Karen Bergreen: from Law Firm to Comedy Club

Posted: October 8th, 2010 | No Comments »

Self-professed comedian, author and stressed-out mom, Karen Bergreen is a woman who makes us laugh out loud with her sharp observations on her life as a mom in New York City. Formerly a lawyer with a promising career, Karen realized that this promise was not hers and leapt into the unknown that is the comedy circuit. With this love for laughter, Karen has found success and fulfillment, and she’s published Following Polly (chosen as an Oprah favorite!), a hilarious murder mystery (sound like an oxymoron? It definitely works!). Check Karen out at www.karenbergreen.com or buy her book!

Job (aka, Career/Calling/Inspiration): I am an author comic

Age: too old to answer candidly

Family situation: I have been married for eight years and I have two boys, 4 and 6.  We have one living hermit crab and are mourning the deaths of two others.  We have two beta fish.

How do you make sure you feel good everyday? I drink coffee, work out, talk to friends who appreciate joy. Working makes me feel good about myself. I also make certain to find time to watch television. I’m in a good place right now as the fall season is in full swing.

What inspires you to do the work that you do? I love making something out of nothing. I love being on stage, with no script, no set, no other actors and bringing something to life. I feel that way about creating characters and a plot.

As for the specifics, if I’m feeling lazy and uninspired, I force myself to work for eleven minutes. Usually that is enough time to remind myself that being productive is better than being inert. However, sometimes I need to recharge the battery. I watch TV and read.

How did you muster up the courage/confidence/stamina to create the life you have? This is a really good question. I used to be a lawyer on a fairly high-powered career track. But I never approached my work with verve. Nobody in my field had the job I wanted. And, I always believed that loving working was an actual option. I loved laughing and I loved making people laugh. More than anything. But I was new and terrible and had to start at the very, very beginning. It was not very dignified, but it was fun. It was easy as soon as I got over the difficulty of worrying what people would think.

What’s your approach to nutrition? I love all food. I am a sucker for baked goods, but I love fruits and vegetables. Scrap that. I am terrible. I have to start reading your website religiously.

How do you stay inspired when difficult challenges arise? By reminding myself that I’m never going to be any worse at the task than I am before I have tried it.

What do you do to stay in balance? I am always juggling. The kids come first. I don’t say that out of self-righteousness. They need to be fed and stuff. Then I take whatever work comes my way. My husband is the same way. But we are night owls, so we get to have grown up conversations. And we magically find time when we are both free to go out with each other and friends. If it gets bad, we let a work thing slide. Or more to the point, I let the work thing slide—he makes more money.

Also, I don’t compartmentalize my life. My friends are very close to my kids. Some of their kids are friends with my kids. I have friends with no kids and they are close to my kids. I am a big believer in it takes a village. I often write my books at comedy shows.

What’s your ultimate indulgence – just for you? I love working out. It is truly the only time of day that I am not judging myself, worrying about my kids, my career, or the Tea Party candidates.

What advice do you have for women aiming to have it all? Try to have it all, but don’t fret if it doesn’t work. No one is going to write “she had it all” on your tombstone.

Any other thoughts? Do I get paid for this?