Testimonials

CHILDREN’S ONCOLOGY CAMP FOUNDATION – Camp Mak-A-Dream

We were thrilled to have Lois share her story with our population. She related extremely well to our young adults with cancer. Her story is inspirational, and she tells it with humor and flair. She is quite engaging, and gives tools to laugh in the face of adversity. We are looking forward to Lois sharing her story with others at Camp Mak-A-Dream in the future.

Stuart J. Kaplan, MD - Executive Director Camp Mak-A-Dream

LEADERSHIP HIGH SCHOOL – Missoula

“The Leadership High School students loved Lois’ presentation. Lois captured the student’s attention while delivering a very informative and important message.”

Amanda Hemry, Executive Secretary Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce

LEADERSHIP HIGH SCHOOL – Missoula

Lois McElravy recently performed for Leadership High School. I have had the privilege of witnessing her performance several times and each time she speaks I am awed by her ability to relate to each and every audience. The 30 high school students who watched Lois were extremely impressed by her ability to stand up in front of a group of teenagers and just have fun. She truly is an inspiration to us all.

Martha Lynne Ripley Leadership High School

YWCA STAFF RETREAT

Lois is fabulous! Her presentation was both entertaining and inspirational…we walked away with smiles on our faces and some great tips on how to lighten up, laugh more and experience the benefits of laughter! Thanks, Lois!

Jamie McGarvey, MS Groups Coordinator, Transitional Housing Team YWCA

SHRM ANNUAL HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

Our SHRM members say your keynote presentation was a “real treat!” You made our annual luncheon a memorable and motivational event. Thank you.

Jeri Mae Rowley, Past President Great Falls Society of Human Resource Managers

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AWARDS PRESENTATION EVENT

Lois, as time goes by I find myself using many of your statements to not let people or things get to me. I just go over the statements in my head that I don’t have to live with this person or be with this person all the time and it seems to help me get through the moment. I have made sure that my marble is with me which surprisingly enough I find reassuring. Thanks for the speech.

David Kelly, Great Falls Area Maintenance Bureau Chief Montana Department of Transportation

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS (IAAP)

Lois presented a 2-1/2 hour workshop called “Humor in the Workplace” at the 1st Annual Manage to Laugh event in Billings, Montana. Participants were captivated from the moment he (she) was introduced until she wrapped up her words of humor wisdom. I was amazed at how easily she transported the audience from laughter to the verge of tears and back again with such understated finesse. Her stories, personal experiences, and ability to appreciate and share humor made her the hit of the day. Tam Rodier CAP, Administrative Coordinator, City of Billings RIM ROCK CHAPTER IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals) On behalf of the entire Manage to Laugh planning committee, thank you for the informative and entertaining workshop you presented – it was awesome! We were quite pleased with the responses we heard after your presentation. The words “inspiring”, “awesome” and “funny” came up repeatedly. We also took pleasure in hearing people discuss which of your suggestions for bringing humor into the workplace they were going to try themselves.

RIM ROCK CHAPTER IAAP

COMMUNITY MEDICAL CENTER – Brown Bag Lunch Presentations

Lois’ presented two back-to-back lunchtime talks about how to use humor as a coping strategy to enhance our personal and professional relationships. Her ability to captivate the audience and entertain was impressive. We had record attendance and the evaluation scores reflected Lois’ effectiveness. Comments: Nice to have a real person speak from real life experiences – Learned humor strategies and tips to reduce stress and to lighten up over-seriousness – Enjoyed laughing – Have more speakers like Lois – She was energetic, bright, and cheery – Great topic.

Starr Wharton, M.S., CHES Non-Medical Educator, Community Medical Center Education Resources

WOMEN’S EXPO – DICKINSON ND

“Lois made our Women’s Expo! She brought laughter and a lot of thought to kick-off our fifth annual event. Each year we try to provide an upbeat and positive start to our event. Lois did more than that as she transformed from a rather old, wrinkled gent to a beautiful woman. She brought tears and laughter as the audience took in her message of learning to deal with adversity, that all things are possible, just maybe not how you thought. She showed how a very successful woman could be knocked down but not out. How to overcome and succeed no matter what life throws your way. It will be hard to find anyone with as much pizzazz, humor and personality. She revealed or should I say unveiled herself to everyone. She shared how she dealt with trauma, depression, loss… to become a new person, with a whole new outlook on life. We all loved having you here and these testimonials are just a small sampling of how you won over the crowd … with pure honesty and love. Here are a few of the quotes we received from viewers. The response was extremely positive. Best keynote speaker ever … She made you change your attitude on life. WOW! What a great speaker you had … She made me rethink my minor ailments. Great keynote … She gave me a new outlook on life … I can overcome my shortcomings. Awesome … That’s all I can say … She showed that you can overcome anything if you activate your mind or another part of your mind. I looked at her and man…she was unbelievable. Your keynote was so good … Her transformation … If only we all thought like that and dug deep into our innards and really became who we could be.”

