ0OTMiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJkNDdhNjkwNS1lNzY5LTQ2MDgtYjM4ZS1kY2Y4M2E0M2ViOTEiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OTUyMTkxOWFmYjZiNjY4ZTA0NGE2ZGUiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmEzOGE0MGM2ZDQ4MWExZWY2OGIwYzAxL2NocmlzLXN1bmRzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTYtMjJfXzQtNTUtOC5tcDMifQ==.mp3

The Spirit of TA DA: When Work Becomes Play Summary In this episode of the Amplify Speakers podcast, host Chris Sund interviews Joel Zeff. He shares his journey from improv comedy to becoming a renowned keynote speaker, emphasizing the importance of celebration, ownership, and positive support in leadership and teamwork. Discover practical strategies to foster engagement and create a thriving workplace culture. Takeaways • Joel Zeff's journey from improv to keynote speaker • The importance of celebration and positive support in teams • How ownership drives engagement and success • The role of fun and joy in workplace culture • Practical strategies for leaders to motivate teams • Celebrating small wins daily fuels passion and engagement. • Ownership and positive support are essential for team success. • Fun and joy are vital components of a thriving workplace. • Improv teaches valuable lessons about teamwork and adaptability. • Leaders should ask, 'How do I help my team succeed?' Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Joel Zeff and His Journey 03:11 The Evolution of Improv and Speaking Career 05:56 The Power of Improv in Business 08:54 Celebrating Success: The Ta-Da Philosophy 11:52 Finding Joy and Fun in Work 20:49 Creating Ownership and Passion in Teams 25:30 The Power of Ownership in Team Success 27:57 The Importance of Positive Support 30:00 Helping Others Find Success 30:59 Insights from a Diverse Career 35:01 Stories from the Stage 42:57 Wrapping Up with Key Takeaways Quotes "Celebrate the small ta-dub moments every day" "Opportunity creates joy and fun in work" "Ask, how do I help my team find success?" Links Joel Zeff’s Profile: https://amplifyspeakers.com/joel-zeff/ Joel Zeff’s Website: https://www.joelzeff.com/ Joel Zeff’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelzeff/ Joel Zeff’s Book: https://www.joelzeff.com/book

## Transcript

Chris Sund: Welcome to the Amplified Speakers Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Sund, and I'm excited for our guest today. Joel Zeff is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, author, and workplace culture expert who has delivered more than 2,500 presentations for organizations such as Wells Fargo, KPMG, and the IRS. Known for his unique combination of improv comedy and business insight. Joel helps leaders and teams embrace change, strengthen collaboration, and create cultures where people can thrive. Joel is also the author of Make the Right Choice, Lead with Passion, Elevate Your Team, and Unleash the Fun at Work, where he shares practical strategies for building engagement, celebrating success, and creating more positive workplace experiences. Welcome to the show, Joel.
Joel Zeff: Thanks, Chris. Thank you for the wonderful introduction. Excited to be here.
Chris Sund: ⁓ I'm excited to have you. I mean, you are an absolute legend in the the speaking industry. ⁓ I mean, let's just start off 2500 presentations. ⁓ so you started when you were like five or six.
Joel Zeff: Yeah, I say yeah, that looked good. Well, gotta stay out of the sun. ⁓ 97 is when I say I started because I that was my first ⁓ I'm gonna make a video. And it was for all state insurance. And they said ⁓ they it was an accounting group and they said ⁓ we're gonna have you in our amphitheater. Ooh, that sounds pretty nice. Amphitheater. So I go there. I don't know what they call what they call an amphitheater. I call a lunchroom. Because that's what it was. You know, they had a little stage and everything, but it was their lunchroom that apparently ⁓ doubled as an amphitheater. And we did a video and ⁓ and sent out that first video. I had done things before that. My first event was Texas Instruments, and I was doing improv on the weekends.
Chris Sund: Yeah. Okay.
