Julie Austin Delivers Keynote on Competitive Advantage at Destination Southwest
Innovation expert addresses destination marketing leaders on standing out in a crowded marketplace
College Station, TX – January 14, 2026— Julie Austin, CEO of Creative Innovation Group and award-winning inventor and innovation keynote speaker, was selected as the keynote speaker for Destination Southwest, the premier hosted-buyer event for meetings and incentive industry professionals. Austin addressed an audience of Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), CVBs, hotels, and tourism offices from across the Southwest United States.
Her keynote, focused on competitive advantage through innovation, gave attendees practical frameworks for differentiating their destinations in an increasingly competitive travel landscape. Austin drew on her signature systems approach to innovation, challenging DMO leaders to rethink how they position their destinations and create experiences that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
“Every destination has something unique — the key is knowing how to find it, amplify it, and communicate it in a way that makes buyers choose you first,” said Austin.
Destination Southwest, produced by Northstar Meetings Group, brings together top-level meeting and incentive buyers with leading destinations and hospitality suppliers for pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments and industry education.
For information on booking Julie Austin as a keynote speaker, visit creativeinnovationgroup.com.
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Julie Austin Delivers Keynote Address at Leading Women in Petroleum Conference
MYRTLE BEACH, SC — April 28, 2025 — Inventor, innovation expert, and international keynote speaker Julie Austin was the featured keynote speaker at the Leading Women in Petroleum conference, hosted by the North Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association (NCPMA). The event, held on April 28 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, brought together top female leaders from across the petroleum industry to inspire collaboration, innovation, and leadership in a traditionally male-dominated field.
Austin’s keynote, titled “Creating Serendipity: How to Turn Chance into Opportunity”, offered a fresh and engaging perspective on how professionals can cultivate creativity and discover unexpected opportunities in the face of industry disruption. Drawing from her experience as a patented inventor and best-selling author, she guided attendees through real-world strategies to generate innovation, boost problem-solving, and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
The Leading Women in Petroleum event is part of NCPMA’s continued effort to highlight and support the growing influence of women in the petroleum marketing sector. Austin’s keynote resonated strongly with attendees, many of whom are navigating significant transitions in fuel technology, workforce development, and customer expectations.
Austin is the author of Brainstreaming: Think Like an Inventor to Generate Breakthrough Ideas, Creating Serendipity, and Surviving Disruption. She is one of the few female innovators who is both a manufacturer and a speaker, and her unique perspective has made her a sought-after voice at business and leadership conferences worldwide.
Julie Austin Brings Brainstreaming to Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute
La Jolla, CA, 2015
Julie Austin, inventor of the patented Swiggies wrist water bottle and keynote speaker on innovation and competitive advantage, spoke to scientists at The Scripps Research Institute on how to think like an inventor. Her session focused on generating breakthrough ideas using her signature Brainstreaming methodology, a structured approach to ideation she developed after inventing and manufacturing her own product from scratch with no outside funding.
Scripps brought Austin in to help their research teams break out of conventional problem solving patterns and approach scientific challenges the way inventors do, by questioning assumptions and looking for unexpected connections between fields. Austin drew on her own experience building Swiggies into a product sold in 25 countries, sharing the same creative process she used to solve manufacturing and design problems as an entrepreneur with no background in engineering.
Here is a testimonial from Scripps:
“Julie’s speech on creativity and innovation was right on target for our scientists, who constantly need to generate new ideas in the lab. The creativity exercises for left and right brain thinking showed how important it is to get ideas from all sources and be able to connect those ideas to come up with a new and unique innovation. It was fun, entertaining and educational.”
The Scripps Research Institute
“Scientists are trained to follow rigorous methods, but breakthrough ideas often come from thinking sideways instead of straight ahead,” Austin said. “My goal was to give them a few new tools for generating ideas they might not have reached otherwise.”
The session is part of Austin’s ongoing work speaking to research and innovation teams at organizations looking to build a stronger culture of creative problem solving. Her keynote topics include Surviving Disruption and Brainstreaming: Think Like an Inventor, both drawn from her career as a professional inventor and product developer.
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Leads Innovation Keynote and Shark Tank Style Panel for Children’s Hospital of Orange County
Orange, CA, 2017
Julie Austin, inventor and keynote speaker on innovation and competitive advantage, spoke to leadership at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) on her signature Brainstreaming methodology, followed by a live Shark Tank style panel discussion with the hospital’s CEO, CFO, and Chief of Staff.
Austin’s keynote walked the group through the same ideation process she used to invent and manufacture Swiggies, her patented wrist worn water bottle that went on to sell over a million units in 25 countries with no outside investment. She broke down how to generate ideas the way inventors do, by questioning assumptions and connecting ideas from unrelated fields, then handed the floor over for a panel where leaders pitched real ideas to each other in a fast paced, high energy format modeled after the hit show.
