We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Rimmert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

When I started writing my first book, I had two degrees in communications and fifteen years of professional experience in marketing and public relations. Despite this solid foundation, I maintained that I didn’t know the first thing about writing a book. I was in over my head, completely intimidated. But I learned as I went, taking advantage of webinars and other resources from authors, editors, and book agents. And as my work progressed, I began to see that, despite my lack of book writing experience, the skills I’d gained from past projects would actually benefit my memoir writing quite a bit. In fact, I came to understand that so many of the pieces I’d written in the past, and even the comedy I’d performed, relied on the very same principles and elements of good storytelling. It turned out I wasn’t starting at zero after all. If I had experienced that revelation sooner, I would have saved myself some time and frustration.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a standup comedian, freelance writer, and author of the memoir Stay: My Forever Friendship with an Aging Dog. In 2021, after 15+ years of in-house communications, marketing, and fundraising, I launched my own business called On The Nose, LLC. My aim is to help change the world through effective and humane communication, which I define as sharing information in a way that shows compassion, kindness, and consideration for others—and for the communicator herself.

In my first two years of business, I helped local and national nonprofits to tell their stories effectively, I performed in comedy shows all over the country, and I published my first book, which sold 500+ copies in its first year and earned a silver Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book, part of the Independent Book Publishers Association’s 35th Annual Benjamin Franklin Awards program. I also recently launched a podcast called Late to the Game alongside fellow comedian Mandy Simonson.

Whether I’m telling jokes at a comedy club or whipping up fundraising copy for a charity, I pride myself on putting out work that is high quality, unpretentious, and enjoyable to read or watch. Also, most of my projects center around or are inspired by my love for animals, as if that wasn’t painstakingly clear already.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started performing standup comedy, I was surrounded by friends and fellow comics who were much funnier than me. I’d often ask myself, “Who do you think you are?” I’d wonder what I thought gave me the right to pursue a creative endeavor like comedy. When I began writing a book, those same doubts resurfaced.

These types of self-critical thoughts are pervasive in our society and hold far too many people back from chasing their dreams. With the help of mentors and role models, I decided to start asking myself, “Why not me?” I began to embrace the reality that nobody deserves their dreams more than anyone else, and that the people who succeed are simply the ones who were showing up and giving it a shot.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

“Buy local.” It’s not just for food. When it comes to artists and creatives, most people think first about the famous ones. The comedians with one-hour specials. The celebrities with best-selling memoirs. But there’s a whole community of creative folks right in your backyard. Take the Seattle/Tacoma area, where I live: there are many local authors, and comedy shows every single night. The best way to support our work is to connect with us, come to our events, and recommend us to others. It’s way more rewarding than only supporting famous people — and we’ll actually respond to you on social media!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.onthenosecomms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthenosecomms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthenosecomms
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lisarimmy

Image Credits
Rebecca Houlihan Photography