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Meet Kelli Vrla of Humor@Work in Plano

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelli Vrla.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Born and raised in Dallas–Baylor Hospital (7lbs, 11 ozs–rarely a woman brags about her weight, but that’s the lowest it’s ever going to be!).

-Grew up in Carrollton, graduated R L Turner HS Class of ’79. (Go Lions!)
-Double majored in the piney woods of Nacogdoches at Stephen F. Austin State University: BBA-Business Management, B.A.- Spanish (Ole!)
-Jobs: Current Career; Irritational Speaker (Like Motivational, yet sticks with you longer)
-Past Jobs that led me here: Day Care Center Teacher: (Ms. Kelli) Some of my clients just got taller and louder as my career progressed. LOL
-Travel Agent (discount city!) Delivered air tickets via my moped at college while running the office on weekends.
-Broadcast Radio Exec: KOJO, KLTY, KLIF, KSCS and Dallas On-Air Morning Show Co-Host with the wonderful GailLightfoott (Whoo Hoo!): Cafe’ 990 The Nation’s 1st All-Women, All-Talk Station!

Meanwhile, during my radio years (1987-2004), I entered a JOKE CONTEST and won free drinks for all my friends. They thought this was a great way for us to enjoy a night out without paying! So, my comedy career began. I honed my skills at the Backdoor Comedy Club in Dallas. Linda Stogner and Jan Norton were den mothers to wayward comics finding their wings in the comedy world. On the weekends, I also snuck off and did stand-up comedy (out of town in case I bombed super bad).

I had a weekly comedy show at the local cabarets in Dallas: John L’s was one. I went on the road as a stand-up opener and got to open for Phyllis Diller in my first year. She picked me because my comedy was clean, funny, and I wasn’t as funny as she was! I learned a lot from her–namely, discipline. She did a punchline every 12 seconds, and every show seemed like it was fresh and new. Later in my career, I got to meet her main joke writer, Gene Perret. He was a phenomenal writer–so devoted to his craft.

In my radio sales capacity, I was so inspired by motivational speakers like Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup), and Brian Tracy. I convinced my sales manager to pay for my entry to their conferences on the condition I’d come back and teach their winner concepts to our sales teams. Word got out to other industries, that my teaching was festive and funny with meaty content. So, I got hired by other organizations to host skill building for their staffs.

After I gathered a large clientele, I opened my own consultant firm to help businesses engage their people to achieve more. Humor@Work was born. For the past 20 years, I’ve been helping inspire companies to inspire and delight their staffs to learn more, do more, and be more for their clients. It’s been a wild ride, and I’ve loved every minute of my experiences!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Living on the road for Stand-Up comedy was quite a life lesson. I was hired to do 7 shows a week–no matter how big or small the crowds were. As James Taylor once said, “The audience is heavenly, the traveling is hell.” The thing about doing comedy is that you’ve got to be able to switch on the funny–no matter what kind of day you’ve had, no matter what your bank account says. People come to refresh and forget about the day’s challenges, and you’re on stage and you have to deliver to make them happy. Money was tight, so I got creative with my 10 ramen noodle packs for a dollar.

Staying in comedy condos made me super aware of the “personalities” I was working with. Many of the guy headliners were married, yet thought nothing of slipping off their wedding rings before a show to flirt with groupies in the audience. Headliners got the master bedroom, middles got the next bedroom, and openers (me) got the sofa sleeper in the living room, which became the after-show party room. Needless to say. I couldn’t go to sleep until the party in my “room” was over. A precious few headliners would absolutely kill every night and still scour through their sets to perfect every single joke. Very impressive–yet rare.

Speaking Career Lessons: I’ve learned that you must PICK A LANE. You must specialize in a specific area of expertise. You must dive deeply to be the go-to resource expert in your chosen field. I used to do any and all topics because I wanted to help as many people as possible. I now only help people in very specific areas: Leadership, Engagement, Change Mastery and Stress Busting with Humor. I am smart enough to know to refer people to others who are totally proficient in other topics of skill building.

Humor@Work – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
READY, SET, ENGAGE! I travel over 100 days each year to help organizations engage their people so they can inspire and delight their customers. At times I can be found giving impromptu speeches to unsuspecting passengers on my delayed flights.

Being Greek, I teach the OPA method. It’s a way to Optimize, Personalize and Actualize your excellence. I call it the OPA FACTOR. My audiences say I look very much like a mixture of Steven Segal and Demi Moore. If you saw the hit movie Big Fat Greek Wedding, then you will quickly understand the ethos, logos, pathos and laffos I bring to each and every event I host.

My events are totally experiential. We engage, we laugh, we cry, we Greek dance and we break plates (paper ones for safety). By the end of the event, everyone is yelling, “OPA!” which is to say “I’m ALL in and I want you to be ALL in, too. Let’s celebrate and accelerate our health, happiness and abundance! OPA!”

I support executive leadership and team building via:
* Inspiring keynotes
* Action-focused breakouts
* Customized workshops
* 1-on-1 Coaching
* Customized Engagement Surveys
* Offsite Retreats
* Incentive Trips (Athens, Cruises, Dallas Arboretum)
* Parody Videos with your team members
* Interviews with your All Stars
* On-Demand Audios and Videos
* EngageYOUniversity courses to amaze and engage your team!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success means being totally present: mind, heart, soul, spirit and body. It means you know what drives you, and you continue to learn and evolve. My Greek grandfather said there are only two ways to motivate people: “You gotta know what makes ’em tick and what ticks ’em off.” True success is when you realize your grand purpose and continue to deliver in the zone of total passion.

I do believe in the spirit of my Greek ancestors to live life to the fullest and to share that with family and friends.
Ethos: with ethics and character
Logos: with logic and relevance
Pathos: with passion
Laffos: (my creation) with a sense of lightness and the ability to find the humor amidst the challenges

OPA!

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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