Deb Gauldin is a professional speaker, therapeutic humorist, author and recording artist specializing in healthcare morale, women's well-being and the science of humor and positive emotions. Known as the World's Funniest Singing Nurse, she has presented entertaining and educational programs in over 20 countries.
First and foremost, Deb is a wife and mother (and recent grandmother), sister and daughter She has always been a champion and activist for women's causes. That's just who she is. (She was turned down after applying for the U.S. Peace Corps at age 10, and tried to join the NAACP at 13).
Beginning as a "Sunshine" geriatric volunteer at age 12, Deb moved through the ranks of health care one step and conviction at a time. She spent 20 years as an obstetric nurse and childbirth educator before creating her professional speaking and entertaining business in 1993. She has been part of a team piloting therapeutic humor, pet therapy, and other complimentary therapies, and has served on the board of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor where she earned the designation Certified Humor Professional in 2013.
Deb collaborated with a college of nursing to produce a series of video presentations for use in nursing education and retention. For 11 years, Deb wrote and cartooned a humor column for The Journal of Perinatal Education, and has contributed to a series of award winning patient teaching guides by Mosby. She contributed to and was profiled in a book published by the nursing society Sigma Theta Tau, called Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: The Story of Nurses. Deb's shoes and story are also included in the traveling art exhibit, "Heroic Acts in Humble Shoes" by Irene Stemler, BSN.
Deb's signature story is part of an anthology called The Princess Principle: Women Helping Women Discover Their Royal Spirit. She is also a contributing author to a number of books including Humor Us: America's Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter.
Deb is a member of numerous professional organizations. Still, she insists that her best teachers are in her audiences and her true qualifications are her stretch marks and laugh lines!
First and foremost, Deb is a wife and mother (and recent grandmother), sister and daughter She has always been a champion and activist for women's causes. That's just who she is. (She was turned down after applying for the U.S. Peace Corps at age 10, and tried to join the NAACP at 13).
Beginning as a "Sunshine" geriatric volunteer at age 12, Deb moved through the ranks of health care one step and conviction at a time. She spent 20 years as an obstetric nurse and childbirth educator before creating her professional speaking and entertaining business in 1993. She has been part of a team piloting therapeutic humor, pet therapy, and other complimentary therapies, and has served on the board of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor where she earned the designation Certified Humor Professional in 2013.
Deb collaborated with a college of nursing to produce a series of video presentations for use in nursing education and retention. For 11 years, Deb wrote and cartooned a humor column for The Journal of Perinatal Education, and has contributed to a series of award winning patient teaching guides by Mosby. She contributed to and was profiled in a book published by the nursing society Sigma Theta Tau, called Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives: The Story of Nurses. Deb's shoes and story are also included in the traveling art exhibit, "Heroic Acts in Humble Shoes" by Irene Stemler, BSN.
Deb's signature story is part of an anthology called The Princess Principle: Women Helping Women Discover Their Royal Spirit. She is also a contributing author to a number of books including Humor Us: America's Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter.
Deb is a member of numerous professional organizations. Still, she insists that her best teachers are in her audiences and her true qualifications are her stretch marks and laugh lines!
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Nutty About _______________Nursing? Or Just Plain Nuts!
(Fill in the blank with your targeted attendees, facility or teams - Perinatal Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, Nursing Educators, Nurse Legal Consultants, Case Managers, Mercy Medical Center, etc. ) If you've ever taken a call from a patient; placed them on hold; turned to a co-worker; and laughed till you wet yourself, you'll appreciate this lighted hearted look at why you became a nurse and why you stay! Deb's stress busters and morale boosters will tickle your funny bone as well as tug on your heart strings. Relax, laugh, and leave feeling extraordinarily appreciated for all you do. It Only Hurts When We Don't Laugh! Using Healthy Humor to Build Resiliency and Stay Sane What would it feel like to take your work seriously, but yourself lightly? Explore the latest evidence-based neuroscience supporting the of healing power of humor. Learn how colleagues around the globe apply this no-cost tool. Differentiate between Toxic vs. Healthy Humor Learn to apply therapeutic humor as strategy for staying sane during overwhelming times. Most healthcare workers have over-extended bladders as well as over extended lives. Panty-liners recommended! What Would Florence Nightingale Do? Enjoy a lighthearted look at nursing history and how Florence Nightingale remains relevant today. What have we learned? What can we Learn? Ask Deb about her collection of nursing antiques and hands on trivia game! Program closes with inspiring images of nursing throughout history. Who's Hoarding the Linens? A Personality Primer for Nurses Dealing with Difficult People - Without Becoming One Learn what's great about you, why you may feel misunderstood, and how to reframe the way you interact with "crazy-makers." Create a more positive work environment by suspending judgment, increasing understanding, and improving communication. A healthier functioning team and better patient outcomes are just a few benefits that result when we learn to seek the Most-Respectful-Interpretations (MRIs) of one another. Oh No. I Forgot to Starch My Hat! Oh No. I Forgot to Cover my Navel! Bridging Intergenerational Differences in the Workplace Learn what's great about your generation, why you may feel misunderstood, and how to appreciate our differences. Create a more positive work environment by suspending judgment, increasing understanding, and improving communication. A healthier functioning team and better patient outcomes are just a few benefits that result when we learn to seek the Most-Respectful-Interpretations (MRIs) of one another. Are You Pouring from an Empty Pitcher? Feeling Overextended and Underappreciated? This program is a well-deserved and rare opportunity to go completely off duty. Refill your self-care and compassion reservoir with fun stress busters and morale boosters. Stretchmarks to Laughlines: A Woman's Journey to Her Own Heart (Easily modified for Heart Healthy and Survivor Events) Sit back, relax, and expect to dampen the panty liner! Take a comical look at the ways we judge ourselves and others. Laugh your way to loving yourself just as you are! Is Laughter the Best Medicine? You Bet! Explore how laughter and happiness impact our bodies and minds. Learn to exercise your humor muscle and build a healthier and happier and more resilient life. The Wrinkles We Wear and Stories We Share Forget Your Troubles. Come On Get Happy. Sit back, relax, and expect to dampen the panty liner! Take a comical look at the ways we judge our aging selves. Learn to view wrinkles as precious memories etched upon your face and roadmaps to your loving heart.* Laugh your way to loving yourself just as you are! *From lyrics by Kristen Lems The People on the Bus Go Up and Down: A Personality Primer for Dealing with Difficult People Without Becoming One People aren't laying in bed at night thinking of ways to annoy you. It only feels that way sometimes. Learn what is great about your personality, why you may feel misunderstood, and how to recognize and appreciate the Crazy-makers around you. I Used to Be Smarter Than My Phone. Understanding and Appreciating Generational Differences Learn what's great about your generation, why you may feel misunderstood, and how to improve communication and teamwork. P.S. Deb reports she not only menopausal, but technopausal as well! Is Laughter the Best Medicine? You Bet! Explore how laughter and happiness impact us personally and professionally. Learn to exercise your humor muscle and to build a healthier and happier life. Adapt these skills to create more positive and productive work environments. Experience a dose of Deb's humor with a sprinkle of neuroscience. On-Site Comic Relief: The Therapeutic Humorist is In! Stress Relief for Nurses BY a Nurse Arrange for Deb to have her colored pencils and trusty guitar available to provide COMIC RELIEF during EXHIBIT HALL hours or at the back of the room! Attendees are invited to stop by if they are feeling overwhelmed and need a morale boost, would like to share a funny story and see it transformed into a cartoon or song lyric, are experiencing a challenge and would benefit from some levity, or for any reason at all! Cartoons are usually displayed at the exhibit table, then gifted to the story sharer. Sometimes attendees vote on the funniest stories. Sometimes favorites are photographed and then shared with attendees during a closing re-cap song. |
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