The pairing of keynote and panel gave CHOC leadership a chance to put the Brainstreaming framework to work right away instead of just hearing about it. Austin has built her speaking career around this hands on approach, drawing on her background as an inventor and former actor to keep audiences engaged while she teaches a practical creative process.
“Healthcare leaders are dealing with constant change and tight resources, so the ability to generate and evaluate new ideas quickly is a real advantage,” Austin said. “Watching their team pitch ideas to each other live was a great way to bring the whole thing full circle.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Teaches Brainstreaming Creativity at Rocky Mountain Home Care, Home Health & Hospice Conference
Colorado, 2018
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor known for her work on innovation and competitive advantage, spoke at the Rocky Mountain Home Care, Home Health & Hospice Conference on applying her signature Brainstreaming methodology to the home care industry.
Home care and hospice professionals face constant pressure to do more with fewer resources while still delivering deeply personal care, so Austin tailored her talk to show attendees how to generate practical solutions using the same creative process she developed as an inventor. Drawing on her experience building Swiggies, her patented wrist worn water bottle, from concept to a million units sold with no outside funding, Austin walked the room through a repeatable method for coming up with new ideas instead of waiting for inspiration to strike.
“Julie was great to work with and I’m pleased she came to our conference. She spoke with the Executive Director before the meeting to learn about our audience and tailored her presentation to our group. We were glad to have her!”
Emma Gremel
Conference Planner -Home Care Association of Colorado
Attendees left the session with tools they could apply immediately, from generating new program ideas to solving everyday operational challenges, all grounded in a framework built for people without a traditional business or engineering background.
“Home care providers are some of the most resourceful people I’ve ever spoken to, they just don’t always have a structured way to capture and build on their own ideas,” Austin said. “Brainstreaming gives them that structure.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Brainstreaming: Think Like an Inventor to Generate Breakthrough Ideas at American Association of Physician Liaisons Conference
Plano, TX, July 2026
Julie Austin, keynote speaker, inventor, and author, recently spoke at the American Association of Physician Liaisons (AAPL) conference on her signature topic, Brainstreaming: Think Like an Inventor to Generate Breakthrough Ideas.
Physician liaisons work at the intersection of relationship building and strategy, constantly looking for new ways to connect referring physicians with the right resources and grow their networks. Austin’s session gave attendees a structured way to generate fresh ideas for that work, using the same creative process she developed while inventing and manufacturing Swiggies, her patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units in 25 countries with no outside investment or advertising.
Rather than treating creativity as something you either have or don’t, Austin showed the room how to think like an inventor on demand, questioning assumptions and pulling ideas from unrelated fields to solve real problems in their day to day work.
“Physician liaisons are natural relationship builders, but a lot of them haven’t been given tools to turn that instinct into new ideas and new approaches,” Austin said. “That’s what Brainstreaming is for.”
Austin’s talk is part of her broader work speaking to associations and corporate teams looking to build a stronger culture of innovation, drawing on her background as an inventor, product developer, and former professional actor.
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Brainstreaming and Creativity for Women’s Jewelry Association
February, 2016
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor, spoke to members of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) on Brainstreaming, her signature methodology for generating creative ideas, tailored specifically for women running businesses in the jewelry industry.
Jewelry business owners face a unique mix of challenges, standing out in a crowded, design driven market while also running the day to day operations of a small business. Austin’s session gave WJA members a practical framework for generating new ideas, whether for a new design direction, a marketing angle, or a way to solve a nagging operational problem, drawing on the same creative process she used to invent, patent, and manufacture Swiggies, her wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units in 25 countries without any outside investment.
Austin’s own background as a self funded inventor and entrepreneur, not someone with a formal design or engineering degree, resonated with a room full of women building businesses in a competitive, craft driven industry.
“A lot of the women in that room were incredibly talented designers who just needed a better process for turning their next idea into their next product line,” Austin said. “Brainstreaming gives them a way to do that on demand instead of waiting for lightning to strike.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Creativity at Arizona Creativity Conference
Arizona, 2011
Julie Austin, keynote speaker, inventor, and author, spoke at the Arizona Creativity Conference, a women’s conference focused on creativity, ideation, and personal growth.
Austin brought her background as a bootstrapped inventor into the room, sharing the process she used to design, patent, and manufacture Swiggies, her wrist worn water bottle, without any formal training in product design or engineering. Her talk focused on helping women in the audience see creativity as a skill they could build and use deliberately, not just a trait some people are born with and others aren’t.
Drawing on her own path from professional actor to inventor to speaker, Austin gave attendees a look at how reinvention and creative risk taking can open up new directions, even later in a career or after a major life change.
“So many women think creativity is reserved for artists and designers, but it’s really just a way of solving problems,” Austin said. “Once you see it that way, you start noticing opportunities everywhere.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Brainstreaming and Creativity for Girl Scouts of the USA Leaders
May, 2010
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor, spoke to Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) leaders on Brainstreaming, her signature methodology for generating creative ideas, tailored to the work of running troops and programs that inspire girls to think big.
