Humor In the C-Suite

Matt Cundill  0:01  
You may also like a show about the things you may also like things like Kate Davis, comedian, author, mother, podcaster, recording artist, corporate entertainer. Today, I want you to hear the story of how Kate became one of Canada's most durable comics, and she's gonna tell you just what it takes to get there. Spoiler alert, if you're 28 years old and don't know exactly what you're gonna be doing in life, that's okay. Kate didn't either. Kate, how did you get in comedy.

Kate Davis  0:41  
Oh, that's a great story. You know what? It was so interesting. I never thought about being a comic, although I did try it at a like a school thing when I was 17, where I dressed up, and I did, I didn't write it, but I did this thing called, I think it was called co pilot. And I learned, like this monolog, this funny monolog. And then it wasn't until I was 29 and I had two kids, I was living in this neighborhood that was just very like residential. And there was this one mini mall that I would have to pass by to get to my best friend's house every day, and it was called the comedy wood, and it was run by Boris, the hypnotist, I swear to God. But it was like, literally the only place open late at night that I could go get a drink. Not that I was like, I had two babies, but I just needed to get out of the house. So I was like, All right, I'm gonna go there. And as I'm watching at this open mic. I just thought, Okay, I'm gonna do this. And then the next week, I went back, got up, did it, and never looked back, really. I was at yucks the next week, but it was a very small community. Then, like you literally had to there was no YouTube. This was 1998 and there was no YouTube, really, yet. The internet was just sort of start. The comedy network was just launching. So if you wanted to see live comedy, you had to go see it. So, and it almost became like, not only, you know, something I was really passionate about, but also my social life. I still have great friends within the community. I mean, still doing stand up. So, yeah, it's just been this magical ride. I literally walked in that night and just started doing it every week. And I still go to open mics to this day to try new stuff. I

Matt Cundill  2:35  
don't know that I could do that without a drink in me. Did you have a drink in you?

Kate Davis  2:39  
I did not. I was just, I was a mom. My kids were little. I yeah, I wasn't. I didn't. I literally, didn't, actually drink, really, until my 30s. So I'm making up for it.

Matt Cundill  2:52  
I'm thinking, you've got two kids. I have three. I only had two, then you have three. Now, yes, you're two at the time. And listen when you're a mom and you're a parent, but specifically a mom, because you're going to spend predominantly a ton of time with the kids, it gets really boring to talk to these babbling little things all the time. And then your creative juices back up, and it's got to come out. And,

Kate Davis  3:20  
yeah, I mean, it definitely came out in story time. I like, I was so young. I was only, you know, when I first had my kids, I was 24 and 25 the first two, the third one came along at 30. But it definitely I was really playful. And we lived in such a shitty house, and it was so literally and it was all, like, the baseboard heating, so we couldn't afford the heating, so we just, like, we had a fireplace where we just, like, burned stuff, and we the kids would ride their bikes in the house. Like, that's how shitty this house was. But there was, like, you know, the the kitchen was open, so it had the two doors, so they just ride around and ride around. And it was definitely like, I was playful and all that, but it was definitely nice talking to adults, you know, and just having a conversation that wasn't about Sailor Moon was huge at the time and and stuff like that. So it was just Yeah. It was really a gift for sure.

Matt Cundill  4:20  
Cable in Canada began to take off, and so you've got some choice for the kids. There's some YTV, there's some tree house, and at the same time, there's another channel that comes on, and that's comedy. And you know, the comedic ecosystem in Canada really at a peak in the 90s, really begins to sort of bring on all these new comedians, yourself included. And there was a gateway with Yuck, yucks. So talk about that era. Yeah, it was, you

Kate Davis  4:47  
know, I was sort of the late 90s, for sure, but that's when the comedy network launched and all that. I remember Jon Stewart being there that night when it launched. And it was a huge IT WAS. A huge thing. And and they promoted Canadian comics. Then, like Mike Bullard breast, he just passed away, but he had the mike Bullard show, which was our late night show. I did two spots on that as a new comic, you know, and which was, like, so thrilling. Minnie Holmes had a show, she's so funny, which was out there, like there was room to support us. I, I started with yucks. I was a headliner with them for over 12 years. You know, it was a really, it was a really great time just being on the road and just learning the chops, because there were, like, there are so many comedy classes now, but back then, I would just go to see every Friday, go see the headliner, like, just try and learn as much as I could to actually learn to write a joke and figure out who I was, and it took a long time. I wish I was more confident, because I find like men have so much game, and I just didn't have that game, but I had the chops, but no like so it was, it was interesting.

