Laughter isn’t just entertainment — it’s a powerful tool for healing, truth, and connection. In this episode of Women Road Warriors with Shelley Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro, welcome back stand-up comedian, author, podcaster, and social media influencer Monique Marvez, whose fearless humor and sharp storytelling are captivating audiences worldwide.

With multiple Showtime specials, appearances on HBO Max, over 190 million TikTok views, and 70+ million views on Dry Bar Comedy, Monique has mastered the art of making people laugh — then think. A 20-year broadcast veteran, she uses comedy as a Trojan horse for truth, tackling everyday absurdities with warmth, wisdom, and razor-sharp wit.

Beloved by audiences of all ages — especially Gen Z women — Monique is bold, real, and unapologetically authentic. This conversation explores why humor matters now more than ever, how laughter opens hearts and minds, and why being yourself is the most powerful punchline of all.

🎧 Tune into this episode of Women Road Warriors for insight, inspiration, and laughter that stays with you long after the episode ends.

https://www.moniquemarvez.com/

www.womenroadwarriors.com

www.womenspowernetwork.net

#WomenRoadWarriors

#AwardWinningPodcast

#StandUpComedy

#WomenInComedy

#HealingThroughHumor

#WomensEmpowerment

#MoniqueMarvez

#ShelleyJohnson

#KathyTuccaro

This is Women Road warriors with Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.

From the corporate office to the cab of a truck, they're here to inspire and empower women in all professions.

So gear down, sit back and enjoy.

Welcome.

We're an award winning show dedicated to empowering women in every profession through inspiring stories and expert insights.

No topics off limits on our show, we power women on the road to success with expert and celebrity interviews and information you need.

I'm Shelley.

And I'm Kathy.

Laughter is healthy and our world needs more of it.

Today we're bringing you a guest whose comedy courage and cosmic wisdom are impacting audiences all over the world.

Monique Marvez isn't just a trailblazing comedian.

She's a truth teller, a storyteller, and a spiritual spark plug.

Wrapped in razor sharp wit, she offers clever anecdotes on the absurdities of everyday situations.

She's the rare kind of performer who can make you laugh until you can't breathe and then leave you thinking about what she said for days.

Monique has starred in multiple Showtime specials and been on HBO Max.

And she has 190 million views on TikTok.

She also has 70 million views just on Dry Bar comedy.

She's captivating an entire new generation of young women who see her as their comedic Yoda.

She's also a 20 year broadcast veteran, author, podcaster, and a woman who's built an entire philosophy around using laughter as a Trojan horse for truth.

Monique inspires audiences of all ages, but especially Gen Z women who flock to her comedy because they sense what we sense.

Monique is real.

She's warm, she's wise, and she's absolutely fearless.

And she's with us on our show today.

Welcome back, Monique.

Thank you for being with us again.

I'm so happy.

I feel the same way, except that I feel like that intro, like, don't oversell me, you know what I mean?

I'd rather come in low and over deliver, but thank you.

It was a great intro.

Oh, come on, you're awesome.

Yes.

You deserve every bit of it.

Monique.

Oh, my goodness, thank you.

You have been so busy.

I mean, you're making an international statement.

I mean, you're all over the place.

So what's been happening since the last time we chatted?

Well, you lovely ladies entered my life when Dry Bar was released and started to go viral.

A slow climb.

Little did we know that the momentum, sort of, you know, social media platforms, all passing the Monique Baton back and forth.

I actually ended up with 190 million views on TikTok.

70 million views on Drybar.

I have several on my Instagram, several posts that have just climbed instantly to 30, you know, 3.5 million, 2 million, 5.7 million on Instagram.

And it's kind of, it's interesting.

This is the way a friend of mine said it to me years ago.

He said, monique, you've been stacking kindling for 30 years.

When the divine match hits that pile, it's going to create a blaze and you're going to light the world.

And that was one of the nicest things anybody ever said to me in my life.

It was my old radio partner Greg Sims.

And you know, for a few years now, I've seen sort of, let's call it a hand shaped cloud in the sky potentially holding a match.

And I believe that that pile is starting to be set ablaze.

Well, you've got such a wonderful philosophy and I think you're able to incorporate all of that into humor.

And I mean, it's a natural talent.

And you've been doing it pretty much all your life, haven't you?

All my adult life.

I started open miking at 27.

I quit my day job at 30, just shy of my 31st birthday.

And I, I've not, you know, my entire adult life.

I have been, I tell people, I've been living by my wits, quite literally for three decades.

Wow.

For over three decades.

And to do that, stand up comedians, there are not a lot of women doing that.

And I mean, you are really making headlines, which is just marvelous.

I mean, you're a serious trailblazer.

Thank you.

Well, what I'm thrilled about is that I'm doing it now.

Like, I didn't do it at 35 and I'm sort of the, you know, Al Bundy of comedy.

Looking back at the heyday of the 90s when I was on TV or I was a star or I, you know, I'm like, oh, I've been able to do this and make a nice living and enjoy myself and, and now, you know, in my sixth decade on the planet, I'm getting stopped in airports and recognized in Disneyland.

And I mean, Sunday morning, Saturday morning, I was in a hotel in Nevada City, California, which is a quaint, adorable town.

I had no idea how precious it was.

And I'm in this old, the oldest hotel west of the Mississippi, continuously running Hotel the National.

