Samantha Karlin is a world-renowned leadership expert who has trained thousands of women leaders across the globe to own their voice, command the room, and lead transformative change. As the creator of the acclaimed Women’s Leadership Challenge, she brings a rare blend of energy, empathy, and unapologetic truth-telling to every stage.
In this game-changing keynote, Samantha introduces her proprietary Intrinsic Power Map™ — a powerful framework that helps women derive confidence and authority from their authentic selves, not from outdated expectations or external validation. This talk doesn’t just inspire — it catalyzes. Women leave with practical tools to banish imposter syndrome, amplify their influence, and lead boldly in even the most high-stakes environments.
Organizations seeking to elevate more women into leadership — and retain them — will find this keynote a strategic imperative. Samantha’s work doesn’t stop with women. Male allies will gain a deeper understanding of the vital leadership capacities women bring to the table — emotional intelligence, inclusive decision-making, and resilience — all essential for navigating the volatility of today’s business landscape.
Outcomes include:
Whether speaking to C-level executives, rising stars, or university students, Samantha electrifies the room and leaves lasting impact.
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 today’s rapidly changing landscape, leaders are facing unprecedented challenges: technological disruption, globalization, economic uncertainty, and societal shifts. To thrive in this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, leaders must embrace adaptability, innovate boldly, and inspire others to navigate through change.
In this engaging and actionable keynote, Samantha draws from her expertise in leadership development, cultural intelligence, and the latest advancements in AI to equip leaders with the tools they need to succeed.
Leveraging the latest in neuroscience, she provides insights on navigating uncertainty with grace, harnessing emerging technologies to drive innovation and shares actionable tools for the audience on cultivating an adaptive leadership mindset – which transforms challenges into opportunities.
Through real-world examples and powerful storytelling, this keynote leaves leaders inspired and empowered to rise to the challenges of a VUCA world and create lasting impact within their organizations.
In today’s volatile, high-pressure world, thriving isn’t a luxury—it’s a strategic advantage.
In this compelling keynote, Samantha Karlin—leadership expert and member of Harvard’s Human Flourishing Network—unpacks the science behind what it truly means to flourish. Drawing on global wellbeing data, cutting-edge neuroscience, and her proprietary six-part framework inspired by the PERMA model, Samantha offers a powerful roadmap to help leaders and teams unlock sustainable happiness, resilience, and peak performance.
More than just inspiration, this keynote integrates an interactive flourishing self-assessment, a practical workbook, and tangible strategies that can be implemented immediately across organizations. Backed by research from Harvard and the latest findings in neuroscience and positive psychology, participants will learn how to rewire their brains, reimagine their purpose, and create cultures where people do more than survive—they thrive.
Key Takeaways:
Ideal for: Executive teams, leadership retreats, employee wellbeing initiatives, DEI and culture-building programs.
Featuring Live Operatic Performance
A keynote experience like no other—designed to unlock the full emotional intelligence, authenticity, and impact required of modern leaders.
In a volatile, high-pressure world, the most effective leaders don’t just perform—they connect. They inspire. They lead with radical authenticity.
International leadership strategist and opera singer Samantha Karlin brings a breathtaking fusion of voice and vision to the stage, opening and closing with live operatic arias that awaken something deeper in every audience member.
Through her groundbreaking Intrinsic Power Map framework, Samantha has empowered hundreds of senior leaders—from Fortune 500 companies to fast-scaling startups—to reclaim their authentic voice and unlock powerful, purpose-driven leadership styles that drive results.
This keynote equips leaders to:
Samantha’s keynotes are regularly described as unforgettable, transformational, and catalytic. She starts and ends with a stunning operatic aria, captivating the audience and bringing a welcome change from
Perfect for organizations navigating turbulence or undergoing transformation.
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!
Aspida
- Jun 14 2025
"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!"
Graham Packaging
- Jun 14 2025
"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!"
Wintershall Dea
- Jun 14 2025
"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."
Amazon Web Services
- Jun 14 2025
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