Most people settle for mediocrity because they believe it’s safer to settle than to risk more. Jo Rose shows why authenticity and courage are the true antidotes to mediocrity, and how leading with them can transform your life and your impact. Jo Rose is a meditation guide, entrepreneur, and creator of A Zen Mind, a globally recognized podcast. Blending personal development with grounded strategy, Jo has built a thriving business rooted in mindfulness, energy work, and conscious creation. She helps people align with their highest selves through meditation, courses, and custom practices that integrate mindset tools and somatic techniques. Known for her accessible approach, Jo makes deep transformation feel practical, inspiring, and magnetic. Beyond her work, she is passionate about empowering others to step into their authenticity, expand their vision, and create lives of freedom, purpose, and alignment. Her mission is simple: to show that choosing presence, clarity, and inner alignment can unlock limitless potential. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

When her daughter Elizabeth was born at 29 weeks with mitochondrial disease, Annette Hines learned firsthand how fear can paralyze us—leading to missed opportunities, poor decisions, and stolen hope in a world of genuine scarcity. Through seventeen precious years of caregiving, Elizabeth became her greatest teacher, showing her the transformative difference between living with a scarcity mindset versus an abundance mindset, even as she faced a world where belonging always required someone's special effort rather than being automatically expected. Now, twelve years after Elizabeth's passing, Annette reveals how we can act despite our fears, build community, and create a world where the next Elizabeth won't spend her life fighting for basic belonging—because hope, not fear, is what makes us stronger together. Attorney, mother, author, advocate, and host of Parenting Impossible - The Special Needs Survival Podcast, knows firsthand just how complex and overwhelming the legal systems and processes are for parents of children with special needs. Amidst the grief of losing her beloved Elizabeth, Annette realized that life was giving her a “second chance” to use her extensive legal expertise to help families who are going through the same challenges she faced. She authored her life story of her and Elizabeth’s powerful journey of hope in her memoir, Butterflies and Second Chances. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx