In this article, we have featured some of the most incredible and inspiring TEDx Speakers – and their talks – of this generation.
Antony Gordon
Most people assume that the ideas and values created and disseminated by pop culture are
accurate, honest and designed to empower the next generation to live more purposeful
and happier lives. Then again, most people are not Antony Gordon.
A prolific speaker and writer, Antony has dedicated many years of his life to encouraging people to critically challenge the messages pushed by popular culture. As someone who has
counselled and coached hundreds of youngsters, Antony knows from first-hand experience
that not only are many of the ideas and values disseminated on pop culture platforms
erroneous, but they are the very reason a plethora of research points to the fact that Gen Z is
the most anxious and depressed generation.
People invest more time into figuring out what car to buy, than they do evaluating whether they should buy into the contest created by pop culture as to who can work the most. Antony calls us all to critically evaluate many of the accepted pop culture myths that surround us every day.
This idea hit a raw nerve for hundreds of thousands of viewers of Antony’s hugely popular TEDx Talk, “How to Always be Happy!”.
Watch Antony’s TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLvd4MNQ6ng&t=124s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Ken Robinson was a British author, speaker, and international advisor on education in the arts to government, non-profits, education, and arts bodies. He was director of the Arts in Schools Project (1985–1989), Professor of Arts Education at the University of Warwick and Professor Emeritus after leaving the university. In 2003, he was knighted for his services to the arts.
He led national and international creative and cultural education projects in the UK, Europe, Asia, and the United States. The embodiment of the prestigious TED Conference and its commitment to spreading new ideas, Sir Ken Robinson is the most-watched speaker in TED’s history.
You can watch Sir Ken’s TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/FLbXrNGVXfE
William Micklem
What can you say about someone who writes a best-selling book, designs a game-changing best-selling product, and develops a series of ground-breaking structures for improving performance? William Micklem is both a Renaissance man and a hugely successful coach.
As a coach his dual aims are to simplify and energise, making his work unusually accessible and effective. His TEDx talk, “The GO! Rules”, epitomises these aims. It is no surprise that William’s TEDx Talk accumulated over 675,000 views on YouTube in just seven months, with an extraordinary response from the widest range of performers.
“A wonderfully thoughtful and motivational strategy that will change lives.” Brian Smith
“It’s like a bunch of magic keys for performance, as well as a wonderful rerouting for those in a cul de sac.” Suzanne Campbell.
“A game changer for goal setting theory and practice for young people.” Dr Alan R Johnson
“I shall be sharing this GOodness far and wide.” Kim Walnes
“The GO! Rules are liberating steps that we can go back to time and time again and be refuelled each time.” Liam Moggan
“The Go! Rules should be incorporated into all schools’ well-being programmes. They are intrinsically motivational and empowering for all students, parents, and teachers.” Sadie Honner
“Inspirational and reflective nuggets.” Prof Emmeline Hill
“An outstanding insight into mindset and bravery in life!” Alisha Mullen
“A monumental achievement.” Niamh Malin
“Inspirational, absolutely brilliant. You have an incredible gift.” Noel Griffin
You can watch William’s TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/CS8RZZVEfMM
Brene Brown
Casandra Brené Brown is an American professor, author, and podcast host. Brown is known for her work on shame, vulnerability, and leadership, and her widely viewed TEDx Talk in 2010. She has written six number-one New York Times bestselling books and hosted two podcasts on Spotify.
In 2009, Houston Woman Magazine voted Brown one of the city’s Most Influential Women. She has also received teaching awards, including the Graduate College of Social Work’s ‘Outstanding Faculty Award’. In 2016, the Huffington Foundation pledged $2 million over four years to endow a research chair in her name at the Graduate College of Social Work, where she guides the training of social work students in grounded theory methodology and her research into vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy.
In 2021, her podcast ‘Unlocking Us’ won the iHeartRadio Podcast Award for ‘Best Advice or Inspirational Podcast’. In 2022, her book ‘Atlas of the Heart’ won the Goodreads Choice award for ‘Best Nonfiction’.
Brene Brown is one of the most famous and watched TEDx Speakers of the modern era.
You can watch one of Brene’s viral TEDx Talks here: https://youtu.be/iCvmsMzlF7o
Simon Sinek
Author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek believes leaders should be more than just authority figures. To earn the trust, respect and cooperation of their teams, leaders should first make selfless sacrifices and put the needs of the people around them ahead of their own.
Simon Oliver Sinek is a British-born American author and inspirational speaker. He is the author of five books. His second book, ‘Leaders Eat Last’, appeared on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. His other books include ‘Start with Why’ and ‘The Infinite Game’.
Sinek began his career at the New York advertising agencies Euro RSCG and Ogilvy & Mather. He later launched his own business, Sinek Partners. Sinek has spoken at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in 2016, and at TEDx conferences several times, beginning in 2009.
You can watch Simon’s most prolific TEDx Talk, with over 10 million views, here: https://youtu.be/u4ZoJKF_VuA
Mel Robbins
Melanie Robbins is an American podcast host, author, motivational speaker, and former lawyer. She is known for her TEDx talk, “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over”; and her books, ‘The 5 Second Rule’ and ‘The High 5 Habit’, and as the host of ‘The Mel Robbins Podcast’.
Before joining CNN as a Legal Analyst, Robbins worked as a criminal defense attorney. As well as being known for covering the George Zimmerman trial for CNN, Robbins hosted Cox Media Group’s ‘The Mel Robbins Show’, A&E’s ‘Monster In-Laws’, and Fox’s ‘Someone’s Gotta Go’.
In 2011, Robbins published ‘Stop Saying You’re Fine: Discover a More Powerful You’. She spoke at TEDx San Francisco about a psychological trick that she termed “The Five Second Rule”. Her talk, viewed more than 31 million times on YouTube as of June 2023, launched her public speaking career.
You can watch Mel’s highly popular TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/Lp7E973zozc
Jill Bolte Taylor
Jill Bolte Taylor is an American neuroanatomist, author, and public speaker.
Taylor began to study severe mental illnesses because of her brother’s psychosis. In the early 1990s, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, where she was involved in mapping the brain to determine how cells communicate with each other.
On December 10, 1996, Taylor had a massive stroke. This experience and her subsequent eight-year recovery influenced her work as a scientist and speaker. It is the subject of her 2006 book ‘My Stroke of Insight, A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey’.
She gave the first TED talk that went viral on the Internet, after which her book became a New York Times bestseller.
In May 2008, Taylor was named in Time Magazine’s 2008 ‘Time 100 List’ of the 100 most influential people in the world. My Stroke of Insight” received the top ‘Books for a Better Life’ Book Award in the Science category from the New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 2009.
You watch Jill’s TEDx Talk, with almost 500,000 views, here: https://youtu.be/PzT_SBl31-s
Angela Duckworth
Angela Lee Duckworth is an American academic, psychologist, and popular science author. She is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studies grit and self-control. She is also the Founder and CEO of Character Lab, a not-for-profit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development.
Duckworth’s first book, ‘Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance’, was released in May 2016. It stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 21 weeks. A review of the book in The New York Times called Duckworth “the psychologist who has made ‘Grit’ the reigning buzzword in education-policy circles.”
Duckworth is currently the co-host of the podcast ‘No Stupid Questions’ on the Freakonomics network.
You can watch Angela’s first TEDx Talk from 2009 here: https://youtu.be/qaeFnxSfSC4
Chris Jarvis
Chris Jarvis is a mathematician, financial fixer, and author of 17 books, including the bestseller ‘Giraffe Money’.
His passion is entrepreneurship – and his goal is to help thousands of entrepreneurs change the world. He has lectured at multiple universities, sits on the board of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas, and is a partner in the health tech venture studio Mission 3A in San Antonio.
Over 30 years, he has worked with some of the world’s most successful business owners and multiple billionaire families.
Ironically, Chris discovered that all of his client’s success and happiness resulted from their willingness to break free from the herd and live differently. Chris just signed a publishing deal for his new book, ‘Be the Giraffe’, which will be published in early 2024!
His unique experience in business, finance and transformation helped him craft a viral TEDx Talk, ‘Surviving Ain’t Thriving – Break Free From The Herd’, which has had over 4 million views in its first 15 months.
You can watch Chris’ hit TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8DkqpUK_DQ
Saj Shah
Saj Shah, an East-African British-Asian entrepreneur, has emerged as a beacon of inspiration, dedicated to expanding joy throughout the world. With his TEDx Talk on joy ranking among the top 5 most watched talks in 2022, captivating over 2.4 million viewers, and his best-selling book, ‘Joynetix – Unlock Your Joy Potential’, Saj has become a driving force for enabling positive change in people’s lives.
With a profound understanding of the transformative power of joy, Saj advises global organizations on fostering joy-fuelled teams that ignite creativity, innovation, and well-being in the workforce. His expertise has revolutionised workplace dynamics, unlocking untapped potential and redefining success.
Saj is a co-founder of a health technology start-up poised to make waves in 2024 by bringing game-changing, in-the-moment, stress-mastery devices to market. His pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to science-led innovation have positioned his company as one to watch.
Before his entrepreneurial endeavours, Saj excelled as an accomplished lawyer and respected pharmacist, leaving an indelible mark during his tenure as a senior leader at AstraZeneca. His extensive experience in these fields fostered a deep understanding of the human condition, driving his commitment to empowering individuals to embrace joy and live their best lives.
Saj’s extraordinary endeavours have made a global impact in a short space of time. He stands as a catalyst for joy, embodying the limitless power it holds to bring about meaningful and positive transformation in the world.
You can watch Saj’s TEDx Talk here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=RRQ9AUhnmY4&feature=share8
Elena Gosse
Elena Gosse OAM is CEO of AIS Water.
Employing skills from her former entertainment career including creativity, collaboration and communication, Elena has achieved worldwide recognition as an industry influencer and innovator with a proud 30-year history of excellence in design and manufacturing.
Elena’s mission is to disrupt the world around her to advance people, innovation and the common good.
Elena is an acclaimed public speaker and a passionate advocate for promoting authentic and inclusive female leadership. She believes that women can draw upon innate skills such as creativity, authenticity, vulnerability, and collaboration to achieve success.
The recipient of over 50 national and international business awards, in 2022 Elena received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to manufacturing and the community.
Having personally experienced domestic and family violence as a child, Elena believes in raising awareness and funds to assist people in similar situations.
Elena’s professional reputation is well known for constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation as part of her quest for the global aquatic community to have access to safe, disinfected water and to end industry dependence on conventional chlorine dosing.
Her passion for water disinfection is equalled by her passion for equal opportunities for all. AIS’ diverse workforce includes immigrants, people living with disabilities and mature-aged people.
Elena helps others through charity events, mentoring, coaching and public speaking.
Her TEDx Talk ‘Finding Your Voice’ has been viewed over 1,000,000 times.
You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_DcpVn1fkY
Kaia Allen-Bevan
Since 2019, Kaia has been a Racial Justice and Anti-Racism advocate, striving for change daily and has bloomed since the grassroots of her activism.
Leading over 10,000 people through the streets, she co-organised Brighton’s Black Lives Matter year-long campaign (founding @officialbrightonblm) at 17 years old yet questioned how sustainable the activism that ‘suddenly’ infiltrated our lives, and in the digital realm, would be.
In 2022, Kaia conquered the famous red dot and successfully delivered her TEDx Talk, drawing comparisons from observation of her activism to the work of Audre Lorde, our psychology and quantitative data, highlighting the fundamental quality of “humanness” to forge meaningful coalitions.
Kaia springs ‘ordinary people’ into proactive allyship, humility and the process of decolonising our views of revolution; for collective action, to heal our sick society.
As of November 2022, Kaia joined the award-winning company “WatchThisSpace”, as their own Anti-Racism and Allyship Lead, as well as a workshop and training consultant, specializing in sessions around Anti-Racism, Allyship, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She has recently been promoted to Engagement Lead.
Kaia is now a member of the “GeniusIsCommon” movement at the age of 20, a worldwide campaign striving to tear down the Berlin Wall of the word “genius”. Kaia is also a multi-medium creative, who has a diverse portfolio of collaborations (Grazia, The Guardian, Yubo, Osprey and more!) and features, across the globe. Kaia is determined for revolution not to be a “one-time event” and won’t stop until justice is fulfilled.
You can watch Kaia’s inspiring TEDx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1ay4wukJRo
Catherine Molloy
Brain imaging technology shows us that we react before we speak. We make up stories for others in a split second. This is where miscommunication begins…in a split second. So, maybe it’s time to ‘Think Before You Speak’ which is the title of Catherine Molloy’s TEDx Talk.
Catherine is an award-winning keynote speaker on communication and the CEO and Founder of Auspac Business Advantage, a global educational training company working in soft skills. The company has won awards in America for sales and leadership training. Catherine has received an Australian Institute of Management and Leadership award for her skills.
Her book ‘The Million Dollar Handshake’ has been published in many languages and was made ‘Business Book of The Year’ by Orion Books UK for 7 Dials in 2018. They said “It is easy to read, easy to use and it works! She writes and speaks about the three tools we have all been given – our body language, our behaviours, and our mindset.”
Catherine’s second book, ‘The Conscious Leader’, takes you on the journey from self-leading, to leading teams, and understanding your conscious currency.
Catherine delivered her TEDx Talk in 2022 in Northern Ireland. It was ranked 2nd in June 2022 of the most-watched newly-released TEDx Talks – with over 4500 released globally at this time. It focuses on a simple hack for a conversation that goes wrong without even speaking a word!
You can watch Catherine’s TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/3ML_uBKpD6Y
Jennifer Britton
Fascinated by what makes teams excel has been the focus for author and coach Jennifer Britton for more than three decades. Her work as a leader and coach has taken her from the boardrooms of major cities to the jungles of South America. She is the CEO and Founder of Potentials Realized, an award-winning coaching, training and consulting company. A virtual, remote and hybrid leader and pioneer since the early 1990s, Jennifer works with teams and organizations globally to support better conversations for relationships, results, collaboration and an enhanced organizational culture.
As an author Jennifer is well known for her writing in the areas of group and team coaching, having influenced a generation of coaches who are scaling their conversations to many with group and team coaching. Her recent Reconnecting Workspaces series explores the evolving world of work – including virtual, remote and hybrid workspaces.
As Jennifer shares in her latest TEDx Talk, Coaching Teams Through Chaos, “In a world which is ever changing, challenging ourselves to ask the question “what’s possible” on a regular basis is critical. Our ability to come together to pause, reflect and learn together supports us in imagining and activating an even better tomorrow”.
This talk was part of the December 2022 TEDx Trinity Bellwoods Women event. Jennifer expands upon her experience and research around team coaching, zooming into the WHO and WHAT of exceptional team performance. Her talk explores what supports teams need to do their best work and thrive in an ever-changing world. Listen in to find out the six different factors teams need and the Work Styles you can activate to help your teams thrive in any context.
You can find that TEDx talk at https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_britton_coaching_teams_through_chaos
If you would to feature like in major press like these amazing individuals, feel free to book here for a discovery call: https://calendly.com/thinknetwork/20
