Our founders, facilitators, and collaborators bring a rich history of experience consulting, training and coaching. While a lot of our full-time and part-time team members have a comedy background, that's just the icing on the cake. With experience in operations, learning and development, and elevating company culture, we provide you with an experience that is impactful and memorable.
Amanda Austin
Amanda thrives at the intersection of improvisation and organizational psychology to help transform organizations. She believes the vulnerability required to improvise and create something together on stage as a team can be translated to a professional group of any size. She uses the philosophy of improvisation and the power of "Yes, And" as a catalyst for positive change within an organization. Her active listening approach to coaching focuses on teaching individuals and teams the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand.
Amanda was the Founder/CEO of Dallas Comedy House (2009-2020), where she oversaw day to day operations of DCH. She was the founder and Executive Producer of the Dallas Comedy Festival (2009-2019). She's the Co-founder of ComedyHouse, a professional training and coaching service, and the co-author of the REALway® leadership training program. She was a Senior Managing Consultant-HR Strategic Business Partner at IBM Consulting from 2021-2025.
Amanda received her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a Minor in Business Administration from Texas A&M University. She completed her Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Harvard University, where she also earned her Graduate Certificate in Organizational Behavior, as well as a Certificate in Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace from Cornell. Amanda is an Adjunct Professor at the SMU Cox School of Business MBA program where she teaches a Management course: Organizational Change and Innovation by Design.
She's a graduate of the 2018 Leadership Dallas Cohort with the Dallas Regional Chamber, where she continued her commitment as the Leadership Consultant for 2019-2020 and a member of the 2025 Leadership Texas Cohort. Amanda was a 2020 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, a recipient of the 2020 Asian Texas Chamber Arts and Culture Award, and Dallas Business Journal’s 2016 Women in Business Award recipient. She has served on several past non-profit board of directors and currently serves on the board of directors for Jubilee Park and Community Center.
As a comedian, she believes the vulnerability required to improvise and create something together on stage as a team can be translated to a professional group of any size. She uses the philosophy of improvisation and the power of "Yes, And" as a catalyst for positive change within an organization. Her active listening approach to coaching focuses on teaching individuals and teams the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand.
Kyle Austin
Kyle graduated from Baylor University in 2004 with a degree in Communications. His passion for communicating has been evident in his work over the last decade. Kyle spent the last 16 years on the leadership team for WCUMC where he was promoted within several times. Kyle co-founded the Dallas Comedy House in 2009 and spent more than a decade teaching and coaching. His real passion lies in corporate training where he delights in the "light bulb moments" people experience through his teachings.
Kyle is married to the love of his life, Maggie, and has three adorable children, MJ, Arthur, and Robbie. In his spare time you can find him cuddling with his kids, doing "bits" around the house, or on the golf course, weather/children permitting.