Fearless Humor That Heals with Monique Marvez

This is Women Road Warriors with Shelly Johnson and Cassie Ticcaro from the corporate office to the cab of a truck. They're here to inspire and empower women in all professions. So gear down, sit back and enjoy. Welcome. We're an award-winning show dedicated to empowering women in every profession through inspiring stories and expert insights. No topics off limits on our show. We Power Women on the Road to Success with expert and celebrity interviews and information you need. I'm Shelly. And I'm Cassie. Laughter is healthy and our world needs more of it. Today we're bringing you a guest whose comedy, courage and cosmic wisdom are impacting audiences all over the world. Monique Marvez isn't just a trailblazing comedian. She's a truth teller, a storyteller and a spiritual spark plug wrapped in razor-sharp wit. She offers clever anecdotes on the absurdities of everyday situations. She's the rare kind of performer who can make you laugh until you can't breathe and then leave you thinking about what she said for days. Monique has starred in multiple showtime specials and been on HBO Max and she has 190 million views on TikTok. She also has 70 million views just on Drybar comedy. She's captivating an entire new generation of young women who see her as their comedic Yoda. She's also a 20-year broadcast veteran, author, podcaster and a woman who's built an entire philosophy around using laughter as a trojan horse for truth. Monique inspires audiences of all ages but especially Gen Z women who flock to her comedy because they sense what we sense. Monique is real, she's warm, she's wise and she's absolutely fearless. And she's with us on our show today. Welcome back Monique. Thank you for being with us again. I'm glad. Monique, we're so happy. I feel the same way except that I feel like that intro, like don't oversell me, you know what I mean? I'd rather come in low and over deliver but thank you. It was a great intro. Oh, come on, you're awesome. Yes. You deserve every bit of it Monique. Oh my goodness. Thank you. You have been so busy. I mean, you're making an international statement. I mean, you're all over the place. So what's been happening since the last time we chatted? Well, you lovely ladies entered my life when Drybar was released and started to go viral, a slow climb. With little did we know that the momentum sort of, you know, social media platforms all passing the Monique, Baton back and forth. I actually ended up with 190 million views on TikTok, 70 million views on Drybar. I have several on my Instagram, several posts that have just climbed instantly to 3.5 million, 2 million, 5.7 million on Instagram. And it's kind of, it's interesting. This is the way a friend of mine said it to me years ago. He said, Monique, you've been stacking kindling for 30 years. When the divine match hits that pile, it's going to create a blaze and you're going to light the world. And that was one of the nicest things anybody ever said to me in my life was my old radio partner, Greg Sims. And you know, for a few years now, I've seen sort of, let's call it a hand shaped cloud in the sky, potentially holding a match. And I believe that, I believe that that pile is starting to be set ablaze. Well, you've got such a wonderful philosophy. And I think you're able to incorporate all of that into humor. And I mean, it's a natural talent and you've been doing it pretty much all your life, haven't you? All my adult life, I started open mic'ing at 27. I quit my day job at 30, just shy of my 31st birthday. And I've not, in my entire adult life, I have been, I tell people I've been living by my wits quite literally for three decades. Wow, or over three decades. And to do that, stand up comedians. They're not a lot of women doing that. And I mean, you are really making headlines, which is just marvelous. I mean, you're a serious trailblazer. Thank you. Well, what I'm thrilled about is that I'm doing it now. Like I didn't do it at 35. And I'm sort of the, you know, albundi of comedy looking back at the heyday of the 90s when I was on TV or I was a star. Or, you know, I'm like, oh, I've been able to do this and make a nice living and enjoy myself. And now, you know, in my sixth decade on the planet, I'm getting stopped in airports and you get recognized in Disneyland. And I mean, Sunday, Saturday morning, I was in a hotel in Nevada City, California, which is a quite adorable town. I had no idea how precious it was. And I'm in this old, the oldest hotel west of the Mississippi, continuously running hotel, the national, some of this old, beautiful hotel in my pajamas in, you know, in a tiny town drinking a cup of coffee with a friend of mine. And a woman is like talking to her husband under her breath going, yeah, that's her. And then she finally walked over and I mean, I'm in pajamas looking like a Korean man in drag. I send all of your videos to my daughters, you know, I think they're life lessons and tutorials on how to have happy relationships. And I can't believe you're here. And I'm thinking, I can't believe you're here. Like I would have combed my hair. And then I had a wonderful conversation with her and her husband. And it was just the fact that I, and there's five people in the room, me, my friend, the guy serving the coffee and these two other people and their huge fans of mine, longstanding fans. You know, you've arrived when you can maybe sign autographs in your pajamas. That's awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. Woo. It's kind of like, kind of like Hugh Hefner. I mean, yeah, the smoking jacket. Right. Well, I think what people love about you is your perspective. It's spot on. You're delightfully irreverent. My first experience, that's well said. I'm going to tell my mom to use that next time. I'm like, Hey, don't say it like this when you're not happy with me. Say it like this. My first experience watching you was your routine on, you'll never be able to change a man. I mean, it was great. And it was so true. You have men coming too. And they loved it. They love it more. They love it. They feel recognized like, Oh my goodness, someone who understands that I'm going