Joel Zeff: At a at a comedy club. And ⁓ that was my oasis. That was my, you know, my passion, what I love to do. But I was also working at a PR agency or or an ad agency. And Texas Instruments was one of my clients. And they said, I know you do improv on the weekends. We're having this executive retreat. Can you come do some of that improv with us before dinner? And I went, I sure. Yeah, why not? And it wasn't like I went, This is the beginning. This is it. This is what I've been waiting for. It was just like, yeah, I don't have anything to do Thursday night. I'm gonna let me drive up to the resort on the lake. And it was all men, all VP level, all engineers. And there's like 20, 15 to 20 small group. So you're saying, this is the best group ever for improv. They had fun and I had fun. And that's when the light bulb started flickering on about maybe I could offer this to other clients. But I had no idea that it was gonna be keynotes. I was just talking yesterday. I didn't even know the word keynote. I didn't even know speaker bureaus, sales kickoffs, incentive events. I had no idea. I just loved improv and wanted to share what improv taught me. And 2,500 events later, here I am with you, Chris, on your podcast.
Chris Sund: Yeah. So how long have you been doing improv?
Joel Zeff: I started improv in ninety-three. So I moved to Dallas at the end of ninety-one. And ⁓ some friends took me that first weekend, I mean literally the first weekend, took me to a show, to this improv show. And it was like the movies where the music goes, ha And the light shines on the protagonist. And you know, I'm just looking at the stage in love. I'm like, it's a calling. It was, I it was lightning striking me. That's how I that's the only way I can describe it. And they and and ⁓ they they played a game and they asked for an audience volunteer, and you know, and I jumped on stage and I have a photo of that, I need to find that photo. I have these huge glasses, like, you know. Huge glasses. And ⁓ they said, Hey, we teach workshops. I couldn't get my money out fast enough. And whatever they charge, they could have tripled it and I would have paid for it. and that's how it started. ⁓ and I took a few workshops. Eventually they auditioned they had an audition. I auditioned, joined the troupe. They had their own theater in downtown Dallas. We did four shows a week. ⁓ and then plus, you know, we do some private corporate stuff and
Chris Sund: Yeah.
Joel Zeff: ⁓ some of the funniest people ever. Still my friends, still some of the funniest people I know. Just we would just laugh and just ⁓ it was just so magical. you know, not every night, but it just was just an amazing time. You know, I mean packed crowds and and you know there were fans and people would come week after week after week and because it was different every week and We were doing improv and experimenting and and just having fun and creating this energy and it was just absolutely just an amazing magical time. And I was so lucky that Texans Instruments gave me the idea to take this to other audiences and to make to make some money. We weren't making much there at the theater. ⁓ and so ⁓ you know, and
Chris Sund: Mm-hmm.
Joel Zeff: It was just, I always say it chose me. Because I didn't even know that this was ⁓ a career, that this was a possibility that people were doing this. I had no idea. And so people would call me and go, hey, we got 200 people. Can can you talk about teamwork? Like, yep, improv's all about teamwork. And I would go and just brrrr. And then, you know, a leadership or or change. And that's how it started. It chose me. I didn't send stuff out and go, Well, I'm gonna be a speaker and this is what I'm gonna do and I'll put out a website and make outlines and nope. It was all word of mouth and a lot of it came from people that I met at the at the club and ⁓ you know, and and they're like, Well, we're having this ⁓ all staff meeting or we're having this retreat or we're having, you know, can you do this? And and that's how it started. And then, you know, eventually in ninety seven took many years, but I did a a video and then I got a website and you know just started sending out there. And again at that time it still was part of my business. I was on my own doing corporate communications as you know, I had my own ⁓ business. And that was just like a little sliver of the pie. And that pie just kept getting bigger and bigger and it just took over by like ninety nine ish two thousand, that's when it took over.
Chris Sund: And that's when you pretty much went fully on doing that.
