Thanks to a bottle of cold duck her parents drank on New Year’s Eve 1968, Traci Kanaan was born in the amazing sexually charged year of 1969, but raised in Berea, OH, a quiet, unassuming little suburb on the southwest side of Cleveland. Traci began studying piano at The Cleveland Institute of Music (at the insistence of her mother), but was eventually asked to “move on” after burning through 8 teachers in 8 years due to her “inability to follow instruction” and “play music the way it was written.” She wound up finishing her high school years studying with an adjunct professor at Baldwin-Wallace College, who embraced and encouraged Traci’s creative abilities. Traci graduated from Berea High School in 1987, then Otterbein University in 1991 graduating with a B.A. in Music and Business with minors in Music Composition, Piano Performance and Electronic Music. Little did her parents know she would eventually use her $60,000 degree in music to sing dick jokes…
After a chance meeting at a service club conference in Toronto, Canada, 4 months of telephone courtship and 16 days in person, Traci up and left Ohio following her new boyfriend to Palmetto, FL, in 1995. They married in 1997. Later that year, she started Traci Keychain Advertising Specialties, Inc. and began selling promotional products and corporate gifts to local businesses. She was nominated for Manatee Small Business of the Year in 1999, 2000, & 2001. In 2004, she decided to become an independent promotional products distributor for Kaeser & Blair, Inc. She eventually sold the accounts to a friendly competitor in 2014 so she could pursue comedy full-time.
During her years as a promotional products distributor, Traci was very active in the community as a business leader and community volunteer. She was an active member of The Manatee Chamber of Commerce and The Palmetto Rotary for nearly 20 years. She served as President of The Palmetto Rotary Club in 2004-2005 and again in 2014-2015, and as Rotary International Area 10 Governor for District 6960. She also served on the board for Keep Manatee Beautiful and served as Chairman. She started the Palmetto High School Interact Club in 1998, and served as a Mentor to 3 middle school girls and as a Big Bister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Suncoast for several years. She still keeps in touch with 1 of the 3 girls she mentored (now in her early 30s), and her Little (now in her early 20s).
In 2002, Traci performed at her first open mic, and was bitten hard by the stand-up comedy bug. In 2006, Traci’s father passed, and comedy took a back seat while she grieved the loss of her father. In 2007, Traci began touring with the comedian known as The Disgruntled Clown, and with his help she began to unleash her musical creativity developing The Princess of Parodies and bringing her to unsuspecting audiences. She released her first (and only, to date) comedy CD in 2009, called Tinkle Tinkle Little Star. Also in 2009, Traci was hired to perform at a clothing optional resort, and seeing an opportunity to expand her comedy market, began creating another musical comedy show specifically for swingers, nudists and BDSMers (those into bondage, discipline and sado-masochism). Her comedy persona for that market is known as The Dominatrix of Ditties, and she headlines swinger cruises, hotel takeover parties, clothing optional resorts and other events for sexually adventurous adults, all while encouraging responsible, sex-ploration. The Dominatrix of Ditties was voted Top Female Lifestyle Entertainer by the Annual Lifestyle Awards in 2015, 2016 & 2017.
In addition to being a comedian, Traci is also a Certified Hypnotist, Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Certified Transpersonal Hypnotherapist, and Stage Hypnotist. She owns Wings Hypnosis, LLC, and very much enjoys helping her clients overcome whatever challenges are holding them back from the life they’ve always dreamed about living.
In 2015, Traci found herself separated from her husband in her mid 40’s AND simultaneously caring for her mother who had dementia, myasthenia gravis and uncontrolled diabetes. To help distract her from the pressures of divorce and caring for her mother, she did what millions of others had done, and tried online dating. She began posting her crazy “inquiries” on Facebook along with her hilarious responses and someone said “You should write a book!” So she did. Her first book, Hey…and other scintillating mating calls from the online dating world was published December 2017, and details the nutty, stupid and ignorant emails Traci got, her insanely funny comebacks, her dating horror stories, along with her insightful tips on how to navigate the online dating world.
Traci currently resides in St. Petersburg, FL, where she is a therapy human for her 2 Siamese cats, Thelma and Louise. In her spare time, she travels the world thinking of more ways to get you closer to your ideal live, or more ways to make you laugh!
