What happens when you travel completely alone with no friends, no family, no safety net? Through humor, vivid storytelling, and global adventures, Karen Boehm reveals how solo travel isn’t just about exploring the world, but about discovering independence, courage, and the kindness of strangers. Karen Boehm is a teacher of English and social studies, a bibliophile, and an inveterate traveler. She currently teaches English 8, AP World History, AP Psychology, and AP English Literature at Colegio Maya in Guatemala City. She spends her summers traveling the world with journal and camera in hand. 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

Tjameika Purnell Davenport shines a light on the often-unseen world of caregiving.Drawing from personal experience and professional insight, she explores the emotional, physical, and social realities of those who care for others—and the universal truth that, at some point, we will all give or receive care. TjaMeika Purnell Davenport Together with her spouse, she parents several children with special healthcare needs, including a 20-year-old daughter with a rare and complex genetic condition.She’s a Parent Navigator at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., providing peer-to-peer support and guidance to parents of children with medical complexity. Her extensive volunteer work includes serving as a Parent Advisor and former Co-Chair of the Children’s National Patient and Family Advisory Council. She also contributes her lived expertise to the hospital’s Older Patient Committee and the Executive Committee for Clinical Ethics.TjaMeika’s commitment to advocacy extends beyond the hospital setting. She has spent more than 17 years volunteering with The Arc of Prince George’s County and The Parents’ Place of Maryland, in addition to engaging in local, state, and national advocacy efforts within the developmental disability community.She is a 2023 recipient of the Global Leadership Forum’s Human Values Award in Healthcare, an alumna of the Maryland Partners in Policymaking program, a former member of the Got Transition National Advisory Board, and was an inaugural Family Trainee for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program at Kennedy Krieger Institute. 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

Nella vita è fondamentale avere una visione chiara del proprio viaggio e del modo in cui lo si affronta. Con una fotografia di sé bambino con la muta da apnea del padre, Mike Maric si presenta sul palco con la sua maschera da apnea e ci lancia una sfida:“Bisogna avere il coraggio di togliersi la maschera per iniziare il proprio viaggio nel respiro ed essere se stessi.” Nel suo speach, Mike illustra l’evoluzione del respiro nel mondo occidentale focalizzandosi sulla sua importanza scientifica e medica. Mostra come un elemento così semplice possa diventare la chiave per prevenire e combattere malattie degenerative, migliorare le performance atletiche e la salute mentale. Conclude ricordandoci che “Siamo supereroi di noi stessi” e che il respiro è lo strumento fondamentale per ritrovare benessere, concentrazione e mindset.Medico e docente all’Università di Pavia, Mike Maric è stato Campione mondiale di apnea nel 2004. Oggi è coach sportivo di fama internazionale, autore di bestseller come La scienza del respiro e Respirazione & High Performance (premiato dal CONI), e protagonista del docufilm Broken Breath (vincitore all’Ocean Film Festival). 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

Omotodunke examines how African children who experience adverse childhood experiences are often misunderstood, mislabeled, or overlooked by global systems of care.She challenges the audience to rethink how compassion is defined—and who gets to define it. Todunke is a certified Family Life Practitioner, healthcare administrator, educator, and advocate with a powerful voice for holistic family wellbeing and generational healing.With a rich background working across healthcare and human development, she brings over a decade of experience helping families navigate conflict, build emotional resilience, and restore meaningful connections.Her work is rooted in deep compassion, especially for children, at-risk youth, and individuals with intellectual and developmental challenges. Todunke’s approach blends evidence-based practices with culturally grounded wisdom, offering practical support to parents, caregivers, and entire communities.Her core belief is simple yet profound: when individuals heal, families heal; when families heal, communities are strengthened—and the world becomes a more compassionate place. 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

Beatriz Souza — ou simplesmente Bia Souza, como é conhecida nos tatames e fora deles — fez história nas Olimpíadas de Paris 2024, ao conquistar a primeira medalha de ouro do Brasil na categoria Feminino Pesado (+78 kg) e se tornar a primeira mulher campeã olímpica do Esporte Clube Pinheiros (SP). Em Paris, ainda ajudou o time brasileiro a alcançar o bronze na disputa por equipes.Neste TEDx Talk inspirador, Bia compartilha os bastidores de sua jornada — as lutas invisíveis, a disciplina que moldou sua mentalidade, e os momentos de superação que transformaram derrotas em aprendizado. De menina sonhadora à campeã olímpica, ela mostra que a verdadeira vitória vai muito além do ouro: está em nunca desistir de si mesma. Bia Souza, como é conhecida, conquistou a primeira medalha de ouro do Brasil nas Olimpíadas de 2024 em Paris na sua categoria (Feminino/Pesado +78 kg); e com isso se tornou também a primeira mulher a conquistar uma medalha de ouro Olímpica na história do Esporte Clube Pinheiros (SP). Em Paris, ainda trouxe para casa o Bronze junto ao time brasileiro na disputa por equipes. O que muita gente não sabe, é que a 3º Sargento do exército brasileiro já tinha uma carreira de excelentes resultados antes de Paris: foi Tetracampeã no Campeonato Pan-Americano (2017, 21, 22, 23), Tricampeã no Grand Slam FIJ (19, 21, 23); além dos ouros citados, subiu no pódio nesses mesmos torneios, Jogos Pan-Americanos e Mundial apenas vinte uma vezes nos últimos 8 anos (2017 a 2024). 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

Paola Catapano ci racconta la sua straordinaria spedizione Polarquest2018, un viaggio in barca a vela oltre l’80° parallelo nell’Artico, alla ricerca delle tracce del dirigibile di Umberto Nobile e dei segni del cambiamento climatico. In questo coinvolgente intervento TEDx, Paola mostra come la scienza possa uscire dai laboratori e coinvolgere tutti, grazie alla citizen science e a progetti come Fleet4Science. Con passione e determinazione, ci invita a scegliere la bellezza, l’equilibrio e l’armonia con la natura, per proteggere un pianeta fragile, minacciato dal riscaldamento globale e dall’inquinamento da plastica, anche nei luoghi più remoti. Ci ricorda che abbiamo tutti una responsabilità e che ognuno di noi può fare la differenza.Esperta di Comunicazione Scientifica e Avventure Estreme, Paola Catapano lavora al CERN dal 1990, dove oggi è senior staff nel team Comunicazione. Nel 2018 ha ideato e guidato Polarquest2018, una spedizione artica in barca a vela oltre l’82° parallelo, unendo citizen science, esplorazione e divulgazione. Presidente dell’associazione Polarquest.org, è autrice di documentari e del libro Ottantesimo parallelo (Salani, 2023). 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