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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.
Book Details:
Book Title: The Art of Taking It Easy by Dr. Brian King
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+)
Genre: Literary/Self-Help/Humor
Publisher: Apollo Publishers
Release date: October 2019
Content Rating: PG-13+
Book Description:
Psychologist
and Comedian King explores the science behind stress in this witty,
informed guide. The author uses a bevy of running jokes and punch lines
to enliven technical explanations for how and why people experience
stress. His metaphors of coming across a bear in the wild as well as
being stuck in traffic are also used to great effect to explain a
variety of stress responses, such as perceiving a threat and feelings of
powerlessness. Reframing thoughts plays a large role in King’s advice:
Stress is simply a reaction to a perception of threat being able to
consciously redirect choices made by other areas of the brain is the key
to living a less stressful existence. He also provides breathing
exercises, plants for painting physical health and useful advice for
setting attainable goals. King’s enjoyable guide to living with less
will be of help to any anxious reader.
BUY THE BOOK:
About the Author:
DR.
BRIAN KING 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, attended by thousands of people each year
around the US and internationally, on positive psychology, the health
benefits of humor, and stress management. By night he practices what he
teaches in comedy clubs, and is the founder and producer of the highly
reviewed Wharf Room comedy show in San Francisco. Dr. Brian holds a
bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, a master’s degree from
the University of New Orleans, and a PhD in neuroscience from Bowling
Green State University. Hailing from New York and living in dozens of
cities throughout the US as the child of a military family, today spends
his life on the road with his partner, Sarah, and their young daughter.
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