Make 1 + 1 = 11
THE CREATIVE POWER OF PRESENCE
presence is a
force multiplier
for creativity
Innovation isn’t blocked by a lack of ideas—it’s blocked by a lack of presence.
When people feel safe and fully “there,” creative intelligence turns on: quiet voices speak, patterns emerge, and strategy gets sharper. Presence is the operating system that makes brainstorming useful, meetings shorter, and choices obvious. It’s how opportunities stop hiding in plain sight—and start getting made.
I show leaders simple, repeatable presence resets that multiply creativity on demand and convert pressure into clarity. Think: higher participation, stronger ideas, faster alignment—without adding more to anyone’s plate.
Light Watkins is a bestselling author, global speaker, and presence strategist who equips teams to create original work consistently and build cultures where creative work actually ships.
Before Optimizing for Presence
Brainstorms can feel flat with the same few voices, and same recycled ideas.
Meetings drag on with lots of talk, but few clear outcomes.
Market pressures lead to reactivity and defaulting to short-term fixes.
Client conversations stay surface-level, missing deeper opportunities for connection.
Your team executes tasks, but rarely generates novel, stand-out solutions.
You look like you’re being “productive,” but your innovation stalls.
After Optimizing for Presence
Fresh ideas emerge when people feel safe enough to share.
Meetings shorten because the right decisions are made quicker, and actions stick.
Pressure becomes clarity; strategy sharpens under stress.
Clients and partners feel seen, and loyalty grows.
Your team anticipates needs, connects dots, and solves creatively.
You feel both productive and innovative—and momentum compounds.
When you’re present, strategy sharpens and creativity compounds.
the spiritual perspective
Light shares practical insights to help busy, urban professionals optimize their busy life for presence.
MEET LIGHT
Light Watkins is a globally recognized keynote speaker, 5-time bestselling author, and presence expert who helps leaders and organizations unlock the hidden power of presence to achieve greater clarity, creativity, and impact.
For over two decades, he’s spoken at Fortune 500 companies, led workshops on nearly every continent, and inspired audiences to lead with purpose and authenticity.
Light has spent more than 10,000 hours “doing nothing” — a counterintuitive practice that proved to be the foundation for his most productive and impactful years. He also lived from a single backpack for five years, and now teaches the art of doing less to accomplish more, and the inside-out approach to leadership and fulfillment. His talks challenge the traditional grind-it-out model of success, showing how presence fuels productivity, creativity, and lasting results.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Light has published 5 best-selling books, including his most recent, The Year You Transform.
MY PATH
Which moment shifted the direction of your life?
I was afraid of the ball in Little League. So my coach would tell me, “Don’t swing. Let ’em walk you.” I wish I could say I ignored him and went for it anyway—but I didn’t. I just stood there, bat in hand, watching the pitch. At the end of every game, I felt hollow—not because we won or lost, but because I didn’t even try. And decades later, I still wonder: what if I had swung? Maybe that’s why I’ve dedicated my life to encouraging others to just take the damn swing! Don’t play it safe. Sure, walking might get you a pass to first base. But swinging—that’s how you find out what you’re truly made of.