Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Iannuzzelli.
Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m an improviser, facilitator, and project manager based around Baltimore. I created Embodied Comedy, which is the heart of my work. It brings together improv, nervous system awareness, and embodiment to help people feel more present, more connected, and more like themselves.
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager and over time became addicted to Ritalin. Around the time when my addiction (and ADHD) was the worst, I ended up in my first improv class almost by accident. I was helping with my daughter’s play and realized I didn’t actually know how to act, so I signed up.
I remember sitting in my Jeep before that first class, debating whether or not to take my meds. It felt like the most difficult decision ever and I kept throwing my medicine bottle into the foot well of the jeep, and then picking it back up again. I finally decided not to take it and went inside.
And that choice changed something.
Improv became a way out of addiction for me. It gave me a way to be present in my body without needing to override it. As silly as it was, I felt really confident being able to focus in class without medication and it started to become a way out.
About 3 months after my first improv class, I decided enough was enough. I buried my meds a la Marie Kondo, and left for improv class that night. The next day, we left for the beach. When I came back, there were flowers growing everywhere. It felt symbolic, like something in me had shifted and something new was taking root.
From there, I found my way through somatic work, movement, nervous system healing, and deeper embodiment practices. Improv wasn’t just something I enjoyed. It became a pathway to presence. A way my body could finally land.
Now I teach from that lived experience. Not as therapy, but as a space where people can safely play, feel, and come back into themselves. I’m especially drawn to supporting people with busy brains, ADHD, and nervous system sensitivity. People who feel like they’ve tried everything and still can’t quite focus in the way the world asks them to.
I’m also a mom of two teenagers and a wife, and I care deeply about how I show up in my life. There’s a throughline for me of creating meaningful, joyful experiences for my kids, my community, and myself.
Right now, I’m building something that feels really real and grounded. I run an multi week Embodied Comedy course, offer free community spaces like Sunday Merries, and facilitate corporate and educational workshops. I’m also exploring 1:1 work, retreats and larger platforms to share this work more widely.
At the core of it all, I turned play into a pathway for healing and presence. And now I get to invite other people into that experience.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No lol. Addiction is really difficult. Overcoming my addiction to Ritalin and really an addiction to non-presence in my life was the hardest part of the struggle. When I was taking Ritalin I was also drinking a lot to come down from the stimulated high. Even though getting the word out about embodied, comedy and inviting people into improv isn’t always smooth sailing it at least feels like the right kind of difficulty. Like being a lion in the jungle, versus a lion out at sea.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I teach people about their nervous systems and how to make small changes that have profound and lasting impact through play. Oftentimes we see healing and creativity separated as if two separate phases, two separate domains of life and they’re not. We can heal through play, we can heal through creativity, we can create while healing. In particular, I specialize in helping women with ADHD learn about their nervous systems, make small changes, play and find embodied focus in their lives.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
While I love the face grittiness of Baltimore, the best thing is the people. The people in Baltimore are so real, and so wonderful.
Anything I dislike about Baltimore is made irrelevant by the amazing people here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emilyiannuzzelli.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/find.focus.within