Ruth E. Newman, Publisher The Dickinson Press

MONTANA RECREATION AND PARK (MRPA) ASSOCIATION STATE CONFERENCE

Lois is entertaining, and informative, with very useful and applicable ideas and concepts that we can use for everyday life as well as at work daily, to better enjoy our lives and have better opportunities at gaining success. Participant feedback: Excellent! Just what I needed! The presentation and handouts were powerful but not as powerful as the courage and hope associated with this beautiful person. She has a great gift to encourage others. She’s way beyond just “Hangin On.”

Donna Gaukler Director Missoula Parks and Recreation Department

ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICIALS STATE CONFERENCE

I met Lois when she visited the Missoula 9-1-1 Center to discuss her speaking at the 2004 Montana Association for Public Safety Communication Officials conference on June 8th, 2004. I assumed we would talk for about an hour about the content of her presentation and whether she would be a “good fit” to speak at our opening ceremonies. We talked for a couple of hours and I was impressed by her courage, her attitude and her smile. Lois eagerly consented to be our inspirational speaker. The audience was captivated by her performance, her presentation and her message. Her story and insight provided us with an opportunity to examine our own behavior and response to challenge and adversity. Lois shares her own experiences with candor and inspiration. To our delight, Lois bared her playful spirit. She uses humorous stories to illustrate her points. She reminds us that we can learn something from all of our experiences and most of all, it is essential to laugh. Her positive attitude and outlook on life is infectious. We embodied a new type of audience for Lois, I think. Everyone in the audience dealt with public safety communications, either as a dispatcher for law enforcement, fire and medical agencies, or technical support for public safety dispatch agencies. Dispatchers take emergency and non-emergency phone calls from the public and send law enforcement, fire or medical personnel to handle the incident. Anyone who calls has a complaint or a crisis. We tend to take our job and ourselves very seriously, sometimes too seriously. We work shift work. After all, 9-1-1 and emergency services must be available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Working long, odd hours in an isolated environment handling critical situations takes its toll on our health and our general well-being. Lois reminded us how important we are to the community and insisted that we must take care of ourselves. She explained that we can laugh to release tension and change our demeanor in order to cope with the feelings we keep inside as a result of our job demands. I wonder if Lois knows just how much she lightened our hearts that morning in June.

Susan Bomstad, Secretary/Treasure Montana Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Shift Supervisor at the Missoula 9-1-1 Center

USDA FOREST SERVICE CONFERENCE

“Lois did a fabulous job taking her personal experiences and translating them into lessons we can all learn. Her humor and her insight was so pertinent to the organizational and personal challenges our employees are facing. It was simple for our employees to take her lessons and apply them in their own situations. What an inspiration Lois is – and rest assured that we all still have our marble.” Thanks again, Lois – you made a difference for us!!!

Susan A. Prentiss, Director, Acquisition Management (AQM) Northern Region (R1), USDA Forest Service

COLORADO BRAIN INJURY CONFERENCE – Vail CO

I am writing to recommend Ms. Lois McElravy as a keynote speaker for your conference. We hired Ms. McElravy to deliver the keynote speech at our 25th Annual Brain Injury Association of Colorado Conference, and the reception that her speech received from attendees (professionals, survivors and families alike) was nothing short of superb. I did not hear a single negative comment and was thrilled to hear such positive accolades for her, especially from survivors. She helped make our event a rousing success, and I would not hesitate to recommend her to any other brain injury organization for their conferences. Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding Ms. McElravy. I would be happy to send a personal note describing her exceptional gifts as a motivational speaker.

Paul Price, MBA Executive Director Brain Injury Association of Colorado

BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA – NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE – Denver CO

At the invitation of the Brain Injury Association of America Lois traveled to Denver in the fall of 2005 to share Louis and his message with the professional and volunteer Leadership of BIAA. We planned for her to “interrupt” our CEO (FYI – we did alert the CEO to this) during the opening remarks. This provided a sense of “surprise” and worked to shift the audience into a more open mindset for the rest of the days sessions. Lois/Louis offer a dynamic presentation that provokes the audience to open both mind and heart. Through their story our leadership was refreshed to the potential of success from failure, of the effort that perseverance takes, of the demand and risk of appearing foolish, and of the myriad of professional and personal masks we offer each other and so readily take up ourselves. Lois and Louis share a slice of their journey and in such a lesson of the journey that we are all on in our relationships with our customers, colleagues, families and communities.

Geoffrey M. Lauer, National Director of Affiliate Relations Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)

NEBRASKA BRAIN INJURY CONFERENCE

Lois McElravy radiates enthusiasm and a zest for life. She connects with her audience as she shares her struggles and successes while living with a brain injury. Her sense of humor has helped her cope in difficult situations. She gives people hope and her “never give up” positive attitude is contagious. Lois shares many strategies with survivors of brain injury and their family members that are valuable “lessons for life!” She is truly a motivational speaker!

Rose Dymacek Nebraska Department of Education

WISCONSIN BRAIN INJURY CONFERENCE

Lois, I remember telling you after the first time that we spoke over the phone, that you were going to be a outstanding speaker! In all honestly, you exceeded my expectations! I can’t tell you how many wonderful responses we received and how many people spoke glowingly about you after the conference! You are a natural speaker and so engaging!! Thank you! Thank you!

