#191 | Innovation Needs Laughter with Kathy Klotz-Guest

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King sits down with Kathy Klotz-Guest, keynote speaker, author, comedian, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and creator of BoldNet. Kathy shares how humor, improv, and authenticity can help leaders build trust, reduce fear, and create cultures where people feel safe enough to take risks. She explains why many organizations get stuck in “innovation theater,” where teams talk about innovation but never create the conditions for real creativity, experimentation, or change. Kyle and Kathy also discuss psychological safety, leadership vulnerability, positive humor, the power of “yes, and,” and why leaders must model the courage they want to see in their teams. Key Topics: Why humor builds trust and psychological safety What “innovation theater” looks like inside organizations How fear blocks creativity and risk-taking Why leaders must model vulnerability and experimentation The role of laughter in healthy team culture How improv principles like “yes, and” strengthen collaboration Why teams need support systems to be bold How leaders can become one percent bolder every day Episode History 00:00 — Introduction 00:18 — Meet Kathy Klotz-Guest 01:22 — Who Kathy is beyond the titles 02:48 — Reclaiming humanity inside corporate spaces 03:00 — How Kathy’s work began 05:45 — Moving from fragmentation to integration 06:20 — Courage, comedy, and stepping outside your comfort zone 08:40 — What innovation theater means 10:44 — Fear, support, and the role of humor 12:45 — Laughter as a measure of trust 13:30 — How leaders can model psychological safety 15:00 — Ritualizing mistakes and learning from failure 16:20 — Building the ensemble through “yes, and” 18:00 — Why old leadership models no longer work 20:00 — Becoming one percent bolder every day 21:45 — The meaning of “yes, and you” -- Learn More About the Contagious Culture Conference Subscribe & Leave a Review to The Contagious Culture Podcast Subscribe to Apple Podcasts 📞 Schedule Your Call Here 🖥️ Join the #1 Community for Leaders and Change Makers 👉🏽 Apply to Be in the Growth Alliance 👉🏽Connect with Kyle S. King