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After the Eaton Fire, Mimi Brown found that stories can rebuild what flames destroy. Through the voices of Altadeneans, she reveals how storytelling turns loss into legacy and keeps a community’s heart beating. Emmy-nominated journalist, national news anchor, and storyteller Mimi Brown is the Host and Creator of To Altadena, With Love — a multimedia storytelling project amplifying community voices in the wake of the Eaton Fire. As a national news anchor for iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network and a news contributor for The Breakfast Club, Mimi’s work bridges culture, community, and impact. Through storytelling, she continues to reimagine how local narratives can shape national conversations. provide comprehensive support to our clients. 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

After the Eaton Fire, Dr. Nanyamka Redmond asks: what if rebuilding started with youth? She reveals how trusting young people to lead can transform recovery into renewal—and turn silence into strength. Dr. Nanyamka Redmond is an applied developmental scientist whose work explores how supportive relationships shape adolescent performance, wellbeing, and long-term success. With experience as a high school teacher, track coach, youth pastor, mentor, and therapist, she bridges research and practice to make science meaningful in real-world settings. Dr. Redmond is passionate about equipping families, educators, and youth workers with tools to foster thriving environments, ensuring that young people are not only prepared for the future but empowered to lead and flourish today. 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 TEDxOldHickory talk, Tessa Tubbs speaks to anyone who’s ever felt like they’re living on autopilot - doing all the right things but still wondering, “How did I end up here?”. She explores that quiet moment when success no longer feels like you - and what it really takes to stop performing a role and start writing your own story. Tessa Tubbs is a leadership strategist and executive coach who helps bold leaders cut through complexity and lead with clarity. With two decades of global experience—including work across the U.S., U.K., Europe, Asia, and Australia—she’s partnered with organizations like Disney, Liberty Mutual, Fidelity, and PepsiCo to elevate leadership, accelerate strategy, and drive meaningful impact. Known for fusing strategic insight with grounded wisdom, Tessa challenges leaders to move with purpose, lead with courage, and build what matters. She doesn’t hand out formulas—she equips leaders to think, move, and lead with intention. Based in Dallas-Fort Worth, she draws on lived experience and a global perspective while raising a teenage son, doing life with her husband of 18 years, and managing two energetic dogs. Her message? Leadership isn’t about titles—it’s about intentional influence. 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

This TEDx talk opens with a personal, stereotype-busting moment: the speaker—from South Africa—addresses the common question “Do you have water?” to challenge narrow internet portrayals of Africa, sharing that their home is a beautiful place with a comfortable life. It then shifts to cultural differences noticed after moving to China, focusing on greetings: Chinese friends have asked them to stop greeting strangers (e.g., in the subway), but the speaker explains that African greetings hold deep meaning—Zulu’s “Sawubona” means “I see you,” and Tswana’s “Dumela” is a celebratory nod to someone’s presence. The core of the talk dives into Zulu wedding culture, highlighting two key traditions: Amalobolo (the bride’s price), which is not a transaction but a ritual of respect and commitment that honors family unity; and Ukwembhesa, the “uniting of clans” where families exchange gifts, strengthening bonds beyond just the bride and groom to include entire communities. Overall, the speech weaves personal anecdotes with cultural insights to celebrate diversity and deepen understanding of South African—specifically Zulu—heritage. I'm Mlondi Ngubani, an inspiring teacher and facilitator from South Africa. I completed my primary education at Enhlokweni Primary School, followed by Masihambisane Secondary School and Panorama Combined School in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. I then pursued higher education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), where I earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Drama & Performance Studies, as well as a postgraduate honors degree in Performance Studies. Additionally, I completed AP Psychology training with Augsburg University in the United States and a teaching degree at Two Oceans Graduate Institute (TOGI) in Cape Town. My professional journey includes working as a Tutor, Jr. lecturer and an Academic Development Officer (ADO) amongst other things at UKZN, teaching English in an American English training center in China for two years, and most recently, serving as a psychology teacher at Kang Chiao International School East China Campus for the past four years. 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