Compassionate Laughter - Michael Pritchard

I met Michael Pritchard many years ago when I heard him speak at a holiday party for a roomful of social service types tasked with lifting up the disenfranchised in our community. That afternoon, he fed our collective souls with a combination of storytelling and humor unlike anything I had ever seen before. After the crowd began to thin, I summoned up my courage to introduce myself to him.

At the time I was running a fledgling nonprofit, with not enough money and too much work and a handful of students I was tasked with inspiring. The only problem was, I was burned out. I’d been burning the candle at both ends for a long time and the work was starting to get to me.

I don’t know what i said to him. I don’t suppose matter. But whatever it was, Mike knew what I needed. He  looked me in the eyes and gave me a pep talk, one that hit me right in my heart. He invited me to bring my students to “shadow him” when he visited a local school district, performing a handful of shows for the students.

I watched as he paced back and forth. A caged tiger searching for prey.  He told stories that made the kids laugh uproariously. He ran through a series of impersonations, from Yoda to Wookies and many more. He had them eating out of the palm of his hand.

And then he lowered the hammer.

“How many of you know someone who gets picked on, bullied or is the last one to get picked to play,” he bellows. Dozens of hands shoot high in the air. He invited student after student to share their stories.  The tears flow and Mike is there to stand beside them, to witness their courage. To challenge the students to stand up for one another. To choose kindness over cruelty.  “Hurt people hurt people,” he reminds them. 

Mike is the change he wants to see in the world. He began his career on both the comedy stage and as a juvenile counselor in San Francisco’s Youth Guidance Center. In 1980, Michael Pritchard won first place in the San Francisco International Stand Up Comedy Competition as well as winning the prestigious California Probation Officer of the Year.

Offers from Hollywood rolled in including a guest appearance on an Emmy Award winning episode of “Taxi.” 

A deeply spiritual man, Mike draws  from his counseling background, and began using humor to inspire. His broad audience base - from corporate employees, healthcare workers, and government and state officials - have honored him with countless standing ovations and numerous awards 

As a result of his work, Michael Pritchard has been featured on CNN, NBC’s The Today Show, The Tonight Show, CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt, Time Magazine and People Magazine.

He’s done seven educational series for PBS and distribution has been seen by millions and focuses on youth guidance in the areas of violence prevention as w

Do you know someone who has a story to tell? Someone who is giving back to their community? Working to make our world a better place? Send an email to suzanne@suzannemaggio.com. Nominate them for a future episode of From Sparks to Light.

To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.

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To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de Santiago

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