We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hope Dobrzynski & Christi Somers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hope Dobrzynski & below.
Hi Hope Dobrzynski &, thank you so much for joining us today. There are so many topics we could discuss, but perhaps one of the most relevant is empathy because it’s at the core of great leadership and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your empathy?
As two women from working-class homes in white suburbs on the East Coast, empathy was something we were both raised with. We both moved to NYC in our early twenties, and you cannot live in this area and not develop a sense of understanding when you are surrounded by so many others—if you have a pulse.
Throughout this time, both of us have had countless experiences where other women went out of their way to help us, and we didn’t take that for granted. Instead, we viewed it as a behavior to model. No one who has made it did so “on their own”—everyone gets some kind of help, assistance, or something. And we’re not ignorant of the fact that we received more because we are white. With that privilege, we’ve been made to feel inadequate, uncomfortable, and at times icky. There’s a level of safety that is required to get vulnerable, and that is something we don’t take lightly at all. In fact, we start every class letting students know the exact steps of how to report our business in NYC if they ever believe we are a problem. We’re leaders and it starts with us, so that is how get vulnerable in the first 10 minutes of every class.
Hope has degrees in Psychology, Disaster Studies, Black Studies, and Organizational Leadership, all of which contribute regularly to the ways we operate. We are considerate of the fact that not everyone has the time, money, or luxury to take a stand-up class in New York City. We’ve both had teachers and been in schools that were strict and cold. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t learn anything from them—of course, we did. But we learned a lot more about what we wanted to change because we said, That wasn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be.
Comedy, as an industry, doesn’t have a welcome week or any real structure. When you’re starting out, it is truly made up—everyone has their own journey. We’ve created a clear path for those interested in learning in a supportive environment with tangible, actionable instruction.
Stand-up comedy is not seen as a team sport or communal activity, but it is. We are constantly asking others for feedback and input—and don’t forget, there’s a whole audience involved. We both entered the comedy scene at different times, with a gap of about 15 years, and it didn’t matter. If you’re not a cis, white man, you feel like a fish out of water. We understand that feeling all too well, and we wanted to do our best to destigmatize that nonsense.
Imposter syndrome is something too many people still struggle with, even in environments where they belong.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
We co-founded The LaughtHER Collective as a modern comedy school that amplifies women and underrepresented voices. We consider ourselves a school for everyone—not just those looking to be stand-up superstars, but anyone who wants to learn comedic tools and techniques to navigate the world. Comedy and laughter are everywhere, and what we love about laughter is that it’s a language everyone can speak—it’s universal.
We’ve created a curriculum that bolsters the skills of stand-up comedy but also applies to everyday life. For instance, if you’re looking to be more effective in the way you communicate or want to be remembered after giving a speech, inserting some comedy is a great idea!
What makes our school particularly special is our focus on using comedy as a healing tool. Funny enough, the way our relationship began was through the unfortunate shared experience of losing our moms young and suddenly. (Talk about a great name for a telenovela!) This shared loss inspired one of our most distinctive offerings: the Laughing Through Loss class.
This class focuses on dealing with loss—not just the loss of a loved one but also the loss of anything meaningful, like a sense of self or community. Through the class, we’ve created curriculum and activities that make grieving… fun. I know how that sounds, but for those of us who have lost something or someone we’ve cared about deeply, the ability to release and go unfiltered in a safe environment is critical for healing. It makes a substantial difference. Community and humor—when combined—can help shorten the period of grief that feels debilitating.
Our tagline is: Comedy is not just performance; it’s connection. That truly is the foundation of stand-up and laughter. Humor arises from connection, relatability, and mutual understanding, and that’s a beautiful thing.
Another aspect that sets us apart in the comedy world is that most of our offerings are virtual. This isn’t because we’re lazy (though space in major cities is expensive!), but because virtual classes are accessible. Even if we had a physical space (which we’re not looking for anytime soon), it would limit the number of people we could work with.
What we’ve found is that virtual teaching allows our classrooms to be everywhere. We’ve taught in homes, parking lots, cars, trains—even emergency room beds (and no, that’s not a joke). While virtual learning gained popularity during the pandemic, it has proven to be impactful and effective for what we do.
At The LaughtHER Collective, we’re molding comics who are funny and considerate—who can craft hard-hitting jokes while maintaining their moral compass. We don’t think offending or punching down is an acceptable form of comedy, and we believe comedy can evolve. Our goal is to provide tools, techniques, and education that help comedians navigate this evolution. Once you know better, you do better—and that’s exactly what a modern comedy school, run by two women, is doing in 2025.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Trauma-bonding: LOL fun!!! We originally connected over the loss of our moms. That shared pain taught us to lead with softness, understanding, and kindness. When people feel cared for, the work they do—and the energy they bring—changes for the better. Our advice? Practice empathy. It’s a superpower that builds trust and connection.
Delusion: We’ve been absurdly, hilariously ambitious—dreaming big, taking risks, and saying yes before fully knowing how things would pan out. Guess what? It’s worked. The lesson? Swing big. You might miss sometimes, but you’ll surprise yourself more often than not.
Humor as fuel: Comedy isn’t just what we teach—it’s how we survive. As a team of two, we wear all the hats: marketing, HR, finance, and even the “emergency text responder” role at odd hours. Do we annoy each other? Sure. But we have entire folders of silly things the other has said to lift us up when days get tough. Find your humor—it’s the ultimate reset button.
At the end of the day, we work hard and laugh harder. Like kids learning through play, our silliness fuels our creativity. So, our advice? Stay kind, stay delusional, and never underestimate the power of a good laugh.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
Our ideal client is any creative looking to incorporate comedic skills into their lives in a safe and empowering environment. We like to call ourselves a comedy school for everyone, because every single person we work with is on their own path. We have new-moms looking for an artistic outlet, cartoonists, teachers looking to incorporate humor and also learn how to roast their students appropriately, and every one in between. What they all have in common is they are all at a point in their lives where they are eager to learn and not afraid to take swings. Like most, we are captivated by a strong point of view, and truly we are open to any human, but if we’re being one hundred, we work mostly with womxn+. Our ideal client has shifted since we started three years ago, but we have always continued to amplify underrepresented voices and that will forever be our ideal client.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheLaughtHERcollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelaughthercollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLaughtHERCollective/
Image Credits
Cover Photo & Silly Face Photo: Elizabeth “Betsy” Ramazzini Zoom Photos: Screenshot by Hope Dobrzynski Giggly Chair Photo: Adi Helman The Future is Funny Panel @ The Stand in NYC Photo: Adi Helman
