Kelly catches up with Pam Victor, the Head of Happiness (aka founder and president) of Happier Valley Comedy, who shares a passion for improvisation as it is applied to personal well being.

You moved around a lot as a kid and that ended up giving you a kind of superpower.

“I learned really early on that context was everything and it wasn't me, it was the place. I moved around every year from seventh grade on in different cities, different states, different countries, just because my mom was kind of crazy. I went to boarding schools, I went to schools for gifted people, I went to inner city schools with gangs in them. I was the only American in the French school, so it was a really different experience. If in one school, I was the biggest nerd and the person who only had two friends and in the next school, I could be super popular. So I really learned that you just have to find your people.”

So how did you start improvising?

“I started improvising when my kids were little because I was a full time stay at home homeschooling mom and it's just like getting me out of the flipping house, right? So when my younger kid got out of diapers, I was like freedom! And I'm walking around the supermarket and I see this little improv class. And I tear off the thing at the bottom and that's when I had my real Aha moment sitting in that improv class, and from that moment on I've been hooked.”

I really like your definition of ‘Yes, And,’ can you share it with us?

“I define the spirit of ‘Yes, And’ as acceptance of the reality of the moment and the agreement to move forward together with positivity.”

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