Speaking
Speaking
I love to share my learnings, insights, and inspiration, pulling from a decade in the immersive industry and deep experience as a creative and explorer of embodiment and spirituality. I’m available for keynote talks, conference sessions, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops.
““One of the best talks I’ve seen in years... a MASTER storyteller and creative DYNAMO.””
Excerpt from REMIX Summit Keynote, 2023, Perth, NSW, Australia
SPEAKING TOPICS
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In December 2023, I quit my dream job at Meow Wolf. In April 2024, the article I wrote about why I left went viral on LinkedIn, illuminating a crisis in our creative industries. In this keynote, I offer insight into how creative companies, by inviting artists and creatives to help solve business challenges, can actually find new paths of innovation and build a culture of true creativity.
Keywords: Creativity, creative jobs, Meow Wolf, creative leadership, creative innovation, creative industry, layoffs.
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For over a decade, we’ve seen the wild success of immersive experiences, part of the era of the Experience Economy, as described in Joseph Pine and James Gilmore’s seminal book. They also predicted the rise of what they called the Transformation Economy, and it’s here: The rise of businesses based on consumers experiencing some sort of transformation. I’m currently working on a range of projects that are shaping the future of immersive entertainment by combining immersive art with modern and ancient traditions of healing for a new category of experience: immersive wellness. I’ll share what I’m seeing is effective and not and offer perspectives on how integrating personal transformation in the design of entertainment and educational experiences will drive engagement and build brand loyalty.
Keywords: Immersive design, experience economy, transformation economy, personal transformation experience, healing through art, immersive wellness.
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Since the inception of Meow Wolf, artists and designers have been subverting expectations of reality. The first Omega Mart exhibition in 2011 was a "real" grocery story in Santa Fe; In 2021, the company opened an even more "real" grocery store in Las Vegas with enough reality bending that conspiracy videos have popped up online about the story and experience. Inspired by the lineage of alternate reality games like This House Has People In It and The Beast, Meow Wolf has pushed participants to question what they believe. I share what I helped design during my tenure at Meow Wolf, what works, and how the principles of alternate reality gaming can be applied to any immersive and/or Location Based Entertainment experience in order to drive long-lasting fan engagement.
Keywords: ARG, Alternate Reality Gaming, Meow Wolf, Omega Mart, Experience Design, Game Design, LBE fan engagement
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What’s possible if we let our imaginations truly run wild? For nearly six years, I led world building sessions and blue sky creative development to dream up new Meow Wolf exhibitions and experiences and am currently supported both Jon Favreau and Chloe Zhao’s companies to do the same. In this hands-on interactive presentation, I lead participants through processes and tools to clarify a project’s vision through supercharged creative ideation and purpose-focused distillation.
Keywords: World building, brainstorming, blue sky, creative ideation, project visioning
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I can’t count the number of times in my life that I’ve laid on the floor sure I was going to die. From as early as I can remember, I suffered from a debilitating panic disorder, which made me completely distrustful of my own body. In 2021, burned out at work and racked with anxiety, I finally began a journey to reclaim control– by fully letting go. In this talk, I share how creativity and sexuality have become portals to trusting myself and the ways these types of expression can liberate us all.
Keywords: Overcoming panic, anxiety, sacred sexuality, embodiment, body liberation, freedom from anxiety, creative sexuality
““Honest, funny, and compassionate, Joanna’s workshop opened a door for me I never knew was there.””
WORKSHOP OFFERINGS
Wildly Creative Solutions: Innovative Practices to Work With Artists to Solve Business Challenges
Creativity Makes Better Leaders: Activating Creativity for Leadership and Management
The Mystery of the Muse: Practices to Enter Flow State
Writing Better Stories
Basic story principles to supercharge creative ideas
Location based/immersive story design
Non-linear story design
Building a better brand story for customers and employees
Experience Design Basics: How to Design Experiences That Actually Work for Your Audiences and Customers
Nervous System Regulation Techniques to Work Through Conflict, Transition, or Team Building
Getting to the Why: Co-Creating a Shared Vision of Success
““Galvanizing, inspiring, hypnotic, and grounding — all at the same time. Leading off with her workshop was essential to the success of the summit.””
Some recent highlights include:
📣 Immersive World Adventure (Tulum): “Turning On Your Audience” (Workshop)
📣 Virgin Voyages: “Feed Your Senses: Experiences of Food and Pleasure” (Workshop)
📣 REMIX Australia: “Inspiring Transformation Through Immersive Design” (Keynote)
📣 NextStage Immersive Summit: “Reality is a Co-Creation” (Keynote)
📣 Worlds in Play (Arizona State University): “Designing Alternate Reality Games for Physical Environments” (Keynote)
📣 Worlds in Play (Arizona State University): “Please Open Your Mouth: Participatory Experiences of Food and Pleasure” (Facilitated Experience)
📣 Stanford University/Performing Arts Futures Conference: “Bringing Pleasure Into the Performance Process” (Keynote)
📣 Creative Experiences Santa Fe: “Collaborative World Building” (Keynote + Workshop)
📣 Facebook: “Radical Collaboration Techniques” (Workshop)
📣 Breckenridge Film Festival/CampSight: “Radical Collaboration Techniques” (Keynote)
📣 St. John’s Women’s International Film Festival: “Bringing Immersive into the Film Industry” (Panel)
📣 StoryWorld 3.0: “Building Blocks for Immersive Design” (Conference Session)
📣 Tofte Lake Center: “Feed Your Creativity” (Week-Long Retreat)
UPCOMING:
📣 Virgin Voyages: “Dreaming Your Future,” June 2-8, 2024, aboard the “Elevate” cruise from Barcelona
““Joanna has the power to nurture and inspire all those lucky to hear her speak.””
