Like you, joy specialist, author and speaker Dave Caperton has highs and lows. Some people may believe that joyfulness is rejection of reality, but that, he says, is a misconception that prevents them from tapping into a powerful force for personal happiness and organizational success. "Joyfulness isn't living in denial of the negatives, it's living in defiance of them!"

Dave blends laughter, solid research and storytelling to teach corporations, individuals and groups how living and working with intentional joy is an act of leadership, courage and a disciplined will. It's not about avoiding or denying pain -- which is impossible -- but about maintaining joyfulness as a default mode. It's like the "king of the hill" game we played as kids. Joyful people aren't always happy, but they are committed to joyfulness no matter what. They don't waste energy whining and they use response choices like humor to get back to joy quickly when life sometimes knocks them off.

Dave has 20-plus years of real-world experience speaking, coaching, consulting and writing about the benefits of a joyful mindset in a business context including how to unleash creativity, strengthen health, increase engagement, super-charge learning, and provide legendary service and outstanding care while eliminating stress and conflict.

As an award-winning educator, performance consultant, stand-up comedian and comedy writer, Dave's original approach fuses entertaining stories, in-depth research and proven learning strategies so that his programs inspire laughter, demolish barriers between groups and open pathways for innovation and change. His entertaining conversations about joy provide a new vocabulary and concrete actions to celebrate successes, solve people problems, and to build a bridge between where you are now and where you want to be.

His clients over the years have included Fortune 500 companies and leading organizations in health care, education and government. Clients and audiences value his programs because they provide a positive shared emotional experience that is highly interactive, energizing, and wildly funny. Unlike many humorous speakers, Dave's programs always infused with current, relevant and transformative takeaways that provide lasting value throughout your event and beyond to accelerate you toward your goals.

Dave's talks have been requested and lauded by such iconic organizations as Boeing Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, The Federal Aviation Administration, Nationwide Insurance, Limited Brands, The Cleveland Clinic, GE, and over 600 other successful organizations and associations all over North America.

Dave is also the author of Happiness Is a Funny Thing, a book he describes not as a how-to but a why-to book for realizing greater happiness, health, and joyful laughter both at work and at home.

Dave currently serves on the board of two charitable foundations: The New Life Foundation which serves quality-of-life needs of individuals with spinal cord injuries and The American Pie Party Foundation which uses humor to raise funds for cancer research.

He lives his message of joy and laughter every day with his wife and best friend, Suzanna, and their son, Alex.