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laughology's trainers and consultants have a wide range of skills and qualifications covering all aspects of individual and organisational needs (even when they were eight)!

Below we have listed some of the talents and skills of our team. Please contact any of us to chat further about what we do, we would love to hear from you.

Sarah Creegan

Date:: 2024-02-14 20:08

Sarah Creegan

Sarah is one of our leading facilitators and consultants who designs and delivers learning and change programmes in the private, public and education sector.


Sarah's had a varied career, working with banks, businesses, retail, educational and sporting organisations, supporting their learning and development needs before becoming a head teacher.

Contact us to book Sarah...

Watch Sarah Creegan helping Crown Estates think about resilience & growth mindset

Sarah Creegan uses science and humour with the team at the Crown Estate. Helping them think about resilience & growth mindset - the Laughology way. Making your work your happy place!


WHAT THEY SAY

  • Toyota Financial Services

    Julie Hutchinson

    Informative, interesting and helpful
  • Crown Estate

    Janette Nicholson

    Light hearted interesting training
  • TFS

    Lorna Rushman

    Brilliant session, delivered very well!

Psst! - did you know?

The Red Arrows flew over Lincoln hospital on the day Sarah Creegan was born there; an omen perhaps, to indicate what a high-flyer she would become. Indeed, we are lucky to have her as several years ago she almost came to grief when the snowmobile she was a passenger on was swallowed up by a crevice.

Vital Stats

  • Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?

    Other people’s misfortunes – as long as they’re not too badly hurt!
  • What would your superpower be?

    I used to work around the corner from where I live. Now that I travel much further afield, the power of teleportation would be fabulous.
  • What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

    When I left Headship, I was presented with a book which had really lovely comments from all the staff and children. One of my favourites, and the funniest, came from a Reception child: ‘I don't know what she does but she has yellow hair like me’.
  • What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

    In my leavers’ production at primary school, I was chuffed to get the role of the Tin Man. On the night of the performance, I was very nervous and accidentally asked the Wizard of Oz for a brain rather than a heart. The scarecrow was angry that I’d stolen his thunder and we ended up having a row in the middle of stage.
  • What's your mantra?

    Reach for the stars (S Club 7 style)

When Sarah chose to leave school at 16, she was told by 3 separate teachers that ‘she wouldn’t amount to much’. That didn’t put her off though!

Since then she has had a varied career, working with banks, businesses, retail, educational and sporting organisations, supporting their learning and development needs before becoming a head teacher.

In her first two years of headship, she successfully managed a £7m rebuild; an expansion programme to double the number of pupils and a culture-change programme. All of these projects ensured her school went from a satisfactory Ofsted ranking to a good. During this time she managed key stakeholders, including local authorities, school inspectors and governors, she also successfully guided her team through an improvement programme. 

Sarah firmly believes in the importance of happiness, humour and positivity in the workplace and is one the funniest former headteachers we know - apart, possibly from Greg Davies and Romesh Ranganathan.

At Laughology, Sarah’s learning and development knowledge, coupled with her leadership skills and experience have also stood her in good stead when designing and delivering programmes in businesses and organisations such as:

  • O2
  • Savills
  • Trafford Housing Trust
  • Office of Public Guardian
  • Oxford University

Sarah's experience as a highly-successful head teacher also makes her the perfect advisor and facilitator for Laughology's education programmes. Her wealth of experience and knowledge of the inner-workings of schools, the education sector and the business world are invaluable in helping us to help schools, teachers and young people flourish. She was also instrumental in developing the Laughology Happy-Centred School PSHE programme.

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Stephanie Wilkinson

STEPHANIE WILKINSON

Stephanie once modelled for the cover of a telephone directory and so photographs of her graced hundreds of telephone boxes across the UK.

Psst! - did you know?

Stephanie Wilkinson had the misfortune of sharing a Christian name with Laughology CEO and was quickly re-christened StephW on her appointment.

Originally from the North West, she survives on a diet of Star Bars and convinces herself that the peanuts are one of her five a day.


Vital Stats

  • Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?

    My sister Charlotte on a recent holiday.
  • What would your superpower be?

    Invisibility.
  • What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

    You’ve changed my life.
  • What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

    Being kicked out of Elton John’s car.
  • What's your mantra?

    See it, like it, buy it.

Stephanie has over 15 years’ experience as a PA and worked for a large London healthcare company before she joined Laughology in 2016. She is an expert administrator and office manager who ensures the smooth running of Laughology operations.

