Laughter Builds Resilience: From Burnout To Breakthrough
Matthew Sharpe is a Standup Therapist with over 20 years of experience. He merges powerful insights from psychology with the sharp timing of a seasoned comedian to deliver workshops that don’t just inform—they transform. Whether your team is battling burnout, workplace tension, or just feeling the grind, Matt brings relief, renewal, and resilience through laughter.
It’s not fluff—it’s science, story, and strategy, told in a way that sticks. Help your employees bounce back better. Book a workshop that changes the way your team thinks, feels, and performs.
Matt Sharpe has spent over two decades helping people thrive—first in clinical settings, then on stage. He holds two master’s degrees, has taught college psychology, built a successful private practice, and toured as a standup comic. But what sets him apart is his ability to take complex mental health principles and deliver them with clarity, humor, and heart.
He saw a pattern: companies were struggling to support their employees’ mental health. So Matt created a workshop experience that speaks directly to the core issues employees face—stress, conflict, burnout, and low morale—and equips them to bounce back stronger.
His employee resilience workshops are:
Immediate – Real strategies your team can use right away
Interactive – Using tools from comedy and improv
Insightful – Backed by psychology, rooted in practice
Matthew’s Demo Reel
Matthew’s Talks
These talks can be keynotes and half day workshops. They can also be bundled with a comedy event
Under Pressure:
Confronting the Hidden Costs of Employee Stress and Building a Resilient Workforce
Best For: Management, Leadership Training
Defy and Deliver:
Strengthening Emotional Resilience to Reduce Absenteeism
Best For: Staff Workshops, Employee Training
Laugh Therapy:
Harnessing Humor to Improve Outcomes
Best For: Counselors, Therapists, Pastors
Under Pressure: Confronting the Hidden Costs of Employee Stress and Building a Resilient Workforce
Mental health is no longer a personal issue—it’s a performance issue.
In today’s high-stakes work environments, pressure is constant, but support is often invisible. Employees are overwhelmed, productivity is slipping, and the stigma around mental health keeps too many people suffering in silence. Under Pressure is a powerful keynote for leaders who want to change that.
Led by psychotherapist and comedian Matthew Sharpe, this keynote blends clinical insight, real-world workplace experience, and humor to help leaders understand the true cost of untreated stress—and what they can do about it.
This isn’t just a wellness initiative. It’s a performance strategy.
What Business and HR Leaders Will Learn:
The Hidden Costs: How stress, burnout, and mental health stigma are driving absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, and disengagement
Culture vs. Compliance: Why checking the mental health “box” isn’t enough—and how to build a culture that actually supports well-being
The Resilience Advantage: How emotional resilience drives innovation, collaboration, and high performance
The Power of Humor: How psychological safety and humor can open the door to honest conversations and lasting change
Why Host an Employee Resilience Workshop?
Reduce stigma around mental health in a way that’s engaging, not awkward
Improve employee performance and focus through practical, research-based tools
Build a healthier work culture that attracts and retains top talent
Demonstrate leadership commitment to mental well-being without sacrificing business goals
*available in 60-minute or half-day formats
Laugh Therapy: Harnessing Humor to Improve Outcomes
Join us for a transformative workshop where we explore the powerful impact of humor and laughter on patient, patron, and student outcomes. Backed by peer-reviewed research, this workshop explores the science and practical application behind humor’s benefits in medical and educational settings.
Through interactive discussions and live comedy exercises, participants will learn evidence-based strategies to effectively incorporate humor into their practice while maintaining professionalism and sensitivity to individual needs
During this talk, your team will learn a practical, memorable, and humorous technique to help them . . .
Practice applying humor-based interventions in simulated work scenarios
Understand the science behind humor
Communicate more effectively by increasing calmness and connection.
Develop the appropriate use of humor in their context
Learn daily habits to increase creative thinking.
Defy and Deliver: Strengthening Emotional Resilience to Reduce Absenteeism
Mental health challenges cost businesses billions in lost productivity—but your team doesn’t need to burn out to break through.
In Defy and Deliver, psychotherapist and comedian Matthew Sharpe equips your employees with the emotional resilience skills they need to stay engaged, bounce back from stress, and show up—mentally and physically. This isn’t just a motivational talk; it’s a practical, science-backed workshop that helps your team build the psychological flexibility to handle pressure without shutting down.
What’s at stake: Mental health-related absences are rising, and reactive solutions aren’t enough. Defy and Deliver offers a proactive approach: teach your team how to manage emotions, reduce internal stressors, and build sustainable performance.
After this workshop, your employees will be able to:
Recognize and regulate emotional triggers that lead to burnout or absenteeism
Shift from reactive to resilient thinking under pressure
Use simple, evidence-based tools to manage stress in real time
Build confidence and adaptability to face challenges without avoidance
Why HR and leadership teams choose this workshop:
Reduces mental health-related absenteeism and presenteeism
Strengthens team morale, engagement, and interpersonal communication
Equips employees with tools they’ll actually use—no fluff, just impact
Delivered with humor and relatability, making it memorable and enjoyable
Defy and Deliver helps your team show up stronger, stay in the game, and thrive—without waiting for crisis to strike.
