How to find energy when you have none | Jamal Hill | TEDxInglewood
What do you do when your body gives out but your spirit refuses to quit?In this powerful and deeply personal talk, Paralympic medalist Jamal Hill shares his journey from being paralyzed at age ten to standing on the world stage as one of Team USA’s top swimmers. Diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular condition that left him with almost no nerve function in his legs, Jamal had every reason to give up. Instead, he found a new kind of power, energy born from stillness, faith, and self-belief.Through humor, vulnerability, and grit, Jamal reminds us that true strength isn’t about speed, medals, or proving our worth. It’s about choosing to believe when everything says you can’t and learning to create energy even when you’re running on empty.Watch this talk to rediscover what’s possible when belief outlasts exhaustion and purpose becomes the fuel that keeps you moving. Jamal Hill is a Paralympic swimmer, social entrepreneur, and advocate dedicated to breaking barriers in aquatics, accessibility, and community development. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Jamal’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and impact. Living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neuromuscular condition, he defied expectations to become a bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and a two-time Team USA Paralympian, now training for LA28.
Beyond the pool, Jamal is the founder of the Swim Up Hill Foundation, a global initiative dedicated to teaching one million people annually how to swim by 2028. His work extends into social enterprise and public service, driving innovation at the intersection of aquatics, non-profits, and technology. His efforts have led to partnerships with organizations like the United Nations, LA County, and global brands, focusing on accessibility, water safety, and education.
Jamal is also the founder of Swim Up Hill Consulting, where he provides expert guidance on aquatics business, accessibility, and community impact. Through consulting, advocacy, and content creation, he amplifies aquatic sports, water safety, and sustainable solutions for organizations worldwide.
Now, as a TEDx Inglewood 2025 speaker, Jamal is bringing his story full circle, sharing how the energy we harness—physically, emotionally, and mentally—shapes our ability to overcome challenges and drive change. From humble beginnings in Inglewood to the global stage, his story embodies the city’s spirit: one of resilience, ambition, and transformation. 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
More from TED
- 11:50Untaught strength: The drive to do the impossible | Dr. Cathryn Litvack Dhanatya | TEDxInglewoodWhat does it take to do the impossible? For Cathryn Dhanatya, it began with 75 days of labor and a choice rooted in love, courage, and faith.In this deeply personal and powerful talk, Cathryn shares how surviving a life-threatening pregnancy revealed an inner strength that no textbook, career milestone, or title could have prepared her for. She calls it untaught strength the instinctive, biological drive within all of us to endure, adapt, and overcome.Through humor, honesty, and heart, Cathryn invites us to reclaim this untaught strength. Her story is a testament to what happens when belief meets resilience and when love becomes the force that carries us through the unthinkable.Watch to be reminded that the power to endure isn’t something we learn it’s something we remember. Dr. Cathryn Litvack Dhanatya is Co-founder and President/CEO of Growing Good Inc., a professional services firm that partners with non-profit organizations and companies who aim to do good in the world. Through her work with Growing Good, she has advised and developed funding, leadership, and operational management strategies for dozens of some of the world’s largest cutting-edge scientific and social science research organizations, leading nonprofits, global NGOs, technology start-ups and companies in the fields of medical research, green technologies, education, the arts, and civic engagement. Cathryn has previously held key C-suite executive positions, board director, and advisory positions for organizations in research, higher education, and across the non-profit sector tackling and providing solutions to complex social issues for healthcare; disease prevention and treatment; education, social, economic, gender, health disparities and inequities; microfinance; development of sustainable and green technology; preservation of the arts; civic engagement; and global food insecurity. She has taught and worked at world class higher education tier-one research institutions. Throughout her career she has helped to raise, manage, and provided grants totaling close to a billion dollars for scientific and social science research and to support various social impact causes. She has also lived and worked on five continents; earned her Ph.D. in Social Science and Comparative Education from UCLA; and has led and conducted research on media and technology as it relates to health issues, disease burden, prevention, and stigma reduction around the globe. She has been a keynote speaker at several international and domestic conferences, universities, corporate and public events, training, and featured in numerous media outlets and publications addressing the issues of non-profit leadership, fundraising, the future of philanthropy, generational shifts in giving and spending, health equity, inclusive leadership, women executives in the workplace, redefining success, and work life balance as a professional and mother. 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
- 15:32Fiume o brdo!, tajna grada na 'tvrdom' mjestu | Kristian Benić | TEDxKoprivnicaLibrarySuprotno očekivanjima zanimljivi gradovi ne nastaju na zicerskim mjestima. Ne čini ih ni najljepša priroda ni najpitomiji ambijent postojanja. Nastaju u pustinjama, na goletima planina, u močvarama, na samom moru… Rijeka je grad na nezgodnom mjestu, a njen i nastanak i razvoj obilježili su pojedinci skloni riziku, hrabrim vizijama i učenju. Ljudevit Adamich, Robert Whitehead, nebrojeni inženjeri i graditelji, stvorili su jedini hrvatski grad koji je nosio projekt europske prijestolnice kulture, grad nevjerojatnih demografskih turbulencija tijekom XX. stoljeća i najveću suvremenu riječku luku. Zašto je i kako začin pozitivnog ludila i sklonosti inovacijama vodio nastanak Rijeke otkrit ćemo tijekom deset minuta povijesnih mikrocrtica. Kristian Benić (1984.), formalnim obrazovanjem profesor povijesti i filozofije, interesima i profesionalnim usmjerenjem stručnjak za marketing, pitanja razvoja gradova kroz kulturu i strateško planiranje u kulturi. Radi od jeseni 2012. godine na poslovima marketinga i projekata Gradske knjižnice Rijeka, posebno fokusiran na razvoj sadržajne komunikacijske strategije kroz model stvaranja knjižničnih portala te organizaciju programa u svim formatima – festivali, manifestacije, jednokratni programi, radionice (...) te pitanja razvoja publike.Sudjeluje u većini središnji projektnih planiranja i provedbi Gradske knjižnice Rijeka među čime se ističu projekti Magazin GKR (e-magazin o kulturi čitanja), Brickzine (e-magazin i tiskani časopis o kulturi za djecu), inkubator 3D printanja za djecu (GKR Lab), Tobogan (festival aktivnih ferija za djecu) a jedan je od suoblikovatelja koncepta Dječje kuće u revitalizaciji kompleksa „Benčić“. 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
- 14:47Ad occhi chiusi: come vedere senza vedere | Blindur Massimo De Vita | TEDxIschiaLa cecità è tutt’altro che il buio perpetuo e ognuno di noi possiede le chiavi per aprire porte su mondi sconosciuti. Il musicista Massimo De Vita ci guida in un viaggio sensoriale per “vedere” il mondo attraverso tutti gli altri sensi. Un invito ad aprire gli occhi interiori e scoprire ciò che spesso rimane invisibile. Blindur è lo pseudonimo di Massimo De Vita, cantautore e produttore che in sei anni ha collezionato circa 400 concerti tra Europa e USA. Ha pubblicato due EP autoprodotti, due album ̶ Blindur (2017) e A (2019) ̶ e l’EP Mozzarella Session (2017). Tra i suoi riconoscimenti, il “Premio Bertoli 2015” e il “Premio De André” dello stesso anno. Il suo lavoro d’esordio è rientrato tra i cinque migliori dischi nella categoria opera prima per il “Premio Tenco”. Blindur è tra i protagonisti ed autori delle musiche del film Vinilici – perché il vinile ama la musica di Fulvio Iannucci (2018 – Mescalito film). Dal 2018 è in tour nelle carceri con il progetto Gli ultimi saranno. 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