Matt Cundill  6:04  
Who became your friends in comedy circles.

Kate Davis  6:07  
It was definitely like Kenny Robinson, who's just from Winnipeg, by the way. Like he was such a huge part of my early comedy career, he ran this room this open mic called the groundhog. And every Tuesday I would go there, and there would be, like, $300 cash money for it, so all the pros would show up, and it would just be, like, this incredible night of and it was just full with, like, homeless people and dominatrix like, it was a rough bar, but it was so much fun. And I literally did that room every Tuesday for two years. But then I was doing like, the same set, afraid to like, and Kenny just pulled me aside. He's like, you gotta do new material. You can't do this anymore. And it was just so, like, just learning, and they were so gracious. And, yeah, it was pretty amazing.

Matt Cundill  7:06  
So let's talk about new material. When someone says that, or it's time to turn over and get some new stuff and, you know, remove some things, there's a writing process that goes into that

Kate Davis  7:16  
there is, like, definitely, you know, it comes in waves. I almost feel like it's like incubation, like I feel like the jokes are all sort of growing in me, and then all of a sudden, I'll write a new set. And when I say, write a new set, probably like five minutes. It took me, literally, I think, two years to write a good first five minutes without having a class and a structure. Any of that I find jokes like I have jokes that I do in my keynote speaking that are just not politically correct anymore. You know, like, I one joke about life insurance because it says on my life insurance policy, it says on everyone's life insurance policy that you're not allowed to commit suicide for the first two years, but after that, you're covered, right? And that's just a fact. It says it in everyone. And I'm like, Well, if that's true, one of us can take it for the and things don't work out. One of us can take it for the team, and it's not going to be me. I'll be like, kids, Daddy's dead, but we're going to Disneyland, so like jokes like that, I'm just, I'm not doing anymore, you know, like, the times have changed, and, yeah, so I like moving with the times. Like, I know iPhone jokes, no, you know, only fans jokes, like things change, new stuff shows up, and it's just not relevant anymore. Have

Matt Cundill  8:40  
you had a moment where maybe you were on a campus, or maybe you were in a setting that was probably a little bit younger than you were used to as kind of like, oh, this is off color,

Kate Davis  8:49  
you know what? No, because my kids keep me in check, you know, and they're all in their 20s now, so it's definitely yeah, no. It's, I never had that, and I'm pretty self aware and emotionally aware, like I'm pretty I can read a room, so, you know, if I have to be delicate and you know, or if I can be myself, as I like to call it, I'm still going to open mics. One of my newest jokes is, have you ever been so wasted your face ID on your phone doesn't recognize you, right? You trying to look in your phone. You're like, Ah, it's like your phone saying, I don't even know who you are right now, and you're not drunk dialing anyone.

Matt Cundill  9:34  
If the phone was nicer, it probably suggests you have Bell's Palsy,

Kate Davis  9:39  
maybe brutal you

Matt Cundill  9:42  
are having a stroke, please report to the hospital. Yeah, right.

Kate Davis  9:46  
So, yeah. So it's, it's interesting, and I do love all the young comics, like, it's such a, you know, I still feel like it's a bit of a boys club, but there's so many really funny, amazing women coming up who are just, you know, the world's. Oyster, where I felt like I was a little, you know, I'd be like, I'd have the vibe of, you're not going to get it because you're a woman, or you're only getting it because you're a woman. You know what I mean, like you can I just You can win. I want

Matt Cundill  10:12  
to talk a little bit about the passing of Mike Bullard. He had that show, and the show was on CTV, and then it went to global, and it was the late 90s, and I thought it was a pretty important show, no matter what we thought about the show, just it was an opportunity for Canadians to see ourselves

Kate Davis  10:32  
showcase. Yes, absolutely. And there's never been one since. What's up with that? I don't know. You know what? The comedy network is just literally full of just old reruns of friends and Big Bang Theory, you know, and American shows, and CTV still airs my comedy now, which I shot in 2002 which I'm talking about Mike Harris and breastfeeding, like, just stop. It's so inappropriate. And they're just like, there's just nothing new. It's it's sad. You know what? Mike was amazing with the crowd. That's what he did. He had amazing writers on it was shot at the Masonic temple. It was a great studio. They always got audiences there. It was just a really fun time where we were celebrating ourselves, and we're just, you know, we don't have Rick Mercer anymore. We don't have, like so many shows have gone and nothing's replaced them.

Matt Cundill  11:33  
She'd across the country a number of times, tell me about the comedy and how it binds us together, because I find in Canada. This will exclude Quebec, by the way, we don't really have a sense of self, but Rick Mercer managed to do it. Mike Bullard, yourself, there are comedians there who we are tied to that we know that we understand, that we can all laugh together, but it's a big country.

Kate Davis  12:03  
It is a big country. I mean, population small, so spread out. When I first started touring, it was interesting, because I definitely, I, you know, this is in the early 2000s like, 20 years ago. God help me. I remember as a kid, just a side note, trying to figure out what year would be when I turned 30. You know, you're like, Oh my God. And then I'm like, Oh my God. But definitely, I think when I first started, the most interesting thing was there was no internet, so small towns were small towns, and that, I think, has changed. It's brought us closer together. We know what's going on in each province. I never really thought about Vancouver or Alberta. You know, when I was a kid, you sort of studied it a little bit in geography, but you didn't know about it. Now, I find you know it's, it's way more cohesive. So I feel like, I feel like we care about each other or we hate each other. It's one or the other really. I mean, I live in Toronto, apparently everyone hates us. Confirmed, confirmed, see, and so it's interesting. I feel like I'm so grateful for this country, just looking at what's going on in the world, and I feel like, I feel like we are together. I feel like a lot of politicians want to divide us more than the people wanting to divide us.

Matt Cundill  13:29  
Yeah, I think they use Twitter to do it, which is too bad, because Twitter can be a really funny place.

Kate Davis  13:35  
Well, it used to be now that Elon's, you know, you know what? There's a new app that I'm just about to get. Have you heard of it?

Matt Cundill  13:45  
Yeah. So it's blue sky, yeah.

Kate Davis  13:47  
So I think I'm leaving Twitter going to blue sky. If

Matt Cundill  13:51  
you can check out my newsletter, which gave all sorts of instructions on what to do in blue sky and some of the tips and tricks that went out. Oh, I love that. So one of the things this is so geeky, but you can actually make your domain be your handle. So your handle can be Kate davis.ca, wow. So all you need to do is call the person in charge of your website domain. You can add a little text string, and then it will happen. And there you go.

Kate Davis  14:21  
Yeah, guys, see, I love it. Well,

Matt Cundill  14:25  
I expect to see you there by the end of the day.

Kate Davis  14:27  
Yes, absolutely, absolutely. So yeah, I think Canada is united. I think politicians and all that really tries to divide us. And like I get, people's livelihoods are embodied in their provinces and their main industries. But I do feel like we have to be conscious of what's going on in the world and, you know, climate change and language and all that. But I love all the provinces I've literally been across, every single province, every territory. In every little town and we have an incredible country. We really do.

Mary Anne Ivison (Voiceover)  15:12  
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Matt Cundill  15:27  
are you still getting a check from CTV? If you know they rerun one of your appearances from 2002

Kate Davis  15:34  
okay, they rerun it all the time. And no, we're not. I don't know how they're getting away with that. So

Matt Cundill  15:40  
that really sort of leads to something that sits inside of me, and that's that when Canadians talk and it's considered art, it's not really sort of considered art. It's just people talking. But if this were the music industry, and you've got albums and you've, you know, you've got a podcast and you've got a whole bunch of stuff, it's just not treated the same. And I look at radio stations, they they take the music off the air, and then they put comedy on, and nobody's getting a check for that. It's insane. Yeah,

Kate Davis  16:10  
it is insane. I mean, sound Exchange, which is in the States, picks up all my comedy albums and stuff like that, and they'll even like, if it's on the web somewhere, they'll pick it up and give me money. But definitely there has to be stricter laws, not that they're giving us anything to be on anymore. And actually we just got because Sandra battalioni, who started lobbying for all comics, for us to be recognized as an art form, because we are not recognized as an art form. So we couldn't apply for any grants. We couldn't apply for this or that. So we just became and we bring so much money into this country. Every bar has an open mic like, you know, not even just the comedy clubs or the festivals. So and you know, Winnipeg has one of the best comedy festivals in the country now,

Matt Cundill  16:59  
and Montreal too. Another one, well, yeah, but it went bankrupt, that's right, and of course, bankrupted by the people who have screwed this up in the first place,

Kate Davis  17:10  
yeah, who made it American, who wouldn't give any Canadians any respect, any anything, you know, except for a handful and like, I get it, it's an international festival, but you're getting all the money from the Canadian government. You might want to support Canadians a bit more, maybe doing new faces where they can see American agents.