to stay like this. And for me, it's not a bad thing. I like me. I like you too. Well, you know what? It's funny. It was a guy who turned me on to that routine. It's like, you got to watch this. I mean, I'm like, wow, she's funny. We've got to have her on the show. This is this is great. Oh, they're begging me to write books. I have dude saying like, you need to put this, you know, down so they can see it all the time. So why do you think humor? You know, when people come to hear somebody and they laugh, I think that there's a sense of relief. What is it about laughter that is so healthy for us? I had a doctor tell me one time, a doctor, a doctor, physician, he said, it's impossible to think a negative thought while you're laughing. The act of laughter like a sneeze is powerful. It short circuits the brain. It's literally a microscopic hard reset. So, you know, that being said, it makes perfect sense that I would be a comedian because my dad was, you know, manic depressive. I mean, now they call it bipolar. My dad was manic depressive. And I kind of honed my skills as a child. When I could see that my dad was blue, I would I would put on little pantomimes and shows in the living room to make him laugh and cheer him up. And inevitably, if I timed it right, I could I could turn it around like it would it would I could halt the slide. That's amazing. So you were actually, wow, I mean, as a child for you to sense all of those things, you knew what he needed. Absolutely. I say that about everyone. Yeah. I mean, so that really did give you a skill set to be able to see how he responded because when you're up on stage, you rely on the audience feedback energetically. Yeah, I can feel him. Mm hmm. I mean, that's a natural talent. I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of people saying, gee, I'd love to do stand up. But I mean, there are a lot of skills you have to have or at least use. I believe that everyone, if they chose to, would have an extra element of understanding other people. I believe that. I mean, supposedly the biblical story of the Tower of Babel is that originally we didn't need language because everybody understood everybody. There was there was telepathy and that language in a way created a way to hide from one another, having separate languages and different languages. But I believe everybody on some level, if they chose to, could feel and relate to people close to them or maybe even far away, but for sure, close to them differently than just the, you know, depending on a conversation or a gesture or a facial expression. I believe that with all my heart, I just use it and hone it. And it's a muscle. The more I do it, the better I get at it. You have empathy, which I think a lot of people have not really been developing, you know, especially with social media. I think we're kind of lacking that. Well, I think it's, I think it's going in the opposite direction. I think it's perfecting people's skills of a negative form of objectivity, of a, of a corrosive turning inward and thinking that it's all about you. Oh, oh my goodness. Yes. It's turning people into a bunch of little narcissists in many ways. I mean, I've kind of, well, like Facebook, I used to call it my face. Yeah. Absolutely. It's like, look at me. Look at me. By the way, look at my plate. You know, before social media, how many people ran around showing each other their plates? Their food. I don't, I'm going to tell you right now. I don't give a rat's patootie about your cat. I don't care what you ate for dinner. Um, you know, I, I want to know what, what makes you tick. I want, and if your food is what makes you tick, you're a chef. I've got a beloved friend who's a chef and, you know, that's different. That's different. But just randomly I ate it. Chuck Jones's barbecue and this is what my brisket looked like. Like that's a good use of your time. Just enjoy the brisket. Exactly. Stay tuned for more of women road warriors coming up. Industry movement, trucking moves America forward is telling the story of the industry. Our safety champions, the women of trucking, independent contractors, the next generation of truckers and more help us promote the best of our industry. Share your story and what you love about trucking. Share images of a moment you're proud of and join us on social media. Learn more at truckingmuseamerica.com. Welcome back to women road warriors with Shelly Johnson and Kathy Takarov. If you're enjoying this informative episode of women road warriors, I wanted to mention Kathy and I explore all kinds of topics that will power you on the road to success. We feature a lot of expert interviews. Plus we feature celebrities and women who've been trailblazers. Please check out our podcast at womenroadwarriors.com and click on our episodes page. We're also available wherever you listen to podcasts on all the major podcast channels like Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Amazon Music, Audible, you name it. Check us out and bookmark our podcast. Also, don't forget to follow us on social media. We're on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube and other sites. And tell others about us. We want to help as many women as possible. If you've ever needed proof that laughter really is medicine, today's conversation delivers it. Our world could use a whole lot more humor today and our guest lives that truth every day. Monique Marvez is the kind of comedian who makes you laugh hard and then quietly changes the way you see the world. With millions of views across showtime, HBO Max, Drybar comedy and social media channels like TikTok, Monique uses humor as a Trojan horse for truth. And she's doing it fearlessly. Monique, do you think that laughter and humor is, is that going to be maybe the prescription for a better humanity if we can all maybe get together and stop being so serious and divisive and just loosen up and laugh? Game it. Exactly. I, this year has been the best year of my life. End of story. The best by far for so many reasons. But I think part of it is because I've reached the pinnacle of trusting myself and knowing that I got it right, that I did most of it better than I even thought