- 13:03Kad tijelo šapće, a mi učimo slušati | Ena Čulić | TEDxKoprivnicaLibraryOsobno putovanje od života punog vanjske slobode i nomadskog načina življenja do dubokog unutarnjeg iscjeljenja i spoznaje. Nakon što ju je teška bolest zaustavila i prisilila da se suoči sa sobom, krenula je na najvažnije putovanje — prema tišini i unutarnjoj slobodi. Tijekom desetodnevnog „retreata“ potpune tišine naučila je da prava sloboda ne dolazi izvana, iz mjesta ili okolnosti, nego iznutra, iz prihvaćanja, svijesti i povezivanja sa sobom. Kroz ovaj govor želi inspirirati publiku da sluša svoj unutarnji glas i pronađe vlastiti put prema istinskoj slobodi i miru. Ena je mlada žena nomadskog duha koja zadnjih devet godina živi tamo gdje osjeća poziv. Nakon završenog studija turizma u Puli, odlučila je započeti svoju životnu školu — kroz godine putovanja, volontiranja, kuhanja i učenja iz različitih kultura. Vjeruje da se prava znanja nalaze u iskustvu, a da svaka prepreka može biti poziv na svjesniji život.Rođena u Koprivnici, odrasla je s uvjerenjem da „možeš sve što poželiš, zaželi i pusti“ — i upravo to ju je vodilo kroz razne zemlje, ljude i priče. Njeno zanimanje nije lako svesti na titulu — kuha hranu za dušu i tijelo, poslužuje ljude i kroz prisustvo često budi ono što je u njima zaspalo.Prije dvije godine suočila se s težim oblikom lajmske bolesti — izazovom koji se u medicinskom svijetu često smatra teško izlječivim. No kroz dubok unutarnji rad, promjenu odnosa prema tijelu, hrani i životu općenito, uspjela se potpuno izliječiti. 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
- 20:38Šira slika je presudna | Tamara Kajari | TEDxKoprivnicaLibraryU današnjem ubrzanom i stresnom načinu života presudno je ne prestati provjeravati živimo li u skladu s vlastitom širom slikom jer jedino iz nje možemo crpiti motivaciju i disciplinu u izazovnim trenucima te u konačnici postići toliko željene produktivnost, zdravlje i zadovoljstvo. Ja sam Tamara Kajari, certificirana profesionalna organizatorica i ime iza brenda i tvrtke SLAGALICA organiziranje.Moja strast je organiziranje, a moja misija pomaganje svima koji žele prestati robovati stvarima, vremenu i ljudima.Magistrica sam ekonomije, edukatorica, autorica, poduzetnica, supruga i majka dviju odraslih kćeri. Društvene okolnosti i vlastita životna priča potaknuli su me na specijaliziranje za rad sa ženama. Nakon ukupno više od trideset godina bavljenja organizacijom, privatno i poslovno, danas putem edukacija te posebnog vip kluba SLAGALICA PREMIUM, pomažem ženama koje jednako kao ja balansiraju između majčinskih, poslovnih, kućanskih i mnogih drugih uloga. 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
- 17:19Nisi lijen - samo si neusklađen | Sandro Kraljević | TEDxKoprivnicaLibraryLjudi često sebe proglašavaju „lijenima“ kad volja popusti. U praksi je češći uzrok nesklad identiteta i zadataka. Kad posao dugotrajno traži ponašanja suprotna onome tko smo, energija curi, odgađamo i polako gasimo inicijativu. Govor razlaže mehanizam tog raspada: koji signali najranije upućuju na neusklađenost, gdje najviše nastaju mikrocurenja energije i koja jedna granica najčešće vraća koheziju u danu. Poanta nije motivirati, nego precizno imenovati fenomen da bismo ga mogli mijenjati. Sandro Kraljević je psiholog i osnivač tvrtke Mind Lab. Radi s tvrtkama na procjeni, edukaciji i razvoju ljudi s fokusom na jednostavnim, primjenjivim alatima. Autor je knjige o izazovima suvremenog života i vodi emisiju Mislište na poslovnomFM radiju. Živi u Zagrebu. Stručne uvide prevodi na jezik posla i pretvara ih u jasne prakse. 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