Joel Zeff: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. That's when I released all my like ninety-nine, I think as when I released my PR clients and the clients I had, my communication clients. I'd already hired somebody that was doing some of the work. and it just was I can go this way and start an agency, or I can go this way and and be a speaker. And that's the way I went because I loved it. It was rewarding, it was fulfilling. I was just Just sharing what improv taught me, what I love about improv, what I think improv can give people. And, you know, speaking from the heart, being authentic. It was always very organic. And clients just were drawn to it. You know, I I talked to some speakers today, you know, and and you know, whether they're struggling and they're like, how do I get booked? And how do I find clients? And and back then it it just, it was a very organic, natural kind of progression. And I was offering something that wasn't there. And so I didn't have a huge struggle time. You know, there are a lot of speakers that have there's a lot of speakers that have a great message. And you say, well, ⁓ there's a lot of speakers that are funny. There's not very many that are funny and have a great message, especially when we're talking the late 90s. And then we say, I want it funny, I want a great message, I want it interactive. I want you to do something with my audience. Well, now we're talking at that time, you know, three or four people. And so I had ⁓ this niche where, okay, you want entertainment, you want laughter, you want fun, you want powerful message, you want it interactive, you want, you want your your attendees to to get up and do things and be part of the show. Well, that's a that's a you know, not very many people can do that. And then that was my niche and that was what I sold myself on. And and it just and clients would bring me back over and over and over and ⁓ because it was different or it was a different group or sometimes they wanted me to MC and create the energy in a
Chris Sund: Is that where your signature phrase comes from? Yeah.
Joel Zeff: The ta-da. The ta duh comes from when my kids were younger and everything in their life was a ta-duh. You know, and I'm sure everybody, I would say most people do this. And they might not say ta duh, they might use other words. But ⁓ I think a lot of people go, ta-da, you know, like they, you know, you know, my daughter would eat the whole sandwich. And I'm like, ta-da! You did it, baby. You ate the whole cheese sandwich, you know. So we celebrated everything. Everything was a ta-dah, right? And when you went to the bathroom by yourself for the first time, huge ta-da, right? And so I kind of incorporated that because, you know, realizing that when you're younger, everything in your life is a celebration. And what happens when we celebrate with the with with my daughter or my son or with your kids? And they build confidence, right? They get a big smile on their face. They're like, wow, I did something that mom and dad recognized. And I'm gonna do that again. Cause you're you're giving them positive support, you're giving them confidence. And then as we get older, we don't celebrate going to the bathroom by yourself anymore. Maybe if you're older, I don't know. Right? I don't know. Grandpa. We're all getting there. We're all getting to that age. Right? Just excited things are working. And that ta-da is important. And then as you get older, it's fewer and fewer. And then you get into the you know, into into your career and work. And maybe once a year we get together and celebrate. There's not that constant celebration. And that's what fuels our passion and fuels ourselves, fuels, you know, our tank to be a great leader, a great communicator, a great teammate. And so we've got to replenish that fuel. And it's about celebrating those small ta-dub moments that happen each and every day. Being on this podcast, That's a big ta dub moment. That's awesome. What a day. What a what a great I mean, I've peaked. I've what a great way to start the day talking about the industry,
Chris Sund: ⁓ I love that message a lot. I think too often ⁓ people I meet all around, you know, don't get the value or appreciation that they probably need or or desiring. In fact, I think that's the reason that, you know, the majority of our workforce isn't actively engaged or you see people that are going to work every day and just clocking in, clocking out, most of the time those ones you talk to on the is because they don't feel that value and appreciation. And you're right. It it doesn't for some reason doesn't happen near as much as it should. As I I'd say people are doing way more accomplishments and working hard. It just y it becomes like, hey, this is supposed to be the norm. It doesn't need to be the norm. Not at all.
