Linda Larsen
Biography

Who I Am And How I Think I Got That Way

I finally figured it out!!! I now know why I am the way I am. It all has to do with Lucy. You know, the one we all love .

I can remember as a little girl watching Lucy on our little black & white television, thrilling to her crazy antics. My girlfriend Debbie and I didn't play "dolls", we played "Lucy & Ethel." And yes, of course, I WAS Lucy!

Do you suppose that this was why I decided to become a comedic actress when I grew up??? Well, that, and the fact that I came from this passionate, arm waving, spaghetti-eating Italian family where everyone yelled, sang at the top of their lungs and always smelled like garlic morning, noon and night. Ahhhhhh, the aroma captures me even now. We SO do not have vampire problems in our family.

And yes, I became a professional actress and - for actual money - I got to occasionally escape to magical worlds created by everyone from Shakespeare to Moliere; from Shaw to Simon. I became a member of Actor's Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild and, as such, joined the ranks of hundreds of thousands of mostly unemployed starving actors. But I didn't care! I was an actor!!! I had an actual Master of Fine Arts Degree that PROVED, by gosh, that I was supposed to know what I was doing.

Odd thing, though. Did you know that if you wave a graduate degree - even one from the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Professional Actor Training - in front of a casting director, it basically means .nothing?

Oh well, if I didn't have a theater job or a television commercial playing that provided residuals, I decided I would simply TEACH acting! I think that's where I first heard the adage, "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach."

And then (and you are going to perceive a HUGE jump here) I started teaching trial lawyers how to communicate more persuasively and effectively in the courtroom.

There IS a connection there. If you think about it long enough.
And I trained lawyers for lots of years. I created a full day course for them that was approved by the Florida Bar for CLE credit. I worked with, spoke to, and consulted with public defenders, state attorneys, lawyers in private practice and trial practice law students at Stetson Law School. I became a trial consultant and helped attorneys strategize their cases, select juries, and prepared witnesses and clients for trial.

And slowly, very slowly, I forgot all about Lucy. I became a "grown-up" and wore professional clothes and scary shoes. I even drove a sensible sedan.

And then I met the Weather Muffin!!! Hooray! The cavalry arrived! John Scalzi, weatherman extraordinaire, funniest man on the planet and smartest man I've ever known, showed up in my life in 1996. And how could I resist him??? He was Italian (back to the garlic), sexy, and was always, always laughing about something. Why, some might say he had a .yes! a Ricky Ricardo quality!!!!! I also found out that before going back to graduate school to learn meteorology - he was an actor! Ooooooh, the heavens were smiling on me.

We were married about a year later.

So, here I am now. Fourteen ridiculously happy years later, and I feel like I have returned to my RIGHT place. Ricky and I .uhhh, I mean John and I live in a fun house with 3 dogs, 1 cat and Buster the Big Alligator (we make Buster live in the pond though). I do have a grown-up SUV (well, if a hurricane strikes I have to have a vehicle large enough for a small zoo and 14,709 photographs), and a spicy little gas-saving Prius. We go to LOTS of live theater and then come home and put on little one-act comedies under our mango tree. We make dinner for my exquisite mother-in-law, our 2 amazing sons and our best friends, Rick and Garry and Tim and we laugh until we snort milk from our collective noses. We are wacky people.

And when it comes to making all the decisions in my life, big or small, I have one question I can ask myself that will INSTANTLY give me the answer I need. It is my guiding philosophical perspective that I know will never, ever lead me astray. I stand in the middle of the problem and I ask myself:

"In a situation like this .what would Lucy do?"

YOU! Super Hero! Super Star! Super Exhausted!

(This high energy, fun session is particularly well suited for people in the healthcare and service industries, and for all women’s groups)
With all of life’s fast-paced, high stress demands it becomes very easy to put ourselves rock-bottom last on our own “to-do” list.

And the result? Compromised health, exhaustion, frustration, strained relationships, depression, guilt, and acute crankiness. In this incredibly funny, fast-paced and potentially life saving session, attendees will learn practical, doable strategies that they can immediately put to use to bring more focus, mental acuity, good health and happiness into their lives. They will recognize what they have been repeatedly doing (with the best of intentions) that adds to their stress levels, and how to proactively change those behaviors. They will also leave knowing:

1. The number one thing most people do AUTOMATICALLY (many times a day) that takes them to the breaking point – and how to stop it!
2. One powerful technique to help them shift their emotional state from cranky and irritable to peaceful and relaxed within minutes
3. How to say “no” without feeling guilty – in such a way that actually BUILDS relationships rather than compromises them
4. Why “the pursuit of happiness” is not only a worthwhile goal – but a potentially life saving one as well.
5. How to turn “shark-infested waters” into gentle pools of happy angel fish (or… how to turn cranky people into happy ones!)

Staying Right Side Up When
Achieving Excellence in Challenging Times Everything is Upside Down

It is absolutely possible to achieve excellence when the world around you seems to be falling apart – IF you know the secrets. In this fast paced, fun program, Linda will give participants practical ways to light their own fire of excellence and motivate themselves to take positive, consistent action when they just want to give up. Attendees will learn what the most successful, effective people throughout history have all known and consciously applied. They will leave knowing:

1. How to acknowledge and enhance skills they already have.
2. How to recognize, own and change behaviors that don’t serve them.
3. How to stay level, calm and professional when their instincts make them want to scream.
4. How to communicate effectively to resolve differences.
5. How to take 100% responsibility for the interpretations they place on situations, circumstances and other people’s actions.

Dare to Soar
5 Keys to a Life of Power, Passion and Pizzazz!

Buckle your seatbelts – you're about to take off! During this flight you will listen and laugh as Linda shares stories and strategies designed to help you fly with your ideas and soar to new levels of joy, passion and fun. You will leave with a clear sense of how you can rise above anything that life throws in your path. Extremely inspiring, motivating and fun! Participants will leave knowing:

1. How to create a personal vision for their life that gives them enthusiasm, passion and commitment.
2. Why people get locked in to behaviors that don’t serve them and how to overcome that propensity.
3. How to get in, and stay in the driver’s seat of their life.
4. How to use their thinking to create the exact emotions, behaviors, and results that they choose.
5. How to take 100% responsibility for their lives – and most importantly – the interpretations they place on what happens to them in their lives.

Play to Win
It’s Not Your Mother’s Playground Anymore

The rules in business today have changed. And yes, you can break the rules if you choose, but first you must know what they are. In this workshop participants will learn the different ways that men and women approach situations and how they can adapt to meet challenges and solve problems effectively. They will investigate how, as women, they can position themselves for success – and actually strengthen relationships with others at the same time. Additionally they will learn:

1. 25 distinct differences in how men and women think and behave.
2. How to ask for what they want in a way that works!
3. Specific communication techniques that are a MUST when communicating with the opposite sex.
4. 3 common mistakes most women make and how to avoid them.
5. 7 keys to enjoying healthy competition.
6. Which nonverbal body language undermines your message and which supports it.

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Linda Larsen

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