Lately, I’ve been thinking about the fact that starting stand-up comedy in my mid-40s is a little bit of reinvention. It’s not a complete 180 though, because I’ve come to the realization that comedy has always been part of who I am. Growing up, I was enamored with my childhood comedy heroes and love cracking jokes. As I’ve written about recently, my friends and I spent years at the lunch table roasting each other—basically our version of an open mic, just without the mic.
Humor has always been there, woven into my teaching, my relationships, and even my years working in the church. I think it’s a huge part, along with my faith, of why my marriage has endured. So while this is a new chapter, it’s really just putting something that’s always been there more toward the front of my reality.
Four months ago, I left full-time church work, not to chase comedy but to take a teaching job. Funny enough, that job involves teaching college students how to write jokes as part of my composition courses. It’s been a perfect intersection of my love for teaching, working with language, writing, storytelling, and humor. And as I’ve gotten into stand-up, I’ve found that teaching and comedy have a lot in common. Both are about engaging people, finding ways to connect, and making ideas stick.
But stepping into stand-up at this stage of life isn’t without its challenges. For one, it’s not exactly the most common move for someone in their 40s. It’s easy to feel like the new kid in a room full of people who’ve been doing this for years, even when you’re older than them. But here’s the thing: life experience is an asset. I’ve lived enough to have stories to tell and the perspective to laugh at those stories. Plus, I’ve bombed enough in other areas of life to know that bombing on stage isn’t the end of the world.
One of the coolest things about this “reinvention” is how it’s helped me rediscover who I am. When you’ve been in one role for a long time, it’s easy to get boxed in. You’re “the teacher” or “the pastor,” and people expect you to stay in that lane. Comedy has pushed me out of that box. It’s also taught me a lot about humility, too—nothing really humbles you faster than an audience that doesn’t laugh.
Rebranding myself as a comedian while balancing teaching full-time has been an interesting challenge. Some days, it’s a lot. But the truth is, comedy feeds into everything else I do. It makes me a better teacher, a better communicator, and probably a more patient person overall. The skills overlap in ways I didn’t expect, and it’s been fun to explore how they all connect.
Starting something new in my mid-40s feels risky at times, but it’s also freeing. And I love that! I’ve also been impressed with comedian Joe Scrocca, who started in his mid-60s. So, yeah!
I know there’s a lot I don’t know, and I also know that’s okay; I’m figuring it out. I’ve learned to embrace the process—getting up on stage or standing on a sidewalk, telling jokes, pickin gup on what works and what doesn’t. It’s messy, but it’s also exciting. And even though I am reinventing and rebranding myself to a degree, it’s really just bringing a side of me that’s always been there into focus.
So, I’ve come to terms with the fact that reinvention doesn’t mean leaving everything behind—it’s really just letting the pieces of my life fit together in new ways. Maybe you can relate?The only thing standing between my kids and eating generic cereal is your subscription. Paid is preferred, so they can have regular breakfast, but free works too.
:-)