Unflappable and dependable, Stephanie was one of the key organisers of the inaugural Laughology Happines Awards in 2016 and is a key member of the organising committee. She specialises in logistics, accounts and operations. She once modelled for the cover of a telephone directory and so photographs of her graced hundreds of telephone boxes across the UK.

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Vicky Maitland

Date:: 2024-02-14 20:10

VICKY MAITLAND

Vicky is one the nation’s most convincing Anne Boleyn impersonators and has the costume to prove it.

Watch our Happiness Facilitator, Victoria Maitland, as she leads a session on resilience using our legendary FLIP-it Thinking toolkit.

Psst! - did you know?

A vocal chameleon, she can do almost every regional dialect in the UK, which helps no end at Laughology staff meetings, as the company is Northerner-heavy (we’re working on our unconscious bias).


Vital Stats

  • Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?

    Being silly and enjoying good company.
  • What would your superpower be?

    The ability to read and retain information at superhuman speed ... and flight!
  • What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

    You help make me a better person.
  • What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

    Half of a costume falling off in an outdoor play.
  • What's your mantra?

    Never give up.

Vicky’s experience working in the charity, business and education sectors means she can adapt quickly to any audience. She has a background in the arts, which makes her an engaging facilitator, host and development consultant. She delivers sessions using creative improvisation and brings energy and fun to a room.

Vicky is a go-to for communication, performance and presenting skills and specialises in voice development, a key skill in improving confidence and team building.

In addition to her expertise in learning and development, Vicky is also one of the nation’s most convincing Anne Boleyn impersonators and has the costume to prove it. A vocal chameleon, she can do almost every regional dialect in the UK, which helps no end at Laughology staff meetings, as the company is Northerner-heavy (we’re working on our unconscious bias).

She’s passionate about engaging people through humour, laughter and thinking creatively.  Vicky always ensures her sessions are fun and interactive, and that people leave with new skills feeling happy and confident.

She has consulted for the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival, delivered communication and confidence skills for University of Cambridge staff, and delivered training for Diabetes UK and Crisis. She has ten years of experience supporting Laughology in delivering transformation programmes for blue-chip clients.


[commenting]

I have had some fantastic feedback, about Victoria, both from the parents and the teachers. Some of the parents have stated that their children loved the sessions and were talking about it ‘non-stop’ when they arrived home.

The teachers were very enthusiastic about the workshops. Some have mentioned an instant change in their class behaved and that the got a lot out of it. We hope to reinforce the FLIP throughout the school with posters, classroom displays and follow up work.

Thank you so much for supporting and helping our school develop a positive mindset.

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Stephanie Davies

Teaser: Stephanie caused a national security outcry in 2014 when she attempted to manhandle Prince Harry, but was stopped by his bodyguard.
Date:: 2023-04-17 16:51

STEPHANIE DAVIES

Laughology’s CEO & Head of Happiness


Watch Stephanie present an interactive workshop to HSBC senior leaders on Building Resilience, Happiness and Engagement in teams.


Stephanie Davies - Laughology’s CEO & Head of Happiness

Psst! - did you know?

She caused a national security outcry in 2014 when she attempted to manhandle Prince Harry, but was stopped by his bodyguard.


Vital Stats

  • Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?

    When my partner falls over or has an accident. Sometimes when I need a laugh, I set things up to make this happen.
  • What would your superpower be?

    Telekinesis.
  • What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

    You’ve just made me wet myself (with reference to making them laugh, not anything weird).
  • What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

    I thought my mic was off at a conference and let slip that I had just accidently dropped another mic in the toilet and weed on it but told the sound team I had dropped it in the sink.  I thought I was whispering to my colleague in the room next door but I was telling the whole conference.
  • What's your mantra?

    Take your mic pack off before you wee.

Stephanie Davies grew up on the Isle of Man where she developed a belief in fairies which exists to this day. She has the smallest little fingers of any human being, ever, and can often be seen walking a cat on a lead in the Surrey village where she lives.

She studied community arts at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts before embarking on a career as an award-winning stand-up comedian, appearing alongside Sarah Millican, John Bishop and Jason Manford.

She is Laughology’s founder and CEO and one of the UK’s leading voices in happiness and engagement in organisations. She has an unsurpassed reputation for designing and delivering interventions for top-performing teams across a range of sectors.

She has developed Laughology into the nation’s most talked-about training and development provider. In the past 15 years, she has worked on innovative projects and events in the private and public sector. Her creative and rounded approach to engagement, culture building and change, happiness in the workplace, continued development and customer loyalty drives success not only in the organisations she works with, but at Laughology too.

Stephanie’s unique experience as a comedian and expertise in psychology and business makes her one of the most sought-after consultants internationally, and a popular speaker on the business and after-dinner circuit. She provides consultancy and training programmes for some of the UK’s top exec teams, working with well-known blue chip organisations and government departments.

More recently she has pioneered thinking and behaviour programmes to promote diverse working practices and has addressed and advised several blue-chip organisations such as:

  • HSBC
  • RBS and
  • DTZ

Her client list includes:

  • First Direct
  • Department of Health
  • giffgaff
  • EE
  • O2

In 2016 she was invited to speak alongside Dr Martin Seligman and Sean Achor at the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) Festival. She is often asked to contribute to television and has appeared on the ITN news and BBC’s The Heaven & Earth Show as an expert on humour, happiness and health. She is a regular on BBC Radio. She is the author of critically acclaimed book, Laughology: Improve Your Life With The Science Of Laughter and is passionate about developing organisations and communities where people come first.

Click to view our range of conference keynote talks

Watch more Steph

Stephanie Davies, Laughology’s Head of Happiness share a comedy talk about her dyslexia. 

Stephanie was invited to VMO2 for Dyslexia awareness week to share her story about being Dyslexic. Watch her 30-minute comedy talk here.  VMO2 were keen for the talk to be more in Stephanie’s traditional comedy style, as in her own words this is what Dyslexia gave her.  A unique way of seeing the world that turns ideas on their head and makes the way she sees things a little funnier. 

Kick off your shoes, crack open the Ferrero Rocher, and watch Stephanie deliver a Laughology Lunch and Learn session.

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Laughology's most in-demand motivational speaker: Dave 'Keynote' Keeling:

Teaser: Dave ‘Billy Elliot’ Keeling grew up in a pit village in Nottinghamshire and was tap dancing three times a week by the age of ten.
Date:: 2023-04-17 16:50

Dave Keeling

Dave 'Keynote' Keeling is one of Laughology's most in-demand motivational & inspirational conference keynote speakers.


Dave has graced our screens in BBC and ITV hits like Downton Abbey, The Responders, Eastenders, Coronation Street and Blood Brothers in the West End.

His unique blend of learning, laughter and energy will lift and energise your conference, away day, or corporate event.

Contact us to book Dave...

Dave Keeling, motivational & inspirational conference keynote speaker

WATCH

Put the kettle on, crack open the custard creams and watch Dave deliver an entertaining and enlightening keynote on the importance of humour, happiness and creativity for productivity to over 400 learning experts. (2mins)

WHAT THEY SAY

  • Chaucer Group

    Harriet Sharp

    a great couple of hours...
  • Informa

    Alyssa Chadwick

    Dave was fantastic!!
  • Bauder Ltd

    Sue Pearson

    Dave Keeling was excellent...
Dave Keeling - Laughology’s Lead Happiness Consultant

Psst! - did you know?

Dave ‘Billy Elliot’ Keeling grew up in a pit village in Nottinghamshire and was tap dancing three times a week by the age of ten.

Dave is the author of ‘The Little Book of Laughter’, ‘Rocket up Your Class’, ‘The Book of Invisible Teaching’ and a contributor to the ‘Big Book of Independent Thinking’.

Dave is 6ft 2in, blue eyed and a little bit ginger and believes that within that description lies a little bit of something for everyone.


Vital Stats

  • Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?

    Quick wit, the quicker the better i.e. Lee Mack, Peter Kay
  • What would your superpower be?

    GCSE maths C or above 
  • What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

    "That's bigger than I thought."
  • What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

    Getting caught buying  a Bros record by my friends
  • What's your mantra?

    Got away with that 

Dave ‘Billy Elliot’ Keeling grew up in a pit village in Nottinghamshire and was tap dancing three times a week by the age of ten. Never one to shy away from challenge and risk, he then moved into the world of acting and trained at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Dave has worked extensively in theatre and television. His credits include:

  • Downton Abbey,
  • Eastenders,
  • Coronation Street and
  • Blood Brothers in the West End.

Dave also has a background in stand-up comedy and has gigged up and down the country, enjoying laughs, cuddles and salty snacks with anyone who cared to join him.

Dave has been Laughologist since 2008. Highly engaging, dynamic, fast-paced and quick-witted, he has been delivering workshops and programmes for Laughology in education, health and business.

As a facilitator, presenter and trainer, Dave has worked nationally and internationally in business and education for the last 20 years. He specialises in change management, improving teamwork and communication, developing creativity and enhancing wellbeing.

He has worked with:

  • Sotheby’s
  • Liverpool Victoria,
  • BP,
  • Regus,
  • Hewlett Packard,
  • British Aerospace,
  • Metropolitan Police,
  • Royal Bank of Scotland,
  • BNP Parribas.

In education, he has worked with students, parents, NQTs, teachers, SLTs and headteachers, delivering outstanding training on topics as wide-ranging as risk-taking, curiosity, managing change, leadership, thinking skills, memory, P4C and the brain. Dave has also worked on Laughology’s Happy-centred schools programme.

Click to view our range of conference keynote talks


Watch more Dave

Watch Dave Keeling, Laughology’s Lead Happiness Consultant run a workshop on Growth Mindset and Building Resilience with HSBC mortgage advisor senior leaders.



Nick Harding, Laughology's very own award-winning journalist and author, and Laughologist Dave Keeling, have a good old natter.

Click here to read all about it!

DAVE KEELING

What is your background?

I trained for three years as a classical actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, the same drama school that Benedict Cumberbatch attended. After I left, I realised very quickly that I wasn’t going to be acting full-time and even when I did get work it wasn’t very well paid. So, in my early twenties, I started to plan what else I could do. I didn’t want to work in a bar or wait tables like most jobbing actors. A friend asked me to do some work in schools for him. It wasn’t an area that I had thought about but in a very short space of time I learned loads and started to realise that with my performance skills and knowledge, I could put across information in an interesting way.

Did you have an interest in psychology before you started working with Laughology?

As an actor, I had always been fascinated by behaviour and relationships because that’s what acting is. I had a degree of intuitive emotional intelligence. I would watch people and study how they behaved. That developed into an interest in psychology. I wanted to learn more about people and their foibles and behaviours.

How did you get involved with Laughology?

I was presenting at a conference. I was doing the morning and Laughology CEO, Stephanie Davies, was doing the afternoon. She saw what I was doing and liked it. We talked and I became involved from there.

What makes Laughology different?

The real test for me is authenticity. Very few people who go out and talk to audiences practice what they preach. A lot say stuff, but they don’t do it.
The Laughology team have a broad range of learning and development skills to back up their specialisms, what would you say your strengths are?
I am great at being a catalyst in a room. I’m good at being deployed to create a buzz and an atmosphere. I can shift a room. Being a facilitator allows me to engage with people and be playful.

How are your skills best used?

I’d say that 60 to 70 percent of the time, you turn up to an event and people have had a long day of very dull keynotes. That’s the challenge I enjoy. You never know what you are going to get and it is my job to make sure those people leave that room feeling better than they did when they went in. The trick is to create an environment where people feel happy, and then hit them with some stuff that they’ve not thought about before. And that’s what Laughology does perfectly.

At Laughology, we have spent the last ten years campaigning for happiness and resilience in schools and workplaces to be recognised as an important development tool - do you think views are changing?

People are living longer and working longer. They no longer retire at 65 and businesses have started to realise that they have to keep people happy and healthier for longer so they can continue to be productive. There is also much more awareness of mental health issues. In education, primary schools have always been on board, and now Secondary Schools are getting there too. They are realising that although kids are leaving school qualified, they are not necessarily employable because they are missing the other stuff, which is what we talk about at Laughology; empathy, relationships, confidence, self-awareness and the ability to express thoughts and ideas. With all that’s happening in the world, people are having to get good at coping with change. And that feeds into everything we do in Laughology.

If you were Queen for a day, what would you do to make the world happier?

Simple. I’d ban homework. Nobody likes it. And I’d only employ people in schools who genuinely enjoy and like the company of young people.

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Kerry Leigh

Teaser: Kerry is a professional comedian and compere and was the child star of the Operation board game TV ads
Date:: 2023-04-17 16:52

KERRY LEIGH

Kerry uses humour and laughter to ensure people learn new ways of thinking to improve their wellbeing, communication and performance.


Kerry is a professional comedian and compere and was the child star of the Operation board game TV ads

Contact us to book Kerry...

Kerry delivers across the spectrum of Laughology courses and workshops.

WATCH

Put the kettle on, crack opena Wagon Wheel and watch Kerry work with a group of Tesco's store managers to help them FLIP their thinking and understand the power of humour and laughter in the workplace. (1.51s)

WHAT THEY SAY

  • Molly Maid

    Harriet Sharp

    The FLIP IT session was the perfect
  • HCP ED UK

    Kerry was fabulous
  • Pegasus Group

    Good mix of content, group interaction and humour.

