Pat Armitstead, New Zealand’s leader in the Science of Positive Psychology and Humour in the Workplace has a CV that’s not to be laughed at! Included in her giggliography are some ground breaking achievements, testimony to her ability to successfully combine her business acumen, creativity, and wit.
Initially a Registered Nurse, she has worked for 35 years in Education Management and Communication roles in the health sector and in business. In 1989 she founded her own Advertising Agency, winning 11 awards including the NSW Tourism Award, Media Section and an award from Cacharel in Paris.
She has presented over 12,000 hours of keynotes, workshops, seminars and lectures reaching an astounding 55,000 people throughout Australasia. She has toured internationally with Patch Adams, shared the platform with world class speakers such as Ed Tate, Annette King, Catherine Palin Brinkworth, George Manolis, Wayne Berry, Keith Abraham and Wayne Mansfield from Australia, Linda Miles, Lavonn Steiner from the USA and recently presented to the first International Humour and Wellness conference at Armidale University in Australia.
She was President of the National Speakers Association NZ 2001, The Most Awarded Speaker at the 2000 NSANZ Convention and 2002 NZ Speaker of the Year. She has convened two International Conventions for the National Speakers Association of New Zealand. She has also reared a wombat!
Pat draws on her business and education acumen, humour, improv acting, and positive psychology to transform lives. support people to perform to optimum. Her clients in NZ include Kensington Swan, Baldwins, Coca Cola Amatil, NZ Pharmacists, Yellow Pages, School Executive Officers, Assoc of Administrative Professionals, NZ Property Institute, Royal Australasian Society of Paediatricians, Fairfax ltd, The Diversional Therapists Association, Child Heart Foundation, Bayleys Real Estate, Fertility NZ, Martin Personnel, Fairfax Ltd, Epiphany, National OSH Society, Arthritis Foundation, Professionals Real Estate, Mercy Hospice, Carich NZ, University of Auckland, IAL, The Mental Health Association Workforce, and Lupus Trust.
She has had regular columns in Auckland newspapers and has appeared on Radio and National Television and been featured in many magazines.
She now has her own Award Winning Radio program RadioImprov - Joy in the Moment available as a download each week on ( NZ ) Planet FM 104.6 www.planetaudio.org.nz/radioimprov
She is the author of “Humour Works” and has 3 other books in progress. Pat is also featured in Chris Dodds book “Silver Lining on the Long White Cloud” and “Woman 2 Woman” by Amanda Ellis and June McCabe.
She presents annual programs to Auckland University and directed for 3 consecutive year New Zealands Humour in Business Awards.
“ We swing between grief and joy most of our lives
as we respond to and deal with the life events that ultimately shape us.
The trigger for hope as we move through those times that test us, is laughter . ”
" You can't lift your bottom line if your people are down"
"Catch people doing something right"
A series of losses resulted in my becoming quite depressed. I lost my home and business twice, had cancer, lost my first child, have a sister with Aids for 23 years, had ten car accidents...none my fault honest!!.....and then my partner left.
I plummeted. But....I opted for ANTIZAC rather than Prozac .....you can get some info on that as well! The rest was the journey to now which is summarised below.
"In October 2001 Pat attended a grieving seminar put on by Starship Childrens Hospital in Auckland. The speaker was a doctor who had worked for some years with Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and was here in New Zealand to support grieving parents and help them develop their own grief support networks. On that night Pat sat next to a man whose grief touched her deeply. “ His grief was a physically palpable thing” she said and she approached him at the end of the session and asked him about his loss. He was the father of a 14 year old boy who had died as the result of a fall in the Auckland IMAX cinema and the family were still locked in that early grief and anguish.
On the same night Pat received an email from a magician in South Australia who invited her to establish laughter clubs in New Zealand. She rang him and subsequently laughed for a good half hour and as the conversation proceeded. During that conversation she knew she had to “marry the two”, joy and grief, with laughter being the trigger to move people out of grief ( even if only for a moment) and provide hope .
She conducted an initial 12 week pilot program at the Ann Maree rest home who are now New Zealands first accredited laughter club facility. Part of the program required laughter Police TM to attend and check the principles of the program were being applied …. She reports happily that very few Laughter Infringement Notices TM had to be issued ! A second pilot was conducted over an 18 month period using other concepts.
Copies of the report on this are available and a book is in process of completion.
Since that time Pat has conducted over 600 Humour and Positive Psychology programs, principally into businesses throughout New Zealand and Australia."
She has personally transformed the lives of over 5000 people supporting them through adversity
Pat Armitstead
Worlds First Joyologist
Joyology - Department of Humour Resources
649 4283836
021 697635
skype joyologist1