You don't always need another strategy for coping with pressure. Sometimes you need a way to change the state you're meeting it from.
For 17 years, Shareen Richter has trained more than 50,000 people in real rooms. Human Reset brings what she has learned into one practical system: experiential ways to shift state, reconnect and take usable reset tools back into everyday life and work.
Seventeen years in real rooms
I started in 2009 as a laughter specialist. I trained as a Laughter Yoga teacher in India, and since then I have taken laughter into boardrooms, conference halls, staff rooms and community halls across South Africa and further afield.
Over 17 years that work has put me in front of more than 50,000 people. Laughter was always at the centre, alongside positive psychology, breath, movement, play and plain human connection. Every one of those rooms taught me something about what actually helps a tired, stretched person shift, and what does not.
Human Reset is where that learning now lives. It is the system I created to bring it together, so a team can arrive as they are, shift state, reconnect and take something usable back to work. Laughter is still one of its most powerful tools. It is simply no longer the only one. I deliver Human Reset through Laughter Coaching, the business I founded in 2009, as team experiences, wellness days and conference keynotes.
Nobody in my sessions has to be funny, share anything personal or perform. You can join in seated or standing, step back whenever you like, and still leave with something useful. If anyone on your team has access needs, tell us and we plan around them.
Why “Laughter & Happiness Professor”?
Because I profess to know quite a lot about laughter and happiness. The title is a little tongue-in-cheek, but after 17 years of studying it, teaching it and seeing what happens in real rooms, it rather stuck. Over the years, happiness became just as much a part of the work.
Experience
- 17 years facilitating, since 2009
- 50,000+ people trained
- Professional experience across 500+ organisations
- South Africa and internationally
Qualifications and training
- Honours degree in Industrial Psychology
- Laughter Yoga teacher training, India (2009)
- Positive Psychology coach
- Science of Happiness course, UC Berkeley
Recognition
- TEDx speaker, TEDxJohannesburgWomen 2013
- Author of Expert Mavericks, an Amazon bestseller
- Television: Good Morning Africa (2014) and #WeekendDawn (2019)
- Finalist, Sage Pastel 702 Small Business Awards
- Sessions with learners at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
What 17 years of holding rooms has taught me.
I walk into rooms that are tired, under pressure, senior, mixed, huge or small. The job is not to be funny. It is to make it safe and easy for people to take part, so the room can change.
Never force it
Everything is an invitation. People can take part fully, partly or just watch, and still get something from the session.
Read the room first
A finance team at four in the afternoon needs something different from a conference hall at nine in the morning. I adjust pace and intensity as I go.
Unsure is welcome
Plenty of people arrive unsure about a laughter session. That is completely fine. They can find their own level and decide for themselves.
Play without humiliation
Nobody is made the joke, put on the spot or asked to perform. Senior leaders can take part without losing face.
Adapt to the people
Culture, language, faith, dress, age and physical ability all shape how I run a session. Tell me about your people and I plan around them.
Leave something usable
A good session is remembered. A useful one comes with simple resets people can practise again at work and at home.
From India in 2009 to Human Reset today.
- 2009
Trained in India
I trained as a Laughter Yoga teacher in India and founded Laughter Coaching the same year.
- 2013
TEDx
Spoke at TEDxJohannesburgWomen on how laughter helps us cope with life’s challenges. Watch the talk
- 2016
Expert Mavericks
Published Expert Mavericks: Conversations with Shareen Richter, which became an Amazon bestseller.
- 17 years
Real rooms, at scale
More than 50,000 people trained, from boardrooms to conference halls, across South Africa and internationally.
- Now
Human Reset
Everything those rooms taught me, organised into one practical system for teams. Explore Human Reset
Expert Mavericks: Conversations with Shareen Richter
In Expert Mavericks (2016) I interviewed South Africans who built success against the odds, among them musician Cassper Nyovest, about the setbacks, choices and habits behind their journeys. The book reached Amazon bestseller rankings.
On stage, on air and in print.
- TEDxJohannesburgWomen, 2013. “Laughter helps you cope with life’s challenges.” Watch
- Eyewitness News, March 2024. Interview for International Happiness Day on how happiness can be learnt. Read
- Television. Good Morning Africa (2014) and #WeekendDawn (2019). Watch on the Media page
- Recognition. Finalist, Sage Pastel 702 Small Business Awards.
I know how corporate teams actually run.
Alongside the facilitation work, I have an ongoing business relationship with Vodacom. Working with a large organisation from the supplier side has shown me what teams deal with day to day: deadlines, approvals, procurement and people doing a lot with very little time. It is part of why Human Reset is built to fit into a working day, not take it over.
From packed halls to Human Reset.
Illustrative imageYou don't always have to wait until you feel happy to laugh. Laughter can be one way to shift the moment.
Frequently asked questions
What are Shareen's credentials?
Shareen is the creator of Human Reset and a TEDx speaker. She trained as a Laughter Yoga teacher in India in 2009, holds an Honours degree in Industrial Psychology and is a Positive Psychology coach. She is the author of Expert Mavericks, an Amazon bestseller. Over 17 years she has facilitated for more than 50,000 people.
Where is Shareen based?
Johannesburg, South Africa, working nationally and internationally.
Tell us what's happening in your team.
Team building, a wellness day, a conference slot, a year-end or a school session. Share a little about your people and your date, and Shareen will suggest the most useful next step.
Not sure it’s right for your team? Start with a 30-minute Room Reset.
Plan a team session