Samantha Karlin
SPEAKING
Transform Your
Organization's leadership
Samantha has been described as....
Topic 01
Leading the change: women shaping a sustainable future
Organizations today are navigating unprecedented complexity — climate risk, market volatility, rapid technological change, workforce disruption, and growing expectations around equity and social responsibility. In moments like these, the leaders who rise are those who can inspire trust, build alignment across difference, and move people toward long-term, sustainable solutions.
Across industries and global regions, women are modeling exactly this kind of leadership.
Drawing on her work training women leaders and changemakers in more than 36 countries through the Women’s Leadership Challenge, as well as her experience as Head of Global Engagement at Ashoka, Samantha brings powerful examples of women driving sustainable impact from Bosnia to Peru — strengthening communities, transforming institutions, and moving initiatives forward even in highly complex environments.
This keynote goes beyond storytelling. It equips employees with practical frameworks they can use immediately to influence positive change inside their organization, regardless of title or function. Samantha introduces four core tools that high-impact leaders rely on:
1. Stakeholder Mapping
Learn how to identify key influencers, decision-makers, blockers, and allies — and understand the dynamics that determine whether a project moves or stalls.
2. Coalition Building
Explore how to build strong, cross-functional relationships that accelerate alignment, increase buy-in, and help initiatives gain traction.
3. Understanding Personality Types
Gain insights into communication styles and motivational drivers to collaborate more effectively, reduce friction, and influence even challenging colleagues.
4. Start Where You Stand
A practical mindset shift that empowers employees to lead from any seat — using the resources, relationships, and opportunities already within their reach.
With a blend of global perspective, human-centered leadership insights, and actionable tools, Samantha shows participants that sustainable change in business is not only possible — it’s replicable. And it begins with leaders who know how to navigate complexity, mobilize others, and drive long-term value.
Participants will leave with:
a broadened understanding of women’s leadership and its relevance to organizational sustainability;
practical strategies to influence people, policies, and systems within their company;
enhanced communication and collaboration skills;
and a renewed sense of agency in contributing to a resilient, inclusive future for the organization and its stakeholders.
This corporate keynote is designed to inspire, empower, and equip employees at all levels to be catalysts for positive, sustainable change — starting right where they are.
Topic 02
From Transactional to Transformational: Leading in a Globalized World
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, leaders must navigate the complexities of diverse cultural dynamics, shifting global power structures, and rapidly evolving expectations of leadership. The most successful leaders are those who move beyond transactional management to embrace transformational leadership that inspires and unites across boundaries.
In this thought-provoking keynote, Samantha Karlin explores the critical leadership trends shaping the global landscape, from the rise of cultural intelligence as a core competency to the shift toward purpose-driven leadership rooted in connection and empathy. Using compelling case studies from global conflict zones such as Syria and Venezuela, Samantha draws striking parallels between what individuals in crisis demand from leaders—trust, clarity, compassion, and vision—and what employees in corporate settings are increasingly seeking from their leaders. She demonstrates how the transition from fear-based to love-based leadership can inspire loyalty, build resilience, and create environments where people can thrive.
Through vivid storytelling and actionable insights, Samantha highlights how transformational leadership can bridge divides, inspire diverse teams, and create inclusive, purpose-driven cultures. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how to lead authentically in a globalized world, equipped with the tools to shift mindsets, build cross-cultural bridges, and create meaningful impact on a global scale.In a rapidly evolving global landscape, leaders are being asked to navigate uncertainty, cultural complexity, and shifting workforce expectations with confidence and clarity. The leaders who rise to the moment are those who move beyond transactional management and embrace transformational leadership grounded in purpose, authenticity, and grounded optimism — the ability to see possibility without denying reality.
Drawing on her work with leaders and activists in 36+ countries, including conflict-affected regions such as Syria and Venezuela, Samantha Karlin reveals what people consistently seek from leadership in moments of upheaval: trust, clarity, vision, and a steady optimism about what is still possible. These qualities are increasingly what employees expect from corporate leaders today.
At the heart of this keynote is Samantha’s proprietary Leadership Personality Wheel™ — a practical, memorable model that helps leaders understand their natural leadership archetype, how they respond under pressure, and how to adapt their style to inspire diverse, global teams. The Wheel gives leaders a powerful blueprint for expanding their influence and elevating their impact.
Through compelling global stories and cross-cultural insights, Samantha equips leaders with tools to:
adapt leadership styles across cultures, identities, and communication norms
inspire alignment and trust even without formal authority
lead with grounded optimism that energizes teams through uncertainty
communicate with clarity and authenticity in high-stakes environments
create conditions where people feel confident contributing their best work
Participants leave with:
greater self-awareness of their leadership identity
actionable tools for influencing others and building trust across boundaries
insight into how transformational leadership strengthens performance and resilience
renewed confidence in leading teams through complexity and change
This keynote is ideal for organizations seeking to develop leaders who can think globally, act with integrity, and move people toward a shared vision — even in uncertain times.
Topic 03
The Neuroscience of Happiness, Wellbeing, and Human Flourishing
In today’s rapidly changing workplace, teams are navigating intensified workloads, constant context-switching, shrinking resources, and an always-on digital environment that makes sustained wellbeing harder than ever to maintain. The result? Elevated stress, decreased focus, and a workforce craving tools that actually help them thrive.
In this groundbreaking keynote, global leadership expert Samantha Karlin brings together cutting-edge neuroscience, human flourishing research, and gender-specific wellbeing insights — paired with an unforgettable experiential opening: a live soprano performance designed to instantly calm the nervous system.
Samantha begins with a brief, ethereal musical phrase — sometimes a line from Summertime, sometimes a soothing operatic aria — giving participants a full-body experience of how music slows breathing, lowers cortisol, increases oxytocin, and heightens emotional presence. The room shifts from overstimulation to grounded focus within moments.
Drawing on her work as a Senior Facilitator at the NeuroLeadership Institute and her insider perspective from Harvard’s invite-only Human Flourishing Network, Samantha reveals the true drivers of wellbeing, motivation, emotional resilience, and performance. She distills the latest research into practical insights teams can use immediately — including gender differences in stress response and pathways to flourishing that are especially relevant for women in corporate environments.
As part of the session, every participant completes the PERMA Wellbeing Assessment, gaining personalized clarity across the five pillars of flourishing: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. This gives employees not only self-awareness, but a shared framework for supporting healthier team cultures.
Every attendee also receives Samantha’s Mapping Your Happy workbook — a science-backed, beautifully designed guide that helps individuals identify the habits, values, and environments that boost their personal and professional wellbeing. It turns the keynote into an ongoing journey, not a one-off inspiration hit.
Participants walk away with actionable tools to:
regulate cortisol and manage stress more effectively,
strengthen focus, clarity, and cognitive performance,
create micro-habits that build long-term resilience,
enhance engagement and meaning at work,
improve collaboration by understanding diverse wellbeing drivers,
and use their PERMA and workbook insights to build a personalized flourishing plan.
To close, Samantha returns briefly to the music — one final, grounding phrase that brings the room back into coherence and anchors the session’s science in lived experience. Participants leave centered, inspired, and physiologically reset.
This keynote is experiential, evidence-based, and unforgettable — a blend of neuroscience, artistry, and leadership that helps teams not just survive demanding environments, but truly flourish within them.
Inquiry Form
Expertise That Drives Real Results
Why Partner with Samantha?
What sets Samantha apart isn’t just her impressive credentials or global experience – it’s her ability to create lasting change.
Organizations that hire her report stronger team collaboration, more confident and adaptable leaders, enhanced emotional intelligence, and improved cross-cultural communication. As a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellow, former senior facilitator at the Partnership for Public Service, Korn Ferry, and The Neuroleadership Institute, she brings academic rigor, neuroscientific knowledge and practical wisdom to every engagement.
Her approach combines cultural intelligence, AI integration, and transformational leadership principles to help organizations thrive in today’s rapidly changing environment.
Samantha hails from a background on the stage, where she was an operatic coloratura soprano.
She is currently noodling around with a new keynote that combines an operatic aria with her leadership acumen….Inquire if interested.
Check out speaking
Testimonials
"Samantha's event was the highlight of my weekend at Summit."
Arleen Van London
Experiential Event Producer
"Samantha is incredibly engaging. She kept our leaders on their toes."
Eva Majersczik
EVP and Head of People, Genesys
"Samantha's energy is UNMATCHED."
KATHLEEN HESSMAN
Internal Revenue Service
"This was one of the most well-received talks we've ever had."
Verniesa Allen
DEI Head, DC Bar
"Samantha is MAGIC. In one event, people shared that she actually changed the course of their lives."
Leslie Scofield
Investor
About Us
Meet Samantha Karlin
- Education: Harvard, Tufts, Yale, Korn Ferry, Neuroleadership Institute
Samantha Karlin is a visionary leadership development expert, speaker, and changemaker on a mission to transform how leadership is practiced to create environments where people and organizations can truly flourish. As the founder and CEO of Empower Global, she and her team specialize in designing customized leadership accelerators, cross-cultural training, and workshops that prepare leaders to thrive in a VUCA world—one that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. With a global track record of training over 10,000 leaders from 48 countries, Samantha is passionate about activating purpose-driven changemakers and teaching strategies for sustainable leadership. She has worked across sectors, from corporate boardrooms to international NGOs, helping leaders navigate the challenges of today’s turbulent global landscape.
