Podcast appearances and mentions of nick gianoulis

In the name of FUN and PLAY we repost Jess Ruggieri from episode 47 with Chip Lutz, Enjoy!! "Just play.  Have fun.  Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan Are you ready to have some fun?  I am but, then again, I'm always up for having some fun.  But did you know that fun can be functional in improving employee productivity and engagement?   This episode's guest, Jess Ruggieri, is the Director of Inclusion at the Fun Department and she specializes in helping organizations do just that...using play to enhance the culture and create places where people want to be.  We talk about a lot of cool stuff in this episode but, more importantly after listening to it, you're going to walk away with some strategies you can employ RIGHT NOW to make a difference for you and your team. This is our last episode of the calendar year.  Thanks for being a great audience and please don't forget to register for the AATH conference, April 4-7th 2019 in Chicago Illinois.  You'll get more information on how to use humor and meet cool people like Jess.  Check us out at www.aath.org. More on Jess.... Jess Ruggieri has found her place as the ambassador of inclusion at the fun dept., a training and coaching company driven by the implementation of "innovative solutions for a happier, healthier, more connected workplace.”  Featured on various news and media outlets, the fun dept.'s clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those with as few as 10 employees and is partnered with Zappos's training company, Delivering Happiness. Jessica's history with the fun dept. goes back nine years when the founder, Nick Gianoulis, went out of his way to work from her coffee shop. “I simply wanted to create a fun and welcoming environment for both my staff and my customers,” she said.  It took Jessica nine years to make a career jump.  With her extensive experience in management, psychology, interpersonal communication, organizational processes, training & development, and having received her Master's in Health Promotion and her certification as a Health & Fitness Coach, Jessica landed her dream job—utilizing her passions and skill sets to impact company culture. “It is a simple and unique systematic approach where we teach companies how to design appropriate ‘play' techniques to connect and de-stress employees.” Jessica and the fun dept. team have been “playing it forward” to improve work environments for customers, employees, and the bottom line! Connect with her direct! jess@thefundept.com cell 302-383-9934 thefundept.com @jdruggieri www.linkedin.com/in/jdruggieri

In this episode, we are talking, laughing and giving with our friend Nick Gianoulis, the Godfather of Fun from The Fun Dept. We talk about how to infuse fun in work to increase productivity, because no one needs to get motivated to have fun. We talk about how Fun is something you can use to make your good company GREAT, the different types of fun, how to make virtual work fun, and how to (or is it okay to) have fun during difficult times.  Nick also shared resources on how to have fun at work and even introduced activities you can play with your team virtually. *****Play to Get a gift*****Delivering Happiness and the fun dept are both giving out books If you answer the questions right. How to play:1. In the podcast, listen In for our questions about Kelly & Paul. 2. Tell us your answer by calling 707.79-happy, or Write an email to Kelly@deliveringhappiness.com or paul@deliveringhappiness.com to tell us your answers by our next episode on September 1st. 3. We'll email you back If you got the questions right to get your address & send you either the book Delivering Happiness or Playing It Forward [while supplies last!]. Nick Gianoulis is the founder of The Fun Dept., a consulting and training company that has been featured on CNN, BBC News, Washington Post, TEDx and numerous other media outlets. Its clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those with as few as 10 employees. Known as “The Godfather of Fun," he began his company after experiencing firsthand the enhanced culture and business results of fun during his 20-year corporate management tenure with a company that embraced a “work hard, play hard" culture. The model he believes so passionately in is fully outlined in the book he co-authored, Playing It Forward (Fun Dept. 2015). About The Fun Dept.: Outpacing the competition begins with workplace culture that keeps your team feeling happy and supported, even when you're not all under the same roof. the fun dept. Redefined fun in the workplace. Since 2006, we've empowered hundreds of companies around the world to become happier, healthier, and more connected. our innovative solutions are proven to improve culture, enhance employee engagement and generate real, measurable impact on your bottom line.

In this episode, Rebecca connects with Nick Gianoulis, the Founder of The Fun Dept., a training and consulting company that has been featured on CNN, BBC News, Washington Post, TedX, and numerous other media outlets. It's clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those as few as ten employees. Known as "The Godfather Of Fun", he began his company after experiencing firsthand the enhanced culture and business results of fun during his 20-year corporate management tenure with a company that embraced a "work hard, play hard" culture. The model he believes so passionately in is fully outlined in the book he co-authored Playing It Forward (Fun Dept. 2015). Today we will get to know the person behind the business and the challenges he has to face to rise to his greater potential.