So I'm in this old beautiful hotel in my pajamas in a tiny town drinking a cup of coffee with a friend of mine.

And a woman is like talking to her husband under her breath, going, yeah, that's her.

And then she finally walked over, and, I mean, I'm in pajamas, looking like a Korean man in drag.

I send all of your videos to my daughters.

You know, I think they're life lessons and tutorials on how to have happy relationships.

And I think, I can't believe you're here.

And I'm thinking, I can't believe you're here.

Like, I would have combed my hair.

And then I had a wonderful conversation with her and her husband.

And it was just the fact that I.

There's five people in the room.

Me, my friend, the guy serving the coffee, and these two other people, and they're huge fans of mine.

Longstanding fans.

You know, you've arrived when you can maybe sign autographs in your pajamas.

That's awesome.

Yeah, it's kind of like.

Kind of like Hugh Hefner.

I mean.

Yeah, the smoking Jacket.

Right.

Well, I think what people love about you is your perspective.

It's spot on.

You're delightfully irreverent.

Micro.

That's well said.

I'm going to tell my mom to use that next time.

I'm like, hey, don't say it like this when you're not happy with me.

Say it like this.

My first experience watching you was your routine on, you'll never be able to change a man.

I mean, it was great, and it was so true.

And you have men coming, too.

And they loved it.

They love it more.

They love it.

They feel recognized.

Like, oh, my goodness.

Someone who understands that I'm going to stay like this.

And for me, it's not a bad thing.

I like me.

I like you, too.

Well, you know what?

It's funny.

It was a guy who turned me onto that routine.

It's like, you gotta watch this.

I mean, I'm like, wow, she's funny.

We gotta have her on the show.

This is great.

Thank you.

Oh, they're begging me to write books.

I have dudes saying, like, you need to put this, you know, down so they can see it all the time.

So why do you think Humor, you know, when people come to hear somebody and they laugh, I think that there's a sense of relief.

What is it about laughter that is so healthy for us?

I had a doctor tell me one time, a do.

A doctor, physician.

He said, it's impossible to think a negative thought while you're laughing.

The act of laughter, like a sneeze, is powerful.

It short circuits the brain.

It's literally a microscopic hard reset.

So you know that being Said it makes perfect sense that I would be a comedian because my dad was, you know, manic depressive.

I mean, now they call it bipolar.

My dad was manic depressive, and I kind of honed my skills as a child.

When I could see that my dad was blue, I would put on little pantomimes and shows in the living room to make him laugh and cheer him up.

And inevitably, if I timed it right, I could turn it around.

Like, I could halt the slide.

That's amazing.

So you were actually.

Wow.

I mean, as a child, for you to sense all of those things, you knew what he needed.

Absolutely.

I say that about everyone.

Yeah.

I mean, so that really did give you a skill set to be able to see how he responded.

Because when you're up on stage, you rely on the audience feedback energetically.

Yeah, I can feel him.

Mm.

I mean, that's a natural talent.

I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of people saying, gee, I'd love to do stand up.

But, I mean, there are a lot of skills you have to have or at least use.

I believe that everyone, if they chose to, would have an extra element of understanding other people.

I believe that.

I mean, supposedly the biblical story of the Tower of Babel is that originally we didn't need language because everybody understood everybody.

There was telepathy, and that language, in a way, created a way to hide from one another, having separate languages and different languages.

But I believe everybody, on some level, if they chose to, could feel and relate to people close to them, or maybe even far away, but for sure, close to them, differently than just depending on a conversation or a gesture or a facial expression.

I believe that with all my heart.

I just use it and hone it, and it's a muscle.

The more I do it, the better I get at it.

You have empathy, which I think a lot of people have not really been developing.

You know, especially with social media, I think we're kind of lacking that.

Well, I think it's going in the opposite direction.

I think it's perfecting people's skills of a negative form of objectivity, of a corrosive turning inward and thinking that it's all about you.

Oh.

Oh, my goodness.

Yes.

It's turning people into a bunch of little narcissists in many ways.

I mean, I've kind of.

Well, like Facebook, I used to call it my face.

Yeah, absolutely.

It's like, look at me, look at me.

By the way, look at my plate.

You know, before social media, how many people ran around showing each other.

Their plates, their food.

Their food.

I'm gonna tell you right now, I don't give a rat's patootie about your cat.

I don't care what you ate for dinner.

You know, I wanna know what makes you tick and if your food is what makes you tick.

You're a chef.

I've got a beloved friend who's a chef.

And, you know, that's different.

That's different.

But just randomly.

I ate at Chuck Jones barbecue and this is what my brisket looked like.

Like, that's a good use of your time.

Just enjoy the brisket.

Exactly.

Stay tuned for more of Women Road warriors.

Coming up.

Industry movement Trucking moves America Forward is telling the story of the industry.

Our safety champions, the women of trucking, independent contractors, the next generation of truckers, and more.

Help us promote the best of our industry.

Share your story and what you love about trucking.

Share images of a moment you're proud of and join us on social media.

Learn more at truckingmovesamerica.com.

Welcome back.

Welcome back to Women Road warriors with Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.

If you're enjoying this informative episode of Women Road Warriors, I wanted to mention Kathy and I explore all kinds of topics that will power you on the road to success.

We feature a lot of expert interviews, plus we feature celebrities and women who've been trailblazers.

Please check out our podcast@womenroadwarriors.com and click on our Episodes page.