Samantha is the designer and lead instructor of the Women’s Leadership Challenge, an exclusive year-long program for ambitious women who are ready to break through glass ceilings and lead authentically in male-dominated industries. The program equips women with the confidence, tools, and strategies they need to thrive in today’s world while embracing feminist leadership principles that drive gender equity and system change.
Known for her dynamic, high-energy approach, Samantha’s interactive training style keeps her audiences engaged and motivated, whether she’s facilitating a workshop or giving a keynote address. Her unique blend of storytelling, humor, and personal anecdotes make key concepts relatable, while her ability to foster inclusive, welcoming environments ensures everyone feels heard and valued.
Check out what
people say
dwan tabor
Executive Vice President OF Group Strategy | AS ONE INSURANCE GROUP
Passionate, engaging, well-versed, and extremely relatable are all characteristics that I would use to describe Samantha’s Women’s Empowerment keynote presentation at our company in March.
We were excited to have her speak and end Women’s History Month on the highest note possible, as we continue to do the work that is necessary to foster continuous improvement from an inclusivity perspective. Samantha did not disappoint. During the presentation she eloquently presented facts, solutions, and injected humor to lighten the mood for some of the heavier topics discussed while simultaneously maintaining the subject’s significance.
I highly recommend working with Samantha for speaking engagements if you are looking for someone knowledgeable and personable to champion DEIJ values and allyship within your organization. Thank you, Samantha!
Kyla bishop
Exploration Geologist | WINTERSHALL DEA
Thanks to Samantha for a great presentation and workshops for our organization. I thought it brought so much value to our group and was a great catalyst for us to keep working to improve.
Events like this help us to define our values and set standards for how we want to work – but also just give us a chance to come together to learn as a community.
I absolutely recommend Samantha to any organization looking to move forward on how to communicate in a realistic, multinational setting and to actively empower all employees!
Caitlin anderson
Senior Sales Leader | AMAZON WEB SERVICES
Samantha is an inspirational leader and speaker who is passionate and knowledgeable on the subject of biases and disparities that women in the technology industry face every day.
She led a collaborative workshop for our team that allowed for a safe space for us to learn, share our experiences, and discuss how we can better support and advocate for our success, work/life balance, and professional development.
I highly recommend her.
Katie curiel
Project Director | International Exchange Programs | LEGACY INTERNATIONAL
Passionate, inquisitive, authentic, personable, professional… This embodies Samantha in our work with her as we collaborated on building and facilitating the key training for our virtual women’s empowerment program for 60 young professionals in Palestine in March 2022. Samantha worked closely with us to understand our participants and the cultural aspects that are unique to their experience of gender and empowerment; this was critical to implementing an effective training and she went above and beyond to assure her understanding and content were culturally relevant.
Samantha also adjusted her language so our non-native English speaking audience could more easily comprehend and engage. The participants highly rated her training as one of their favorite aspects of the program. They not only learned a lot about women’s empowerment but they gained a great deal of inspiration, especially through Samantha’s authentic self. Samantha’s content covered women’s empowerment globally as well as in the MENA region and Palestine. She did her homework and delivered! We highly recommend Samantha and Empower Global and look forward to partnering again.
Kathleen Hager-Gima
Internal Communications Wizard | GRAHAM PACKAGING
I would absolutely recommend Samantha Karlin and Empower Global.
I got so much out of the women’s workshop series (i.e., Women’s Leadership Accelerator) Samantha facilitated for my company. I happen to be passionate about DE&I, and workshops like this help us discover our intersectional diversity within our larger identity groups (in this case, women). It was truly eye-opening learning more about my female colleagues and the experiences that shaped their views on the world, the workplace, and themselves.
Being able to do self-discovery work was very meaningful to me, as well. As a company, we value self-development and growth; as people, growth takes self-reflection, and Samantha’s workshop series guided us in that as working women who want to be more empowered in our lives and careers.
Being in a (virtual) room with other professional women dealing with similar situations and feelings gave me a huge sense of support. And it opened up some amazing doors, and now I’m collaborating on projects with women colleagues I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Samantha tailored the workshop series to our needs and was very flexible. Her energy during was amazing, and I think all the attendees were inspired by her. I’d absolutely work with her again!
The most innovative organizations bring Samantha in to custom design their leadership retreats
Including keynotes, team building workshops, interactive trainings, and group adventures, be it a financial firm in Houston, Texas or an Entrepreneurs Summit on The Red Sea in Egypt.
“Samantha did such a great job of taking these lessons about embracing vulnerabililty, facing unexpected challenges, and getting outside our comfort zones, facilitating powerful discussions around them, and building powerful action points that we could then bring back to our personal and professional lives.” – Marshall Moser, CEO Vestigo
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