I'd done it until I can look back because I played such a long game that at different points, I wasn't, you know, I was down a few points. I didn't, I didn't know that I was going to make it up. I mean, I'm not saying my life has been, you know, the famous Heidi game where the Raiders came back from behind. I don't know if you're familiar with that analogy, but it's a very funny analogy, which is back in the day, you know, even if a football game was being played, if it was time for, you know, the wonderful world of Disney or whatever, they would just, the game would be done as opposed to because of the Heidi game is where they now say we will get back to our regularly scheduled, you know, scheduled programming after the game because I believe was the Oakland Raiders were like down by, you know, four touchdowns or something. And then they cut to the, to the movie Heidi and they came back from behind and they were like, like four touchdowns in a field goal. Like I'm exaggerating, but it was that enormous and the fans missed all of it because of Heidi. So that's, it's referred to as the Heidi game. And, and in a weird way, my life, you know, at different points, at different parts of my life, it looked like I was three touchdowns back, you know, but, you know, you cut to something else. And then when you're looking back again, you're like, oh my goodness, I'm winning. Well, hindsight's always 20, 20. And I think when we're in the, in the thickest, some thing we're not sure if we're going to get through it. And then when they are, we're like, whoo, glad that's over with. And wow, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was. And then, or I didn't leave as many mark and probably was harder than I remember, but I, because we don't remember it the way it happened, but it didn't leave any marks. I'm good. Exactly. And you know, a lot of times, some of the toughest things we go through, we can stand back and laugh at it. They're my favorites. Yeah. And, and we can laugh at ourselves. I think people have become so serious and so hard on themselves. They can't come mean. Oh, I don't mind serious people. I don't mind academics. I don't even mind people with no sense of humor. I was raised by, well, like my grandmother, her name was Pierre Snows in Spanish. But I knew is she had zero sense of humor. My grandfather used to tell her jokes just to watch her not get them. That just made him enjoy it more. I just think that we've normalized over 25 years of, you know, reality shows when I was a kid or Alan Funt, you know, candid camera, you made somebody look silly. Yeah. You know, it wasn't a big deal. And then, and then we got survivor and it just kept going and love Island and temptation Island and the bachelor and the golden bachelor and the three quarters dead bachelor or whatever. And we just keep going. And, you know, even if you go back to the apprentice, how did it become a good show that at the end of the show, somebody says, you're fired. Like, how is that a show that you're the weakest link? You've been voted off. Like, how did we as a society come to enjoy people hearing the, you know, like the only worst thing than you've been fired is your dad or you're evicted. Like, why is, why is that good? Yeah, it seems kind of sadistic. It's Roman circus. It's Roman circus thumbs up, thumbs down. I don't like it. I don't watch any of those shows and I, and I don't promulgate them in any way other than to say, not my cup of tea, because if it makes you happy, but you've got to ask yourself why so that you can say like, there, but for the grace of God, go I glad it's that guy and not me. That's not a good way to think. No, no. My thought is, how do I help that guy? Look what just happened to him. What can I do? And that's the way it should be. That's the way people shouldn't be thinking. But I think you're right. We've really shifted. And when people maybe could get out of that serious mindset, and I think what you do is you bring the humanity back. I mean, every, everything you talk about, it's funny, but you have a life lesson there. And I think people, people can walk away and go, you know, she's right. And maybe they'll rethink what they're doing. So I mean, it's a positive chain reaction. Well, I think, I think God was kind in waiting till I was relatively not young to hand me this success, because people know that I'm not being a hypocrite. If you go through my life, you know, you're not going to read a Wikipedia post. In fact, the first time somebody AI'd me and said, like, you know, Monique Mar... I mean, it was early days of chat GBT. I'll never forget it. I got an email from my friend, Melissa Greenberg, and she said, I asked chat GBT about you. And I remember it. I've read it so many times. I don't know it by memory, but it was like, ah, comma, Monique Marvez. Now you're talking about a great comedian, period. And it was about a two paragraph love letter of how I've worked hard and I've been in the game a long time. And this was long before, you know, TikTok or, or dry bar or, you know, and it just basically, it was, I said, this is ivory snow. This is, you know, ivory soap 99.4% pure. Like at no time to say there was a controversy where someone accused her of stealing material or, you know, there are people claim that her career was helped by sleeping with so-and-so TV executive. Like all it was was this chick worked hard. She says good things. She tries to help others. Oh, and she happens to be unbelievably hilarious. And I cried. I read the email she sent me. I read the bio that GBT chat and I sat in a hotel room in Vegas and cried and said, this is a life well lived. This is a life well lived and kudos to me. You know, it was a big day. That's so awesome. That is. Wow. Everything else is a bonus. The fact that the internet machine, even the internet machine could only give me love and positive like praise. Like, yeah, this, this chick's crushing it and she's crushing it with kindness and helping other people journey to a better place while she's going there. Stay tuned for more of women road warriors coming up. Dean Michael, the tax doctor here. I have one question for you. Do you want to stop worrying