What improv can teach you about risk-taking | Sehar Manji | TEDxSherbrooke Street West
What if play isn’t the opposite of work, but the best way to get ready for real life? How do we move forward when self-doubt, discomfort, and the myth of “readiness” hold us back? Veteran improviser, actor, writer, instructor, and public speaking coach, Sehar Manji shares how Improv reshaped her mindset and helped her exercise resilience, presence, self-trust and adaptability in a low-stakes space – where play rewires your brain to handle uncertainty.What can improv teach us about navigating the unknown? Through interactive moments, practical insights, and personal stories, Sehar invites us to rethink our relationship with failure, control, perfectionism and fear, and shows how play rewires how we respond under pressure, both on stage and in life.No script, no prep, and no pressure to be perfect. Improv lets you start exactly where you are. Whether you're navigating change, craving more creative energy, or simply waiting for permission to try something new, this talk offers a new way forward: one where you don’t have to be ready. You just have to press play. Born and raised in Nairobi, Sehar Manji is a veteran improviser, actor, writer, comedian, and instructor based in Montreal. Since stepping into her first improv class in 2010, she has gone on to perform across stage and screen. A longtime presence in Montreal’s improv, sketch, and comedy scene, she was among the first South Asian performers to appear regularly on local improv stages.
Her work spans improv and comedy festivals across North America, including Just For Laughs and OFF-JFL; a spot in CBC’s Kim’s Convenience Emerging Writers’ Room; and on-screen credits in Transplant (NBC), Pillow Talk (Crave), and the upcoming film Love & Chaos. She has also appeared in numerous commercials (including one alongside Ryan Reynolds), and made her professional theatre debut in The Rishta at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre. 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
- 11:44Stand up and step out | Kailing HSU | TEDxFuxingParkIn recent years, Kailing suffered a severe horse-riding accident, which deepened her connection with Fei Liu, her disabled cat. Lying in the hospital bed, she came to understand Fei Liu more and more, growing increasingly aware of the hardships in its life. At the same time, she was inspired by Fei Liu's optimism and sincerity. After recovering, Kailing launched the "Hundred People Plan" — realizing that one person might not be able to rescue a hundred disabled animals, but a hundred people could. Many touching stories have emerged from this plan, which has also brought her more thoughts about the future and animals. Kailing is a true "slash youth" with multiple identities, among which rescuing stray animals is the one she takes the greatest pride in. Encountering those "its" (stray animals) has been a precious experience in her life, and it was precisely them that made her decide to take rescuing stray animals as her lifelong mission. In 2007, after she came to work in Shanghai alone from Taiwan, the companionship and dependence of her cat Baggio brought her greatest warmth and comfort. Two years later, when Kailing stepped into marriage and started a new family, Baggio's passing left her deeply sorrowful. Later, she rescued and adopted A Gui, who looked remarkably like Baggio, saving him from the jaws of death. It was then that she began running her foster home for stray animals, helping them find warm families where they could be each other's companions. After that, she met Fei Liu, a stray animal abandoned due to paraplegia. To take care of Fei Liu, she learned nursing and medical knowledge, and devoted more effort to looking after it. She took Fei Liu to many places to see the beauty of the world and also received much love from travelers along the way. 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
- 11:42What is true "beauty" | Yuxi CAO | TEDxFuxingParkIn the eyes of a visual and digital artist, what could true "beauty" be, and how to find true beauty? Yuxi CAO gives a simple but imapctful answer. CAO Yuxi is a pioneering figure in China's new media art field. He graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Computer Art Department of the School of Visual Arts in New York. With "dialogue between tradition and technology" as the core, he integrates artificial intelligence, data visualization and Oriental aesthetics to create iconic works such as AI Landscape Painting and Multidimensional Sampling, exploring new possibilities of art in the digital age. In 2022, he served as the visual effects director of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Through LED screens and real-time rendering technology, he presented stunning scenes such as "Water of the Yellow River" and "Ice and Snow Five Rings", deconstructing traditional ink painting with technology and realizing the global expression of "Chinese-style romance". His works have been collected in public spaces such as Beijing Daxing International Airport and Shenzhen Metro, and he has held large-scale solo exhibitions in Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places, promoting new media art to the public. 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
- 9:57Victor Santos Frizzera | Victor Santos Frizzera | TEDxBarryUVictor Santos Frizzera's speech My name is Victor Santos Frizzera, I attend Barry University as a Business Management student. I have had the opportunity to work with technological and digital initiatives at Barry University, including marketing campaigns, IT and AI related courses, as well as experience in the Digital Transformation Lab. More importantly however, I have had the opportunity to be a young person in a time where technology has begun to take center stage in the day to day lives of most people. This has allowed me to gain the perspective of someone who has been raised with technology being at the forefront of my life since my youth. This is relevant as the demographic with the most troubling cell phone usage, is the demographic I happen to be a part of - young people. 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
- 9:306 steps to breaking 'generational curses' (I did it) | Sindy Wilson | TEDxBuckheadAveWomenGenerational Curses are misfortunes that tend to happen again and again across generations of a family - trauma, abuse, poverty, etc. This talk provides practical steps that anyone can deploy to change the trajectory of their lives. Sindy Wilson is a serial CFO who rose the ranks of Corporate America from an unlikely childhood of generational trauma. She's teaching others how to do the same. Sindy Wilson is the former CFO for Kickstarter, the go-to crowdfunding platform for creative projects. Sindy is a strategic and transformational finance executive with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in performance improvement and building finance, transformation, and analytics organizations that unlock scalable growth through partnership and shared accountability. Most recently, Sindy was the VP, Finance Transformation & Analytics at Lyft. Prior to joining Lyft, she led finance for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, led business transformation and accounting operations for Oldcastle Infrastructure, and was in strategic finance management consulting at EY.Sindy holds a BS in Business Administration from Limestone College, received her MBA in Finance from Emory University, and pursued her Master of Accounting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School.Sindy was the recipient of the Emory Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 Award. 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
- 11:17Nicole Howard-Rice | Nicole Howard-Rice | TEDxBarryUNicole Howard-Rice speech Nicole Howard-Rice is an education leader, innovator, and advocate for equity in the digital age. With over a decade of experience transforming adult education, she has developed cutting-edge curricula and spearheaded initiatives to bridge educational and technological divides. As a Senior Academic Case Manager for the Palm Beach County School District, Nicole leads efforts that empower diverse learners through inclusive, tech-driven solutions. A doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Lynn University, she combines expertise in education with a passion for leveraging technology to enhance human connection. Her work in dual-language programs, digital equity, and state-wide curriculum alignment has earned her recognition as a forward-thinking changemaker. 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
- 10:22Mark Kilpatrick | Mark Kilpatrick | TEDxBarryUMark Kilpatrick's speech Mark founded Affinity Esports to create spaces for healthier gaming across Connecticut. Under his leadership, the organization was named Partner of the Year by The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University for its contributions to the gaming industry and student success. A Barry University graduate in graphic design, Mark combines creativity, business acumen, and collaboration to build thriving organizations and communities. In February 2020, he hosted the 18th Executive Leadership Forum for Barry University’s Andreas School of Business, showcasing his leadership expertise. An award-winning entrepreneur, Mark has been featured on Quora Sessions, Apple News, Inc., and Forbes. Recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by Barry University and Forbes 30 Under 30, his previous venture, Urban FT, earned spots on the Inc. 5000 two consecutive years (2020, 2021). 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
