Each of our TEDxSpokane speakers offers us a window, a doorway, a pathway to something new. These carefully chosen speakers offer the seeds of hope and wonder, and the pathway to help grow the connections our community needs. Now more than ever we need those who offer us seeds for the future. Be prepared to expect wonders.
Money lessons from scam artists
This fascinating talk explores the traits and behaviors of publicized “scam artists” and how they separate people from their money. There have been a plethora of scammers highlighted (Elizabeth Holmes, Billy McFarland) on recent television mini-series that set the background. This talk provides a learning experience and how to protect your assets and be better…
Watch NowYou Can Do It!
In this uplifting talk, Sindhu shares how she put ideas into action during the pandemic. The pandemic was a lonely time for many people and especially children accustomed to being in school with friends. Sindhu was able to take her passions in art & crafts and make it available virtually, by tutoring younger students. The…
Watch NowDaily Deposits Towards Big Goals
How do you achieve your goals? This thoughtful talk explores how to break large goals into smaller, manageable pieces that allow one to be successful in achieving your ultimate goals. The attainable steps provided in the talk will allow you to craft a plan that work in the short-term as you prepare to accomplish your…
Watch NowThe Silent Addiction
There are an estimated 2+ million people with gambling addictions in the United States. In this hopeful talk, Patrick shares his personal experience of this silent addiction, the impact on others, the consequences, and the steps to recovery. The brain science regarding this addiction is intriguing and highlights the difficulty of recovery. The hope of…
Watch NowHow Grief Can Lead to Growth
There are millions of people newly grieving each year, chances are someone close to you are grieving. This thoughtful talk acknowledges the loss and takes you on a journey of how to cope with the grief and how to continue to live life. What to do with the powerful force of grief? This talk provides…
Watch NowGetting Paid to Eat
Food brings us together and this engaging and humorous talk provides resources to become more informed on the culinary delights in the community. Kris gives insight to food in our culture and helps expand your palate through using the various food blogs to get out of your comfort zone. Food bloggers can provide the research…
Watch NowA Fish Can Make Our Schools Safer
In this thoughtful talk, Erahm Christopher, explores the power and the need in listening to the students in schools today. As violence, mental health and loneliness continue to impact children and threaten safety in schools, this talk highlights the behavior of a fish and applies it to what is missing in schools. Are we listening…
Watch NowThe Housing Crisis
How do we build cities for the future? As secondary and tertiary communities experience more rapid growth and fewer affordable housing options, this talk explores some possible remedies. The ideas presented suggest intentional and planned communities that will be affordable to the first-time home buyers and the changing lifestyle choices of people attracted to the…
Watch NowHow Strawberries Changed my Life
How many trips do you make to the grocery store to buy your favorite produce? How much of it goes bad before you eat it? Amy’s talk will share valuable life hacks on how to keep produce fresh longer and save you money while you are at it. As food prices continue to escalate, you…
Watch NowWhat is essential?
This inspiring talk examines the essential needs in life through the lens of an outdoor enthusiast. Taking inventory of what you need to survive on a mountain and reframing it to apply it to life. Life can be difficult going it alone, so why do it. This talk will help identify those items and people…
Watch NowADHD Redefined
Brooke Matson reframes the label of ADHD in this exciting talk. She introduces us to revolutionary creatives that had ADHD and likely would not have achieved all they did without having these super powers. She explains how there is nothing disordered about a need to explore and innovate. This talk explains the many misconceptions about…
Watch NowA Remote Future
Since the pandemic, remote work has become common place and this talk explores what was happening before the pandemic and what has changed since in the workplace. Carter will explore the effectiveness of remote work and what the future of work looks like after this seismic change. Carter has worked in the tech industry in…
Watch NowBridges to Heal US
In this powerful and uplifting talk, Erin Jones gives us tools to heal some of the societal challenges that are at the forefront of our lives. How we can restore hope, on large and small scales, by utilizing gratitude. By acknowledging the tools of healing we already possess, we can better understand the life-long benefits…
Watch NowParenting with Praise to Grow Values and Change Behavior
Using example videos of parent-child interactions, Dr. Leslie Blevins shows us how to leverage the power of praise not only to help your child grow, but also to improve your relationship with your child. Dr. Blevins gives three actionable steps you can use with your children to enhance your interactions and to make you both…
Watch NowPeople, Not Programs, Change People
Janet Mann’s talk illustrates the power of human connection and its importance in making lasting change for families in crisis. This powerful talk highlights the benefit of investing in the vulnerability of relationships to inspire needed change. This talk provides examples to those in crisis or that serve children and families in crisis to move…
Watch NowFilmmaking in the Age of OSINT
Filmmaker and citizen journalist Mike Beegle takes us step-by-step through the process of using nothing more complex than a camera and a computer to empower ourselves to do our own journalistic investigations. Starting with a knock on the door in Phoenix, Arizona, Beegle uses existing information on the web to begin connecting the dots between…
Watch NowOur Daily Dose of Shame: Shame & Social Media
Dr. Shawn Horn makes a stunning entrance to the stage, exemplifying her topic of shame. We are surrounded, she argues, with shame-making content, especially social media, that supercharges our shame response. Dr. Horn gives us the motivation and the tools to begin breaking the chains of shame that bind us. Shawn Horn is a Licensed…
Watch NowChange the World with Laughter
Greg Kettner shares how the power of laughter will make our everyday lives better. How it can improve your mental health and how laughter affects our lives. He explains the difference between getting laughs versus giving laughs. He believes laughter can change the world. Greg Kettner has been making others laugh ever since he was…
Watch NowThe Transformative Power of Music
Erica Uzca and Jorge Luis Uzcátegui inspire us with their story of the power of music. Beginning with Jorge’s origins in Venezuela, he shares how an innovative music program was able to inspire him and thousands of other students during the country’s tough economic times. After Jorge arrived in America, he teamed up with Erica…
Watch NowAre You Hungry?
This inspirational talk demonstrates how helping other people can change their lives and yours. A simple gesture (or question, Are you hungry?”) and empathy for those in need, can radically change your personal journey. Rick Clark shares his firsthand experience of overcoming a life full of hardships to becoming a force of good and making…
Watch NowCan we actually find peace before we die?
Julie is an estate planning attorney residing in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is certified death doula and hypnotherapist to conduct past-life regression/future-life progression. In her spare time she enjoys meditating and spending time with nature. Her favorite TED Talk is Sir Ken Robinson’s “Do schools kill creativity.” Julie leans more towards TED talks with surprises, and…
Watch NowThe fastest growing demographic for video games may surprise you!
This lifelong teacher from Cheney, Washington, loves spending time with her children and grandchildren. She has a traditional approach to having cream and sugar with her coffee and states pizza is one of her favorite foods. Through her 30+ years of teaching and education experience, Tammy saw first-hand the power of games in the classroom.…
Watch NowNever look at a plastic water bottle the same way again.
Working as a consultant for a greener world, Mark is influenced by relevant and valuable topics that open his mind to new ideas. Seeing himself as an extreme introvert with social reservations, Mark’s favorite pastimes are spending time outdoors and sharing a beer from a local brewery. This first time TED speaker will inspire us…
Watch NowThe power of sharing history through story-telling!
Dan will take us back in time to hear the passages passed down from generations before. Stories of a land that provided for its people and how the native people nurtured it in response. Dan is an indigenous educator from Nespelem, Washington, on the Colville Indian Reservation. He takes pride in hearing more of the…
Watch NowWant to know the secret to financial success?
Want to know the secret to financial success. Rebecca is a registered investment advisor in Spokane, WA. Her favorite TED Talk is Tim Urban’s “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator.” She hopes to one day tour Europe with a caramel macchiato, or an Earl Grey tea in hand. Rebecca will tell us the secret…
Watch NowHave you heard of the cult next door?
Have you heard of the cult next door? Tracy is a journalism lecturer and a religion reporter from Pullman, Washington. She favors “TED Radio Hour: NPR” because listening to others views opens our minds to new ideas. When she is not nurturing her houseplants, she is riding her road bike. In her time on the…
Watch NowA Cross Generational Collaboration Poem – The Crown Leaves Scattered
Mark Anderson is a poet, and Spokane’s most recent poet laureate. He has been performing poetry and organizing poetry events in Spokane for over a decade. He is one of the co-founders of the cult classic Broken Mic readings series, as well as several other events. Mark has traveled all across the country performing in…
Watch NowJustice in the 21st Century
“Many of the homeless in our community are serving life-sentences in prison, one month at a time”. We need to re-think our justice system if we are to provide real justice for all in the coming decades. What can a truly just community-based system look like? Francis Adewale was admitted to the Washington State Bar…
Watch NowThe Dawn of Dementia Care
The medical-model of dementia care in our culture today is largely built on a model of “fix the patient”, yet we know there is no “fix” for dementia. What if we re-thought our model? What if we focused on what dementia patients can do, instead of what they cannot? This new approach might just change…
Watch NowTalking to Victims
Help others. Stay in Car Wreck mode and do not go to friend mode. W. Scott Lewis has worked with the Department of Justice’s Office and was a consultant to the Office of the Vice President and the White House Task Force. He also works with athletes, coaches and administrators at all levels on sexual…
Watch NowMusings with Rūmī
Mix guitar + Spoken word poetry = Delight! Father and Daughter perform one of their favorite 13th century Sufi poets, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī. Mike & Hailey Poutiatine have in common a love of all things written. Mike, a professor of leadership and education, has taught in schools for 30 years. Hailey, a high school…
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