about the IRS? If the answer is yes, then look no further. I've been around for years. I've helped countless people across the country and my success rate speaks for itself. So now you know where to find good, honest help with your tax problems. What are you waiting for? If you owe more than $10,000 of the IRS or haven't filed in years, call me now at 888-557-4020 or go to mytaxhelpmd.com for a free consultation and get your life back. Industry movement, trucking moves America forward is telling the story of the industry, our safety champions, the women of trucking, independent contractors, the next generation of truckers and more. Help us promote the best of our industry. Share your story and what you love about trucking. Share images of a moment you're proud of and join us on social media. Learn more at truckingmoveamerica.com. Welcome back to Women Road Warriors with Shelly Johnson and Kathy Takarov. There's comedy that entertains and then there's comedy that connects. Monique Marvez does both. She's a trailblazing comic, a storyteller and a truth teller who bled razor sharp wit with warmth and wisdom. With over 200 million views online, she's become a kind of comedic Yoda for a new generation of women who crave authenticity. Monique doesn't just make you laugh. She makes you think, feel and see yourself more clearly. She's been discussing the importance of humor and how many of us have lost some of that ability. Humor is something that we really need today. Plus it's healthy and it's human. We've been exploring Monique's incredible insights and her positive spin on humor that helps people journey to a better place. ChatGPT's even impressed with her with some serious kudos and a review of what she's been doing. Monique, you know you've arrived and you're making some serious waves. If ChatGPT can see your impact. When you can impress ChatGPT, I don't think a lot of people can say that. I cried. I sat in a bed in a hotel room in Vegas and cried. When I read what the, because all AI is is machine learning. It goes out and reads every single thing that's ever been written. So and the beauty was at the end, it said, this is all I know about Monique Marvez as of my most recent update. And this was a while ago. So it was like September of 2021. However, we, you know, based on blah, blah, we expect great things ahead for her. I think that's the part that made me cry because I'm reading this and I'm like 50 something years old, you know? Yeah. Wow. Well, you know, you have done so many different things. And I think getting a later start as a comedian, you've got life experience. Oh yeah. I tell people what got me smacked. Lots of it. Yeah. What got me smacked, divorced and fired is now paying my rent. But you know, you can take that experience and you can make it funny and you can make it a life lesson too for the audience. And I think that the people are sensing the fact you give back and you have that sense of humanity and you're relatable, which that's, I think, what everyone's craving because we seem to be lacking that today. Well, I think that's why I'm glad that I'm not a child and that when people look at me and I could lie to you, you're my friends and, you know, you would, you would just push back and go like, come on Monique. But the truth is like when I'm standing on stage, I enjoy saying my age because I don't look at at all. I'm physically fit, stronger than I've been in my whole life. Just did a hot yoga class this morning and did a lot of Chaturanga's, my friend. I did not push out and do child pose when I could have. But the point I'm making is, is that I'm not telling you anything I'm showing you. Do you want to be happy? Do you want to have a face free of a bunch of frown lines and wrinkles, but not all smooth that you can show a movie on your forehead because you've bow talks the way you're innards. And, you know, I'm, I can tell you when people say like, what's your secret? You, you look greater, your energy is greater, your frequency or your vibe. You know, my secret have faith in myself, have faith in my fellow man and have faith something bigger than me. Just believing in the goodness of the order of things is better than any beauty, product or protocol you can follow. And I would think that it comes out and you're so right. A lot of people, they're so worried about all the day to day stuff, the things that don't matter. I mean, they just worry, worry, worry. And then of course they look in the mirror and they hate what they see because they're paying attention to the messages of what you're supposed to look like and what you're supposed to act like. They forget who they are. They forget the humanity and they forget the reason we're on this earth because there's so much to enjoy and there's no dollar amount that you can put on that. No, when you, it's really that simple. Find things that make you happy. If you, if you want to scroll socials, the bottom line is if all you do is heart kitten videos of, you know, kittens writing Roombas, then eventually the algorithm will think, oh, she likes, you know, kittens writing Roombas. Let's send her baby deer bathing in, you know, whatever. If you scroll through my socials, the algorithm now knows Monique likes, you know, butt workouts because you get older, you got to work extra hard to keep the cheeks high. What is Monique like? Dogs, butt workouts and vintage dancing. I love old dancing videos where they take and they mash up old dance routines with modern music. Like, what do I like? I like old Hollywood. I like dancing. I like dogs. I like butt workouts. The algorithm now sends me all kinds of that. Well, but that's what you enjoy. Yeah. I don't get politics. I don't get recipes, you know, I do get a lot of refinished furniture. I do get a lot of, I like that. I like watching people take old banged up stuff and make it pretty. I enjoy that. Well, and of course they're restoring history. Yeah. You know, and the history of the people who sat in those chairs. I love vintage and drift. Yeah, but that's, that's, that's what the algorithm sends me. The algorithm sends me, you know, upcycling, dogs, dancing, golden age of Hollywood. Like it makes me