SEGMENT 1: Something we need more of these days is fun, especially as most of us are working remotely during the coronavirus crisis. What role does fun still play in your business and how can you use it to support your culture? Here to help is “The Godfather of Fun”, Nick Gianoulis, founder of the fun dept.SEGMENT 2: Online reviews are critical to the success of small business. But what happens if your company is now closed because of COVID-19 or you have had to adjust your hours or the services you offer? How will this affect your online reputation? Here to help is Yelp's Chicago-based Senior Field Marketing Manager and Small Business Expert, Emily Washovick.SEGMENT 3: What went well with the federal funding programs for small businesses and what did not? Here to reflect on the state of small business and possible alternate funding options is Vijay Sundaram, Chief Strategy Officer at Zoho.Sponsored by Nextiva

Nick Gianoulis founded the fun dept. after experiencing firsthand the enhanced culture and business results of fun during his 20-year corporate management tenure with a company that embraced a “work hard, play hard” culture. as the resident “godfather of fun,” Nick oversees creative development and strategic growth of the company while keeping an active schedule of keynotes and media appearances.

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head -- that's assault, not leadership.” - Dwight Eisenhower Did you hear?  Humor Month is coming up in April!  And, my friends, I want you to be ready.  In today's world, having fun isn't something we should hope for, it is something we should plan for so...I am sharing this interview with you a month prior to humor month so you've got time to be ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! The guest is Jess Ruggieri and she works at.....wait for it...The Fun Department!  Jess is, among other things, the Ambassador of Inclusion and she is sharing some tips with us this week to get your team engaged with a little bit of fun! This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.  Research has shown that people that enjoy where they work and what they do are not only more productive, they are more loyal.  That means it's a two-fer.  One strategy, two results....engagement and retention.  I know you're going to love Jess as much as I do so get ready to write some stuff down and put into action! CHEERS! More on Jess... Jess Ruggieri has found her place as the ambassador of inclusion at the fun dept., a training and coaching company driven by the implementation of "innovative solutions for a happier, healthier, more connected workplace.”  Featured on various news and media outlets, the fun dept.’s clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those with as few as 10 employees and is not partnered with Zappos’s training company, Delivering Happiness. Jessica's history with the fun dept. goes back nine years when the founder, Nick Gianoulis, went out of his way to work from her coffee shop. “I simply wanted to create a fun and welcoming environment for both my staff and my customers,” she said.  It took Jessica nine years to make a career jump.  With her extensive experience in management, psychology, interpersonal communication, organizational processes, training & development, and having received her Master’s in Health Promotion and her certification as a Health & Fitness Coach, Jessica landed her dream job—utilizing her passions and skillsets to impact company culture. “It is a simple and unique systematic approach where we teach companies how to design appropriate ‘play’ techniques to connect and de-stress employees.” Jessica and the fun dept. team have been “playing it forward” to improve work environments for customers, employees, and the bottom line! Connect with Jess at the Fun Department here:  https://thefundept.com/  

"Just play.  Have fun.  Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan Are you ready to have some fun?  I am but, then again, I'm always up for having some fun.  But did you know that fun can be functional in improving employee productivity and engagement?   This episode's guest, Jess Ruggieri, is the Director of Inclusion at the Fun Department and she specializes in helping organizations do just that...using play to enhance the culture and create places where people want to be.  We talk about a lot of cool stuff in this episode but, more importantly after listening to it, you're going to walk away with some strategies you can employ RIGHT NOW to make a difference for you and your team. This is our last episode of the calendar year.  Thanks for being a great audience and please don't forget to register for the AATH conference, April 4-7th 2019 in Chicago Illinois.  You'll get more information on how to use humor and meet cool people like Jess.  Check us out at www.aath.org. More on Jess.... Jess Ruggieri has found her place as the ambassador of inclusion at the fun dept., a training and coaching company driven by the implementation of "innovative solutions for a happier, healthier, more connected workplace.”  Featured on various news and media outlets, the fun dept.’s clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those with as few as 10 employees and is partnered with Zappos’s training company, Delivering Happiness. Jessica's history with the fun dept. goes back nine years when the founder, Nick Gianoulis, went out of his way to work from her coffee shop. “I simply wanted to create a fun and welcoming environment for both my staff and my customers,” she said.  It took Jessica nine years to make a career jump.  With her extensive experience in management, psychology, interpersonal communication, organizational processes, training & development, and having received her Master’s in Health Promotion and her certification as a Health & Fitness Coach, Jessica landed her dream job—utilizing her passions and skill sets to impact company culture. “It is a simple and unique systematic approach where we teach companies how to design appropriate ‘play’ techniques to connect and de-stress employees.” Jessica and the fun dept. team have been “playing it forward” to improve work environments for customers, employees, and the bottom line! Connect with her direct! jess@thefundept.com cell 302-383-9934 thefundept.com @jdruggieri www.linkedin.com/in/jdruggieri

