What happens when your grief doesn't come with a funeral or casseroles? Drawing from her personal journey after her son's autism diagnosis, Saba illuminates the common, yet often invisible, sorrow of "unacknowledged grief" - losses which society does not broadly recognize. Challenging the notion that grief is solely about death, this talk explores how to normalize the pain when life differs from expectations. Discover a path to healing by giving ourselves and others permission to grieve these silent losses, fostering deeper compassion and understanding. A relentless advocate, lifelong learner, and healthcare innovator, Dr. Saba Syed drives transformation in healthcare services. Her 16+ year journey through diverse pharmacy, healthcare technology, and leadership roles at multiple start-ups, combined with her profound personal experiences as a mother navigating the complexities of raising an autistic child, has instilled a deep empathy and unique perspective on resilience and inclusion. This lived experience is the cornerstone of her insights on unacknowledged grief. 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

In this practical, high-impact talk, Kim reveals the fear, self-doubt, and lack of strategy that hold people back—and teaches a 4-step system to show up confidently and create compelling video content for social media and beyond that connects, and converts. Kim Rittberg is an award-winning media executive turned entrepreneur who helps professionals grow their visibility and confidence through content. With 15 years at top media outlets like Netflix and PEOPLE, she built Us Weekly’s video unit and helped drive its $100 million sale. A national speaker and Fast Company contributor, Kim had a wake-up call during childbirth that pushed her to redefine success. Today, she teaches others how to craft standout video, podcast, and social media content to build impactful, fulfilling careers. 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 change is most needed, even purpose-driven leaders with the best intentions can often choose self-preservation over purpose. This talk unpacks why 90% of change efforts fail—not because leaders don’t care, but because ego, identity, and fear quietly override purpose in critical moments. Drawing from decades of her original research and behind-closed-doors work with executive teams, Dr. Tiffany Brandreth reveals the hidden dynamics that cause well-intentioned leaders to abandon the very mission they set out to champion. Dr. Tiffany Brandreth is an Organizational Psychologist and Transformation Consultant. Through NDA-bound partnerships, she works privately with C-suite teams to uncover the power dynamics, trust gaps, and behavioral patterns that quietly shape culture, decision-making, and performance. Her research uncovered why 90% of culture change efforts fail, leading to the development of the Transformation Formula - now used by senior teams to restore trust, revolutionize culture, and drive lasting change. Her mission is to turn the 10% of Transformative Leaders into the new standard—leaders who lead with truth, act on principles that serve purpose, and leave a lasting impact. 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

Our ways of working are fundamentally broken resulting in massive economic and human capital costs. Globally $11 trillion is lost in economic productivity through absenteeism, attrition and presentism. Our workplace have become sources of massive human suffering with 40-60 percent experiencing stress and 22 percent burn out. This talk challenges the listeners to transform their workplaces from one of human suffering to human flourishing unlocking breakthrough gains in performance and health. Ashish Kothari is an executive coach, author, and founder of Happiness Squad, a company focused on helping individuals and organizations unleash the power of happiness and well-being to achieve their full potential. Ashish is a deep expert on the topic of happiness and human flourishing having read over 650 books and trained under masters across the disparate fields of spiritual wisdom traditions, psychology, and neuroscience. In his book “Hardwired for Happiness” Ashish outlines an easy-to follow recipe that can help anyone increase joy, health, love, and meaning in their lives. His transformational approach is secular, interdisciplinary and integrates learnings and best practices across the fields of science and spirituality. 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

What if we’ve been defining leadership all wrong? In this bold and refreshing talk, Nate flips the script on everything we’ve been taught about leadership. Instead of forcing results or chasing outcomes, he asks a radical question: What if leadership success isn’t something we pursue, but something that grows organically when we cultivate the right set of conditions? Drawing from the wisdom of nature and the science of living systems, Nate makes a compelling case for a new kind of leadership, one that looks less like controlling a machine and more like tending a garden. For nearly 30 years, Nate Payne has supported, advised, and led high-performing IT teams across Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and nonprofits. But after years of watching even the most talented leaders burn out, he started asking a different question: What if the real problem isn’t leadership itself, but how we define it?That question changed everything.Today, Nate helps leaders achieve clarity, make better decisions, and build healthier teams by focusing on the four critical levers of leadership: time, budget, team, and tools.His unique approach is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: organizations function more like living systems than they do machines. They’re complex. They’re dynamic. And they adapt, evolve, and survive or thrive, based on how people, resources, and decisions, connect and interact.The result? Sustainable success without sacrificing well-being. 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

What if the secret to resilience isn’t discipline or grit; but play? In this deeply personal and surprising talk, Elizabeth Blake Thomas challenges our cultural dismissal of joy as frivolous and makes the case for its essential role in mental health and wellbeing. Drawing from her own journey through trauma and depression, she reveals how small moments of lightness, from wearing bold clothes to singing loudly in traffic, helped change her brain, her body, and her life. Backed by science and full of heart, this talk is a powerful reminder: what we leave behind in childhood might be exactly what we need to heal.This talk was delivered with Elizabeth's constant companion, her adorable Maltese "Chai" who supported her mental health and wellbeing for the past 13 years. Sadly, Chai passed two weeks after the speech, causing her to call on the critical advice she shares in the talk. Elizabeth Blake-Thomas is an award-winning director, keynote speaker, and creativity coach known for empowering storytellers through film, live events, and personal mentorship. With a passion for intentional filmmaking and emotional authenticity, she helps individuals and organizations unlock creative potential and lead with purpose. 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