happy. If social media is not making you happy, you're using it wrong. You're getting into virtual fights with idiots and bots and your voicing opinions that nobody needs to know outside of your house. You know, like get smart about it, turn it around, use it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And you're so right. I mean, people are picking fights over everything. And you see- And the algorithm loves that. It leans into it. If you give it the tiniest opportunity to create conflict or controversy, it will do it because that's what keeps people stuck. And the whole goal of social media is to keep you stuck to it. That's its job. Yeah, that's true. So if everybody changed that trajectory, if you will, and leaned into humor and happy, what would the internet look like? Wouldn't that be- It would be a lot of cats on Roombas. You know what I mean? Like, or recipes, if that's what you like, or being a vegan, it would be about, you want me to tell you what it would look like. Collaboration, community, support, faith in your fellow man, helping a neighbor, raising a barn, pulling resources after a fire. That's what it would look like. And that's what it's supposed to be. And, you know, around the holidays, people think that way. But then I think they kind of migrate away from it. And they go back to the old way of doing things. I mean, human beings have to be reminded. And I think once they have that kind of collaboration and they're focused and leaning into more of the happy, they're going to like more people. It's got to be a snowball effect. And they're going to want to participate. They're going to want to do things for other people. It's an upwards spiral. You know, when I worked with John Gray on Mars Venus Live, one of the things I really understood, and I knew this before, but there is no stasis on a physical plane. That's not, you know, Jesus or that's physics. There is no stasis on a physical plane. Everything's changing all the time. It's just the nature of earth, right? But then John Gray was telling me that within relationship, being the Mars Venus guy and the relationship guru, that they're within relationships, you're either ascending or descending. Now he's talking about romantic. I mean, Mars Venus, he was a marriage counselor. But in every single relationship you have in your life, you're either ascending, you're becoming better people together or descending. You're going shop. That's your friend you go shopping with and buy things you maybe don't need. And you love them. But of course, don't you love the person you go to the casino with or the person you smoke pot with or the person you drink with. Or of course you love those people because they're fun and you do fun things. But they're not necessarily people that are helping you ascend. But there is no stasis. You're not flat. You're either ascending or descending. And I pick people that bring out the things in me that I want to be better. I pick out people that are braver than me and fitter than me and more talented than me and smarter than me. And I comb the world for people that I believe will help me ascend because that to me is the better basis for a friendship. It's real easy to find people to smoke and drink with. But boy, when you find somebody that when you walk away from them, you feel better. Those that's the money. It really is. We interviewed Dr. Gray about his book Beyond Mars and Venus, the relationship skills for today's complex world. I mean, he's got some tremendous insight. He's a great guy. I've worked with him. Yeah, it was like, it was a really good interview. And you know, you're right. Finding the right people where you can grow. I mean, we come into this world learning and we don't know it all. A lot of people think to themselves, hey, I know it all. I've never said that. I've never, I realize there's so much more I can learn. And that's what makes the world exciting. Yes. You know, there's so many things to experience and learning from other people. That's part of the collaboration. And along with that comes laughter. Look, laughter, I tell people laughter is the sav that keeps reality from scarring. You're going to fall down in life. You're going to skin your, you know, your, your knee, so to speak. Your things are going to happen. If you can't dust yourself off and laugh, you know, like that's, you're going to have a, it's not going to be a good earth is not going to be a good experience for you. True. Well, and then of course I wonder they're saying AI is going to be more and more pervasive and in our lives and so forth. And I don't know one robot that can laugh. No, well, you know, look, it's a tool. Everybody's got themselves wrapped around the axle about AI's coming. So, so did the Gutenberg Bible, you know, so did the printing press, so did the steam engine, so did the radio, so did the telephone, so did fiber optic, so did, you know, like stop me whenever you want, but it's a tool that have not here to ruin your life. Like, yes, when Henry Ford event invented the assembly line, a lot of people lost their jobs because cars used to be made 20 guys on one car, you know, I mean, and then the assembly line changed that, you know, and the Model T. Well, OK, well, that wasn't very fun or, you know, when all of a sudden trains could take you anywhere and you didn't need every single person had their own horse and their own this and their own that. I mean, people don't realize people didn't want trains. Queen Victoria had to popularize trains in England because the landed gentry didn't want the Hoy Ploy being able to jump on a train and come out to their neighborhood. Well, they also said that women's uteruses would fall out or something if they were in a vehicle that went too fast. You know what it takes to make your uterus fall out? I think you listen to that. I mean, I personally couldn't answer that question if you said no, what does it take for a uterus to fall out? I don't know. I don't know. I wouldn't even know how to Google that. Yeah, it'd be interesting to see what Chad GPT would do. Yeah, because it's like you could say like what event or what, you know, what health. I mean, there's a lot of ways