Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Robin “Phoenix” Johnson served over twenty years in the U.S. Army, with career highlights including five combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and commanding at both the company and battalion levels.
After hanging up her boots, Robin picked up a microphone and now tours internationally as a stand-up comedian with Armed Forces Entertainment. She brings a powerful blend of leadership experience and humor to stages and boardrooms around the globe.
Robin is a Hoover Institution Veteran Fellow at Stanford University and serves on the faculty of the Institute for Defense & Business and Thayer Leadership (West Point). She also lectures at Stanford School of Medicine, where she leads courses such as Humor in Medicine: Enhancing Empathy, Connection, and Care and Humor as a Superpower for Compassion Fatigue and Burnout.
A Certified Humor Professional accredited by the Association for Applied & Therapeutic Humor, Robin is a recognized expert in leveraging humor as a strategic tool to sharpen problem-solving, boost cognitive performance, and cultivate positive organizational cultures. Her keynotes and workshops have empowered audiences at top organizations like Samsung, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, and Comcast to harness the transformative power of laughter.
When she’s not making people laugh or transforming leaders, you can find Robin on the sidelines of a soccer field—shouting encouragement, questioning rule interpretations, and trying not to get ejected for excessive enthusiasm. She may not know what “offsides” means, but she does know the snack rotation by heart.