*Available with a consulting package for your HR team and other managers.
Draining Drama
Life Hacks to Drama-Free Friendships
Best For: Youth Groups, Community Groups
Bad Drivers & Buffalo Runners
90-minute, family-friendly, outreach event for your church
Best For: Community Groups, Churches
Comedy Events
If your team is ready for a night to laugh and unwind, treat them to a private comedy concert.
Best For: Private Events, Corporate Retreats & Parties, Public Events, Pubs, Bars, Clubs
Draining Drama: Life Hacks to Drama-Free Friendships
In this funny and insightful talk, hear how a seasoned comedian and psychotherapist unpacks the hidden forces that fuel drama in friendships – and how to shut them down for good. Through real-life examples, psychological strategies, and a touch of humor, students will learn how to set boundaries, communicate clearly, and recognize toxic patterns before they spiral. This talk empowers students to cultivate friendships built on trust, not tension.
With practical tools to manage conflict and avoid emotional exhaustion, they’ll walk away ready to strengthen their social circles—without the stress. It’s time to ditch the drama and build relationships that truly uplift!
During Drama Drains*, audiences will learn evidence-based insights from psychology and standup comedy to help them . . .
Improve communication.
Resolve conflict
Recognize personal drama triggers
Set personal boundaries.
And laugh a lot!
*Available in 60-minute and half-day workshop formats
Bad Drivers & Buffalo Runners: 90-Minute, Family-Friendly, Outreach Event For Your Church
Bad Drivers and Buffalo Runners is a 90-minute, family-friendly, outreach event for your church. In addition to a hilarious night of comedy and music, your members will be empowered to invite their friends and family into a one-of-a-kind, discipleship event.
With little or no cost to your church!
Comedy Events: If Your Team Is Ready To Unwind, Treat Them to A Private Comedy Concert.
If your team is ready for a night to laugh and unwind, treat them to a private comedy concert. Together, we will make being dysfunctional fun again! In this PG-13 program, Matt delivers his hilarious blend of observational humor, crowd participation, and storytelling to bring lots of laughter to your team.
Matt also offers family-friendly (PG) comedy for your team and their loved ones.
In this 75-90 minute comedy event, Matt will entertain your team and help them embrace their humanity.
What Are People Saying About Matthew
A depth of knowledge and a spark of wit
I’ve had the joy of knowing Matt for over ten years. I have heard him teach in a classroom setting, guide teams, and perform standup. Whatever the venue, and no matter the subject Matt brings a depth of knowledge, a spark of wit, and a grounded humanity. What he says is always worth hearing; because he’ll make you think and laugh.
Casey Arnouts Professor
Northpoint College
Kind and caring with a big personality
I’ve observed that Matt’s unique and gifted approach is rooted in his life experiences with a blend of humor, awareness and insight that benefits those around him. Matt is very skilled in both his ability to listen and his ability to communicate. He is kind and caring with a big personality!
I highly recommend Matt Sharpe for any group, organization, or event looking for a speaker or standup comedian.
Matt’s comedy session was so relatable and kept everyone laughing! He even humored me and wore a special shirt for the event as part of an inside family joke. We are so happy we had him be a part of the entertainment for our special day.
Katie E.
Private Event
Comedy that lives beyond the laugh
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Matt Sharpe on comedy shows at different venues in our local area. His quick, yet thoughtful wit leads to comedy that lives beyond the laugh and the moment to insights that stay with you. Matt Sharpe and I have also produced a show together, and that look under the hood has shown me his attention to detail and care for his comedy clients.
Having known and worked alongside Matt Sharpe for several years, I’m pleased to offer my recommendation for any of the services offered by his organization.
Eric Stratton
Fomcore, LLC
So relatable and kept everyone laughing
Matt’s comedy session was so relatable and kept everyone laughing! He even humored me and wore a special shirt for the event as part of an inside family joke. We are so happy we had him be a part of the entertainment for our special day.
Katie E.
Private Event
Comedy that lives beyond the laugh
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Matt Sharpe on comedy shows at different venues in our local area. His quick, yet thoughtful wit leads to comedy that lives beyond the laugh and the moment to insights that stay with you. Matt Sharpe and I have also produced a show together, and that look under the hood has shown me his attention to detail and care for his comedy clients.
I’ve observed that Matt’s unique and gifted approach is rooted in his life experiences with a blend of humor, awareness and insight that benefits those around him. Matt is very skilled in both his ability to listen and his ability to communicate. He is kind and caring with a big personality!
I highly recommend Matt Sharpe for any group, organization, or event looking for a speaker or standup comedian.
I’ve had the joy of knowing Matt for over ten years. I have heard him teach in a classroom setting, guide teams, and perform standup. Whatever the venue, and no matter the subject Matt brings a depth of knowledge, a spark of wit, and a grounded humanity. What he says is always worth hearing; because he’ll make you think and laugh.
Casey Arnouts Professor
Northpoint College
Highly Recommended
Having known and worked alongside Matt Sharpe for several years, I’m pleased to offer my recommendation for any of the services offered by his organization.
