Vancouver's laughing champion is ready to take on the best in the world
“In 2016, I was in a very dark place with substance use,” Podlubny shared. “When I finally began my recovery, I knew I needed something positive to fill the void that was left behind.
“One night, I was watching a TV show that featured odd and funny internet clips. One that stood out to me featured a woman at the front of a room who shared that she was fighting cancer. She suddenly burst into the most joyful, contagious laughter I’d ever seen. Others in the room shared their own challenges, each one followed by boisterous laughter.”
The woman in the clip was wearing a shirt that said Laughter Yoga, which inspired Podlubny to search out a Laughter Club based in North Vancouver. After only one session, he was hooked.
According to Podlubny, Laughter Yoga is the act of intentional laughter.
Laughter Yoga Metro Vancouver
“I cannot depend on jokes or comedy since they can be so subjective,” said the certified Laughter Leader. “It encourages me to do deep full-lung breathing followed by laughter on the exhale. Even if I’m pretending to laugh, my body gets fooled into thinking that I’m happy. Once dopamine gets released from that, I do feel better, and my laugh becomes genuine.”
Podlubny and a close friend currently run the Commercial Drive Laughter Club, which began in 2009. The group has met several times in Vancouver parks this summer and is now looking for a yoga studio where they can hold their meetings.
The Vancouver Story Slam regular will also be co-teaching a Laughter Yoga Leader training in November.
Laughter Yoga Metro Vancouver
“It’s important to remember that I’m a Laughter Leader, not a teacher,” explained Podlubny. “I can’t teach anyone how to laugh — I can only guide them to do it freely and unconditionally. There’s no way to get it wrong.
“For the next hour, we do a variety of playful exercises — sometimes acting like turkeys, sometimes laughing about everyday tasks — with deep breathing interspersed. No two sessions are the same. We always finish with a laughter meditation, lying in a circle and laughing until our stomachs hurt.”
Podlubny also got his laugh on at the 2025 Canadian Laughing Championships, which was his first time competing.
“I honestly had no idea what to expect,” he shared. “It’s a lighthearted competition to see who in Canada has the most contagious laugh. Imagine a room full of people trying to out-laugh each other, and you can’t help but join in.”
The competition began with a group of contestants, and after each round, one person is eliminated until only one remains. There were eight competitors this year, each taking turns demonstrating a particular type of laugh with a 30-second time limit, ranging from diabolical to snorting to embarrassed.
The final two competitors faced off in a full-blown laughter duel.
Canadian Laughing Championships
“I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way, from the laughter clubs to friends and family. At the same time, I feel a quiet sense of pride and excitement that I get to represent Canada at the upcoming World Laughing Championship. It’s an honour, and it reminds me that laughter really does bring people together.”
The 2025 World Laughing Championship will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, online, with competitors from Germany, Nepal, the United States, Turkey, Russia, Malaysia, South Africa, and Podlubny from Canada.
Podlubny shared that his focus is on keeping it genuine—laughing from the heart rather than trying to perform.
“I’ve always said, ‘If I weren’t laughing, I’d be crying.’ Life can be stressful, and learning to laugh at challenges instead of fighting them has made it much easier to cope.
“It may sound cliché, but with so much happening in the world — so much that’s out of our control — laughter has never been more important. It allows us to release stress, reconnect with joy, and remember that even in difficult times, there’s still room to smile and breathe.”