Speaking & Keynotes

Keynotes that light the room — and leave them with a plan.

I help entrepreneurs, professionals, and industry leaders build personal brands that create authority, open doors, and drive business growth. My talks combine 17 years of building brands with practical frameworks audiences can put to work immediately.

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Willa Kammerer giving her signature talk on the Life on Fire Live stage
17 Years
Building Brands
Multi-7-Figure
Agency Founder
Goldman Sachs
10,000 Small Businesses Speaker
Life on Fire Live
Featured Speaker · 2026
The Signature Keynote

Brand on Fire — the five must-haves of a million-dollar personal brand.

I open with my own story: a tech stack held together by Zapier and a prayer, $4,000+ a year for tools that were never designed to work together, and a brand that looked like it had been built by five different people. Brand and tech, treated as two separate things. Brand on Fire shows how they become one aligned system, then walks the room through the five must-haves of a personal brand that lasts, in the order to build them. Tailored to your audience and time slot.

Brand on Fire — Willa Kammerer's keynote title slide: 5 must-haves for building a million-dollar personal brand
Brand on Fire slide, must-have 1: Identity. Who you really are, not who you “should” be.
01

Identity

Who you really are, not who you “should” be. Borrowed playbooks worked because their authors built them; build the way only you can, and you become your own category of one.

Brand on Fire slide, must-have 2: Authority. Being known for what you’re great at.
02

Authority

Being known for what you’re great at. Expertise + trust + credibility, built in the arena, not studied. Action creates clarity — and if you’re pivoting, you’re not starting from zero.

Brand on Fire slide, must-have 3: Platform. The one you own. The one you lead from.
03

Platform

The one you own and lead from: website, lead magnet, sales page, email list and the tech that ties them together — one Personal Brand Operating System, not a collection of logins and browser tabs.

Brand on Fire slide, must-have 4: Visibility. Bringing people to the platform you’ve built.
04

Visibility

Bringing people to the platform you’ve built: a mix of social, podcasts, PR, speaking, partnerships and ads, where every hit of visibility becomes an asset that compounds.

Brand on Fire slide, must-have 5: Movement. Build your brand bigger than you.
05

Movement

Building your brand bigger than you: a manifesto for what you stand for, and a message people keep showing up for long after the talk.

The takeaway

Attendees leave knowing how to

  1. 01

    Stop running borrowed playbooks and build from who they really are, as a category of one.

  2. 02

    Build authority in public, through action, instead of waiting until they feel ready.

  3. 03

    Turn a scattered tech stack into one aligned platform they own.

  4. 04

    Grow visibility that compounds into a brand, and a movement, bigger than themselves.

Recent & Upcoming Stages

From the main stage to the fireside.

Upcoming · Jan 2027Willa Kammerer — a Featured Speaker at the 9th Annual Speaker Life Summit, January 21–22 2027, North Scottsdale AZ
9th Annual Speaker Life Summit

The Room Where Speakers Rise.

North Scottsdale, AZ · January 21–22, 2027

A featured speaker at Speaker Life Media’s flagship summit — on turning visibility into authority, alongside Chris Voss, Lea Woodford, and more.

FiresideWilla Kammerer in a fireside conversation at the EMPIRE Partners Mastermind in Fort Collins, Colorado
EMPIRE Partners Mastermind

A Fireside in the Rockies.

Fort Collins, CO · September 2026

A fireside conversation for the EMPIRE Partners mastermind — on building a personal brand with the authority, story, and systems to scale.

FiresideWilla Kammerer in a fireside conversation with Dave Sanderson at the Scale to Success Summit
Scale to Success Summit

Scaling with Brand & Story.

Charlotte, NC · November 2025

A fireside conversation with Dave Sanderson on building authority and scaling a business through brand storytelling.

TrainingWilla Kammerer presenting The Backstory at Michelle Cunningham's retreat in the Outer Banks, North Carolina
Michelle Cunningham Retreat

The Backstory, Up Close.

Outer Banks, NC · November 2025

An intimate training for Michelle Cunningham’s retreat community — walking the room through the story behind Firestarter, steps from the ocean.

Cohort SpeakerWilla Kammerer speaking at Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

Selected Cohort Speaker.

Graduation Speech · 2020

Chosen to speak on behalf of her cohort — on grit, growth, and building something that’s truly your own. She shared the stage with Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and leadership from Goldman Sachs.

The Experience Behind the Talk

A career built in rooms that matter.

17 years building brands, from Ivy League campuses to her own award-winning documentary, Starting at Zero.

Harvard University

Selected for multiple brand storytelling engagements.

Qantas Airways

One of five American filmmakers — and the only woman — for a Queensland, Australia brand campaign.

Five U.S. Governors

Personally interviewed by Willa on camera for her award-winning feature documentary Starting at Zero.

Goldman Sachs

Graduate of 10,000 Small Businesses, the “mini MBA” entrepreneurship program, and featured cohort speaker.

Talks & Topics

What I’m known for on stage.

Brand on Fire is the flagship. Every talk is shaped to the room — a keynote, a workshop, a fireside, or a panel — and these throughlines adapt to different audiences.

Authority is built, not studied

Expertise + trust + credibility = authority. Why action creates clarity, how to practice in public, and how to make AI your leverage, not your replacement.

