In this episode, I’m reflecting on what happens when your body forces you to slow down, the art of going with the flow, and the surprising self-discoveries that come with wandering the world on your own.

From realizing I’m actually my own favourite travel partner to uncovering how my self-deprecating humour might actually be keeping me stuck, I’m sharing five key lessons I’ve learned so far as I navigate the unexpected as learning, laughter, and luggage collide.

Key Topics Covered

• The Copenhagen Crash: What happened when my body and spirit told me it was time to slow down.
• Loving My Own Company: Overcoming my initial fears of loneliness and discovering how much I enjoy solo travel.
• Living in "Spirit Being": Moving away from the "coulda, shoulda, wouldas" and finding quiet joy in the present moment.
• The Power of Intentional Joy: How actively looking for humour and laughter changes my daily experience.
• When Humour Keeps Us Stuck: Shifting my neural pathways and changing the way I talk about my own perceived flaws.

Timestamps

• 00:11 – Welcome to Laughter Revolution & my Vienna check-in
• 01:05 – The "Copenhagen Crash": Learning to slow down
• 01:53– Lesson 1: Realizing I love my own company
• 04:18 – Lesson 2: What it feels like to be in "Spirit Being" vs. mental noise
• 07:07 – Lesson 3: The challenge (and gentleness) of slowing down
• 09:10 – Lesson 4: Looking for laughter and wonder as a game changer
• 11:41 – Lesson 5: Realizing when my humour is keeping me stuck
• 13:33 – Reframing "being lost" to building directional competence
• 15:23 – Wrap-up & a sneak peek at my next episode from the Czech Republic

Links and resources mentioned

• Marla Simlett: https://marlasimlett.com
• Laughter Revolution Digest: Subscribe at https://marlasimlett.com
• Instagram: Follow Marla for ongoing laughter-and-learning posts.
• Facebook: Follow Marla for more laughter, learning and travel.

In This Episode

• Meet Lina Karlsen, a Sami social worker with a gift for perfectly timed dark humour
• Hear why northern Norway's gallows humour does not always land in the south of the country
• Get the real story behind a snowboard joke that made a grieving friend laugh harder, not less
• See how one family uses gentle teasing to keep a grandmother with Alzheimer's part of the fun
• Find out what happens when a joke about inheritance money completely bombs
• Compare notes on humour across Norway and Canada, including a bus story starring Marla's husband Michel
• Play along with the Laughter Revolution Lightning Round as you hear Lina's fast, funny answers

Timestamps

• [00:10] — Marla kicks off the "on the road" series from Copenhagen and introduces Lina - where the heck IS Guovdageaidnu?
• [02:43] — What role does laughter plays in Lina's life?
• [03:48] — Lina explains northern Norway's dark humour and why it does not always land in the south
• [06:46] — Lina talks about humour in her Sami community
• [07:22] — The snowboard story: a tale of dark humour going right
• [09:45] — Marla's own dark humour story - the dead mother card
• [10:12] — How Lina's family uses laughter to keep her grandmother with Alzheimer's in on the fun
• [12:15] — The grandmother's affair scare, and how humour worked when nothing else did
• [14:22] — Why does laughter work as a intentional tool?
• [15:00] — Humour gone wrong - how do you fix it?
• [17:06] — Recipe for humour - finding laughter in a new language
• [20:19] — How to find that uncontrollable laughter - trust is the "golden ticket"
• [27:26] — Marla introduces Laughter Intelligence™ and tells a tale of laughter in Turkey
• [28:44] — Lessons on laughter for managers - from The Office?
• [30:30] — The Laughter Revolution Lightning Round begins

Links and Resources Mentioned

Laughter IntelligenceTM Self-Assessment

If this one made you think differently about dark humour, laugh, wince, or immediately call your grandmother, hit subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if you want more from this trip, including the stories and photos that did not make the cut, join the Laughter Revolution Digest at marlasimlett.com. Gertrude and I would love to have you along for the ride!

