Professor Halikiopoulou dismantles the myth that the rise of the far right is solely based on immigration, and explains how economic and strategic factors play a decisive role. Far from being just a reflection of cultural fear, it is a political maneuver aimed at uniting diverse voters through nationalist narratives.Daphne Halikiopoulou (PhD LSE) is Chair in Comparative Politics at the University of York. Her research focuses on party politics, voting behavior, the far right, populism, and nationalism in Europe. She is the author of Understanding Right-Wing Populism and What to Do About It and The Golden Dawn’s ‘Nationalist Solution’, as well as numerous articles in leading journals such as the Journal of European Public Policy, West European Politics, and the Journal of Common Market Studies. Her work has been recognized with the Best Paper award from the APSA. She is a member of the PopuList team, joint Editor-in-Chief of Nations and Nationalism and Political Studies, and co-editor of the Springer book series in Electoral Politics.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 “sex-tip” magazine articles from Cosmopolitan to Playboy, or books by sex experts, most sexual advice available to couples overlooks one small idea that research shows has a big impact on a couple’s sexual satisfaction: sexual communication. As a couple of sex researchers (pun intended) an licensed marriage and family therapists, Dr. Rebecca Lucero Jones and her husband Dr. Adam Jones have published several papers on sexual communication in committed couples, and they even started a podcast to make our work more accessible to the public. As sex therapists and researchers, couples are often surprised to find that this couple's work focuses less on suggesting new sex positions, sex toys, or finding the right contraceptive, and more on helping couples communicate differently about sex. In this TEDxTWU talk, they address the common misconception by clinicians and couples that improving general communication skills translates to the bedroom and highlight how sexual communication is a distinct skill that sexually satisfied couples possess, sharing research-based strategies that couples can use to develop sexual communication skills and improve their sex life. Dr. Rebecca Lucero Jones and Dr. Adam Jones are a dynamic duo of marriage and family therapists, and in addition to their professional partnership, they are happily married to each other. As professors at Texas Woman’s University in the School of Human Sciences, they bring a wealth of expertise to their work on sexual communication in couples. Together, they host the engaging podcast Keeping it up with the Joneses, where they delve into their published research on sexual communication within committed relationships, offering valuable insights and research-based guidance for couples. 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

Access is more than opportunity—it is the right to fully inhabit one’s body, voice, and identity. As a Mexican-Honduran American creative/performing artist, lecturer, and PhD candidate, Celéste Lanuza has lived the power of movement and voice as tools for reclaiming agency in a world that imposes limitations. Growing up with a stutter, dance and music became my first languages, offering a space where she could express freely without fear. Lanuza's talk explores how embodiment—through dance and voice—can be an act of resistance, healing, and empowerment, particularly for those silenced, marginalized, or made to feel invisible. Society privileges specific ways of speaking, moving, and being, making it difficult for many—especially women, artists of color, and those with non-dominant narratives—to access full self-expression. By reconceptualizing limitations as sites of transformation, we create pathways for self-reclamation. This talk speaks to anyone who has ever felt unheard, unseen, or constrained by societal expectations. Celeste Lanuza is an award-winning artist and Fulbright Specialist who has been featured in TIME Magazine and Dance Teacher Magazine. She graduated from the University of California Irvine with an MFA in Dance and the University of the Arts with a BFA in Dance and Musical Theater. A Professor of dance and industry professional with over 30 years experience, Lanuza is passionate about mentoring and empowering upcoming artists to reclaim their bodies as instruments of agency resisting any notion of feeling unseen, thus mobilizing visible acts of resistance igniting leaders of tomorrow. Lanuza is currently a PhD Candidate in Dance at Texas Woman’s University where she has led numerous presentations at the ebi Dance Symposium. When not mentoring upcoming artists, Celeste Lanuza can be found producing films, performing with her band, and going out salsa dancing. A proud Latina and advocate for education, she believes there is no significant impact without continual life-long learning. 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

The coffee industry operates on a deeply unequal value chain, where small coffee farmers in the Global South bear the highest risks and lack bargaining power, while corporations in the Global North reap the greatest profits and control the global coffee market. By raising awareness of this imbalance, rooted in colonial history, capitalist market structures, and small coffee farmers with limited access to financial and social mobility resources (public goods), we can begin to rethink our role as consumers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers in building a more equitable coffee trade with collective action and bridge the Global South and Global North in balanced coffee value chain. Antonio Castillo, Bard MBA ’24, is the founder of Ceiba Coffee Solutions, a company that focuses on creating YouTube content that tells the stories of small coffee farmers and their sustainable farming practices. As a passionate coffee enthusiast, Antonio's journey began with a dream to open a coffee shop but soon evolved into a mission to understand the stark inequalities that exist in the coffee industry. Over the past three years, he has delved into the coffee value chain, uncovering how profits disproportionately benefit businesses in the Global North while small farmers in the Global South struggle with poverty and limited bargaining power. Antonio's research has taken him to coffee-growing regions in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and El Salvador, where he has connected directly with small-scale farmers. His fieldwork has deepened his understanding of the importance of shade-grown coffee practices, the local coffee terroir, and the social and economic challenges faced by small producers. Through his storytelling, Antonio offers a comprehensive view of the persistent inequities within the coffee commodity value chain. In his TEDx Talk, Antonio aims to shed light on the structural issues in the global coffee economy and critically examine how collective action across the value chain that connects the Global South and Global North is required to drive meaningful change. He seeks to provide a clear perspective on why these power imbalances endure and how they can be addressed. Through his advocacy, Antonio hopes to build bridges that connect all of us to seek for effective reforms, empowering producers and ensuring a fairer distribution of value throughout the coffee supply chain. 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

Revolving around a long taboo subject, Sarah Ahannach enlightens us about the Vaginal Microbiome. Ranging from her experiences to the extraordinary collective effort in the research, she shines light onto an overlooked subject. Sarah is a postdoctoral researcher at the Bioscience Engineering Department at the University of Antwerp, specializing in the intricate relationship between women and their microbiomes. Passionate about bridging gender data and health inequities, she believes a multidisciplinary approach fosters innovation in women's health research.Her work extends beyond academia, actively advocating for women in STEM and using technology to enhance women's health and safety. She plays a key role in Isala, the world's first citizen science project empowering women to explore their vaginal microbiome in a groundbreaking and taboo-breaking way. At the University of Antwerp, Isala maps the vaginal microbiome, examines lifestyle and environmental influences, and pioneers new diagnostics and microbiome-based therapeutics. Since its 2020 launch, the initiative has expanded to 20 countries, addressing diverse topics such as fertility, pregnancy, menstrual health, sexual violence, and nutrition.Committed to scientific outreach, Sarah engages in public discussions and communication on women's health and diversity in STEM. Through research, advocacy, and education, she strives to equip women with knowledge to take control of their health and contribute to lasting change in the field of women's health research. 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