Pat David, Executive Director Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin (BIAW)

COLUMBIA BASIN COLLEGE Classified Staff Breakaway Event – Pasco WA

Do you want a training day that people will show up to? Do you want your employees to go back to work happy? Life is a curvy road for all of us and Lois shows you, through her own trials, how to have fun even in your darkest hours. Lois is more than a motivational speaker. She is facetious and comical, bringing belly laughs out of our most grim colleagues. Her message is moving and inspirational. Some even shed a tear. Her presentation to our college staff was the most highly attended training we have had in years! Once you meet her, you’ll want her back again and again! Columbia Basin College will definitely bring her back again.

Shauna Joseph, Classified Staff Training Committee Chair Columbia Basin College - Pasco, WA

UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRADUATE PERFORMANCE THEORY SEMINAR

When Lois McElravy performed for my University of Montana graduate seminar, Performance Theory and Criticism the class was astonished. Via her character’s Louis and Louise, Lois discussed important life issues including disability, grief, work and family. The fourth wall that typically separates the performer and the audience immediately disappeared when Lois took to the stage, and the class and performer communicated together. Lois’s solo performance is sharp, innovative, and riveting. She is a treat to behold!

Dr. Jillian Campana, Professor of Drama University of Montana

EARLY CHILDHOOD CONFERENCE – Missoula MT

“Lois is a dynamite speaker and a wonderful person. She presented for a group of parents and teachers at an Early Childhood Conference and had the audience in tears and then laughing uproariously as they recognized the trials of children who don’t fit in. It was amazing to see the heads nodding in agreement as she spoke so eloquently of living with an unseen disability. Finally, they could see it from the child’s point of view and what a gift of understanding was developed that day.”

Judy H. Wright, Author, Speaker, Life Educator

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARDS BANQUET

We were entertained, inspired and reminded of the power of humor during Lois’ presentation at our annual banquet. Lois was absolutely wonderful and the feedback from attendees has been great. She truly made our banquet a delightful evening.

Laura Schreiber, Executive Director Sidney Chamber of Commerce

METROPOLITAN DINNER CLUB OF GREATER HELENA

You are a very busy girl….Sharing life’s experiences…..touching people’s hearts to blossom fully to acceptance to things we may not understand. It is as though the door had been closed … you come along and open it ever so slightly for us to see possibilities we were once unaware of … and as the door opens wider we are willing to go through and life is so different. You make us kinder.

Judi Bennett, Member

CARE-GIVERS CONFERENCE

During our 2008 caregiver conference, Lois captivated the audience with her keynote presentation titled “Hangin’ on with Humor when life looks ugly.” Her presentation was a delicate compilation of personal history intertwined with hope, courage and inspiration which was finely crafted in a way that spoke directly to the caregiver audience. Lois naturally radiates empowerment through her positive energy. With sincere thanks and appreciation,

Mary Dalton, BSW, Respite Program Coordinator Missoula Aging Services

MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES – Community Services Bureau State Conference

We received excellent feedback from participants and I have included the evaluations from your session for you to review. Some of the comments were: Wonderful presentation; Generous ability to be real and vulnerable, yet share her story, and provide strategies for healing, coping, and living day by day; Thanks for the spiritual aspect; Witty, hilarious at times. Great perspective for all of us; Uplifting, positive, excellent real life situations of some real issues; Schedule this again – many, many, people can benefit! Great Presentation! An encouraging “from the heart” presentation – a good reminder that we can all laugh at ourselves once in a while. Thanks!

Karen Antonick Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

COMMUNITY MEDICAL CENTER TIMELY TOPICS CONFERENCE

Lois presented a session on how to use humor in difficult situations for healthcare workers. She helped conference attendees to see that humor is healthy and can reduce stress appropriately, even in some of the most difficult situations. She has personally overcome some major obstacles in her life and made choices to make the best of some really tough situations. She uses these circumstances to teach others how to look at life with joy, in a delightful presentation format. Lois is engaging and funny, enlightening and challenging. You will not regret having Lois as a motivational speaker.

Michelle Gnagey, RNC, BSN, IBCLC, CCE Community Medical Center Clinical Educator for Women's and Children's Health

MISSOULA HOME CARE SERVICES

I have only heard good reports following Lois’ presentation to Missoula Home Care Services. Lois was able to help our caregivers understand more about head injury clients. She leaves a person motivated and impacts people’s lives with her story. We laughed a lot, even with the seriousness of her story. Her message left an impact on both our clients and caregivers. I would highly recommend Lois as a motivational speaker.

Lorna Palin, LPN Missoula Home Care Services

CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY FOURSQUARE CHURCH – Women’s Christmas Dinner

Lois was a pleasure to work with while organizing our event. She was excited to work our theme for the evening and prayerfully considered our audience in her preparations. I received word from many attendees that Lois’ presentation was exactly what they needed to hear that evening. She relates especially well to women who are going through physical hardship or trauma through her personal testimony, and her enthusiasm and sense of humor is infectious to all. Bless you, Lois for touching us on the heart level!

Tana Rehbein, Women's Pastor Christian Assembly Foursquare Church