My Airbnb host from Orkney joins me for my first on-the-road interview, and she is Laughter Revolution in human form - proof that a good attitude and a well-placed laugh really can transform how you move through your life.

In This Episode

• Meet Jenny and her dog Peaks
• Laugh through one of Jenny’s funniest, most chaotic Airbnb guest stories
• Learn about Jenny’s simple philosophy: if you are not laughing, you might just be doomed
• Hear the real story behind Scotland’s strange tradition of putting traffic cones on statues
• See why self-deprecating humour is a sign of confidence, not insecurity
• Listen to her hilarious tale of her most mortifying moment at a ferry ticket booth
• Catch Jenny’s answers in the Laughter Revolution Lightning Round
• Get ready to order your new ringtone - the Snortly!

Timestamps

• [00:58] - Introducing Jenny Drever and her Airbnb in Finstown, Orkney
• [02:45] - Meeting Peaks, Jenny’s rescue dog, who loves every guest equally, though Jenny’s still her favourite, for now
• [04:55] - The chaotic guest story that still makes Jenny wince
• [07:55] - What’s life without laughter?
• [10:34] - Laughter as a defense
• [11:46] - Self-deprecating, with confidence – The pantsuit story
• [13:26] - Describing Scottish humour with a little wine
• [15:22] - The mystery of the traffic cones on Scottish statues, solved
• [17:10] - The silliness of gooseberries
• [20:36] - Siblings and laughter – a sure combination
• [23:29] – Laughing through word muddle mortification
• [25:49] — The Laughter Revolution Lightning Round
• [27:42] — Monetizing the “signature giggle”?

If this episode made you laugh out loud even once, do me a favour and subscribe wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts - Spotify, Apple, all of it. And if you want more stories like this one landing in your inbox every two weeks, come join the Laughter Revolution Digest at marlasimlett.com. I promise it is more fun than your average newsletter!

In This Episode

• Why so many of us experience our bodies as the enemy — and where that actually comes from

• What objectification theory has to do with the way you feel in your own skin

• The moment a set of stairs and a suitcase named Gertrude forced a real reckoning

• Meet Patty Pusher: the alter ego who pushes past every limit — and the new motto that's keeping her in check

• A laughter toolbox tool for when things go sideways: how to find the funny and then find the opportunity

• The Fort William Bus Driver story — which involves wrong directions, a cryptic warning, a near-mugging, and a Jamie Fraser sighting

Episode Highlights with Timestamps

[00:10] — Introduction: solo travel, week one, and a question worth asking

[00:36] — "I have been at war with my body" — Marla opens up about a lifetime of pushing too hard

[01:25] — Eating disorders, injuries, and the cost of not listening to your body

[02:40] — Objectification theory: why we experience our bodies as something we watch, not something we live in

[03:28] — Social media, impossible standards, and being between a rock and a hard place

[05:46] — Gertrude, 25 stairs, and a knee that said absolutely not

[07:32] — Meet Patty Pusher: the alter ego with a motto that would make a physiotherapist weep

[08:19] — The new motto: built to last, not to trash

[09:21] — The Laughter Lounge opens: shout-outs, feedback, and the Fort William bus driver story

[9:55] — Laughter toolbox tool: how to find the funny when things go wrong

[10:44] — The Fort William bus driver story begins (brace yourself)

[14:54] — Finding the opportunity: what a disastrous bus ride gave Marla instead

[15:07] — Jamie Fraser's grandson. That is all.

Links and Resources Mentioned

Objectification theory — Marla references this concept in passing; no specific source cited in episode

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon — referenced for the Jamie Fraser moment

marlasimlett.com — episode page, newsletter signup

Laughter Revolution Digest — newsletter, subscribe at marlasimlett.com

Let's connect

If any of this landed for you — the body stuff, the Patty Pusher stuff, or finding yourself going in the wrong direction - I'd love to hear from you. Reach out at info@marlasimlett.com or find me on Instagram and Facebook.

