What if one joke — sent on a Friday morning — could remind someone they matter? What if three words from a stage could stop someone from ending their life? Greg Kettner has seen both happen. In this episode of Humor in the C Suite, Kate Davis sits down with her old comedy circuit friend turned keynote speaker to explore the unexpected intersection of humor and mental health — and why the leaders who get this right are the ones their teams never forget.

About Greg Kettner

Greg Kettner spent 27 years in sales and leadership with some of the world’s most recognized organizations — Nike, SAP, BuildDirect, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Vancouver Whitecaps among them. After years of watching people struggle in silence inside high-pressure environments, Greg built the WorkHappy Framework: a system for helping organizations reduce stress, increase productivity, and build genuine mental wellbeing cultures. His keynote, The Power of Laughter, is now used by companies including Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, and RE/MAX. He is on a mission to help 1 million people talk about mental health at work and at home. He is also — for the record — a man who once made Norm MacDonald laugh from a toilet.

Key Topics Covered

Greg and Kate cover how humor lowers the barrier to mental health conversations in the workplace, and why that barrier exists in the first place. Greg uses the bike riding analogy throughout — the first time is awkward, you might fall off, but you get back on and eventually you don’t think about it. The same is true of asking someone how they’re really doing. They discuss the WorkHappy Framework and what it actually looks like inside organizations, Greg’s Friday Finding newsletter and the outsized impact one clean joke can have on someone’s week, and why humor and mental health aren’t in tension — they work together. Greg shares the story of Scott, a man who had a plan to end his life and was stopped by a message he’d heard from a stage. And Kate and Greg reflect on what it means to shift from comedy as performance to comedy as genuine service — from getting laughs to changing lives.

Standout Quotes

“Having a conversation can save a person’s life.” — Greg Kettner

“We need to care more about our people than about the numbers.” — Greg Kettner

“Humor connects us. That’s what it does.” — Kate Davis

Greg’s Advice for Leaders

Start small and start safe. If you’re nervous about using humor with your team, test it at home first — with your partner, your kids, your friends. Look to late night TV for clean material that’s already been vetted. Send a funny Friday email. Share a meme. You don’t have to be a comedian to show you have a sense of humor. And when it comes to mental health specifically: ask the question twice. “How are you doing?” gets you the polite answer. “How are you really doing? I’ve got time” — that’s where the real conversation starts. That’s where trust is built. That’s where leaders earn the loyalty that no bonus structure can buy.

The WorkHappy Framework

Greg’s WorkHappy Framework is built on one foundational belief: happy employees are better employees. They are 18% more productive, stay on the job longer, and contribute to higher profits. The framework helps organizations reduce stress, build mental wellbeing culture, and create environments where people feel genuinely safe to speak up. For more information visit [Greg’s website].

The Friday Finding

Every Friday, Greg sends out an HR-approved joke, meme, or funny story to his network. It takes seconds to read and consistently generates responses from people saying they needed that today. It’s a masterclass in micro-connection — and any leader can replicate it.

Connect with Greg Kettner 🌐 Website 💼 LinkedIn

Connect with Kate Davis 📧 kate@katedavisca.com 🎙️ Humor in the C Suite — available wherever you get your podcasts