Mother-daughter duo on courage, creativity and inclusion

Overview

Betina Genovesi and Clara Woods are a mother-daughter speaking duo whose story has shifted rooms around the world. Clara, a globally exhibited artist who cannot speak, read or write, paints with her left hand and has sold more than 700 works internationally. Betina is the strategist, mother and manager who turned her daughter's dream into a global creative platform. Together they bring a keynote built on courage, belief and a shared mission for inclusion.

Who are Betina Genovesi and Clara Woods? Clara was born in Florence in 2006 to Brazilian-born Betina and Dutch-Canadian father Carlo. A prenatal stroke severely damaged one hemisphere of her brain. Doctors said she would never do anything. Clara now understands Portuguese, Italian and English, and paints in bold, joyful colour. The family moved to California in 2020 on an American visa for extraordinary talent. Clara has exhibited at Art Basel Miami with Louis Vuitton, and has been selected as an official artist for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Art Posters project with her work "You Love".

Career Highlights • Mother-daughter speaking duo, exclusively represented worldwide by Essential Talent • Clara has sold more than 700 paintings to collectors around the world • Official artist for Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Art Posters project • Exhibited at Art Basel Miami in partnership with Louis Vuitton • Featured in the documentary Extraordinary Normal (Italy, 2019) • Granted an American "extraordinary talent" visa in 2020

Key Speaking Themes • Inclusion, accessibility and what's possible • The power of art to heal and create voice • Family, motherhood and being your child's advocate • Dreaming big despite the odds • Resilience, identity and disability done differently

What Your Audience Will Gain Betina and Clara are equal parts emotional, funny and inspiring. Audiences leave with a new perspective on inclusion, the role parents and managers play in unlocking talent, and a fresh sense of what dreaming big really means.

Ideal For • Diversity, equity and inclusion events • Education, schools and universities • Health, disability and family-services conferences • Leadership and women in business summits • Arts, culture and creative industry events

Frequently Asked Questions...

What do Betina and Clara speak about? Inclusion, disability, courage, creativity, motherhood and the power of art to give voice to those who don't communicate in traditional ways.

Who is Clara Woods? A globally exhibited artist born in Florence in 2006, who survived a prenatal stroke and cannot speak, read or write. She paints in bold colour and is the official artist for Milano Cortina 2026.

Who is Betina Genovesi? Clara's mother and manager, originally from São Paulo. A marketing and social media specialist, she has built Clara's career into a global creative platform.

Where are they based? The family is based in Huntington Beach, Southern California, having moved from Florence in 2020.

Can they be booked separately? They speak as a duo. Their keynote experience is built on the mother-daughter dynamic and shared mission.
Is the duo available for keynotes worldwide? Yes. Betina and Clara are exclusively represented by Essential Talent worldwide and travel for keynotes, conferences and education audiences.