Loretta LaRoche

Loretta LaRoche is an acclaimed speaker, author and international stress management and humor consultant who has evoked wit and irreverent humor on her audience for over 30 years. Using humor to reframe a stressful situation, Loretta captures a new perspective on the difficult parts of life. Her teaching style, credibility and incontestable humor are integral parts to her compelling presence.

She is on the Mass General advisory council for anxiety and depression and is founder and president of The Humor Potential, Inc, a company offering programs and products for life style management. Loretta’s special brand of optimistic psychology has an undeniable positive effect on the health of all that are exposed to her. 

Loretta LaRoche writes a weekly newspaper column titled, 'Get a Life', Sane Wisdom for an Insane World, which is featured in the Patriot Ledger every Monday and syndicated throughout the country by GateHouse Media.

Loretta has "Sold Out" venues across the country with her outrageous one woman show; Boston Symphony Hall, The Hanover Theatre, Emerson Magestic, Berklee Perfoming Arts Center, Providence Performing Arts Theatre , Palace Theatre in Albany NY, Capital Centre for the Arts in Concord NH, Stadium Theatre, Telus Center in Canada just to name a few.

Loretta has toured with The Power Within sharing the stage with Lance Armstrong, Former President Bill Clinton, Ellen DeGenres, Anthony Robbins and many other great leaders.

As an acclaimed author, she has toured with the Hay House, "I Can Do It!"conferences.  She has shared the stage with acclaimed authors such as, Dr. Christian Northrup, Suze Orman, Louise Hay, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Collette Baron Reid, Lisa Williams, Cesar Millan and more.

Organizations worldwide use Loretta's prescription for laughter to manage stress in the workplace and improve morale. Her energetic conferences and keynotes serve to improve learning skills and leave her audiences in an enthusiastic frame of mind. Clients such as IBM, The New York Times, Fidelity Investments, Microsoft, the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Huffington Post, The Swatt Institute and NASA, just to name a few, have used her material to defeat stress. She is a well-recognized TV personality on PBS with seven one-woman television specials airing on 80 PBS stations across the country and a Hay House best-selling author of 8 books. She has been nominated for local and prime time Emmy Awards, and has appeared on CNN, ABC, NBC and FOX affiliates.

MEDIA

• Humor Your Stress, PBS 1995
• How Serious Is This?, PBS, 1997
• Relax, You Only Live Once, PBS, 1999
• Parenting with Humor, The Humor Potential 1999
• Get A Life, PBS 2001
• The Joy of Stress, PBS, 2002
• Life Is Short Wear Your Party Pants, PBS and Hay House , 2002
• Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal, Better Life Media 2006
• Whine, Woman & Song (The Wit & Wisdom of Womanhood)
• How to be a Wild, Wise and Witty Woman, Brilliant Pictures
• How to Prevent Hardening of the Attitude 
• Juicy Living, Juicy Aging, PBS, 2009

PUBLICATIONS

• LaRoche, L. Joy Journal. Loretta LaRoche, Laurie Donnelly Plymouth, MA: The Humor Potential, 1997, 2005
• LaRoche, L. Life is Short – Wear Your Party Pants. [Jill Kramer] Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2003
• LaRoche, L. Squeeze the Day. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2006
• LaRoche, L. Kick Up Your Heels Before You’re Too Short to Wear Them.[Jill Kramer] [First Edition] Plymouth: Humor Potential,  2007 
• LaRoche, L. Happy Talk. [Jill Kramer] [First Edition] Carlsbad, CA: Hay House. 2007
• LaRoche, L. Juicy Living, Juicy Aging. [Jill Kramer] Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2007 
• LaRoche, L. Relax: You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left. [Jill Kramer] Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2008
• LaRoche, L. Lighten Up! The Authentic and Fun Way to Lose Your Weight and Your Worries. [Jill Kramer] Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2009
• Contributing Author: Books
• Benson H, Stuart E, Staff of the Benson-Henry Institute. The Wellness Book. New York: Carol, 1992. 
• Contributing Author: Magazines
• Diane Magazine, A Curves International Publication
• Prevention Magazine, A Rodale, Inc. Publication
• Health Magazine, A Time, Inc. Publication (A division of Time Warner)
• Newspaper Publications:
• Get A Life, weekly column, Gateway Media, Inc. http://www.gatehousemedia.com/publications
• Womans World Magazine, 2011

AWARDS 

• Local and prime time Emmy award nominee 
• The National Humor Treasure Award 
• Honorary Ph.D., LaSalle University, Newton, Massachusetts 
• Humanitarian Award, MSPCC 
• Woman of the Year, Massachusetts Girl Scouts 
• Alumni of the Year, Hofstra University 
• The Walter C. Alvarez Memorial Award for Medical Writing presented by The American Medical Writers Association, Oct 2004
• Inducted into the Friars Club, New York City, September 2009

Topics

HOW STRESS CAN MAKE A MESS OUT OF YOUR BOTTOM LINE AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

In the last several years stress has become epidemic. The latest economic tsunami has exacerbated the problem and added to the feelings of anxiety, irritability, and depression that are sweeping the country. The end result is that no matter what position you hold in an organization, your decision- making process will be compromised. Stress is cumulative and if not handled properly begins to affect concentration, reaction-time, communication skills; abilities to problem solve and can seriously increase one’s propensity toward aggressive behavior. This happens as a result of the body’s increasing inability to handle the chemical reactions that begin to invade the pre-frontal cortex, which controls our ability to deal with situations in a rational, effective manner. Studies in mood contagion show that morale can be greatly reduced in an organization when individuals repeatedly discuss their stressors with each other. Colds and upper respiratory illnesses increase as the feelings of perceived helplessness increase, which in turn impact absenteeism and increased turn over.

THE POWER OF HUMOR AND OPTIMISM

A life that is fulfilling is predicated on discovering how to use thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to enhance our mental and physical well being. Many of us go day to day hypnotized by internal dialogue that leads us down the path of negativity and unhappiness. It is often the result of parental and societal messages, but it can also be an inherited predisposition towards depression and/or anxiety. Optimism, which is a resiliency based model, can be taught. It is not the fairy tale concept of simply thinking “positive thoughts”, but rather an explanatory style. When we add the ingredient of humor, our ability to handle life’s inevitable ups and downs becomes more accessible.

The “WOW” FACTOR

Wisdom, Openness, and Wonder  We’ve all met enthusiastic, energetic people that leave us wondering what they could possibly be “on” to be the way they are. Most individuals today report fatigue and stress as a way of life. There are a myriad of causes, but the most prevalent problem is the notion that life is a constant series of tasks that need to be accomplished and expedited quickly. As a result taking care of one’s health and happiness becomes secondary to making sure everything is done by the end of the day. Ironically this mentality actually drains our resources and dampens the very thing we need to have a productive life which is energy, or a feeling of “WOW”. Our ability to use our wisdom, be open to new ideas and experience wonder in the everyday is exchanged for a robotic mentality based on forging ahead. When we are in a “WOW” mode relationships flourish, success is more attainable, and we tend to feel more energetic.