Guest– Mike Goodwin
Ep. 110: The Comedian's Mindset: Mike Goodwin on Laughter, Optimism, and Resilience, a Special Encore Presentation
Chapters
[00:00] Intro to Mike Goodwin — comedian, speaker, and humor coach
[02:30] Growing up in Camden, SC — using humor to cope with a volatile household
[07:00] Joining the Army at 18 and how comedy caused (and solved) trouble in basic training
[11:30] From student affairs to college counseling - the unexpected path to comedy
[14:00] How Mike got his start doing standup - at church
[17:00] Why Mike chose clean comedy over "blue" material
[20:00] Tackling race and identity on stage: the "police repellent" bit
[26:00] Being a "walking contradiction" - the big, athletic guy who looks like a professor
[29:00] From standup to keynote speaking: the "Leadership and Laughter" talk
[34:00] Why humor is neutral - and how leaders can use it to unify, not divide
[40:00] The comedian's mindset: Awareness, Breathe, Curiosity (the ABC method)
[45:00] Where to find Mike Goodwin and catch a live show
Comedian, speaker, and humor coach Mike Goodwin joins Bill Burke for this special summer encore presentation of a classic Blue Sky episode. Mike shares how a difficult, sometimes volatile childhood in Camden, South Carolina sparked his lifelong instinct to use humor to ease tension - a skill that carried him through four years in the U.S. Army, a career in higher education and college counseling, and eventually onto stages with America's Got Talent, DryBar Comedy, Lifetime, BET, and Amazon Prime.
Bill and Mike discuss:
Childhood in Camden, SC- Growing up in a financially stressed, sometimes volatile household and discovering early that making his mother laugh could ease tension at home
Military service- Joining the Army at 18, an unexpected ROTC rank bump, and how cracking jokes during lights-out got him in trouble with his drill sergeant
Career in education- From student affairs at the University of South Carolina to college counseling at a private school, and how standup started alongside that career
Getting his start in comedy- Breaking into standup through his church, thanks to a veteran comedian who gave him a choice: hand over the material, or get on stage and keep the money himself
Why he keeps his act clean- His faith, family, and personal values behind choosing "clean" comedy over vulgar material, and why he sees clean comedy as harder, not easier
Tackling race and identity through humor- How he approaches sensitive topics like race on stage with honesty and generosity rather than division (including his "police repellent" bit)
Defying expectations on stage- Being a "walking contradiction" — a big, athletic, bespectacled guy who looks more like a professor than a comedian
The pivot to keynote speaking- How a chance conversation with a conference organizer led him to develop his "Leadership and Laughter" keynote, and the trial-and-error of blending humor with substantive content
Humor as a leadership tool- Why comedy is "neutral," and how leaders can use appropriate humor to build connection instead of division in the workplace
The comedian's mindset (ABC method)- Awareness, Breathe, Curiosity - a practical framework for handling stressful or unexpected moments, on stage and in everyday life
Reflections on America and optimism- Closing thoughts on the ongoing pursuit of happiness and striving toward a better version of the country
Known for his clean, expectation-defying comedy (not a single curse word, but plenty of big laughs), Mike opens up about why he chose to keep his act family-friendly, how he tackles sensitive topics like race with honesty instead of division, and how he built a second career as a keynote speaker blending humor with leadership insight. He closes with his signature "comedian's mindset" - the ABC method (Awareness, Breathe, Curiosity) - a practical tool fornavigating stressful moments both on stage and in everyday life.
Listen to full episode :
