out a weekend at a Residence Inn to
put the program together. When we
both showed up with red wine and
(diet) chocolate Snackwell cookies,
the;universe;confirmed;that;we;were
indeed sisters separated at birth,”
Buxman chuckled.
Through the synchronicity of NSA,
Buxman met humorists like Bubba
Bechtol, CSP, and Scott Friedman,
CSP, who introduced her to bureaus.
Those introductions blew the doors
open on her speaking career so that
instead of addressing only healthcare
audiences, she shares her message from
the Mayo Clinic to the Million-Dollar
Round Table.
Buxman’s date with synchronicity
continued, as she explained her last in
a series of turning points. “I made the
decision to move somewhere warm in
the winter, close to an ocean and close
to an airport. I had spent 15 years
driving two hours each way to the St.
Louis airport from Hannibal, Mo. That
meant I had given up one month per
year to sit in a car!”
San Diego met her criteria and
the wealth of speakers in Southern
California assured her that if she
needed a hand, someone would be
willing to help.
“I’ve met the most incredible people
who have become trusted friends. It
just so happened that an NSA member
TURNING POINT
A career-changing moment or experience
From Or to rOI
through Humor
Synchronicity rules Karyn Buxman’s life along with a willingness to ask for what she wants. While completing her MS degree to teach nursing, Buxman’s advisers
recommended this hefty research topic:
“Locus of control of eating disorders
in adolescent children.” To keep from
gagging on that suggestion, she con-vvinced them to let her study the
relationship between humor, health
and communication.
“I;shared;the;findings;about;my
humor research at a presentation that
was meant to be an academic one, and
discovered that people thought I was
funny. People started asking me to
share my information. Who knew? My
advisers insisted that if I were going to
embrace this topic, I needed to go to
a conference in Florida on humor and
laughter. I was a poverty-stricken grad
student with no extra cash but, hey,
why stop now?”
“At the Florida airport, I spied a
woman waiting for the same hotel
shuttle. Being the shy person that I am,
I introduced myself and asked if she
might be going to the same conference.
Who would have suspected that from
this introduction, I would become lifelong friends with NSA member Kathy
Passanisi, CSP, CPAE?”
“She took me under her wing,
stayed in touch after the conference
and insisted that I get involved in the
National Speakers Association and the
Association for Applied & Therapeutic
Humor. She practically hauled me
to a couple of winter workshops as
her roommate. Asked to co-present
at another workshop, we carved
wanted to have coffee with me so he
could get some advice on a speech
idea. It was not a date; however, nine
months later he proposed at the same
coffee shop. On New Year’s Day four
years ago, 10 new NSA friends joined
us on the beach as I became Mrs. Greg
Godek. For me, NSA now also stands
for Never Snore Alone.”
Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN, CSP, CPAE, is an authority on applied humor who speaks to healthcare and corporate audiences. As publisher of The
Journal of Nursing Jocularity, Karyn may be
the funniest nurse on the planet. Her
research on the practical and profitable uses
for humor has helped NASA, Pfizer, the
Mayo Clinic and the Million-Dollar Round
Table. Visit www.KarynBuxman.com.
Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE, who interviewed Buxman for this article, is an award- winning author, international keynoter/ facilitator, and
recognized expert in self-leadership
development and human energy
sustainability. Her latest book, Gifts from
the Mountain, won the Ben Franklin gold
award and has just been published in
Chinese. Visit www.eileenmcdargh.com.
