I’m a keynote speaker, Emmy-nominated news anchor, and former University of Washington adjunct faculty member. As a speaker and educator, I teach professionals of marginalized backgrounds how to advocate for themselves at work.
Previously, I was the primary TV news anchor for KCTS 9 (Seattle's PBS channel). I was also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Washington, where I taught a graduate-level class on self-advocacy, professional visibility, and personal branding. I founded Career Survival Guide in 2019, and my work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review.
Speaking and emceeing:
I lead corporate workshops, trainings, and keynotes that teach mid-career professionals (especially women, people of color, people of low-income backgrounds, and people who were the first in their families to go to college) how to:
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grow their professional visibility,
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internalize their value and articulate it to others,
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and feel confident speaking up and taking up space in the workplace.
My past clients include Microsoft, AT&T, and the Society for HR Management. Read testimonials from my clients here.
My hosting/emceeing reel can be found here.
Book me through the SHRM Speakers Bureau: https://speakers.shrm.org/speaker/starla-sampaco/
To inquire about my services or to request a collaboration, fill out this form.
More about me:
In 2019, I founded Career Survival Guide, which offers corporate workshops and social media content geared towards women and professionals of color. I started Career Survival Guide to help these professionals navigate career barriers, to demystify the hiring/promotion process, and to teach my audience the tactical career strategies they didn't learn in school.
It brings me joy to create the resources I wish I had earlier in my career; when I was just starting out in news, I was often an “only” in many professional settings – the only woman, the only person of color, and/or the only millennial in the room. Over the past 10+ years, I learned how to navigate these challenging power dynamics while building a career in media, despite being told I was “too ambitious” and “too young” to succeed in TV. This experience taught me the importance of advocating for myself and taking up space unapologetically. As a proud Filipina American, I want to make self-advocacy and career content more accessible for others of marginalized backgrounds, so they, too, can get a seat at the table.
Connect with me on social media: