Travels From New South Wales
Speaker Topics
Ambition After the Girlboss Era
A fresh conversation about success, identity and redefining ambition on our own terms.
Read lessBuilding a Body of Work
Why lasting careers aren't built through a single success, but through a lifetime of curiosity, reinvention and creative evolution.
Read lessDopamining: Why We Keep Chasing More and Feel So Much Less
How the modern attention economy is reshaping creativity, ambition, productivity and wellbeing, and what we can do to reclaim deep work and meaningful lives.
Read lessThe Attention Economy and the Creative Brain
What neuroscience, psychology and modern culture reveal about focus, motivation and unlocking our best work.
Read lessThe New Rules of Creative Work
How creatives, founders and professionals can build sustainable careers in a world transformed by AI, algorithms and constant distraction.
Read lessYou Can't Spell Smart Without Art
For educators, parents and creative communities, exploring why creativity is an essential human skill, not an extracurricular one.
Read lessSamantha Wills
One of Australia’s most dynamic speakers and creative personalities
Samantha Wills is a bestselling author, internationally recognised entrepreneur and one of Australia's leading voices on creativity, ambition and modern work.
At just 21, Samantha launched Samantha Wills Jewellery from her kitchen table, growing it into one of Australia's most recognised fashion brands. Her designs were worn by global icons including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Rihanna, featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle, and appeared on Sex and the City. The New York Times named her a “Breakout Star”, recognising her as one of fashion's most exciting emerging talents.
After 15 years leading the business, Samantha made the rare decision to close the company at its peak, choosing creative freedom over continued commercial growth. That decision became the foundation of her bestselling memoir, Of Gold & Dust, an unflinching exploration of ambition, identity, success and what happens when the life you've built no longer aligns with the person you've become.
Today, Samantha's work spans books, keynote stages, essays and cultural commentary. She is the author of the Marigold children's book series and the forthcoming nonfiction book Dopamining (Allen & Unwin, 2027), which explores how the modern attention economy is reshaping creativity, ambition and the way we work and live. She also writes The Creative Process, a widely read Substack publication exploring creativity, storytelling and the cultural forces influencing how we create today.
Drawing on two decades of building global brands, writing bestselling books and researching the psychology of creativity and attention, Samantha's keynotes combine compelling storytelling with practical insight. She challenges audiences to rethink success, reclaim deep creative work and navigate the realities of building meaningful careers in an increasingly distracted world.
Whether speaking to founders, corporate leaders, educators or creative teams, Samantha leaves audiences with more than inspiration. She leaves them with new language, original frameworks and ideas that continue to shape the way they think, work and create long after the event is over.