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Humor doesn’t just make us laugh—it hands us the mic. In this episode, Dr. Gina Barreca—award-winning professor, cultural critic, and bestselling author of Gina School—shows how wit turns grief into agency and outsiderhood into belonging. From losing her mother young to pioneering gender-and-humor studies, Gina traces the path where jokes become bridges and stories transform shame into connection.

We dig into how many women use humor differently—not as a weapon, but as an invitation—and why inclusive laughter thrives in everyday places (yes, even the women’s restroom). Gina is both bold and practical: you can’t live on other people’s praise, and outward confidence is not the same as inner self-esteem. The real fix? Steady self-kindness, cleaning up old messes, and the courage to claim your story.

Gina also takes us inside Gina School, an anti-AI, hand-crafted collaboration with a talented former student—pairing distilled lessons with pen-and-ink illustrations to prove that cross-generational creativity can be both human and timeless. We end with a grounded definition of hope: the belief that change is possible—and often better than we expect.

If you’ve ever felt like the “away team,” this conversation offers language, laughter, and a map back to yourself.

Connect with Gina on her website: GinaBarreca.com

Read more from Gina on Psychology Today.

And head right to grab your copy of Gina School here.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit