"Never Have Regrets": A Patent Lawyer's Passion for Stand-up Comedy, Public Speaking, and Comedy Writing
“Comedy is one of the most DIFFICULT forms of public speaking. " “A good comedian can honestly make most types of speeches engagingly. I take skills I use as a stand-up and use them when I make corporate presentations or even teach kids public speaking!” Today’s woman dreamer, Sumedha Ahuja-Bahri, is a woman of many talents. Not only is she a patent lawyer, she is also the founder of “Highest Speak”, a talented comedy writer, and more. Sumedha shares her favorite comedians, her experiences as a woman stand-up comic, and her dream to encourage kids and families of all cultures and backgrounds to learn the powerful art of public speaking! She writes, “Remember, that our limitations can still allow us to be limitless. Coffee, chocolate, and virtual filters are your friends forever.” Enjoy her exciting story below!
1) Tell us your story. You are certainly a woman of many talents: patent attorney, stand-up comedian, comedy writer, playwright and producer and also a mother. What inspired you to pursue so many creative fields in addition to your law career?
I think my parents will vouch for the fact that I have ALWAYS had way too many creative passions! As a child, I used to sing and play the keyboard (often in many of the Boston Indian associations!) I was an artist and a creative writer. I never took the “straight route” for any school project. I always did my presentations and projects in a completely unexpected and creative way. Ironically, I ended up as a patent attorney! My background is in Biomedical Engineering from WPI, but I was also one of the very few people there who minored in creative writing. Despite people assuming it’s a very dry field, it can actually be very creative in figuring out how to present peoples’ inventions!
I have a motto in life… Never have regrets. I don’t want to be 75 and say “I should have done this and that.” Many people say, “Oh, I should have been a Hollywood/Bollywood actress! I should have been an award winning novelist!” Maybe you can’t leave your job and run away from your kids to join Hollywood! But you CAN act in your community’s plays! You CAN journal every day! There is always a way to still pursue our passions WITHIN our limitations. As women, we often have MANY limitations; our children, our careers, our homes, our families along with many others. These are all wonderful and positive limitations, which we wouldn’t want to lose, but they also shouldn’t prevent us from pursuing our passions. That is why you see that I have done a LOT of different things! That is also why I look exhausted all the time. I am usually up until 1am working on something after my kids are asleep! I wouldn’t be complete if I did not pursue these areas I love so much, so the lack of sleep is worth it. Coffee is also a wonderful thing.
I also started a company called “Highest Speak!” last year, which teaches public speaking to children. I am incredibly passionate about it, and it is doing extremely well and has grown quite well despite Covid! I have also started presenting public speaking workshops to professional organizations and corporations. I also private coach adults on public speaking. I am lucky that my husband and my family always support whatever I try, no matter how crazy it is! I think my Dad is still confused at everything I do, and probably wants to say, “Why can’t you just be a patent lawyer? That’s what you studied..” but I am pretty sure my Mom smacks his leg to stop him from saying it (like the dynamic of MANY parents!) Actually, I am not just PRETTY sure. I have seen her do it under the table.
2) What excites you about stand-up comedy? What do you focus your material on, and how do you find inspiration?
Every day is in inspiration! There is comedy wherever you look (at least for me!) I guess I have a twisted mind, but I see humor in even the most serious of situations! My material focuses on being a mom, being Indian, and my job as an attorney. My material is very observational. For example, one of my jokes centers around my son being named “Dilan” (pronounced Dylan, as in the typical American/Irish way) and white people immediately pronouncing his name as “Dilaan” or “Deelan,” and I am like, “It’s just Dylan…LYSA.” Even when we give our kids American names, they are still butchered! But seriously, humor is everywhere we look. It makes life so much more interesting. As soon as I experience or see something humorous, I quickly jot it down in my phone and refer back to it later to further develop as part of a comedy routine.
3) Tell us about some exciting comedy writing and/or standup comedy experiences you have had, such as your projects, Fish Networks and Phrama. Was there a particular moment that stands out?
Oh my! There are too many moments that stand out! Working on “FishNetNetWorks.net” was one of my life’s most memorable times! It was a spoof on a corporate meeting. So if you write a play, you think OK, the work is done. However, if you actually want to make something of it, you need to put on your entrepreneur hat! My writing partner and I created the production company, “FishFace Entertainment LLC.” There was so much involved to negotiating the right venue, having playbills designed, website designed, and of course, casting! One of my proudest moments was seeing our giant billboard next to the new iPad billboard at the Boston Copley T Stop, or seeing our posters scattered through Boston, or having giant articles about our show in the Metro and in the Boston Globe. Our show ran for 3 years very successfully in the Theatre District. The first time it was completely sold out was SUCH a rush. Every week was stressful…Would the cast do well this week? Would the audience like it? Would anyone write a bad review? But it was the greatest stress I ever experienced, because I was bringing my vision to life and people were PAYING to come and watch it!
I actually left Boston 5 years ago and we moved to Palo Alto, CA for a year due to my husband’s work. At that point, I had given up stand-up and comedy writing, because I was too busy with work and my 3 year old at the time, but then I randomly entered a stand-up comedy contest at a pretty popular club in San Francisco, and to my shock, I was voted as a finalist by the audience! So naturally, I found my way back into comedy out there and participated in many shows, including the Desi Comedy Fest. We moved to VA after spending a year in CA, where I continued stand-up and writing. I then joined the writing team of the web sitcom, “The Pushers,” which is about 2 Pharma sales reps, and their day to day jobs/frustrations. Through that, I greatly improved my screenwriting skills and also learned a great deal about live production as we worked with the crew! These, and many others, have been invaluable and memorable experiences!
4) Who is a women (writer/comedian/creative ) that you admire and why?
I am a big fan of the comedy of the 90’s and 2000’s. I loved the stand-ups (Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Tim Allen, Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O’Donell) and sitcoms at that point like Seinfeld, Everyone Loves Raymond, the Office etc. I love Julia Dreyfus’ comedic timing as an actress and on stage. I am HUGE fan of Kate McKinnon in Saturday Night Live. She can play ANY character in the most hysterical way! She can convincingly be both Guilliani and Hilary Clinton! Her writing is always right on point and she exhibits so much versatility. She and her fellow writers take normal observation of everyday situations and amp them up on comedic steroids! They are politically incorrect, but not in a way that is vulgar, but satiric. That is my comedic style as well!
5) Women often take a backseat when it comes to public speaking and comedy. It is a more challenging space for women to be taken seriously and put themselves out there. What is your advice to women interested in comedy and public speaking, how can they pursue their dreams?
Comedy is one of the most DIFFICULT forms of public speaking, in my opinion. Not only do you have to remember your material, tell a great story confidently, project your voice, connect with your audience, and use the most effective non-verbal cues and expressions, but you need to actually get a REACTION. The reaction cannot be a negative one, like tomatoes being thrown at you, but a big laugh! This is a great avenue to not only have fun, but practice your public speaking skills. A good comedian can honestly do most types of speeches engagingly. I take skills I use as a stand-up and use them when I make corporate presentations or even teach kids public speaking!
If anyone wants to try stand-up, sign up for an open mic! There are plenty if you look. Start pulling together your material, practice it, and get feedback before you go on. These days, there are plenty of virtual open-mics! As a woman in comedy, focus on material YOU are comfortable with. Many women feel like they have to be loud and do more vulgar humor to match up to the male comedians, but it doesn’t work because it may not be natural to them. You need to do YOUR humor YOUR way. If a funny thing happened with your baby at the Gymboree play place, USE it! And stop thinking about getting on stage if it’s something you want to do. Just DO IT!
5) As a #Dreamcatchers platform, we have to ask, what is your next big dream?
I am incredibly passionate about my company, “Highest Speak” and it’s mission. Effective public speaking and communication is CRITICAL for one to achieve success in academia, career, and in one’s social life. Current American academics are SO focused on STEM. These skills are essential, but equally important are a child’s public speaking and communication skills. Public speaking anxiety starts very early and keeps increasing instead of diminishing! A VERY large number of Highest Speak’s students are Indian, Pakistani, and of various other Asian backgrounds. Our culture, in particular, is heavily STEM focused, but I think parents are now realizing how important public speaking skills are to succeed based on their own work experiences. Your child can be brilliant at mathematics, but he also needs to be able to explain how he solved the problem!
My goal is to truly make Highest Speak the “go to” educational company for children’s public speaking. We are very distinct from other companies that do this. All of our instructors are public speaking instructors, but also comedians/performers! Our goal is to keep making our classes incredibly fun and engaging, so the students want to keep learning! I greatly use my stand-up skills in developing our curriculum/class structure as do our other instructors! Our goal is to create a culture of SPEECH and to have children actually ENJOY speaking up! We want to create well rounded, happy children who are future leaders! We already partner with various educational companies, schools, and organizations, but we want to greatly increase our number of partners this year. For those who are interested, check out highestspeak.com!
As a final note, ladies, please pursue what you love one way or another, even if it deprives you of a little sleep. Remember, that our limitations can still allow us to be limitless. Coffee, chocolate, and virtual filters are your friends forever.