Best for: AI, differentiation & the future of expertiseRead the essay →

Your story is strategy

Turning your origin and point of view into a category of one — and why, if you’re pivoting, you’re not starting from zero.

Best for: Leadership, communication & executive presenceRead the essay →

Build something truly your own

From building everyone else’s mission to building your own — and why a personal brand is stability: the one asset no life change, market shift or algorithm can take away.

Best for: Entrepreneurship, reinvention & women’s leadershipRead the essay →

Building your Personal Brand Operating System

Why a collection of logins and browser tabs isn’t a platform — and how front-end brand and back-end tech become one aligned system you own and lead from.

Best for: Business growth workshops & leadership trainingRead the essay →
Virtual Stages & Summits

On screens everywhere, too.

Virtual keynotes, summits, and guest sessions — reaching the room without the airfare.

The Next Chapter Summit — Willa Kammerer, featured Day 2 (Authority) speaker with host Heather Russell, October 2026
The Next Chapter SummitFeatured Day 2 (Authority) speaker with host Heather Russell — “How to Build the Personal Brand Behind Your Next Chapter,” October 2026.
The Millionaire Playbook — Willa Kammerer, guest speaker on The Personal Brand Tech Trap, June 2026, hosted by Katie Sampayo
The Millionaire PlaybookGuest speaker on “The Personal Brand Tech Trap” — a free virtual event for entrepreneurial women, June 2026, hosted by Katie Sampayo.
RISE — Willa Kammerer, featured guest on “Replace Your 9-5 with Your Soul-Led Business,” a free virtual event hosted by Rose Metcalf, August 2026
RISEFeatured guest on “Replace Your 9–5 with Your Soul-Led Business” — a free virtual event hosted by Rose Metcalf, August 2026.
Love Notes

What rooms say after Willa speaks.

Real notes and messages from audiences — straight from the people in the seats.

An attendee's handwritten notes from Willa's Day 2 talk: My story is mine and nobody can take it; Identity — build from who I really am; Authority — expertise plus trust plus credibility; Action equals clarity; Failure is a stepping stone; Practice in public
An attendee's notebook · Life on Fire Live, Day 2

“What a blessing it was to see Willa onstage… so vibrant. The messaging that she shared from her heart touched my heart so personally… I can’t wait to see what the future holds because of what you gave to me.”

Tricia Lyn ScottTricia Lyn ScottLife on Fire Live

“My story is mine and nobody can take it!”

— As written in an attendee’s notebook
Live chat comment from Richard Lowe during The Millionaire Playbook: Very Powerful Presentation!
From the live chat · The Millionaire Playbook

“Action leads to clarity — and I realize that without a north star or a goal in mind, the only clarity I get is knowing where I don’t want to be. If I know the direction, the path will be revealed through action.”

jesse.24_On Instagram · after Life on Fire Live
Instagram comment from Eric Davidson: You were amazing! Resonated with me on every level. Instagram comment from Lorena Blum: You did amazing, so happy to be there today. Instagram comment from CJ Ackley: Killed it!
On Instagram · Life on Fire Live
Speaking FAQ

Booking Willa, answered.

Who is Willa Kammerer as a speaker?
Willa Kammerer is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur and brand strategist based in Mystic, Connecticut, and the founder of Firestarter. She speaks on building a personal brand and the platform behind it: the identity, authority, story and online systems that turn expertise into opportunity. Her signature talk is Brand on Fire: The 5 Must-Haves for Building a Million-Dollar Personal Brand.
What topics does Willa Kammerer speak on?
Personal branding and building a personal brand platform, through the five must-haves of Brand on Fire: Identity (who you really are, not who you “should” be), Authority (expertise, trust and credibility, built through action), Platform (brand and tech as one system you own), Visibility (a mix of channels that compounds) and Movement (a brand bigger than you). She also speaks on the Personal Brand Operating System and the online tech behind a personal brand business, authority in the age of AI, story as strategy, and building something truly your own.
Who are Willa’s talks for?
Online coaches, experts, thought leaders and entrepreneurs, along with professionals and industry leaders, women’s leadership networks, professional associations, entrepreneurship programs and teams. Every talk is shaped to the audience and the time slot.
Does Willa speak in the Northeast, and does she travel?
Yes. Willa is based in Mystic, Connecticut, and books events across New England and New York, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Greater Boston and New York City. She also books nationally and internationally, with recent stages in Dallas, Charlotte, the Outer Banks and Fort Collins, and the Speaker Life Summit in Scottsdale in January 2027.
Does Willa speak virtually?
Yes. Her recent virtual stages include The Next Chapter Summit, The Millionaire Playbook and RISE.
What formats can Willa deliver?
A signature talk or keynote, an interactive workshop, a fireside chat, a panel, or a virtual summit session.
How do I book Willa Kammerer to speak?
Send a speaking inquiry from the form on this page or email team@firestarterix.com. A two-page speaker sheet (PDF) is available to download.
Speaking Inquiries

Bring Willa to your next event.

Based in Mystic, Connecticut, and booking keynotes, workshops, leadership events, and professional conferences across New England and New York, nationally, internationally, and virtually. Tell me about your audience and the moment you’re creating — I’ll bring a talk that fits the room and sends them home with a plan.

Download the speaker sheet (PDF) →

Inviting Willa on your podcast? Book her as a guest → · Or explore press & interviews.