Matt Cundill  17:31  
Well, you're too kind not to call them out, but I don't mind saying Bell Media, Thanks for nothing.

Kate Davis  17:35  
Yeah, yeah. They really have not stepped up at all. What letter Kenny and maybe son of crit, but that might be CBC. I'm not sure.

Matt Cundill  17:46  
You make appearances on the debaters. That's, that's a live show. How do you stay sharp for that?

Kate Davis  17:52  
Oh, my God, so much fun. I've done people have done way more than me, but I've done over 20. And I have to say, I love it. It just, you know what? It gets your brain working, and it's a lot of fun. And, I mean, it's, it's taped in front of a live audience, but it's a radio show, which just kills me, that a radio show is a hit show. Like, if I mentioned that in my intro, people are like, Oh, I'm like, How is everyone listening to their radio? Well, you know people older, but there are younger people who are really love it too. So it's being really nice.

Matt Cundill  18:27  
I get the feeling when I'm doing nothing on a Saturday night and watching CNN that they have a show called Have I got news for you? And I said, Yeah, it feels like somebody

Kate Davis  18:37  
pinched that they did. They pinch it from England. It's the same name everything. It's a British show. It's where they get all those shows. It's where they got three's, company and shameless, and you name it, they got it.

Matt Cundill  18:49  
You do corporate gigs. And, man, that's a tough crowd.

Kate Davis  18:54  
I guess you know what? I actually love it. I have to say it's like my comedy, but everything I believe in and just the power that humor has to create an incredible work culture. So I actually, I don't find it that difficult. I actually find it really inspiring. And sometimes I go into government agencies, I'm like, Oh, you all have a pension. I'm so jealous. But I actually, and across all industries, whether it's, you know, Ministry of Natural Resources, you know, where I'll start off my show by going, you know, they look like Duck Dynasty, right? And I'm like, You guys look so dumb, but you're so smart, you know, because they all have these, they're all, you know, scientists, you know, but they're like, fishing. They're those guys. Or I did a show for decided hearing society where it's just like, all their kids are, you know, disabled, they can't hear, they can't see. And I was like, how am I starting this show off? Because I talk about my kids a bit, and I'm like, my kids are. Normal, but their kids are normal to them. So I ended up starting it by, I do have kids. They are sighted and hearing kids, but half the time you wouldn't know it, you know. So it's always just trying to find a way to connect. But I really do believe in what I'm talking about and the power it has to, you know, increase trust, collaboration, innovation, resiliency, retention, all those things that every CEO wants. So I'm actually really enjoying it, and it's changed a lot. I've spent the last year or two really changing what I do and my messaging and just growing with what's out there, and what people are dealing with, you know, we're living in a time where, you know, we used to, I used to get so excited when people ask me out. And now we're living in a time where people are really excited when their plans are canceled, you know, like it's, it's different,

Matt Cundill  20:57  
and you're always about the moment. So I think back to, I think the second album you did tested positive, which was during the pandemic. But you, you grabbed the moment,

Kate Davis  21:08  
yeah, like, I literally COVID album. And by the way, I was patient zero. I like, I literally had COVID March 11 of 2020, where'd you get that? Victoria? BC I got it in, BC I was gig. You know what it was like that week was just when things were starting to get look, I live through czars. We just got cheap hotels and went swimming all day. Like, that's what I thought this was gonna be. And I phoned the club, and I'm like, I was playing hecklers in Victoria. And I'm like, is this still happening? They're like, we're sold out. There's not a case on the island. Well, that changed pretty fast. So I just, with all the lockdowns, you know, I was doing clubs, I was gigging behind plexiglass at 50% capacity. And I did, I wanted to just do the moment. I'd written a lot of jokes about it, and after living through it, so soon, I think I had a different perspective on it.

Matt Cundill  22:06  
You have a podcast to go along with books and albums, and the show is called humor in the C suite. Why did you want to start a podcast? First

Kate Davis  22:16  
of all, I mean really practically, to add value to what I'm doing, but second of all, I feel like a lot of C suite people now, leaders, business owners are relating differently to how they have to be in the corporate environment. Used to be scared of your boss. Used to be you didn't talk to your boss. Now, you know the number one thing especially Jen zetters are saying is I want my boss to talk like a real person, like these kids are setting boundaries, and CEOs and leaders are listening. And people, you know, if you want to be competitive in this year or this decade, I think, you know, AI is making or the internet is making everything very level field. I mean, I say as a joke, just this morning, Matt, I diagnosed three diseases, redesigned my kitchen and read four books in 12 minutes. Like knowledge Isn't that powerful anymore, but connection is right. And what's going to set you apart to make that sale, to close that deal, it's going to be being yourself and having a sense of humor as a part of it, definitely. So, yeah, it's just been a really nice way to sort of incorporate everything I do.

Matt Cundill  23:28  
What diseases Did you diagnose yourself with recently? Let's compare

Kate Davis  23:33  
quite a pain in my arm. No, I just, I don't know.

Matt Cundill  23:38  
I had no seriously, this something last night, I was like, Oh, I've got throat cancer.

Kate Davis  23:42  
Oh, my god, stop, you can't. You can't. But I am that person I'm very vocal about, yeah, I've had that many times, and I'm having a stroke, and then it's just my hands cold and yeah, on and on. Don't Google diseases. Don't diagnose yourself. That should be a rule. Don't go to Dr Google. Don't go to Dr Google. You'll think you're dying immediately.

Matt Cundill  24:05  
I look at some of the younger people that you have on your show. They are bright swift and they've already learned a lot about people before the age of 30 or 35 Danny Goldberg, for instance, stands out. What do you find fascinating about those young upstart people who build their business and God, I'm

Kate Davis  24:29  
so jealous. Oh, damn it. Why Did anyone tell me? You know what I I definitely feel like that's hutzpah. First of all, second of all, yeah, like, so inspiring. This kid was on the news who invented vending machines that have first aid kits in them, and they just tried to buy his business for 30 million. And he said, No, I'm like, Where are your parents? Ah. Ah, where are your parents? Just amazing, yeah, some of the guests, I'm just like, how and then they're onto a totally different, you know, they're just onto a totally different career. By the time they're 30, they're done with that business. But I think it comes from real authenticity. You know, at that age, you're just yourself. People are charmed by your age. And just like, all right, it's like that little kid Max couture on the he's eight, and he's already doing, you know, selling clothes and on the runway at Paris. And, like, some people are just meant to be what they're doing.

Matt Cundill  25:36  
2025 What do you have on the calendar? I would have said, Rolodex. I would have said, you know, on the, you know, those paper calendars, but we're past that. Now, what is inside your iPhone for 2025

Kate Davis  25:50  
you know, what? On a professional level, just to get as many events as I can, to grow the podcast, I still do quite I'd say, out of my 52 weeks, I'll probably do about 10 weeks of stand up still. That's minus the open mics, obviously, but I'm headlining absolute comedy in Toronto for New Years and that whole week, and then I just have a bunch of speaking gigs. But on a personal level, I just really want to always keep creating, be innovative with myself and be honest with myself. It's hard to let go of old things at work, you know, and just to grow and live to my potential at you know, I'm in my 50s, at my age, I don't even feel like I've written my best joke. So I'm just going to keep going and hopefully growing and inspiring people. And really, I'm really looking forward to doing more work in the US, just because there's so many more people and so many more companies and in Europe, so just going more global for myself and just, you know, being the best kind person I can be, I guess I don't know.

Matt Cundill  26:59  
Kate, thanks so much for doing this today and getting up early to be on the show. Oh,

Kate Davis  27:03  
see, it's already 1130 here. I've been up for hours, Matt, I'm on it. This has been such a pleasure. Thanks so much.

Matt Cundill  27:13  
My thanks to Kate Davis for joining me. She can be reached through her web page at Kate davis.ca by all means, if your company needs to liven things up a bit. She should be your first call. All the connection details are on the episode page at You may also like.net this episode was produced by Evan stern Minsky and edited by Taylor MacLean, and it's built with love by everyone at the sound off media company.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai