TED Motivation

TED: Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world. The annual TED conferences, in Long Beach/Palm Springs and Edinburgh, bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less). This section contains talks generally related to motivation.
English United States Health & Fitness
58 Episodes
1 – 20

2:12 How I help free innocent people from prison | Ronald Sullivan

Harvard Law professor Ronald Sullivan fights to free wrongfully convicted people from jail -- in fact, he has freed some 6,000 innocent people over the course of his career. He shares heartbreaking stories of how (and why) people end up being put in jail for something they didn't do, and…
5 Jul 2017 12 min

On tennis, love and motherhood : Serena Williams and Gayle King

Twenty-three Grand Slam titles later, tennis superstar Serena Williams sits down with journalist Gayle King to share a warm, mischievous conversation about her life, love, wins and losses — starting with the story of how she accidentally shared her pregnancy news with the world.
4 May 2017 18 min

Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness: Michele L. Sullivan

We all go through challenges — some you can see, most you can't, says Michele L. Sullivan. In a talk about perspective, Sullivan shares stories full of wit and wisdom and reminds us that we're all part of each other's support systems. "The only shoes you can walk in are…
29 Mar 2017 11 min

The Fringe benefits of failure : J K Rawlings

At her Harvard commencement speech, "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling offers some powerful, heartening advice to dreamers and overachievers, including one hard-won lesson that she deems "worth more than any qualification I ever earned."
20 Feb 2017 20 min

The surprising thing I learned sailing solo around the world

Dame Ellen MacArthur: The surprising thing I learned sailing solo around the world. What do you learn when you sail around the world on your own? When solo sailor Ellen MacArthur circled the globe – carrying everything she needed with her – she came back with new insight into the…
23 Oct 2016 16 min

How immigrant voices make democracy stronger : Sayu Bhojwani

In politics, representation matters — and that's why we should elect leaders who reflect their country's diversity and embrace its multicultural tapestry, says Sayu Bhojwani. Through her own story of becoming an American citizen, the immigration scholar reveals how her love and dedication to her country turned into a driving…
19 Oct 2016 12 min

3 lessons on success from an Arab businesswoman: Leila Hoteit

Professional Arab women juggle more responsibilities than their male counterparts, and they face more cultural rigidity than Western women. What can their success teach us about tenacity, competition, priorities and progress? Tracing her career as an engineer, advocate and mother in Abu Dhabi, Leila Hoteit shares three lessons for thriving…
1 Aug 2016 14 min

Carol Cohen: How to get back to work after a career break.

If you've taken a career break and are now looking to return to the workforce, would you consider taking an internship? Career reentry expert Carol Fishman Cohen thinks you should. In this talk, hear about Cohen's own experience as a 40-year-old intern, her work championing the success of "relaunchers" and…
29 Mar 2016 12 min

Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation

When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty,…
8 Mar 2016 11 min

The danger of silence : Clint Smith

"We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says poet and teacher Clint Smith. A short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.
2 Aug 2015 4 min

Ash Beckham: When to take a stand -- and when to let it go

Ash Beckham recently found herself in a situation that made her ask: who am I? She felt pulled between two roles — as an aunt and as an advocate. Each of us feels this struggle sometimes, she says — and offers bold suggestions for how to stand up for your…
13 Jul 2015 15 min

Roxane Gay: Confessions of a bad feminist

When writer Roxane Gay dubbed herself a "bad feminist," she was making a joke, acknowledging that she couldn't possibly live up to the demands for perfection of the feminist movement. But she's realized that the joke rang hollow. In a thoughtful and provocative talk, she asks us to embrace all…
23 Jun 2015 11 min

Kailash Satyarthi: How to make peace? Get angry

How did a young man born into a high caste in India come to free 83,000 children from slavery? Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi offers a surprising piece of advice to anyone who wants to change the world for the better: Get angry at injustice. In this powerful talk,…
14 Apr 2015 18 min

Boniface Mwangi: The day I stood up alone

Photographer Boniface Mwangi wanted to protest against corruption in his home country of Kenya. So he made a plan: He and some friends would stand up and heckle during a public mass meeting. But when the moment came ... he stood alone. What happened next, he says, showed him who…
8 Apr 2015 7 min

Dave Isay: Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear

Dave Isay opened the first StoryCorps booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2003 with the intention of creating a quiet place where a person could honor someone who mattered to them by listening to their story. Since then, StoryCorps has evolved into the single largest collection of human…
26 Mar 2015 21 min

Joe Madiath: Better toilets, better life

In rural India, the lack of toilets creates a big, stinking problem. It leads to poor quality water, one of the leading causes of disease in India, and has a disproportionately negative effect on women. Joe Madiath introduces a program to help villagers help themselves, by building clean, protected water…
23 Jan 2015 12 min

Why is India so filthy? The Ugly Indian

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The Ugly Indian is an anonymous collective that does not talk to media, wants no publicity and works with the motto - Only Work No Talk. However, they made an exception for TEDxBangalore so that…
15 Jan 2015 17 min

Ben Saunders: To the South Pole and back — the hardest 105 days of my life

This year, explorer Ben Saunders attempted his most ambitious trek yet. He set out to complete Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s failed 1912 polar expedition — a four-month, 1,800-mile round trip journey from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back. In the first talk given after his adventure,…
3 Dec 2014 17 min

Rosie King: How autism freed me to be myself

“People are so afraid of variety that they try to fit everything into a tiny little box with a specific label,” says 16-year-old Rosie King, who is bold, brash and autistic. She wants to know: Why is everyone so worried about being normal? She sounds a clarion call for every…
25 Nov 2014 6 min

Debra Jarvis: Yes, I survived cancer. But that doesn't define me

Debra Jarvis had worked as a hospital chaplain for nearly 30 years when she was diagnosed with cancer. And she learned quite a bit as a patient. In a witty, daring talk, she explains how the identity of “cancer survivor” can feel static. She asks us all to claim our…
31 Oct 2014 16 min
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