Joel Zeff: Yeah. No. You should celebrate. I'm lucky. I have a job where I get a round of applause. I do my job. I get a round of applause. Most people don't have that job, but you deserve it. I talk about this in my keynotes. You know, I'll I'll talk to somebody and ⁓ you're an accountant or you're an HR, you're an IT. I go, has anyone ever given you a round of applause? And they're like, no. And I'm like, we're gonna give you a round of applause right now. And I introduce them, they stand up, the whole audience applauds. It's an awesome moment. I'm like, why do we have to wait for that? You can give yourself a round of applause every day. As soon as you show up for work, it's just like, you I'm the best accountant today. People will look at you strange. Who cares? And it's about celebrating and creating that positive support. And believe me, whatever you're doing is probably deserves that round of applause. You're helping somebody, your team, your clients, your customers, your vendors, your partners. Something has to happen and you're part of it. Whether you're in IT or HR or manufacturing or your distributor or you're a manager, whatever you do, you're you're helping and creating success. And that should be celebrated. And those ta-da moments happen every day. When I email, probably 90% of the emails that I send, I end with a ta-da. Somebody asks for like a W9, I'll say, Here's my W9, ta-da, Joel. And so I just envision them reading like, What what is this? What And like if you don't know me and I put tah, you go, What? Does that tah? Today? What is that? You know, that's just what I'm I'm envisioning what happens, you know. ⁓ but it should be a celebration. And and sometimes I hope they read it and they go, Ta-da! 'Cause there's an exclamation point. And like, yeah, that W nine doesn't get sent by itself.
Chris Sund: Yeah, I tell you what, I think the way you communicate and put that out there, it just ties to me the word fun with you completely. And I I don't think it's just that step, but ⁓ I think that just maybe part your personality and part of the brand you've done, but it's genuine. You can just tell in how you put yourself out there, how you talk, that that's just ingrained in you. And I have you been have you always been that way? Like even well before improv, just like this is Joel.
Joel Zeff: I like to have fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I it it was like when Spider-Man doesn't know how to use his powers. It was a lot like that. It was me just bumping into walls in high school. Just you know, just being just you know, not understanding how to use your powers. and ⁓ yes, yeah. I remember, you know, whimsy and fun has always been a guiding light for me. I remember one of my first jobs. I worked in a movie theater and ⁓ you know you pick up people's trash and you better figure out how to have fun. Cause I was I I talk about this in the book. I was making like two eighty five an hour and that was below minimum wage even for whatever year that was. And I don't know how they got away with it. I don't know what the statue of limitations is, but I think people owe me some money. And and so you better figure out How to have fun. And I learned very quickly that with the people that we were working with, we created, we're all making nothing. And we're working in a movie theater and we're picking up trash and cleaning popcorn machines and smelling like hot dogs. And which is a great job, by the way. And ⁓ for a kid. And and ⁓ you know, we figured out how to have fun, how to bring joy, how to, and and that was a big lesson for me. And I took that wherever I went. And when I was a newspaper reporter, ⁓ that's how I started my career. I was a journalism major and and very proud of that. And there was a part of my career where I was covering very tough stories. You know, murder, bad things, fires, and and and and so you had to figure out how to have joy in what you're doing, or it would get to you, it would crush you and it would overwhelm you. And so you it was different, but you had to have those moments where you you you had to understand what you were doing and and joy should be a part of all that. Now fun is different for every person. Fun isn't always about laughter, and fun isn't always about free cupcakes and you know playing ping pong in the break room. Those are all
Chris Sund: Yeah, well said. Completely agree. There's hundred percent somebody out there. And people need that. I mean, that that feeling of understanding, like, hey, if I'm gonna give 2,000 some hours of my life every single year to this, I you know, I want to make an impact. And at the very least, I want to feel ⁓ valued and appreciated and feel like it's a little bit reciprocal, right? Yeah. During COVID, that was when I really learned. what makes work fun, or I'm gonna say I'm gonna even use the word hap what brings people happiness, which I think are really tight closely correlated. And the reason it was COVID was I had worked all in office. It's just what I'd known. Whether it was an office or whatever job is a job you showed up for and you were there. There was no remote work ⁓ at that time in anything I had done. And we sent everybody home. ⁓ the whole team was home. They're working for home for a while. And I was just thinking to myself, I can't wait to get back. I love the office. I love being around people. I love the fun, goofy things. Like it would be very common to be like, why does Joey Chestnut get to have all the fun? We're gonna see how many hot dogs we can smash and see who can eat the most. Or we're you know, we're gonna make dumb little memories ⁓ in these minutes of winning games that I love the pull. And that was like to me, I was like, ⁓ we're having fun, we're making memories.