Girl Scout leaders wear a lot of hats, from planning activities to fundraising to keeping girls engaged year after year, and Austin’s session gave them a structured process for coming up with new ideas rather than leaning on the same programming year after year. She drew on her own experience inventing and manufacturing Swiggies, her patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units in 25 countries with no outside investment, to show leaders how a nontraditional path and a bit of creative thinking can lead to real results.
“Julie’s creativity workshop was a huge success. Participants learned exact techniques on how to come up with their own inventions and how to use innovation in their daily lives to solve problems. Oh, yeah and it was fun!”
Since Girl Scout leaders are also the ones modeling creativity and problem solving for the next generation of girls, Austin tied the session directly back to the organization’s mission, giving leaders tools they could turn around and teach to their own troops.
“These leaders are shaping how thousands of girls think about problem solving and confidence,” Austin said. “If I can hand them one new tool for generating ideas, that tool ends up in the hands of every girl they lead.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Creativity and Competitive Advantage at Chico College SBDC Women in Business Conference
Chico, CA 2012
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor, spoke at the Women in Business Annual Conference, hosted by the Snow College Small Business Development Center (SBDC), on creativity and competitive advantage.
Austin’s session gave women business owners and entrepreneurs a firsthand look at how creative thinking becomes a real competitive edge, not just a nice to have. She used her own experience building Swiggies, her patented wrist worn water bottle, from a napkin sketch to a product sold in 25 countries with no outside investment, as a working example of how a bootstrapped idea can outcompete bigger, better funded players when the idea itself is strong enough.
The talk fit right into the conference’s mission of giving women entrepreneurs practical tools they could use right away, whether they were just starting a business or looking to grow one they’d already built.
“Competitive advantage doesn’t always come from having more money or more resources,” Austin said. “A lot of the time it comes from being willing to think differently than everyone else in your industry.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Creativity to Women Engineers at Society of Women Engineers Event, USC
Los Angeles, CA, 2012
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor, spoke to women engineers at a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) event hosted at USC, on the topic of creativity.
Engineers are trained to solve problems with precision, but Austin’s talk pushed the room to think about creativity as its own kind of engineering skill, one that can be practiced and sharpened just like any technical discipline. She shared the process she used to invent, design, and patent Swiggies, her wrist worn water bottle, as a real world example of how creative problem solving looks outside a lab or classroom, and how the same instincts that make a great engineer can also make a great inventor.
For a room full of women pursuing careers in a historically male dominated field, Austin’s own path as a self taught inventor with no formal engineering background offered a different kind of example, that innovation doesn’t always follow a straight line or a traditional credential.
“Engineering and invention both come down to the same thing, seeing a problem clearly and then finding a way around it that nobody else has tried,” Austin said. “I wanted these women to see that they already have that instinct.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Brainstreaming at USC Women in Science and Engineering
Los Angeles, CA
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor, spoke to USC Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) on her signature Brainstreaming methodology, a structured approach to generating breakthrough ideas.
WiSE exists to help women scientists and engineers thrive at every stage of their careers, so Austin tailored her talk to show attendees how to apply an inventor’s mindset to their own research and career challenges. She walked the group through the same creative process she used to design, patent, and manufacture Swiggies, her wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units in 25 countries with no outside investment, proving that breakthrough thinking doesn’t require a lab, a grant, or a technical degree, just a better process for generating and testing ideas.
Austin’s talk gave attendees a practical, repeatable framework they could apply immediately to their own research questions, career pivots, or the everyday problem solving that comes with a career in science and engineering.
“Scientists and engineers are already trained to test ideas rigorously, Brainstreaming just gives them a better way to come up with those ideas in the first place,” Austin said. “It’s less about talent and more about process.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
Julie Austin Speaks on Brainstreaming and Creativity for Texas Charter School Leaders
Texas, 2017
Julie Austin, keynote speaker and inventor, spoke at the Texas Charter Schools Conference on Brainstreaming, her signature methodology for generating breakthrough ideas, to a room of charter school leaders and administrators.
Charter school leaders are constantly asked to do more with less, building strong academic programs while also handling everything from funding to staffing to community outreach. Austin’s session gave attendees a structured process for generating new solutions to these challenges, drawing on her own experience inventing and manufacturing Swiggies, her patented wrist worn water bottle, from a simple idea into a product sold in 25 countries with no outside investment.
By framing school leadership through the lens of invention, Austin gave attendees permission to experiment, test small ideas, and build on what worked, rather than waiting for a perfect solution before trying something new.
“Charter school leaders are already innovating just by choosing to do things differently, they just don’t always think of themselves as inventors,” Austin said. “I wanted to give them a process to match the mindset they already have.”
Julie Austin is a keynote speaker, inventor, and author based in Plano, TX. She is the inventor of Swiggies, a patented wrist worn water bottle that sold over a million units without any outside investment or advertising. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and has spoken for organizations including Procter & Gamble, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Northrop Grumman, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.
For booking inquiries, contact Julie Austin at julie@creativeinnovationgroup.com
