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DR BRIAN KING WANTS YOU TO KNOW

Dr. Brian King is the author of the recently released book The Art of Taking It Easy (Apollo Publishers). He trained as a neuroscientist and psychologist and for the past decade has traveled the world as a comedian and public speaker. By day he conducts seminars, presented nationwide and attended by thousands of people each year, on positive psychology, the health benefits of humor, and stress management. By night he practices what he teaches in comedy clubs. Dr. Brian began performing stand-up comedy in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009, and has performed hundreds of shows around the world. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, a master’s degree from the University of New Orleans, and a PhD from Bowling Green State University, and, in addition to The Art of Taking It Easy, is the author of The Laughing Cure. Dr. Brian hails from New York City and today spends his life on the road, traveling regularly with his partner, Sarah, and their young daughter.

What do you think makes your approach to handling stress unique? Can you share a story?

I would not say that my approach is unique. As we all live our individual lives, we all accumulate a unique set of experiences which in turn influence our behaviors, and yet other people with their own set of unique experiences express similar behaviors. Our paths may be different, but we are all going to the same set of destinations. Lots of people manage stress well, and I am one of them. Early in my life I could tell that I handled things better than a lot of my peers; I would remain calm in many situations where my friends would be anxious, sad, or angry, but it wasn’t until graduate school when I started to realize that I had a higher than average tolerance for stress.

I went to graduate school in New Orleans, Louisiana, a city that I have loved since I first set foot within its borders. I lived in the French Quarter, an awesome vibrant neighborhood that attracts tons of tourists, and with good reason—it’s a beautiful part of the city. But it was also plagued with a high crime rate. One day, my roommate and I were walking home from the grocery store and on our block a guy popped out from behind a car pointing a gun at us. In broad daylight on the sidewalk of a city street, we were being robbed.

I remember seeing the gun, and I remember the man instructing us to give him our wallets. My roommate handed his over right away, but I chose not to. Instead, I remained perfectly calm and attempted to negotiate with my mugger. I reasoned with him that he could have my cash, I didn’t have much on me anyway, but that I needed to keep my wallet. My wallet had my ID, my credit cards, and other things that were going to be a major hassle to replace, so I insisted that he could have my money if he agreed to let me keep my wallet. I said, “Those are my terms.”

The mugger and I went back and forth on this, him asking for my wallet and me calmly stating my terms. Meanwhile, my roommate is looking at me like I am out of my mind, but I felt like I could convince this guy to see it my way and he eventually did. I gave him my money, as per our agreement, and he let me keep my wallet. Then I asked if my roommate could have his wallet back too and he agreed.

The mugger left and my roommate and I went into our apartment and put our groceries away. I realized that he was much more shaken up than I was and maybe my ability to remain calm in the face of a stressful event was a bit unusual. A few months later, he left the French Quarter for an apartment in the suburbs.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I think my success is from bringing good things into the world. Granted not everything I have tried has worked out or been all that great, but the few successes I have enjoyed are those that have made a positive impact on others. As a comedian, I make people laugh and in the process I make them a little bit happier. That may not sound like much, but humor and laughter have a measurable impact on our health. As a public speaker, I share knowledge and insight with my audiences about how to manage stress and live a happier life, and in the process try to make them laugh. As a writer, I can only hope to do the same. 

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

As a habit, I express my gratitude every day. In my seminars on happiness and stress management, I encourage my audiences to do the same. It’s a common practice and it is very helpful in changing the way we look at the world. Even Oprah does it, and she seems pretty happy to me.

There are so many people in my life that have helped me get to where I am, and because of how I live most of them probably already know how grateful I am. However, there is one person who has changed my life in the most significant way possible who has yet to realize how much she has affected me: my two-year-old daughter, Alyssa.

Having children changes your life, that is common knowledge. But this little girl came into my world when I was at a very unhealthy point. Without knowing it, I had been suffering from sleep apnea for years and it was starting to take its toll. With fatherhood approaching, my partner, Sarah, convinced me to see a doctor and within the year I was on CPAP treatment and on the way to recovery. Having children does make people healthier, but having her may have quite literally extended the length of my life.

My new book, The Art of Taking It Easy, is dedicated to my daughter, but it was also inspired by her. If for some reason I don’t get to see her grow up, I wanted her to know how important she is to me and at the same time I wanted to give her a manual that could help her, and perhaps thousands of other people, live a better life. To this day she inspires me to live a better life.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Is there a dance move that combines the robot with the running man? I could see that being a thing.

Honestly, I always feel like I am the last person at the party. I remember when Twitter started and a few of my comedian friends were taking to the platform while I didn’t see the point. I thought it was weird when people started posting to my Facebook instead of sending me an email. Later when Instagram came out, I said, “but I can already post photos to Facebook…” I don’t have a good track record with being able to recognize good ideas.

But if I have any influence at all, I hope that I can help convince people of the need to take life less seriously and, you know, take it easy. There are so many people in the world that are struggling with stress-related issues who could use a change in perspective. Reevaluate your thought processes, your reactions, and your interactions with other people. The world can be a crazy place, and there will always be conflict. So why not chill out and try not to be part of the problem?

How can our readers follow you on social media and where can they find your new book?

I am on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever comes next at @drbrianking, and The Art of Taking It Easy is available on www.apollopublishers.com and Amazon, and in Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores around the country.

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