Joel Zeff: What? I love that.
Chris Sund: I started calling each employee to talk to him, like, hey, we're looking at coming back. What's your thoughts? How's your comfortability? What do you feel? And while, you know, a good chunk of them were like, Send me back. I want that. There were others that were going, Hey, I've always worked in an office. And because of this, my son has special needs. I had some opportunities in the middle of the day to take him to some appointments and stuff that normally a daycare would handled or would have done. And that extra time, like that drop off and stuff, I just can't do with the work hours. You know, it's been some of the best time I I've really spent. And, you know, I'd really like to be able to, would you consider let me continue to do this? And these people were they were run through walls. And it was just like, that's what makes them happy. They like don't care about pizza and cupcakes, like you said. Their happiness comes from some different. And because of that, they loved what they gotta do. They love their work. They pour themselves into it. But it's also realizing, hey, that's just a means for what matters really to them in life. So let them have their joy. And if their joy's being able to work from home, then that's what's fun for them.
Joel Zeff: Yep. And as a leader, you give them that opportunity. What do you think you're gonna get back in return? You're gonna get so much back because you gave them something special. You gave them opportunity and you gave them ownership. You know, I talk about, you know, when I bring audience volunteers to the stage and they're successful. Why? Why they're playing a game they've never played. I've gave them a few minutes of instruction and they crush. They work together as a team, they're creative. ⁓ They they are great listeners, they're embracing change, they're overcoming challenges. Why are they successful? Because they care. They care about the game, they care about the result. Why did they care? It's because I gave them ownership, just like you gave that team member ownership to work from home. So when you give somebody ownership and opportunity, the next step is they care because that's the magic ingredient. And what's the next step after caring is passion. You're never going to have passion unless you care about something. And you're never going to care about something unless you have ownership of it. And so when we create that, then we create passionate team members. And then we add that some some magic, which is some positive support, some appreciation. You just sprinkle that on there and just step back because you just, you're, you're, you just create the ingredients for a superstar.
Chris Sund: I love that recipe.
Joel Zeff: Yeah. And it it's happens. And what it's great when I talk about this in my keynotes, because we just watched three volunteers from the from the audience. They may know each other. They may not even know each other. They absolutely crush. Where they they made us laugh. They brought us joy. They were entertaining. They told a story. They were amazing together after a couple minutes of instruction. And then I talk about. Why do you think they were successful? What magic happened that we can take back to our teams, to our groups, to our office? We, I gave them ownership. It was their game. Not my game, their game. They made choices. I didn't tell them what to do. I told them how the game was going to be played, what the what the barriers were, and they created the game. And then the audience, you were part of it. You gave them positive support, your laughter, your applause. The more you did, the more risks they took. You gave them more laughter and applause. They did more. And it just escalated. And it was just this amazing energy, right? I just create we, the audience, and myself created the foundation: ownership and opportunity, and then positive support and appreciation. And then those, and you could see in their body language. You can see their eyes, you know, their shoulders rear back. You could see the confidence building because they were doing more, because they were receiving that positive support and they were already getting, they realized that they had ownership, that it was their game. And they cared about it. They cared about the result. They cared about what happened. And then they were, they were giving even more. They were going above and beyond, showing passion. And when we talk about this with the audience, it's very powerful because they just saw that in real time. And they saw what happened when we created that foundation and we put those ingredients together. And now that's what they have to do. I can't do it for them, but I'm I want to show that
Chris Sund: Yeah, it's I'm glad you touched on it. It doesn't cost anything, right? You don't need some technology. You don't need this big budget. When you really break down, if you start to write down, okay, I want to give ownership. I want to give appreciation. What does that look like? Thirty seconds, sometimes under a minute. Yeah.