We're also available wherever you listen to podcasts on all the major podcast channels like Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Amazon, Music, Audible, you name it.

Check us out and bookmark our podcast.

Also, don't forget to follow us on social media.

We're on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other sites and tell others about us.

We want to help as many women as possible.

If you've ever needed proof that laughter really is medicine, today's conversation delivers it.

Our world could use a whole lot more humor today, and our guest lives that truth every day.

Monique Marvez is the kind of comedian who makes you laugh hard and then quietly changes the way you see the world.

With millions of views across Showtime, hbo, Max, Dry bar, comedy, and social media channels like TikTok, Monique uses humor as a Trojan horse for truth, and she's doing it fearlessly.

Monique, do you think that laughter and humor, is that gonna be maybe the prescription for a better humanity?

If we can all maybe get together and stop being so serious and divisive and just loosen up and Laugh, damn it.

Exactly.

This year has been the best year of my life, end of story.

The best by far, for so many reasons.

But I think part of it is because I've reached the pinnacle of trusting myself and knowing that I got it right, that I.

That I did most of it better than I even thought I'd done it until I can look back, because I played such a long game that at different points, I wasn't.

You know, I was down a few points.

I didn't.

I didn't know that I was going to make it up.

I mean, I'm not saying my life has been, you know, the.

The famous Heidi game where the Raiders came back from.

I don't know if you're familiar with that analogy, but it's a very funny analogy, which is back in the day, you know, even if a football game was being played, if it was time for, you know, the Wonderful World of Disney or whatever, they would just.

The game would be done, as opposed to.

Because of the Heidi game is where they now say, we will get back to our regularly, you know, scheduled programming after the game, because I believe it was.

The Oakland Raiders were, like, down by, you know, four touchdowns or something.

And then they cut to the.

To the movie Heidi, and they came back from behind and they scored like.

Like four touchdowns and a field goal.

Like, I'm exaggerating, but it was that enormous, and the fans missed all of it because of Heidi.

So it's.

It's referred to as the Heidi game.

And.

And in a weird way, my life, you know, at different points, at different parts of my life, it looked like I was three touchdowns back, you know, but, you know, you cut to something else, and then when you're looking back again, you're like, oh, my goodness, I'm winning.

Well, hindsight's always 20 20, and I think when we're in the.

In the thick of something, we're not sure if we're going to get through it.

And then we really are.

We're like, whew, glad that's over with.

And, wow, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was.

And then.

Or it didn't leave as many mark and probably was harder than I remember, but I.

Because we don't remember it the way it happened, but it didn't leave any mark.

I'm good.

Exactly.

And, you know, a lot of times, some of the toughest things we go through, we can stand back and laugh at it.

They're my favorites.

Yeah.

And we can laugh at ourselves.

I think people have Become so serious and so hard on themselves.

They can't mean serious.

Isn't it?

I don't mind serious people.

I don't mind academics.

I don't even mind people with no sense of humor.

I was raised by, well, like my grandmother.

Her name was Pierce Snows in Spanish, Pura Nieves.

She had zero sense of humor.

My grandfather used to tell her jokes just to watch her not get them.

That just made him enjoy it more.

I just think that we've normalized over 25 years of, you know, reality shows.

When I was a kid were Alan Funt, you know, Candid Camera.

You made somebody look silly.

Yeah.

You know, it wasn't a big deal.

And then.

And then we got Survivor and it just kept going.

And Love island and Temptation island and the Bachelor and the golden bachelor and the 3/4 dead bachelor, whatever.

And we just keep going.

And, you know, even if you go back to the Apprentice, how did it become a good show that at the end of the show somebody says, you're fired?

Like, how is that a show?

That's you're the weakest link.

You've been voted off.

Like, how did we as a society come to enjoy people hearing the, you know, like, the only worse thing than you've been fired is you're dead or you're evicted.

Like, why is.

Why is that good?

Yeah, it seems kind of sadistic.

It's Roman Circus.

It's Roman Circus.

Thumbs up, thumbs down.

I don't like it.

I don't watch any of those shows, and I don't promulgate them in any way other than to say, not my cup of tea.

Because if it makes you happy, but you gotta ask yourself, why?

So that you can say like, whew, there but for the grace of God go, I glad it's that guy and not me.

That's not a good way to think.

No, no.

My thought is, how do I help that guy?

Look what just happened to him.

What can I do?

And that's the way it should be.

That's the way people should be thinking.

But I think you're right.

We've really shifted.

And when people maybe could get out of that serious mindset, and I think what you do is you bring the human.

I mean, everything you talk about, it's funny.

But you have a life lesson there.

And I think people can walk away and go, you know, she's right.

And maybe they'll rethink what they're doing.

So, I mean, it's a positive chain reaction.

Well, I think God was kind in waiting till I was relatively not young to hand me this success because people know that I'm not being a hypocrite.

If you go through my life, you know, you're not gonna read a Wikipedia post.

In fact, the first time somebody aied me and said like, you know, Monique, I mean, it was early days of ChatGPT.

I'll never forget it.

I got an email from my friend Melissa Greenberg and she said, I asked ChatGPT about you and I remember it.

I've read it so many times.

I don't know it by memory, but it was like, ah comma, Monique Marvez.

Now you're talking about a great comedian period.

And it was about a two paragraph love letter of how I've worked hard and I've been in the game a long time.

