You know her as the fearlessly funny mc of Magic Mike Live Las Vegas, but there’s much more to Lyndsay Hailey than her day night job. The multihyphenate comedian/writer/instructor is an alum of The Second City National Touring Company, the roving branch of a Chicago improv institution that helped catalyze the comedy careers of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and more. According to Hailey’s website, she has taught improv and acting workshops in more than 10 countries, approaching her classes with an eye on the intersection of spirituality and creativity. Hailey’s next move? Launching the Improv International school at The Space Las Vegas July 22nd-23rd. As her “Fall in Love with Improv” workshop approaches, we offer a few cupid’s arrows that will have you falling for Hailey’s comedy.

She has been challenging gender stereotypes for years.

As the cover star for this 2009 Chicago Tribune article: “Are Funny Women Intimidating?” she discussed the pressure women face to fit a mold: “Getting in touch with my feminine side has been a lot of hard work. I truly don’t feel any better than when I get a manicure and that feels amazing and I feel great about myself and to embrace that and eschew guilt and shame. I want to do all of that and be as full as I can be … Being okay with both sides is female empowerment.”

While taking improv classes in Chicago, she worked odd jobs to support herself.

Here’s what she told us in our collaborative interview with Vegas Seven magazine:

“I started doing street teams marketing because the pay was pretty good. Twenty bucks an hour or something, because know one else would do it. There was a campaign for US Cellular called “Talk Your Ear Off” where we’re walking around in big ear costumes. That was a funny one because that was at the Taste of Chicago [outdoor food festival] and it was like 105 degrees out, we’re in these big foam ears with these ice packs and you have to rotate. It’s not just me in that ear, it’s a cast of like four people. That day, I had a dad come up to me with his son, and he said “That’s what happens when you don’t get a college education,” pointing to me in the ear costume. And I’m in there being like, “I’ve got two degrees! I’ve got two degrees! This is a choice. I’m following my dreams!”

This “Balls” rap.

“Fall in Love with Improv” is part one of the two-part Improv International opening weekend improv intensive at The Space. Workshops take place 1-4 p.m. on July 22nd-23rd at The Space (3460 Cavaretta Court in Las Vegas, Nevada). $125 for both days. TheSpaceLV.com.