Brad Bonar, a comedian and former gym owner, discusses his experiences owning a kickboxing fitness gym and surviving the challenges of COVID-19. He shares stories about the community he built at the gym and the impact of inflation on his business. Brad also talks about his comedic influences and his style of storytelling comedy. He discusses the connection between comedy and depression and how he uses comedy as a form of therapy. Brad shares memories of his father and the lessons he learned from him. He also discusses the importance of finding a grounding place and practicing meditation to deal with depression. He shares his personal journey with depression and how he found solace under a tree. He then discusses the creation of One Degree of Separation, a comedy show that addresses depression and suicide. Brad explains the importance of conversation and the impact it can have on individuals struggling with mental health. He also highlights the power of using humor to address difficult topics and shares his vision for expanding the reach of One Degree of Separation. Finally, Brad reflects on the role of comedians as cowboys, constantly moving from town to town to bring laughter to others.
Takeaways:
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:54 Owning a Kickboxing Fitness Gym
06:01 Surviving COVID-19
07:42 Closing the Gym and Dealing with Inflation
10:02 Creating a Community at the Gym
11:26 Finding Inspiration from Other Comedians
16:33 Learning Comedy from Erik Myers
19:25 The Connection Between Comedy and Depression
21:41 Influences and Style of Comedy
25:23 Writing and Performing Comedy
28:03 Different Audiences and Clean vs. Dirty Comedy
31:28 Growing Up with an Outlier Father
34:43 Surviving and Thriving in Difficult Circumstances
38:05 Memories of Brad's Father
40:28 Dealing with Depression and Meditation
41:25 Finding Solace Under the Tree
47:02 One Degree of Separation
51:17 The Power of Conversation
56:17 Using Comedy to Address Depression
01:07:58 Expanding the Reach of One Degree of Separation
01:13:20 The Healing Power of Humor
01:15:44 Comedians as Cowboys
To learn more please visit: https://www.1degreeofseparation.life/
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