that that could happen. Right. Yeah, people are afraid of change and people are afraid of the loss of control. Oh, yeah. And it's such a childish, childish, specious argument to think that you have control over anything ever. You have control over your reactions. You have control over your attitude. But one day you're going to wake up and somebody you love is alive. And when you go to bed that night, they're going to be dead. Yeah. And that's the ultimate loss of control. Oh, yes it is. And human beings do not react well to that. No, we do not. We are control freaks. And maybe that's where laughter breaks us out of that. I mean, I really do think that laughter and humor are probably some of the most important emotions or healthiest that we could have to deal with this. It's like compressed love. When you laugh, it's that instant feeling and even chemical. What you release when you laugh and oxytocin. It's literally like a tiny little, like a little splash of, you know, sprinkly glittery love in your face when you laugh because it's the best of every part of being a human. It is. Stay tuned for more of Women Road Warriors coming up. Industry movement, Trucking Moves America forward is telling the story of the industry. Our safety champions, the women of trucking, independent contractors, the next generation of truckers and more help us promote the best of our industry. Share your story and what you love about trucking. Share images of a moment you're proud of and join us on social media. Learn more at truckingmovesamerica.com. Welcome back to Women Road Warriors with Shelly Johnson and Cathy Takarov. Laughter is powerful and today's guest has turned it into a movement. Monique Marvez has built an entire philosophy around using humor to crack open conversations we don't always know how to have. A 20 year broadcast veteran, author, podcaster and comedy force of nature, she captivates audiences across generations, especially Gen Z women who recognize real when they hear it. Monique's fearless, insightful and wildly funny. She has a fantastic perspective on life that's propelled her to success. She knows how important laughter is for all of us. She also believes that people need to have faith in themselves, have faith in their fellow man and faith in something bigger than themselves. It's better than any beauty product or protocol you can follow. Like she says to find things that make you happy and engage in positive social media that's collaboration, community, support and helping others. Not that negative stuff. Also pick people to hang out with that will make you better and ascend as a person and laugh like Monique says. It's like compressed love that's released when you laugh. That's a powerful perspective. Well, Kathy, you enjoy a good joke. And certainly you've always been very much into laughter and all of that. Haven't you? Well, yeah, growing up in an extremely difficult situation, life, life situation. My mom is the one that got us going raising us three girls. I mean, we were so poor. Our toaster literally was a wire hanger folded in half on the stove. But anyway, so life was tough. And I remember walking down the street with her one day and she we were looking at this lady, she was just really old and crispy and so full of wrinkles in her face. Like their mouth was down in a frown and just so miserable and tight. And my mom elbowed me so hard in the side and she says, if you don't learn to laugh at life, you're going to look just like that. And she says, you need to be able to, to no matter what it is to smile and make turn it or turn it around. Right. And it's it's the best thing that she could have ever taught me because life would have. Well, life has been really rough, but honestly, laughter really truly is the best medicine. And I'll give you another example of that here at work. We work, you know, 13 hour shifts. Like right now I'm here for three weeks and I'm on night shift. I will not see the sun for three weeks. It's where are you? I'm in Northern Canada right now. Like we learned in radio, there could be a person who does not know. I know your lunatic job, but there could be a first time listener because I'm going to share this. So my fans could be coming to Road Warrior. So if you'd be kind enough to tell potentially one of my fans in a first time listener, what your lunatic job is so they can go gay. I operate the largest money equipment in the world. Like right now, like a truck that I drive is literally two and a half stories high. When the box is up and we dump a load of 400 tons, it's five stories high. So the tires are 14 feet tall. I drive a building. It is crazy, crazy big. The the greater I operate that I've been on for the last week and a half is bigger than a highway tractor trailer. When a when the flat deck comes in the mine hauling pipe or whatever pieces of equipment, I'm actually looking down at the driver. My dozer is bigger than a double car garage. And yeah, it's wicked. And I work for Exxon Mobile and we work in an open pit mine in the oil sands in Northern Alberta. And yeah, so right now what I was saying is that we're on night shift. These 12 and a half hour night shows. And the only thing that really keeps our sanity because right now we have 81 autonomous trucks. It's all robots. No people driving, right? And so it's crazy because they go flying by you and I'm not joking. Fifty miles an hour, right? These robots go fully loaded. And so it's scary because I mean, you got to get out of the way because they don't like they'll stop it, not really. But anyway, so these things are flying by. And I mean, the stress is high and it's a dangerous job. The only thing that keeps our sanity is the peanut gallery on the radio. You know, people people jesting each other and, you know, putting, you know, joking and making fun out of, oh, man, like Kathy got stuck again. And I'm like, really? Yeah. So but yeah, laughter is what keeps us going. I love that. I was just in Edmonton for the Edmonton Comedy Festival. And for I'm sure the part you're at isn't like the best part, but I love Canada. I always say Canadians are the nicest human beings on earth. And thank you. Any chance I get to go to Canada? I always say yes, because I do love Canada. I agree with Monique. Canada is great. And, you know, it's interesting, Kathy. You're saying that what's really keeping your sanity is laughter and humor. It is. Yeah. So Monique, what you're talking about and what you're doing, you're promoting sanity when you agree. Yeah. Positive mental health. Yeah, because it does seem sometimes that we've got a lot of crazy people out there. And if you can bring them back into something that's a lot more centered and human with laughter and something positive, what a wonderful world we have. So much negativity around it, right? Yeah. And I refuse to live in that dark circle. Like, I just won't. I read my whole point in life is everywhere I go, I'm going to be that real sunshine. I'm going to be making people, someone smile and happy and just, you know, you know, I got so much energy right now, you're getting a hug. Yeah, I'm afraid of what's going to happen if we're in the same room, Kathy. It's going to be all kinds of hugging and high fiving and some clogging, maybe some clogging, a jig of some sort. It's going to get I get crazy. But that's what life's about. And, you know, that's that's what children do, you know? Yeah, we forget how to be a kid. Agreed. Not me. I have an annual pass to Disneyland. I get I could be ridiculously childish. But, you know, you've got a better dial on life. I think you got a handle on that at a very young age, helping your dad. I did. Yeah, I did. I feel I feel so blessed that a lot of things that don't on people like years ago, I remember sometimes I say very irreverent things as you well know, there was a whole thing about when I'm old, there was a poem when I'm old, I wore purple and then there was like a red hat society. And then you saw a lot of old ladies going around in purple dresses with red hats. It's a thing, you know, it was became a thing. I think it was even international, but certainly the United States. And and I used to say like, you're going to wait till you're old to wear purple and red hats like clearly you're not Puerto Rican. You know, like we have my people who do this like early on in life. We we know all about the bright colors and just go with it kind of vibe. Like I jokingly say, yeah, I I wear a prom dress to go pay my light bill. Like let's do this. That's great. But you know, that's fun. And people may say, well, you're kind of weird. So what? So what? We're too worried about worrying about what other people think of us. Hey, men, what do you think of you? That's even my answer with politics. When people get all whacked out, I look them dead in the eye and I say, you know what? Worry less about who's in the White House and more about who's in your house. You're going to be so much happier. Oh, I like that. That could be a T-shirt. Thank you. I like that. We do. I mean, it's like, oh, so and so it's great to think. And I think that we're even what you're seeing with social media. People are worried about everybody else. Oh, I need my likes. Hey, I didn't get any likes today. Well, so, you know, we didn't worry about that so much until all of this social media frenzy. So for us to maybe get back to humanity and what we're all about, because I think a lot of people are kind of worried that the world's a kind of out of control because people are losing sight of being human. It doesn't hurt to remind people, analog, in person. I mean, I travel a lot for business and there's a street that I'm on all the time in Los Angeles called Larchmont and it's an old school. Larchmont, I was joking to say, I say L.A. is like the Bible. Everybody thinks the Bible is one big, giant thing and it's not. It's 44 books. So I always tell people Los Angeles is a giant group of small neighborhoods kind of quilted together and there's a neighborhood that I like, Hancock Park. And it has its own little main street that's two blocks long and I go there every day. My yoga center is there. My Poke Bowl, my dry cleaner, that's just my happy place. And when I've been out of town, I literally just walk down the street opening up the doors to the little stores and go like, Hi, I missed you guys. And I, you know, I just feel like it's analog important to let the people know that are in your life that you like them. Not just, I mean, I write reviews on things and I do Yelps and I do all that stuff because it does help to support your people on socials. I tell people, if you have a friend and they have a store, don't just take it for granted. Take the time and write them an awesome Yelp review. You know, that's the best way you can really help your friend. So I do all of the online likes and supports and there's your new grandbaby. And I do all of that. But in person, you know, I will I poke my head into storefronts and high five people walking their dogs and let them know you're you're not random to me. You make up my life. You make it better. I like that. I like that too. I think too many people think other people are random and they need to not think that way. I'm the opposite. I think I think the Matrix was a documentary that your life is your own movie that you're creating, that nothing's the coincidence that anybody in your movie is that's a quote unquote extra. You've never met them before. They're in the background. OK, but they're in your movie and it's not random or a coincidence. So smile. Say good morning. They're in your movie. It's part of it. Love it. So, Monique, oh my goodness, your perspective. I think that that's why so many people gravitate towards you. Your perspective is so awesome. Where do people find you? I mean, you're traveling all over. I know you go on cruise ships and everything else, but where can people find you to actually see you live? Well, this year, because of all of the good things, I actually have a PA. It's like, what? I have a person to help me. So I have a website, MoniqueMarvez.com. We're constantly updating my tour dates. I have at Monique Marvez on all socials because there's only one Monique Marvez. And that's a true fact. I have a girlfriend, a cousin named Gianna Monique Marvez. She's kind of a poser, copied my name. But Monique Marvez on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, at Monique Marvez official fan page on Facebook, because actually my personal page is maxed out and then my website, MoniqueMarvez.com, and that has tour dates and you can contact me through it and etc. I highly recommend people come see you. I sure hope I can go see you. Yeah. I want to. So Monique, with your perspective, you understand the importance of laughter and humor. And I mean, you really have it all together in terms of, I think, understanding like you said, the matrix, the matrix of life. Thank you. Yes. What would you say is a takeaway for people in terms of laughter and maybe how they can feel better? Because I think they're really craving that right now. Thank you. Here's what I learned this year when I said earlier this was the best year of my life. I have always thought if you look at life as a game, like a video game, and and you game it going back to the matrix analogy, why is this in your movie? What's the opportunity? What can come from this that is good? And again, I'm not a hypocrite. I'm not telling you to do something I haven't done. When when my brother died, I was my brother died suddenly July of 2021. I was bereft. There are no words to describe. We were very, very close, extremely close. And, you know, you can't, you know, you expect to bury your parents and nobody wants to. And some people have to do it too soon. But it's kind of baked in. We know that's coming or pets. Nobody expects to bury a younger sibling. So the reason I'm saying game it is again, not being a hypocrite. When my brother died after I got over the shock and I could think a little more clearly, I thought, what could be the opportunity from this? And I think even just changing my my brain a little bit, all of a sudden my career started to explode. And I regularly would say out loud, I think my brother died, died, went to heaven and became my agent. And then things just kept happening. And I kept believing that and saying it out loud. And then what I now when people ask, I tell them my brother's death was the gift that kept on giving because my mantra became life is short, death is sure. And it doesn't make me sad. It actually empowers me and makes me double down on the joy. It makes me very much remember, you know what? I'm here with friends and, you know, they've ordered dessert. And yeah, you know, I like my clothes to fit me loose, but I'm here and I'm having fun and I love them and life is short and death is sure. So I'm going to order the key lime pie and I'll just do a little more yoga. I mean, I don't do it every day. But when I'm in a moment and I'm like, this is magical or this is special or this is, you know, yes, yes, which is way different from I'm miserable and I have a frozen peppered farm in my freezer because I've done that too. But being an annual pass holder, Disney pass holder, it's not cheap. I'm not rich. But guess what? Knowing that I'm going to go to Disney once or twice a month because I have a friend and we agreed we made a pact to get annual pass holders together. And just knowing that twice a month, I'm going to go with my bestie that I love and laugh and ride rides is just game it. Just game it. What is why is this in your movie? What's the challenge? What's the win on the other side of the challenge? What's the win? I don't even tell people if I have a problem. I go, I have a challenge because I even use game it. Verbiage. That's a powerful perspective, Monique. And that's definitely something that people need to think about. Know what's valuable. Know what really, really is important in life. And I think that's that's what you're doing. You're bringing people around to think about that. Really sorry to hear about your brother. That's absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. Such a hard loss. It was. But again, I game it, meaning what's good? It's a roller coaster. It's going to get better. And when it does, throw your hands in the air and scream game it. Yeah, I like that game it. I do too. Monique, where do people find you again? At Monique Marvez on all social media. If you want to interact with me at Monique Marvez official fan page on Facebook because the other one's maxed out. My personal page. Monique Marvez dot com is my website. And I'm constantly updating everything on there. Thank you so much for being back on our show. We just love your perspectives. You girls not only bring me joy, but as things were exploding under my feet, you were the first people and it's I've heard it many times since. You were the first people that say young women need to hear what you have to say. You need to be the Taylor Swift of comedy. And when you guys said that, it it struck me in the sternum. It just made me feel so powerful and so joyful that you guys were saying lots and lots and lots of young women. You know, I'd like everybody to think I'm terrific, but if I can help a young woman have a better, happier life, that's the win for me. Amen. Well, we're glad to say that Monique because we believe that you're awesome. Thank you. I feel the same about you girls. Trust me, I do. You rock too. Thank you, Monique. We hope you've enjoyed this latest episode. And if you want to hear more episodes of Women Road Warriors or learn more about our show, be sure to check out womenroadwarriors.com. And please follow us on social media. And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast. On our website, we also have a selection of podcasts just for women. There are a series of podcasts from different podcasters. So if you're in the mood for women's podcasts, just click the power network tab on womenroadwarriors.com. You'll have a variety of shows to listen to anytime you want to. Podcasts made for women. Women Road Warriors is on all the major podcast channels like Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, YouTube and others. Check us out and please follow us wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening. You've been listening to Women Road Warriors with Shelley Johnson and Kathy Toccaro. If you want to be a guest on the show or have a topic or feedback, email us at S. Johnson at womenroadwarriors.com.