And this was long before, you know, TikTok or, or Dry bar or, you know, and it, it just, basically it was, I said, this is Ivory Snow.

This is, you know, Ivory soap.

99.4% pure.

Like, at no time to say there was a controversy where someone accused her of stealing material or, you know, there people claim that her career was helped by sleeping with so and so TV executive.

Like, all it was was, this chick works hard, she says good things, she tries to help others.

Oh, and she happens to be unbelievably hilarious.

And I cried.

I read the email she sent me, I read the bio that GBT chat, and I sat in a hotel room in Vegas and cried and said, this is a life well lived.

This is a life well lived and kudos to me.

You know, it was a big day.

That's so awesome.

That is.

Wow.

Everything else is a bonus.

The fact that the Internet machine, even the Internet machine could only give me love and positive, like, praise.

Like, yeah, this, this chick's crushing it.

And she's crushing it with kindness and helping other people journey to a better place while she's going there.

Stay tuned for more of women Road warriors coming up.

Dean Michael, the tax doctor here.

I have one question for you.

Do you want to stop worrying about the irs?

If the answer is yes, then.

Then look no further.

I've been around for years.

I've helped countless people across the country, and my success rate speaks for itself.

So now you know where to find good, honest help with your tax problems.

What are you waiting for?

Industry movement Trucking Moves America Forward is telling the story of the industry.

Our safety champions, the women of trucking, independent contractors, the next generation of truckers and more.

Help us promote the best of our industry.

Share your story and what you love about trucking.

Share images of a moment you're proud of and join us on social media.

Learn more at truckingmovesamerica.com.

Welcome back welcome back to Women Road warriors with Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tucaro.

There's comedy that entertains and then there's comedy that connects.

Monique Marvez does both.

She's a trailblazing comic, a storyteller, and a truth teller who blends razor sharp wit with warmth and Wisdom.

With over 200 million views online, she's become a kind of comedic yoda for for a new generation of women who crave authenticity.

Monique doesn't just make you laugh.

She makes you think, feel, and see yourself more clearly.

She's been discussing the importance of humor and how many of us have lost some of that ability.

Humor is something that we really need today.

Plus it's healthy and it's human.

We've been exploring Monique's incredible insights and her positive spin on humor that helps people journey to a better place.

ChatGPT's even impressed with her with some serious kudos and a review of what she's been doing.

Monique, you know, you've arrived and you're making some serious waves.

If ChatGPT can see your impact when you can impress ChatGPT, I don't think a lot of people can say that.

I cried.

I sat in bed in a hotel room in Vegas and cried when I read what?

What the.

Because all AI is is machine learning.

It goes out and reads every single thing that's ever been written.

So.

And, and the beauty was at the end it said, this is all I know about Monique Marvez as of my most recent update.

However, we, you know, based on blah, blah, we expect great things ahead for her.

I think that's the part that made me cry because I'm reading this and I'm like 50 something years old, you know.

Yeah.

Wow.

Well, you know, you have done so many different things and I think getting a later start as a comedian, you've got life experience.

Oh yeah.

I told people what got me smacked.

Lots of it.

Yeah.

What got me smacked, divorced and fired is now paying my rent.

But you know, you can take that experience.

And you can make it funny and you can make it a life lesson too, for the audience.

And I think that the people are sensing the fact you give back.

And you have that sense if humanity and you're relatable, which that's, I think, what everyone's craving because we seem to be lacking that today.

Well, I think that's why I'm glad that I'm not a child and that when people look at me and I could lie to you, you're my friends and you know, you would, you would just push back and go like, come on, Monique.

But the truth is, like, when I'm standing on stage, I enjoy saying my age because I don't look at at all.

I'm physically fit, stronger than I've been in my whole life.

Just did a hot yoga class this morning and did a lot of chaturangas, my friend.

I did not puss out and do child pose when I could have.

But the point I'm making is that I'm not telling you anything.

I'm showing you.

Do you want to be happy?

Do you want to have a face free of a bunch of frown lines and wrinkles, but not all smooth, that you can show a movie on your forehead because you've botoxed away your innards?

And you know, I can tell you when people say, like, what's your secret?

You look great.

Or your energy is greater, your frequency or your vibe, you know my secret?

Have faith in myself, have faith in my fellow man.

And have faith something bigger than me.

Just believing in the goodness of the order of things is better than any beauty product or protocol you can follow.

And I would think that it comes out.

And you're so right.

A lot of people, they're so worried about all the day to day stuff, the things that don't matter, I mean, they just worry, worry, worry.

And then of course, they look in the mirror and they hate what they see because they're paying attention to the messages of what you're supposed to look like and what you're supposed to act like.

They forget who they are, they forget the humanity and they forget the reason we're on this earth.

And because there's so much to enjoy and there's no dollar amount that you can put on that.

No, when you.

It's really that simple.

Find things that make you happy.

If you want to scroll socials, the bottom line is if all you do is heart kitten videos of kittens riding Roombas, then eventually the algorithm will think, oh, she likes kittens.

Writing Roombas.

Let's send her baby deer bathing in, you know, whatever.

If you scroll through my socials, the algorithm now knows Monique likes, you know, butt workouts.

Because you get older, you got to work extra hard to keep the cheeks high.

What does Monique like?

Dogs, butt workouts and vintage dancing.

I love old dancing videos where they take and they mash up old dance routines with modern music.

Like, what do I like?

I like old Hollywood.

