( ABOUT )
( ABOUT )

For more than fifteen years, William has worked at the intersection of human behaviour, technology and social change.

For more than fifteen years, William has worked at the intersection of human behaviour, technology and social change.

I often find myself thinking about what might have been.

What if we had never discovered penicillin? What if Raymond Calvel hadn't escaped a Nazi prison and later rescued the soul of French bread? What if social media had been invented at CERN, not a Harvard dorm room?

And who might I be, if I'd not met the right people at the right time?

In my early twenties I was lucky enough to fall in with a group starting a world first approach to transforming mental health in young men. Our campaign, Soften the Fck Up, would go on to become a viral hit - and shake the foundations of how young Australian men talk about mental health.

For me, it was the start of a lifelong passion for creating change, understanding systems, and moving people towards something better.

I would later co-found what is now the non-profit Museum of Sticks & Stones, and the award-winning research and design studio Mettlesome.

I've since worked with, and spoken for, the likes of the World Economic Forum, the Obama Democracy Forum, Google, the Australian Government, Lego, and more.

Right now, the world is wrestling with big questions of technology, humanity, and social contracts. One of the biggest questions we now face is: what might we become?

I believe the best answer to this question lies in understanding the forces that shape who we are, how we live, interact, think, and create. And that words, placed in the right order, can change the course of human history.

I often find myself thinking about what might have been.

What if we had never discovered penicillin? What if Raymond Calvel hadn’t escaped a Nazi prison and later rescued the soul of French bread? What if social media had been invented at CERN, not a Harvard dorm room?

And who might I be, if I’d not met the right people at the right time?

In my early twenties I was lucky enough to fall in with a group starting a world first approach to transforming mental health in young men. Our campaign, Soften the Fck Up, would go on to become a viral hit - and shake the foundations of how young Australian men talk about mental health.

For me, it was the start of a lifelong passion for creating change, understanding systems, and moving people towards something better.

I would later co-found what is now the non-profit Museum of Sticks & Stones, and the award-winning research and design studio Mettlesome.

I’ve since worked with, and spoken for, the likes of the World Economic Forum, the Obama Democracy Forum, Google, the Australian Government, Lego, and more.

Right now, the world is wrestling with big questions of technology, humanity, and social contracts. One of the biggest questions we now face is: what might we become?

I believe the best answer to this question lies in understanding the forces that shape who we are, how we live, interact, think, and create. And that words, placed in the right order, can change the course of human history.

I often find myself thinking about what might have been.

What if we had never discovered penicillin? What if Raymond Calvel hadn’t escaped a Nazi prison and later rescued the soul of French bread? What if social media had been invented at CERN, not a Harvard dorm room?

And who might I be, if I’d not met the right people at the right time?

In my early twenties I was lucky enough to fall in with a group starting a world first approach to transforming mental health in young men. Our campaign, Soften the Fck Up, would go on to become a viral hit - and shake the foundations of how young Australian men talk about mental health.

For me, it was the start of a lifelong passion for creating change, understanding systems, and moving people towards something better.

I would later co-found what is now the non-profit Museum of Sticks & Stones, and the award-winning research and design studio Mettlesome.

I’ve since worked with, and spoken for, the likes of the World Economic Forum, the Obama Democracy Forum, Google, the Australian Government, Lego, and more.

Right now, the world is wrestling with big questions of technology, humanity, and social contracts. One of the biggest questions we now face is: what might we become?

I believe the best answer to this question lies in understanding the forces that shape who we are, how we live, interact, think, and create. And that words, placed in the right order, can change the course of human history.

( SELECTED STRATEGIC CLIENTS )
( SELECTED STRATEGIC CLIENTS )
( CONTEXT )
( CONTEXT )

Fellow panellists at the Obama Democracy Forum, Chicago.

Fellow panellists at the Obama Democracy Forum, Chicago.

( EXPERIENCE )
( EXPERIENCE )
( FROM 2025 )
( FROM 2025 )

Independent

Independent

Writer, Speaker, Strategic Advisor

Writer, Speaker, Strategic Advisor

( FROM 2016 )
( FROM 2016 )

Mettlesome

Mettlesome

Co-founder, Principal Strategist

Co-founder, Principal Strategist

( FROM 2011 )
( FROM 2011 )

Museum of Sticks & Stones

Museum of Sticks & Stones

Co-Founder, Executive Director

Co-Founder, Executive Director

( FROM 2022 )
( FROM 2022 )

Rise - Queensland's Mental Health Peak Body

Rise - Queensland's Mental Health Peak Body

Board Chair

Board Chair

( 2023 )
( 2023 )

Global Good Fund

Global Good Fund

Fellow

Fellow

( FROM 2018 )
( FROM 2018 )

Obama Foundation

Obama Foundation

Asia Pacific Leader

Asia Pacific Leader

( 2019 )
( 2019 )

World Economic Forum

World Economic Forum

Global Shapers Advisory Council

Global Shapers Advisory Council

( 2021 & 2022 )
( 2021 & 2022 )

Movember

Movember

Grants Giving Committee

Grants Giving Committee

( FULL BIO )
( FULL BIO )
( AS OF 2026 )
( AS OF 2026 )

William Smith-Stubbs is a writer, speaker and strategic advisor on technology, society and human behaviour. He is the co-founder of the Museum of Sticks & Stones, an award-winning mental health and social cohesion non-profit, and the research and design studio Mettlesome.

William’s work has included the design of groundbreaking mental health programs, research on young male radicalisation, and anti-loneliness platforms, and AI and wellbeing products.

William has spoken around the world on mental health, technology, and social progress, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Obama Democracy Forum, and the YMCA Global Summit.

As an essayist, William writes about meaning and the human experience in a world dominated by technology and isolation, and produces speculative fiction and documentaries exploring the complexities of the modern world.

William is an Obama Foundation Leader, Australia New Zealand Emerging Leader, and the first Global Good Fund Fellow from Oceania. His writing has been long listed for a major literary prize, and his work has been awarded Good Design Awards and a nomination for a UNESCO prize.

William Smith-Stubbs is a writer, speaker and strategic advisor on technology, society and human behaviour. He is the co-founder of the Museum of Sticks & Stones, an award-winning mental health and social cohesion non-profit, and the research and design studio Mettlesome.

William’s work has included the design of groundbreaking mental health programs, research on young male radicalisation, and anti-loneliness platforms, and AI and wellbeing products.

William has spoken around the world on mental health, technology, and social progress, including at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Obama Democracy Forum, and the YMCA Global Summit.

As an essayist, William writes about meaning and the human experience in a world dominated by technology and isolation, and produces speculative fiction and documentaries exploring the complexities of the modern world.

William is an Obama Foundation Leader, Australia New Zealand Emerging Leader, and the first Global Good Fund Fellow from Oceania. His writing has been long listed for a major literary prize, and his work has been awarded Good Design Awards and a nomination for a UNESCO prize.

( FOLLOW ME )

Ideas for a complex era.
Schedule a call with me or subscribe to my Substack.

( FOLLOW ME )

Ideas for a complex era.
Schedule a call with me or subscribe to my Substack.

( FOLLOW ME )

Ideas for a complex era.
Schedule a call with me or subscribe to my Substack.

( FOLLOW ME )

Ideas for a complex era.
Schedule a call with me or subscribe to my Substack.

( CONNECT )

Ideas for a complex era.
Schedule a call with me or subscribe to my Substack.

( FOLLOW ME )

Ideas for a complex era.
Schedule a call with me or subscribe to my Substack.