Corinna Vistan Takahashi, former Director of Creative Content at Marvel Studios, shares the powerful life lessons she’s learned on her journey from Manila to Hollywood and back. In this inspiring TEDx talk, she reveals her “secret formula” for achieving dreams: Grit, Resilience, Drive, and Purpose. Through personal stories—from working on Avengers: Endgame to producing award-winning shows in Asia—Corinna shows how these four traits can unlock your inner superpower and guide you toward success, no matter the obstacles. Corinna Vistan is a Show Runner and Director with a deep background in developing original content for global audiences. Based in Los Angeles for 16 years and worked at Marvel Studios for 9 years. Moved back to the Philippines to develop and cultivate Asian talent in the effort to highlight local quality talent to a global platform. Recently worked as Head of Originals for Viu, a HK based Asian streaming platform, producing shows for the South East Asian region. She is currently Country Head of Birns and Sawyer Studios PH, a renowned American company in the film and television industry, known for providing high-quality production services to top tier Hollywood films for over 70 years. With locations in Los Angeles and Canada, Corinna will be heading its new Asian hub right here in the Philippines. 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

Christopher Stanley, shares why maths is more than formulas and equations — it’s a training ground for three essential lifelong skills: deep thinking, independence, and resilience. Through engaging classroom examples, real-world applications, and advice for both parents and students, Christopher reframes the purpose of math education. Whether you’ve always loved math or dreaded it, this perspective might just change the way you see the subject. Chris Stanley is a seasoned Mathematics educator with 19 years of experience across the UK, America, China, and now the Philippines. His career includes roles in educational leadership, pastoral care and teacher training, bringing a wealth of expertise and a global perspective on his teaching. 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

Books are dangerous. That’s the reason libraries have been destroyed throughout history. Books are dangerous because they contain ideas, and the destruction of the book symbolizes the destruction of ideas. This is not just a problem relegated to ancient times. Consider Berlin in the 1930s, Sarajevo in the 1990s, Baghdad in the early 2000s, and war zones like Ukraine where libraries are being targeted for destruction because they are repositories of information and cultural memory. Books are dangerous. They contain ideas that may not conform to what a ruling body or a prevailing opinion allows. They help us see beyond our own experiences. Books have the power to change minds, to inform, to illuminate dark places, so yes, books are dangerous…to tyranny, oppression, and ignorance. That makes libraries incredibly dangerous, and incredibly important. It also means libraries are not safe spaces for narrow minds and those who only want to see their own beliefs mirrored back to them. This talk focuses on why the freedom to read, enshrined in the First Amendment, is critically important to our democracy and to libraries. We make better decisions when we have access to more information, and having that access is key to intellectual freedom and true freedom of expression. Kerol Harrod is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. Before that, he worked for public libraries in Texas for 16 years. Harrod has been actively involved in intellectual freedom advocacy in recent years, publishing an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News and presenting to groups like the American Association of University Women and the Junior World Affairs Council. He has spoken about book bans and intellectual freedom advocacy at conferences hosted by the American Library Association and the Texas Library Association. Harrod has also given multiple newspaper and television interviews on the topic. He currently serves as the chair of the Denton Library Board. In his spare time, Harrod enjoys playing acoustic guitar and spending time with his wife and two children. His pets include a needy chiweenie, two free-range rabbits, and a surprisingly cuddly corn snake. 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

We all use photos to tell stories. Whether we use smartphones, drones, Canon cameras, or Rollefilexes, our intent is to capture what (or who) is in front of us–or with us–in a specific moment and revisit it later. Travel photography can be seen as “putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge — and, therefore, like power” (Sontag, On Photography). Uncle Ben is right: “with great power comes great responsibility”, but Dr. Salena Parker argues that we are not fully heeding his message in today’s rapidly changing world. Time and again we decide which images are worth editing, keeping, and sharing–and in turn we make choices without pausing to consider the stories we might entangle or erase during our creative process. Consent, privacy, and integrity should be integral points of our photo-taking process, not quick afterthoughts, regardless if we are traveling close to home or abroad. In a time where any post, story, or photo can be reimagined at the touch of a button, access and accountability should be trending and not forgotten. The average American “takes about 20 photos every day”, which means there are plenty of opportunities to practice mindful picture-taking. Parker addresses how we can be more mindful when picture-taking during travel. By acknowledging the complexity of the power that comes from behind the lens, we can better appreciate the stories and people we photograph when we travel. Salena Parker teaches courses in Introduction to Writing, Composition I and II and World Literature. In the past decade, she has taught English in Ghana, Russia and Japan. Her current research interests include travel writing, photography, women’s life writing, transmedia storytelling, feminist geography and multimodal pedagogy. Parker’s articles have appeared in scholarly journals such as CCTE Studies, University of Glasgow Arts & Sciences Journal, National Geographic Travel, and TEJASCOVIDO. She is currently working on a book chapter interrogating Aloha Wanderwell as a Jazz Age flâneuse for Women Wandering Purposefully: The Flâneuse in Literature and Popular Culture. 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

Dr. Jodi Jarrett addresses the glorified yet grim reality of today's hustle culture. This talk questions whether our late nights and endless tasks are truly signs of commitment, or desperate cries for help. Overworking is often celebrated as the key to success, but this drive can be a mask for deeper psychological issues, transforming productivity into a perilous obsession. Jarrett highlights the need to enhance mental health resources to recognize and address early signs of crises effectively. She explores how overworking, influenced by trauma and an exaggerated imposter response to limited resources, can become an act of self-violence and challenges us to reframe overwork and imposter syndrome not as personal failures but as systemic issues needing greater attention and balance. This discussion transforms psychological research into actionable insights to foster a healthier, more sustainable approach to work and success. Step into the world of Dr. Jodi Jarrett, where healing meets empowerment, and every conversation sparks a journey towards self-discovery. As a former Marine turned influential mental health professional, Dr. Jarrett stands out in the field of trauma recovery and self-esteem enhancement. Through her innovative mental health initiatives, and her role as an assistant professor, Dr. Jarrett crafts spaces not just for people to speak but to be heard. Her mission? To transform ordinary spaces into sanctuaries of healing for all, especially those often overlooked. Informed by her own experiences with adversity, Dr. Jarrett’s dedication to uplifting others is profound. She’s not just about making waves; she’s about changing tides. 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