I like dancing.

I like dogs.

I like butt workouts.

Like that.

The algorithm now sends me all kinds of that.

Well, but that's what you enjoy.

Yeah.

I don't get politics.

I don't get recipes.

You know, I do get a lot of refinished furniture.

I do get a lot of.

I like that.

I like watching people take old banged up stuff and make it pretty.

I enjoy that.

Well, and of course, they're restoring history.

Yeah.

You know, and the history of the people who sat in those chairs.

I love vintage thrift.

Yeah, but that.

That's.

That's what the algorithm sends me.

The algorithm sends me, you know, upcycling, dogs, dancing, golden age of Hollywood.

Like, it makes me happy.

If social media is not making you happy, you're using it wrong.

You're getting into virtual fights with idiots and bots, and you're voicing opinions that nobody needs to know outside of your house.

You know, like, get smart about it.

Turn it around.

Use it.

Yeah, and you're so right.

I mean, people are picking fights over everything.

And you see, and the algorithm loves that.

It leans into it.

If you give it the tiniest opportunity to create conflict or controversy, it will do it, because that's what keeps people stuck.

And the whole goal of social media is to keep you stuck to it.

That's its job.

Yeah, that's true.

So if everybody changed that trajectory, if you will, and leaned into humor and Cathy, what would the Internet look like?

Wouldn't that be.

It would be a lot of cats on roombas.

You know what I mean?

Like, or recipes, if that's what you like.

Or being a vegan.

It would be about.

You want me to tell you what it would look like?

Collaboration, community, support, Faith in.

In your fellow man, helping a neighbor, raising a barn, pooling resources after a fire.

That's what it would look like, and.

That'S what it's supposed to be.

And, you know, around the holidays, people think that way, but then I think they kind of migrate away from it and they go back to the old way of doing things.

I mean, human beings have to be Reminded.

And I think once they have that kind of collaboration and they're focused and leaning into more, the happy, they're going to like more people.

It's gotta be a snowball effect.

And they're going to want to participate and they're going to want to do things for other people.

It's an upwards spiral.

You know, when I worked with John Gray on Mars, Venus Live, one of the things I really understood, and I knew this before, but there is no stasis on a physical plane.

That's not Jesus or that's physics.

There is no stasis on a physical plane.

Everything's changing all the time.

It's just the nature of Earth, right?

But then John Gray was telling me that within relationship, being the Mars Venus guy and the relationship guru, that they're.

Within relationships, you're either ascending or descending.

Now he's talking about romantic.

I mean, Mars, Venus, he was a marriage counselor.

But in every single relationship you have in your life, you're either ascending, you're becoming better people together, or descending, you're going shop.

That's your friend you go shopping with and buy things you maybe don't need.

And you love them.

But of course, don't you love the person you go to the casino with or the person you smoke pot with or the person you drink with or of course you love those people because they're fun and you do fun things, but they're not necessarily people that are helping you ascend.

But there is no stasis.

You're not flat.

You're either ascending or descending.

And I pick people that bring out the things in me that I want to be better.

I pick out people that are braver than me and fitter than me and more talented than me and smarter than me.

And I calm the world for people that I believe are.

Will help me ascend.

Because that to me, is the better basis for a friendship.

It's real easy to find people to smoke and drink with, but boy, when you find somebody that when you walk away from them, you feel better.

That's the money.

It really is.

We interviewed Dr. Gray about his book Beyond Mars and the relationship skills for today's complex world.

I mean, he's got some tremendous insight.

He's a great guy.

I've worked with him.

Yeah, it was a really good interview.

And, you know, you're right.

Finding the right people where you can grow.

I mean, we come into this world learning and we don't know it all.

A lot of people think to themselves, hey, I know it all I've never said that.

I've never.

I realize there's so much more I can learn, and that's what makes the world exciting.

Yes.

You know, there's so many things to experience and learning from other people, that's part of the collaboration.

And along with that comes laughter.

Look, laughter.

I tell people laughter is the salve that keeps reality from scarring.

You're going to fall down in life.

You're going to skin your, you know, your knee, so to speak.

Things are going to happen if you can't dust yourself off and laugh, you know, like, that's.

You're gonna have a.

It's not gonna be a good Earth.

Is not gonna be a good experience for you.

True.

Well, and then, of course, I wonder, they're saying AI is going to be more and more pervasive and in our lives and so forth, and.

I don't know.

One robot that can laugh.

No.

Well, you know, look, it's a tool.

Everybody's got themselves wrapped around the axle about AI's coming.

So.

So did the Gutenberg Bible, you know, so did the printing press.

So did the steam engine.

So did the radio.

So did the telephone.

So did fiber optic.

So did, you know, like, stop me whenever you want.

But it's a tool.

It's not here to ruin your life.

Like, yes.

When Henry Ford event invented the assembly line, a lot of people lost their jobs because cars used to be made.

20 guys on one car, you know, I mean, and then the assembly line changed that, you know, and the model T. Well, okay, well, that wasn't very fun.

Or, you know, when all of a sudden trains could take you anywhere and you didn't need.

Every single person had their own horse and their own this and their own that.

I mean, people don't realize people didn't want trains.

Queen Victoria had to popularize trains in England because the.

The landed gentry didn't want the hoi polloi being able to jump on a train and come out to their neighborhood.

Well, they also said that women's uteruses would fall out or something if they were in a vehicle that went too fast.

