Business coach and speaker Lisa Bean brings her new live show ‘Laugh Or You’ll Cry’ to the city.

Serial entrepreneur, business coach, and best-selling author Lisa Bean, from Newcastle, is known for being funny and kind with a brutal honesty on what it truly takes to succeed in business. Her brand new show –  ‘Laugh or You’ll Cry’ – premiers on Thursday 5th February 2026 in Newcastle’s Northern Stage bringing laughter, honesty and inspiration to founders and entrepreneurs in the region.

“I have found business brutally hard”, says Lisa, “and I just wish someone told me the truth of what it took so I felt better, I did what was needed, and got there faster. My intention with these shows is to make entrepreneurs feel better about their journey, to show them the truth of what’s required to succeed, and to get them taking bigger, bold action towards their dreams now.”

Having sold a recruitment company and built a half-million-pound marketing agency in her twenties, Lisa now combines real-world commercial experience with a master’s degree in Psychology to tackle the mindset, skill gaps, and isolation that often hold founders back.

The show takes place at the state-of-the-art theatre Northern Stage and marks the latest event between Lisa and the independent theatre and production company.

Lisa said; “Some of my earliest events were upstairs in the theatre’s smallest room. I always dreamed of putting on a big show, of booking a theatre. When the time came, I knew it had to be at Northern Stage!

The show arrives in quarter one, a time when many entrepreneurs are reassessing and setting their goals for the full year ahead – full of ambition, but often carrying doubt, fatigue, or the feeling that they’re somehow behind. Drawing on her recent master’s research in Psychology, Lisa studied why entrepreneurs tend to perform better when they’re surrounded by other supportive entrepreneurs – and why confidence often grows through action, not before it.

“I found that people rarely lack motivation or capability,” says Lisa. “What they lack is reassurance that what they’re experiencing is normal. They think they’re the only one finding it hard, when in reality that isn’t the case.”

“This disconnect between reality and how entrepreneurs felt was one of the strongest themes to emerge during my recent master’s degree in psychology, where I studied women in the early stages of entrepreneurship. What I found wasn’t a lack of ambition, intelligence, or work ethic. In fact, most participants were highly capable and deeply committed to what they were building. What was present, almost universally, was self-doubt. Many believed they were “doing it wrong”, even when their actions were sensible, strategic, and brave. They worried about being visible, being judged, or being seen to fail – not because they were incapable, but because the cost of getting it wrong felt personal.” 

“Momentum grew fastest when the entrepreneurs weren’t trying to do everything alone. When people were placed in supportive group environments – where uncertainty was normalised and progress was shared – their sense of capability increased, and their fear of being seen decreased. Simply knowing that others were navigating the same doubts reduced the feeling of “I must be failing”.

Rather than a traditional motivational talk, ‘Laugh Or You’ll Cry’ is an evening of stories about what it really takes to be successful – the first attempts, learning to back yourself, building new skills through giving it a go. Lisa will also be sharing the results of her masters study, which helped her to identify one of the biggest underlying traits of successful entrepreneurs. 

Lisa, who has been described as ‘Mel Robbins meets Sarah Millican – just without the swearing’, brings a show that blends humour with insight, creating space for reflection without taking itself too seriously.

Laugh Or You’ll Cry play at The Northern Stage Thursday 5th February at 7pm. Tickets are available here.