Nick Gianoulis is the “The Godfather of Fun.” More than a decade ago, Nick founded The Fun Dept. He was inspired to start the company after experiencing firsthand the enhanced business results of fun during his 20-year corporate management tenure with a company that embraced a “work hard, play hard” culture. He is the co-author of "Playing it Forward" and is recognized as the leading authority in implementing workplace fun. His company has been featured on CNN, BBC News, Washington Post, TEDx, and hundreds of media outlets. In 2018 his company joined forces with Delivering Happiness. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The story of what inspired Nick to leave the corporate world and become “The Godfather of Fun” How to use fun as a process to get great business results Dealing with getting a tough reception and how to push past that, especially in the beginning stages Why fun should be a component of the culture of any successful company Nick’s success rate when leadership buys into his model Details of the ROI the Fun Department is able to offer companies The importance of leadership in determining a company’s culture An example of how positive workplace culture can create big opportunities for companies Nick’s partnership with Delivering Happiness: how it got started organically and how the two companies complement each other How to find a shared experience to make fun organic within companies Examples of unique fun experiences companies have developed and how those experiences can be fun for each worker How to allow different sectors of a company to have their own fun experience The importance of leaders being respectful of their employees’ time after work, and how the Fun Department can help with that How Nick created his company to survive any economy and allow businesses to participate at various different price points A story about how Wegman’s got it right and became successful by putting culture first Ways to contact Nick: Website: morefunatwork.com or thefundept.com

Why should leaders care whether employees have fun at work? And how can you build fun into your organization’s culture? This week, Meghan talks to “the godfather of fun,” Nick Gianoulis, about how to create shared experiences among employees, how to follow the laws of fun, and how to incorporate fun without breaking the bank.

Nick is the founder of The Fun Dept., a consulting and training company that has been featured on CNN, BBC News, Washington Post, TEDx and numerous other media outlets. Known as “The Godfather of Fun,” he began his company after experiencing firsthand the enhanced culture and business results of fun during his 20-year corporate management tenure with a company that embraced a “work hard, play hard” culture. His company has delivered more fun in the workplace than any other company in the world, building brief, consistent and engaging activities into the corporate culture that is more important than ever thanks to the presence of millennials. Its clients range from Fortune 100 companies to those with as few as 10 employees.

The Stuph File Program Featuring Daniel Morgan Jones, CEO & founder of The U.K. Church of Jediism; Letha Marchetti, author of Dragons & Daisies: Keys To Resolve Baffling Behaviors In Early Childhood Education; & Nick Gianoulis, creator of The Fun Dept Download Daniel Morgan Jones is the CEO and founder of The U.K. Church of Jediism, based in Wales. They have just released a Star Wars themed song entitled Journey Of A Jedi that is available on their site for download. Letha Marchetti is an educator, neurodevelopmental occupational therapist and the author of Dragons & Daisies: Keys To Resolve Baffling Behaviors In Early Childhood Education. She discusses dealing with the sometimes baffling behaviour of children. Companies like Google, Zappos and Southwest develop winning workplace cultures with high productivity and profitability. Regardless of the industry, there is a common thread running through the highest performing companies; the inherent or stated culture of fun. Nick Gianoulis created The Fun Dept which specializes in employee engagement, team building and corporate events. He's also the co-author of Playing it Forward: The Definitive "How To" Model for Creating a Winning Workplace Culture. This week's opening slate is presented by Yvette Samuel, niece and medical office assistant at Somerset West Community Health Centre in Ottawa.

When you are lovable, you are loving. You attract love and radiate warmth. You are F-U-N at home…and work. Regardless of the industry, there is a common thread running through the highest performing companies: the inherent or stated culture of fun.  Nick Gianoulis is the self-proclaimed “Godfather of Fun.” He founded The Fun Dept. after seeing the enhanced culture and business effects of fun during his 20 year corporate management tenure with a company that embraced a “work hard, play hard” culture.  Nick brings his rich experience in sales management and operations to lifestyle empowerment. A consummate entrepreneur, he enjoys taking a vision to reality and having fun along the way. His website is www.thefundept.com .