Joel Zeff: Or l less to send an email, to send a text, to say thank you. I appreciate you. ⁓ to see him in the hall and go, ⁓ man, you really covered me yesterday. Thank you. Or appreciate the advice. It it takes seconds. It's just thinking about it and doing it, and then getting in the habit of doing it. ⁓ in in my keynote, I talk about when you go home from work, think about all the people you had contact with. Go through it in your mind, however, you get home from work. And say, did I give everyone that deserved it that appreciation and that positive support? And if you didn't, then tomorrow send a note, email them, see them in the hall, call them, text. They want to hear it. And it it's amazing when you give that to somebody. It's a gift. It's the best gift you can give anybody. It doesn't take any money, barely takes any time to say thank you and I appreciate you. It's the best gift you can give.
Chris Sund: And it's what they remember, right? Like they that's what you hold on to is those those moments when someone makes you feel good and that appreciation, it just changes your whole outlook on everything.
Joel Zeff: Yes. Yeah. Absolutely. It's it's, you know, like I said, it's a it's a gift. And and you can give that gift as many times as you want. And what happens is when it when you send it out there, it comes back. Right? You people notice. People notice when you you're you you appreciate them and they notice when you help them find success. Who do we help? We tend to help those that help us. We notice these things. That's so that's a big message in improv is that You're asking the question, how do I help the people around me find success? What do I need to do to help my team members find success? And so when we talk about great teamwork and great leadership, it's asking that question at your with your team, at work, in your office. Ask the question, how do I help the people around me find success? You're smart, you know the answer. The hard part is to act on it, to actually do it. That's what separates the great organizations. That's what separates best companies to work for, ⁓ best companies in the industry, best workplaces, you know, all those awards and lists. You say, well, or or championships. Why does this team win the championship? Or even are in the in the in the playoffs? It's because their mindset is helping each other find success. What can I do? Not I'm gonna be the star. It's how do I help all of us as a team work together? And the team that works together the best, that's the team that wins.
Chris Sund: Absolutely, it does. Yeah. I just more valuable insight to say the least that you're sharing here. I mean, these are really amazing examples. Now, curious, did you know you're a mixture of business and improv? What is some of your business experience? Because a lot of what you're sharing is is golden. ⁓ you know, where did you learn that from? Was it from great business experiences? Was it some bad? Business experiences?
Joel Zeff: I think yeah. I think it's both. You know, ⁓ I started as a journalist and then I went, I worked at a PR agency and then an ad agency and and you know, you and then I went on and and for many years had my own business working with clients, ⁓ with helping them with their communications, you know, what their message was, whether it's to their employees. Sometimes the message was to the employees. This is a great place to work, this is where you should be, you know. ⁓ you know I remember working with a telecommunications company and the you know with a internal campaign about you know goals and and ⁓ working as a team and what you're accomplishing this is what we're going to do this year and you know so you're just I was really fortunate that I got to see so many different corporate cultures. You know what worked, what didn't work what was what had issues. You know, when you're when you're working with at like a PR ANC or an ad NC, you you just meet so many different companies and and you work with different companies and this company is different than that company and and the leadership and and so and you're ingrained in there. So you're you're you're there at learning. And so it it was really a great experience. And then when I started speaking, now I'm dealing with 75, sometimes a hundred different companies a year and and different, way different in industries that don't I didn't even know existed. Right? You always get a call from an association, you go, and what what what? And you're like, but that's and there's a whole industry and there's a whole business. And then you learn about it. I know a little bit about a lot of industries. and so ⁓ but you see you watch leaders, you know, the number of CEOs that I've watched or or presidents or, you know, regional VPs and and you see what makes great cultures and you see what what what works and what doesn't work. And you know, I've been in situations where you're like, Mm, man, if I own stock in this company, I would
Chris Sund: Wow. You know, I've been looking forward to this conversation for a while now. You know, when you take people like yourself that have, I mean, not that many people can say they've done 2,500 presentations and have the experience that that you have and the reputation. You just have an amazing reputation ⁓ throughout the industry of everything you've done. And I think it's those life experiences that you've gained. And all those things you pick up. And I'm just going like, man, on an every day, I get to go have coffee, ⁓ you know, or a bite to eat with Joel and pick his brain and just get to hear these stories, you know, those experiences, what you gain and why. I mean, people have had you back for 20 years, which is incredible. I mean, just bringing somebody back once or twice is is a pretty big accomplishment. Usually people will flip things out, but You know, we're talking early. You're going on twenty one for one business, right?
Joel Zeff: Well, ⁓ they're coming no, twenty years I wish I did have one client that I did around that amount of time. ⁓ but twenty years ago they hired me. We were telling that story. Twenty years ago they hired me, they brought me back twenty years later. Yeah. Yeah. So means I'm old. I started keynote speaking, I was eighteen. I was right out of right out of
Chris Sund: See? Twenty years. That's an impact. Nah, nah. Just I got this. Wait, wait to hear what I gotta tell you guys.
Joel Zeff: With that microphone on me. Yeah. I w Yeah. I weighed a hundred and twenty to a hundred and twenty pounds if I was holding two twenty-pound weights. Yeah. You know, it's it's ⁓ and then the stories that you collect as a speaker, just wild, wild stories. I was talking to someone the other day, you know, about some of the some of the funny things that that happened, like, you know.
Chris Sund: Yeah.
Joel Zeff: ⁓ the fire alarm going and then everybody has to walk out, you know, turn the keynote, or the power went off. Or one of my favorite stories, Larry Hagman. When now I'm gonna help with the millennials and the Gen Z. Larry Hagman was an actor, very famous actor in the sixties. He was in a show called I Dream of Genie. In the seventies and early eighties, he was in a show called Dallas. He played JR, Who Shot Jr., which was the biggest television program in the history of television. And so ⁓ they brought the show Dallas back. And Larry Hagman was in Dallas and he was living at this hotel while I was filming and I was doing a keynote, and the client said, Hey, ⁓ somebody's friends with Larry Hagman, and he's gonna come in and say hi to the audience. I'm like, ⁓ that's great. That's that sounds fun. All these people came to Dallas, and then J.R. Dallas himself is gonna come in, Larry Hagman, big star. He's ⁓ it's gonna be during your keynote. Do you mind stopping? And we don't know when he's gonna walk in. So you can't plan for it. And so I'm doing my thing, you know. And ⁓ here comes, and he's a big man. He was older, but he's still ⁓ a big man. Big huge cowboy hat, big bell buckle comes in, and and I'm like, ladies and gentlemen, Larry Hackman, JR from the show Dallas, and the audience goes nuts. I mean, they're just off the wall. And they weren't going nuts for me. Side note, by the way, they they weren't going nuts for me. They they were a little low key.
Chris Sund: Exactly.
Joel Zeff: And so and JR comes up and he goes, Well, welcome to Dallas. Hope everybody's having a great time in our city. And it's just great. I hope you're having a great meeting. And ⁓ and ⁓ thank you very much for being here. And then he walked off. And then and then nobody there was no like MC or anybody like we're gonna bring Joel back. I was just like in the corner going, when can I come back? And then the audience. Do they want more of me? No, they want more of JR that just walked out of the room. And they're all just like, well, and then people are like running after him to get a photo or an autograph. And like, I got I got I got nothing here. I got I don't know what I'm doing. Yeah. And so ⁓ yeah, it's it's it's stories like that that make a career and then it just kind of it just it's just part of the awesomeness of the business, and you kind of reflect.
Chris Sund: Yeah.
Joel Zeff: on those moments and they make you who you are. And ⁓ you know, and I've got so many of those that are just you look back and one time I I walked off stage, I had food poisoning. It's only time. And like if you have I've spoken with the flu. ⁓ and adrenaline and dorphins will take over and you feel like you're cured, you're fine. Any head cold, ⁓ any type of that kind of sickness. endorphins and adrenaline will you're gone you're you're fine doesn't work with food poisoning any stomach related doesn't work and so the the the fatal mistake was telling the client i i was not feeling well and the the mistake was she said well i'm gonna put you later in the program food poisoning you don't get better it gets it gets worse much worse and so i And so that was the mistake. I should have gone right that moment, but nope, it was later. And so I'm on stage and I think I'm gonna die or faint or throw up. This should be the end story of the podcast, by the way. ⁓ and so and I I was like, I can't continue. I can't go on. This is not gonna work. And I walked off. And the audience thought it was part of the show. They're they're like, This is hilarious. Yeah, that was a tough day. That was a tough day at work. I will tell you that. I didn't charge, by the way, did not charge the client, did not charge expenses, gave all the money back. ⁓ when they rebooked, I did it for free, right? I mean, you know, the client was completely understanding, but you can't. It was a chocolate milkshake, by the way. I'm almost positive it was a chocolate milkshake. It was in Fort Lauderdale. I won't mention the hotel. So it was. You think.
Chris Sund: Hmm. Man. That's a nightmare. That is a nightmare.
Joel Zeff: But it was a great story. And then ⁓ the other thing, I thought I was gonna go get on the plane and go home. And I'm sitting outside waiting for a cab, and this lady sits next to me with a bag of food, and it was just that smell. And I went, we're gonna have to move. And she's like, I'm not moving. And I go, I guess I'm gonna check back into the hotel. So I went and then and by the way, when you check back into the hotel, yeah. On that last minute, they do not give you the best rate.
Chris Sund: Mm.
Joel Zeff: Nope. Nope. That was a big loss. And we joke about it now, but that was you know, that was ⁓ that was probably my low point of my one of my low speaking points of my career. So you talk about the high points, but you gotta talk about the low points 'cause that's that's that's that's what makes it ⁓ a fun, amazing, rewarding career.
Chris Sund: Yeah. Yeah, you're gonna have those stories over twenty five hundred ⁓ presentations later, to say the least. Right. We could do a whole segment, I guarantee, on just all the stories.
Joel Zeff: ⁓ Yeah. We could. Yeah, you might have to edit that down. You ⁓ you could cut that out if you want.
Chris Sund: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, unfortunately, I have to wrap up, which is ⁓ really disappointing because I would just sit here and listen to more stories. I almost want like, let's do an uncut version, let's just all the stories. Just lay it out there. But what I do want to make sure is for everyone listening, in the description notes ⁓ on every channel that we put this on, there's gonna be a link to Joel's website as well as social media. I'm gonna do a link to
Joel Zeff: Yeah. Got some good ones. Yeah.
Chris Sund: ⁓ so you can check out his book and go grab a copy for yourself. ⁓ I highly recommend you take a minute when you're here, click on that link, and you'll be very thankful you followed him and look checked it out. So Joel.
Joel Zeff: Awesome. And if you mention, send me a note on LinkedIn or ⁓ through my website, mention Amplify Speakers. And I'll send you a free chapter about change from the book. It's a cool PDF. I'll send that to you. Just mention mention this podcast ⁓ or Amplify and my gift to your listeners and viewers, send a free chapter. And they can share that with their team and
Chris Sund: ⁓ I love that.
Joel Zeff: You know, whatever they want to do.
Chris Sund: Thanks, Joel. That's very kind of you. So please make sure you guys go follow him and reach out. Joel, thanks again. It's a pleasure having you on the podcast.
Joel Zeff: Chris, I had a great time. Really appreciate it. Ta-da!
Chris Sund: We'll talk soon.

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