Speaking
I give talks and lead workshops on content marketing, brand journalism, writing, and creativity.
I also enjoy helping artists, women, BIPOC, and early career folks earn more, find careers, and design lives they love. Send me a note if you’re interested in having me join your podcast, conference, or webinar.
Topics
Brand Storytelling
Visual fluency and communicating with visuals
Bring inspired authenticity to your branded content
Strategies for nailing a flawless rebrand
Branding for Creatives
Creating a unique and compelling artist brand
Income diversification for artists
Everything is content: Brand storytelling for creatives
Career and Money
Designing your dream job with confidence
Financial and career literacy for professional women
How to get hired and thrive at an early stage startup
Curtiss Hayden, CEO, Skytemple design studio
“Working with Irene is just awesome. She brings incredible energy along with her expertise, and she presents marketing concepts in an "aha" manner that people grasp, enjoy, and appreciate.”
Past
Changing the Face of Tech: Humanizing Technology
Across the Pond conference, 2023
In this one day event hosted by Across the Pond, diverse speakers explored how technology brands can rise above the typical discourse of features and specs, and inspire audiences with stories of innovation that champion human potential and societal good. For this panel, I joined branding and product experts from Google, Oura, and I Make Cool Things, in a live discussion about the value and practice of humanizing tech. [Event info] [Article]
The Impact of Pandemic-Driven Trends on Brand Storytelling
Seerfest conference, 2022
In this live talk, I shared how to incorporate insights from the COVID-19 pandemic and wider cultural shifts into your campaigns to create thoughtful, empathetic, and authentic branding, leading to consumer connection and lasting business value. [Seerfest 2022 recap]
Learn to Cultivate Your Creative Eye
Shine conference, 2021
This talk explored how you can systematically expand your visual fluency — or simply brush up on the vital skill of communicating with visuals. Part of the Shine bootcamp speaker showcase, an accelerator for women and nonbinary speakers and a fundraiser for RAVEN, an NGO advocating for Indigenous justice.
Equal Access to Credit for Women Business Owners
Small Business Edge, 2019
As a guest on this episode of the Small Business Edge Podcast, I spoke about the economic power of women business owners—and the unconscionable gender credit gap that exists between male and female entrepreneurs. [Hear to the episode.]
What If: Designing Fair and Equal Access to Credit for Women
National Association of Women Business Owners, 2018
What if all business owners had fair and equal access to credit? Women are an economic powerhouse. In the United States, female entrepreneurs and their businesses grow significantly in influence and revenue with each passing year. Yet women have faced greater obstacles compared to men in their quest to obtain credit. This live talk for the National Association of Women Business Owners covered the power of female entrepreneurship; the ways in which traditional credit approval processes may shut women out; and how things are changing due to the rise of financial technology and fintech lending. [NAWBO]