You know what it takes to make your uterus fall out?

Ridiculous.

Is that.

I mean, I personally couldn't answer that question if you said no.

What does it take for a uterus to fall out?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I wouldn't even know how to Google that.

Yeah, it'd be interesting to see what ChatGPT would do.

Yeah, because it's like you could say what event or what, you know, what health.

I mean, there's a lot of ways that that could happen, right?

Yeah.

People are afraid of change and people.

Are afraid of the loss of control.

And it's such a childish, childish, specious argument to think that you have control over anything ever.

You have control over your reactions, you have control over your attitude, but one day you're going to wake up and somebody you love is alive and when you go to bed that night, they're going to be dead.

Yeah.

And that's, you know, that's the ultimate loss of control.

Yes, it is.

And human beings do not react well to that.

No, we do not.

We are control freaks.

And maybe that's where laughter breaks us out of that.

I mean, I really do think that laughter and humor are probably some of the most important emotions or healthiest that we could have to deal with.

Stress, it's like compressed love when you laugh.

It's that instant feeling and even chemical what you release when you laugh.

And oxytocin, it's literally like a tiny little, like a little splash of sprinkly, glittery love in your face when you laugh.

Because it's the best of every part of being a human.

It is.

Stay tuned for more of Women Road warriors coming up.

Industry movement Trucking Moves America Forward is telling the story of the industry.

Our safety champions, the women of trucking, Independent contract, the next generation of truckers and more.

Help us promote the best of our industry.

Share your story and what you love about trucking.

Share images of a moment you're proud of and join us on social media.

Learn more at truckingmovesamerica.com.

Welcome back to Women Road warriors with Shelly Johnson.

That's Kathy Tucaro.

Laughter is powerful and today's guest has turned it into a movement.

Monique Marvez has built an entire philosophy around using humor to crack open conversations we don't always know how to have a 20 year broadcast.

Veteran, author, podcaster, and comedy force of nature, she captivates audiences across generations, especially Gen Z women who recognize real when they hear it.

Monique's fearless, insightful and wildly funny.

She has a fantastic perspective on life that's propelled her to success.

She knows how important laughter is for all of us.

She also believes that people need to have faith in themselves, have faith in their fellow man and faith in something bigger than themselves.

It's better than any beauty product or protocol you can follow.

Like she says, to find things that make you happy and engage in positive social media.

That's collaboration, community support.

And helping others, not that negative stuff.

Also pick people to hang out with that will make you better and ascend as a person and laugh.

Like Monique says, it's like compressed love that's released when you laugh.

That's a powerful perspective.

Well, Kathy, you enjoy a good joke and certainly you've always been very much into laughter and all of that, haven't you?

Well, yeah.

Growing up in an extremely difficult situation.

Life.

Life situation.

My mom is the one that got us going, raising us three girls.

I mean, we were so poor.

Our toaster literally was a wire hanger folded in half right on the stove.

But anyway, so life was tough.

And I remember walking down the street with her one day and she.

We were looking at this lady, she was just really old and crispy and so full of wrinkles.

And her face, like her mouth was down in a frown and just so miserable and tight.

And my mom elbowed me so hard in the side and she says, if you don't learn to laugh at life, you're gonna look just like that.

And she says you need to be able to, no matter what it is, to smile and make.

Turn it up, turn it around, right?

And it's.

It's the best thing that she could have ever taught me because life would have.

Well, life has been really rough.

But honestly, laughter really, truly is the best medicine.

And I'll give you another example of that.

Here at work, we work 13 hour shifts.

Like right now, I'm here for three weeks and I'm on night shift.

I will not see the sun for three weeks.

Where are you?

I'm in northern Canada right now.

As we learned in radio, there could be a person who does not know I know your lunatic job.

But there could be a first time listener because I'm going to share this.

So my fans could be coming to Road Warriors.

So if you'd be kind enough to tell potentially one of my fans and a first time listener what your lunatic job is so they can.

Okay.

I operate the largest mining equipment in the world.

Like right now, like a truck that I drive is literally two and a half stories high.

When the box is up, when we dump a load of 400 tons, it's five stories high.

So the tires are 14ft tall.

I drive a building.

It is crazy, crazy big.

The grader I operate that I've been on for the last week and a half is bigger than a highway tractor trailer.

When the flat deck comes in the mine hauling pipe or whatever pieces of equipment, I'm actually looking down at the driver My dozer is bigger than a double car garage.

And yeah, it's wicked.

And I work for ExxonMobil and we work in an open pit mine in the oil sands in northern Alberta.

And yeah, so right now, what I was saying is that we're on night shift.

These 12 and a half hour night shifts.

And the only thing that really keeps our sanity, because right now we have 81 autonomous trucks.

It's all robots, no people driving.

Right.

And so it's crazy because they go flying by you and I'm not joking, 50 miles an hour.

Right.

These robots go fully loaded.

And so it's scary because, I mean, you got to get out of the way because they don't.

Like, they'll stop it.

Not really.

But anyway, so these things are flying by and I mean, the stress is high and it's a dangerous job.

The only thing that keeps our sanity is the peanut gallery on the radio, you know, people.

People jesting each other and, you know, putting, you know, joking and making fun out of.

Oh, man.

Like, Kathy got stuck again.

You know, like, really, Kathy.

So.

But yeah, laughter is what keeps us going.

I love that.

I was just in Edmonton for the Edmonton Comedy Festival.

And for.

For.

I'm sure the part you're at isn't like the best part, but I love Canada.

I always say Canadians are the nicest human beings on earth.

And thank you.

Any chance I get to go to Canada?

I always say yes because I do love Canada.

I agree with Monique.

Canada's great.

And, you know, it's interesting, Kathy, you're saying that what's really keeping your sanity is laughter and humor.

It is.

Yeah.

So, Monique, what you're talking about and what you're doing, you're promoting sanity when you have that setting.

Yes.

Agreed.

Agreed.

Yep.

Positive mental health.

Yeah.

Because it does seem sometimes that we've got a lot of crazy people out there, and if you can bring them back into something that's a lot more centered and human with laughter and something positive.

What a wonderful world we have.

Just so much negativity around, right?

Yep.

And I refuse to live in that dark circle.

Like, I just won't.

Agreed.

My whole point in life is everywhere I go, I'm going to be that ray of sunshine.

I'm going to be making people, someone smile and happy and just, you know.

You know what?

I got so much energy right now.

You're getting a hug.

Yeah.

I'm afraid of what's going to happen if we're ever in the same room.

Kathy, it's Going to be all kinds of hugging and high fiving and some clogging, maybe some clogging, a jig of some sort.

It's going to get crazy.

But that's what life's about.

And, you know, that's.

That's what children do, you know?

Yeah, we forget how to be a kid.

Agreed.

Not me.

I have an annual pass to Disneyland.

I could be ridiculously childish, but, you.

Know, you've got a better dial on life.

I think you got a handle on that at a very young age, helping your dad.

I did.

Yeah, I did.

I feel so blessed that a lot of things that dawn on people like years ago.

I remember sometimes I say very irreverent things, as you well know.

There was a whole thing about when I'm old.

There was a poem, when I'm old, I'll wear purple.

And then it was like a red hat society.

And then you saw a lot of old ladies going around in purple dresses with red hats.

It's a thing, you know, it was.

Became a thing.

I think it was even international, but certainly the United States.

And, and I used to say, like, you're going to wait till you're old to wear purple and red hats.

Like, clearly you're not Puerto Rican.

You're like, we, my people, we do this, like, early on in life.

We, we know all about the bright colors and the just go with it kind of vibe.

Like, I jokingly say, yeah, I'll wear a prom dress to go pay my light bill.

Like, let's do this.

That's great.

But, you know, that's fun.

And people may say, wow, you're kind of weird.

So what?

So what?

We're too worried about worrying about what other people think of us.

Amen.

What do you think of you?

That's even my answer with politics.

When people get all whacked out, I look them dead in the eye and I say, you know what?

Worry less about who's in the White House and more about who's in your house.

You're going to be so much happier.

Ooh, I like that.

That could be a T shirt.

Thank you.

I like that.

We do.

I mean, it's like, oh, so and so is great to think.

And I think that we're even.

What you're seeing with social media, people are worried about everybody else.

Oh, I need my likes.

Hey, I didn't get any likes today.

Well, so, you know, we didn't worry about that so much until all of this social media frenzy.

So for us to maybe get back to humanity and what we're all about, because I think a lot of people are kind of worried that the world's kind of out of control because people are losing sight of being human.

It doesn't hurt to remind people.

Analog in person.

I mean, I. I travel a lot for business, and there's a street that I'm on all the time in Los Angeles called Larchmont.

And it's an old school, this Larchmont.

I was joking to say.

I say LA is like the Bible.

Everybody thinks the Bible is one big giant thing, and it's not.

It's 44 books.

So I always tell people Los Angeles is a giant group of small neighborhoods kind of, you know, quilted together.

And there's a neighborhood that I like, Hancock park.

And it has its own little main street that's two blocks long.

And I go there every day.

My yoga center's there, my Poke bowl, my dry cleaner.

That's just my happy place.

And when I've been out of town, I literally just walk down the street, opening up the doors to the little stores and going like, hi, I missed you guys.

And I, you know, I just feel like it's analog important to let the people know that are in your life, that you're.

That you like them.

Not just.

I mean, I. I write reviews on things and I do Yelps and I do all that stuff because it does help to support your people on socials.

I tell people, if you have a friend and they have a store, don't just take it for granted.

Take the time and write them an awesome Yelp review.

You know, that's.

That's the best way you can really help your friend.

So I do all of the online likes and supports and you're.

There's your new grandbaby.

And I do all of that, but in person, you know, I will.

I poke my head into storefronts and high five people walking their dogs and let them know, you're.

You're not random to me.

You make up my life.

You make it better.

I like that.

I like that, too.

I think too many people think other people are random and they need to not think that way.

I'm the opposite.

I think every.

I think the Matrix was a documentary that your life is your own movie that you're creating, that nothing's a coincidence that anybody in your movie is.

That's a quote unquote extra.

You've never met them before.

They're in the background.

Okay, but they're in your movie, and it's not random or A coincidence.

So smile.

Say good morning.

They're in your movie.

It's part of it.

Love it.

So, Monique, oh, my goodness.

Your perspective.

I think that that's why so many people gravitate towards you.

Your perspective is so awesome.

Where do people find you?

I mean, you're traveling all over.

I know you go on CRU cruise ships and everything else, but where can people find you to actually see you live?

Well, this year, because of all of the good things, I actually have a pa.

It's like, what?

I have a person to help me.

So I have a website, moniquemarvez.com.

we're constantly updating my tour dates.

I have oniqueMarvez on all socials because there's only one Monique Marvez, and that's a true fact.

I have a girlfriend, a cousin named Gianna.

Monique Marvez.

She's kind of a poser, Copied my name.

But Monique Marvez on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, oniqueMarvez official fan page on Facebook, because actually, my personal page is maxed out.

And then my website, moniquemarvez.com and that has tour dates, and you can contact me through it and et cetera, et cetera.

I highly recommend people come see you.

I sure hope I can go see you.

Yeah, I want to.

So, Monique, with your perspective, you understand the importance of laughter and humor.

And, I mean, you really have it all together in terms of, I think, understanding.

Like you said, the Matrix.

The matrix of life.

Thank you.

Yes.

What would you say is a takeaway for people in terms of laughter and maybe how they can feel better?

Because I think they're really craving that right now.

Thank you.

Here's what I learned this year.

When I said earlier, this was the best year of my life.

I have always thought if you look at life as a game, like a video game, and you game it.

Going back to the Matrix analogy, why is this in your movie?

What's the opportunity?

What can come from this?

That is good.

And again, I'm not a hypocrite.

I'm not telling you to do something I haven't done.

I was bereft.

There are no words to describe.

We were very, very close.

Extremely close.

And you know, you can't.

You know, you expect to bury your parents and nobody wants to, and some people have to do it too soon, but it's kind of baked in.

We know that's coming.

Or pets.

Nobody expects to bury a younger sibling.

So the reason I'm saying game, it Is again, not being a hypocrite.

When my brother died, after I got over the shock and I could think a little more clearly, I thought, what could be the opportunity from this?

And I think even just changing my brain a little bit, all of a sudden, my career started to explode.

And I regularly would say out loud, I think my brother died, went to heaven, and became my agent.

And then things just kept happening, and I kept believing that and saying it out loud.

And then what I now, when people ask, I tell them my brother's death was the gift that kept on giving.

Because my mantra became, life is short, death is sure.

And it doesn't make me sad.

It actually empowers me and makes me double down on the joy.

It makes me feel very much.

Remember, you know what?

I'm here with friends and, you know, they've ordered dessert and yeah, you know, I like my clothes to fit me loose.

But I'm here and I'm having fun and I love them, and life is short and death is sure.

So I'm going to order the key lime pie and I'll just do a little more yoga.

I mean, I don't do it every day, but when I'm in a moment and I'm like, this is magical or this is special or this is, you know, yes, yes.

Which is way different from, I'm miserable and I have a frozen Pepperidge farm in my freezer, because I've done that, too.

But being an annual passholder Disney pass holder, it's not cheap.

I'm not rich.

But guess what?

Knowing that I'm going to go to Disney once or twice a month because I have a friend, and we agreed, we made a pact to get annual pass holders together.

And just knowing that twice a month I'm going to go with my bestie that I love and laugh and ride rides is just game it.

Just game it.

Why is this in your movie?

What's the challenge?

What's the win?

On the other side of the challenge, what's the win?

I don't even tell people.

If I have a problem, I go, I have a challenge.

Because I even use game it verbiage.

That's a powerful perspective, Monique.

And that's definitely something that people need to think about, know what's valuable, know what really, really is important in life.

And I think that that's what you're doing.

You're bringing people around to think about that.

Really sorry to hear about your brother.

That's my.

Thank you.

Such a hard loss.

It was.

But again, I game it meaning what's good?

It's a roller coaster.

It's going to get better.

And when it does, throw your hands in the air and scream, game it.

Yeah, I like that.

Game it.

I do, too.

Monique, where do people find you again?

OniqueMarvez on all social media.

If you want to interact with me at Monique Marvez official fan page on Facebook, because the other one's maxed out.

My personal page, moniquemarvez.com is my website and I'm constantly updating everything on there.

Thank you so much for being back on our show.

We just love your perspectives.

You girls not only bring me joy, but as things were exploding under my feet, you were the first people, and I've heard it many times since, you were the first people that say young women need to hear what you have to say.

You need to be the Taylor Swift of comedy.

And when you guys said that, it struck me in the sternum.

It just made me feel so powerful and so joyful that you guys were saying lots and lots and lots of young women.

You know, I'd like everybody to think I'm terrific, but if I can help a young woman have a better, happier life, that's the win for me.

Amen.

Well, we're glad to say that, Monique, because we believe that you're awesome.

Thank you.

I feel the sun.

Thank you.

I feel the same about you girls.

Trust me, I do.

You rock, too.

Thank you, Monique.

We hope you've enjoyed this latest episode.

And if you want to hear more episodes of Women Road warriors or learn more about our show, be sure to check out womenroadwarriors.com and please follow us on social media.

And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on our website.

We also have a selection of podcasts just for women.

They're a series of podcasts from different podcasters.

So if you're in the mood for women's podcasts, just click the Power network tab on womenroadwarriors.com youm'll have a variety of shows to listen to anytime you want to.

Podcasts Made for Women Women Road warriors is on all the major podcast channels like Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Audible, YouTube and others.

Check us out and please follow us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks for listening.

You've been listening to Women Road warriors with Shelly Johnson and Kathy Tuccaro.

If you want to be a guest on the show or have a talk topic or feedback, email us@sjohnsonomenroadwarriors.com.