And if you haven't yet, hit subscribe on your podcast platform so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the Laughter Revolution Digest at marlasimlett.com. It's where I share the stories that don't quite make it into the podcast, plus pics of trip sights and things that make me laugh!

After almost 20 years in corporate HR, I decided to find out. So I left. What followed was two naps a day, a lot of body listening, and eventually, a six-month solo trip to Scotland with almost no plans.

This episode is about spirit being versus human doing, with your body as your best guide. And why the Dastardly Das are probably running more of your life than you think. There is also a truly terrible hotel in Turkey, an underwhelming Mona Lisa, and a whole lot of Laughter IntelligenceTM.

Come for the stories. Stay for the mindset shift. Hit play at marlasimlett.com.

Marla is packing for a six-month solo adventure, which sounds exciting, until Polly Packer shows up. Polly is that relentless inner critic who turns packing a bag into a full emotional workout. In this episode, Marla traces that anxiety all the way back to its roots: shame.

Through two wonderfully mortifying stories, Marla unpacks how our brains turn moments of what should be just embarrassment into beliefs we carry for decades. She explores where shame comes from, why it has such a grip on us, and most importantly, how to loosen that grip with some honesty, a reality check, and a healthy dose of laughter.

Key Insights:

·Shame is not the same as guilt.

·Shame has ancient roots.

·Naming it takes away some of its power.

·Shame shrinks in the light.

Have a Polly Packer of your own? I’d love to hear about her. Send me a message at info@marlasimlett.com or find me on Instagram. And if this episode hit close to home, share it with someone who needs it. When you’ve got a revolution, the more the merrier.

Subscribe to the Laughter Revolution Digest at marlasimlett.com to follow along on Marla’s six-month solo journey, including what she’s learning and laughing about along the way.

You have a list. A very convincing list of reasons why you can't, shouldn't, or aren't ready to go after the thing you want. And here's the wild part - your brain built that list on purpose. It thinks it's keeping you safe. Spoiler: it's not.

In this episode, I dig into one of the stickiest places people get stuck - fear. Not the bear-chasing-you kind of fear. The quieter, sneakier kind that shows up as procrastination, perfectionism, overthinking, and a very logical-sounding list of reasons why now just isn't the right time.

I introduce Little f - my name for perceived fear - and walk you through my five-step Laughter Toolbox process for dealing with him. I also share how a good doom and gloom improv session (yes, really) can help reset your nervous system and get you back in the driver's seat. This one is funny, practical, and might just change the way you think about courage.

Key Topics Covered

• Why your very logical list of reasons is probably just fear in a trench coat
• The Marla Fear Rule - and why 98% of the things you're afraid of don't qualify as real danger
• Meet Little f: the sneaky, quieter fear that masquerades as procrastination, perfectionism, and decision paralysis
• The five-step process for recognising fear, welcoming it in, and moving through it anyway
• Why laughter isn't just fun - it's a legit nervous system reset that makes courage possible
• Some hilarious Canadian humour in the Laughter Lounge –

Handyman Hints from Red Green

Try the five-step Little f Process this week and let me know how it goes!

Drop me a message on Instagram, post in the comments, or send an email to info@marlasimlett.com.

Subscribe to the Laughter Revolution newsletter at marlasimlett.com.

And if this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a little nudge — and a laugh. New episodes drop every second Thursday. Subscribe so you never miss one.

In this first episode, host Marla Simlett shares the origin story behind Laughter Revolution. Three years of crisis, a full-blown anxiety disorder, and one unforgettable moment involving bleach and a fan cord that sparked everything.

This is where the Laughter Intelligence™ framework was born. And it might just change how you think about laughter forever.

Welcome to the Revolution.

New episodes every other Thursday starting May 7.