Psst! - did you know?

When Kerry Leigh sees a rainbow, she gets more excited than a toddler on E numbers and has been known to scare/irritate/amuse strangers with her unbridled enthusiasm.

She’s Laughology’s queen of interpretive dance and has a rare form of chronology OCD which causes her to develop a deep sense of satisfaction whenever the numerals on digital clocks are identical. Her favourite times are 3.33, 1.11 and 5.55.


Vital Stats

  • Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?

    My best friends
  • What would your superpower be?

    The ability to eat cake and remain healthy.
  • What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

    My nanna told me I have a lot of love to give.
  • What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

    You only want one!
    I have a very long list...during a comedy sketch show I accidentally put nipple tassels on the outside of my top in a rush backstage and went back on to stage performing with them on show and only noticed when I went to take my top off for the big reveal and they were already there!
    Confused audience and myself.

  • What's your mantra?

    There is always a solution...and cake

Kerry is one of our most experienced and sought-after consultants and facilitators, having joined Laughology in its infancy. She is a professional comedian and compere and was the child star of the Operation board game TV ads. She has a talent for quickly building rapport with any group and is a captivating trainer and host. She has worked with clients across all sectors including:

  • Essex, West Midlands and Merseyside Police
  • RBS
  • Severn Trent Water
  • NHS
  • Head teachers and staff in schools nationally.

Kerry’s excellent psychology knowledge and training skills enable her to deliver across the spectrum of Laughology courses and workshops. Each year, Laughology works with children’s hospice Claire House to raise money by teaching stand-up comedy skills to office workers, culminating in a hugely entertaining performance night. In recent years Kerry has provided the training for this programme.

In 2016 Kerry was instrumental in designing and delivering our pioneering menopause awareness workshops, empowering staff to start conversations and implement support strategies for what had been previously a taboo subject at work.

Kerry consistently delivers, using humour and laughter to ensure people take away new ways of thinking and psychological tools to improve wellbeing, communication and performance. She has a deep appreciation of stationery and is particularly happy when she has a good quality notebook in her hand.

Click to view our range of conference keynote talks

Watch Kerry Leigh

Kerry Leigh Laughology showreel.


Mental health in the workplace

Nick Harding, Laughology's very own award-winning journalist and author, and Laughologist Kerry Leigh, have a good old natter.

Read all about it!

KERRY LEIGH

What is your background?

I started working in customer services in various guises, but have always been involved in creative things. I did creative writing and theatre arts at university and have been involved in stand-up and sketch comedy for a long time. I also did a bit of acting.

How did you get involved with Laughology?

I have been involved since the very beginning. I met the founder, Stephanie Davies, doing stand-up comedy. We performed in a sketch show together.

What were your initial thoughts when you first heard about the idea for a humour and psychology based learning and development model?

I distinctly remember being at a gig with Stephanie when I was first getting to know her and she said ‘I am going to save the world with laughter’. She said it quite earnestly. I thought ‘okay, we’ve got one here’. But I also noticed how motivated she was. It sounded fun and although I probably didn’t realise at the time, it fitted my values and continues to do so, therefore it’s a pleasure to do.

The Laughology team have a broad range of learning and development skills to back up their specialisms, what would you say your strengths are?

I read a room and adapt very well because, as all facilitators know, no matter how well you plan, something will get thrown at you at the last minute or something will go wrong. Because of my comedy background, humour adds to how I facilitate. I am very much about positive humour and using it to lift people and make them feel good, as opposed to some comedians who might read a room and think it hilarious to put one person down and get everyone else to join in. I really like using comedy to lift people.

What specific projects have you particularly enjoyed?

I’ve loved doing the Let’s Talk Menopause programme with Midlands Police because I had some creative input in it. I loved it because it made people think differently about an important subject and you could see the change in the room happening as the sessions progressed.

At Laughology, we have spent the last ten years campaigning for happiness and resilience in schools and workplaces to be recognised as an important development tool - do you think views are changing?

They have never been particularly closed, but I have noticed more people placing more importance on wellbeing and mental health. Sometimes it is done to tick a box, but also businesses are starting to realise that people will come to work and stay at work if they are well and happy. The sector values wellbeing more.

If you were Queen for a day, what would you do to make the world happier?

I would make psychology part of the curriculum from primary schools and up, because everyone would benefit from understanding themselves and others more, rather than fumbling through life and then getting therapy to work it all out in their thirties and forties. You understand why situations happen when you can see the bigger picture.

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