From His Upcoming Book: Steve Rizzo and I Talk About Life, Leadership

Steve Rizzo is an author (Becoming a Humor Being) and motivational speaker whose early career was as a nationally-known stand-up comedian, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, Drew Carey and others; over the years, he’s appeared on Showtime, The Comedy Channel, and Fox Television’s Comedy Strip Live. He’s also served as a consultant to MSNBC and the Oprah and Friends radio network.

Steve’s next book, due out in 2009, is Rizzo’s Heroes: Leadership Secrets from Around the World.

For some baffling, godforsaken reason, he decided he wanted to interview me for the book and an accompanying audio/CD project. Yeah, I know, go figure.

Anyhow, the audio interview is now available on Steve’s website. We chat about the role fun and passion play in success and happiness at work and life, and I attempt a lame joke or two. You may find my thoughts mildly interesting. Or incredibly annoying.

To listen, simply follow this link:

 Steve Rizzo Interview with Joe Fusco (link broken; see update, below)

Coincidentally, Steve was profiled and interviewed on CNBC last week (The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch) with Erin Brockovich and Paul Stanley of KISS fame; all three were voted “Least Likely to Succeed” in high school, but are now obviously enjoying successful careers.

Involving moi in your book project, however…c’mon, just how bright can he really be?

A Few Minutes With...An Old Friend

Brian and Me

Brian Miller (in photo, on left) is my oldest friend. That is, my friendship with him is the longest and most sustained such relationship of my entire life. We’ve been friends since the end of junior high school; as we both realized recently, we first met thirty years ago this spring.

Being friends with Brian was, and is, effortless. He was a good kid, and is a good man. Optimistic, steadfast, easy-going and unflappable, he was the perfect complement to the overly serious, moody introvert I was always in danger of becoming.

One of the best, most uplifting days of my recent roadtrip was being able to visit Brian and his family in northern Maryland for the better part of an afternoon and evening. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years but, within minutes, it was as if only a few days had passed.

We sat in his family room, and reconstructed the beginnings of our friendship, why we’ve been able to sustain it, and what we’d do differently if we were seventeen years old again (um…not quite as pathetic as it sounds. Really).

The conversation, below, is in .mp3 format.

A Few Minutes With...Steve Rizzo

“Humor gives you the faith to carry on…”

Steve Rizzo is a sought-after speaker and author on the subject of humor and its role in success and happiness. I had the honor of meeting and working with him a few years ago when I asked him to speak to a group of managers I work with. He’s very, very funny. Smart, too.

Beyond that, however, he is an exceptionally humble, caring, encouraging and accessible person. And very, very funny.

A former stand-up comedian, Steve has appeared nationally on Showtime, the Comedy Channel, Fox television, Evening at the Improv, and many other cable and network television programs.

In recent years, Steve has devoted himself and his talents to coaching organizations like American Express, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the Central Intelligence Agency on how to embrace change and boost human performance with laughter.

He is the author of the book, Becoming a Humor Being.

He and I had a chance to talk recently about why he does what he does, what he sees as people’s biggest challenges, and what he’s working on for 2008.

“When you stifle laughter, you stifle your spirit, the very essence of who you are,” he says. The complete conversation, in mp3 format, is below:

A Few More Minutes With...My Son Andrew

Impressions of Japan

In late-June, my son Andrew travelled to Ishidoriya, Japan with four other students and a chaperone as part of a sister-city cultural exhange. It was a significant honor for him, and the source of over six months of excitement and anticipation; among other things, Andrew loves to travel and has a deep interest in learning about, and experiencing, other cultures.

(from left; Tsuneaki, Yuta, Cory and Andrew)

He calls his two week stay with a host family in Japan “one of the best experiences of my life.” He and I sat down recently to recount that experience. Below, in .mp3 format, are excerpts of that conversation:

A Few Minutes With...My Daughter Katie

Sophisticated Lady…

My ten year-old daughter, Katie, and I sat down for a few minutes to discuss her summer plans, her friends, her messy room and what it’s like being an only child (for a few weeks, at least, before big brother returns from the Far East).

The interview, below, is in .mp3 format: