Naomi Bagdonas is an executive advisor, Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and leading expert in the intersection of humor and business. She facilitates interactive sessions for the boards and leadership teams of Fortune 100 companies and nonprofits. Versed in behavioral science and human perceptions, she advises global CEOs, professional athletes, and public figures on how to lead more effectively and joyfully, and works with multi-billion dollar family offices on creating a new type of legacy. 

 

Naomi’s work on the power of humor has been widely featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Forbes, on Good Morning America and TED. Her executive coaching was featured in Sports Illustrated. Her advisory ranges from prepping celebrities for appearances on Saturday Night Live and The Today Show, to coaching Presidents and CEOs for commencement speeches. 

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At Stanford, Naomi teaches courses including Humor: Serious Business focused on how to harness humor as a secret weapon in business and life, Rethinking Purpose focused on how to create positive, meaningful, and lasting impact in the world, and A New Type of Leader focused on how leaders can bridge the trust gap and unlock radical agility in the face of change. Naomi teaches in Stanford's global executive programs and her award-winning book Humor, Seriously has become a global bestseller in over 20 languages

 

On the whole, Naomi's work is rooted in a deep understanding of human psychology and behavior. In 2011, she partnered with experts in the fields of neuroanthropology and geneticist to co-develop a personality system that has now been used by over 1 million people across 178 countries. Her pioneering research on team chemistry was the cover story of the Harvard Business Review and led to Naomi co-writing and producing a music video on the topic with Thor and Captain Marvel composer, Peter Seibert.

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Naomi earned her MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, her BA in Economics and Psychology from Claremont McKenna College, and is formally trained in improv and sketch comedy at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she teaches improv in San Francisco’s county jail, backpacks in the Sierras, and fosters a revolving door of rescue dogs whom she adores and who systematically destroy everything she owns.