In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Brighton Dome
Church Street
Brighton, Brighton and Hove, BN1 1UE
United Kingdom

Andy Torbet

Andy spent 10 years in the British Forces as a diver, paratrooper and bomb disposal officer.   He’s a mountaineer, kayaker and skydiver but deep water diving is what he does best. His high level of skill and experience in deep, technical and cave diving has taken him all over the globe. He is currently working on projects to explore the world’s largest underground lake and record new species on deep, cold water reefs. Few elite divers in the world can operate in the huge cave systems at extreme depths. Andy is an explorer at heart and the darkness of the undiscovered, submerged world forever beckons.

Cat Carter

Cat has spent the last year and a half travelling to the Syria region to interview Syrian children and families and document their experiences. Key themes emerging from these interviews are the use of explosive weapons in populated civilian areas, the targeting of children, and the extensive use of torture. Cat Carter has worked for Save the Children for the last six years. She is currently the Head of the Humanitarian Information & Communications Unit, based in London.
Her job takes her around the world, making sure the world knows about emergencies, and the children and families caught up in them. Cat reports on all sorts of crises, from natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, to man-made catastrophes such as war and famine - interviewing, writing, photographing, bearing witness and responding on the ground to humanitarian needs.

Charlotte Chorley

Charlotte Chorley is a recent English graduate from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. Her primary research interest was on the construction of female identity within the developing literary form of the comic book, or autographic. As the University’s Women’s Officer, she acts as the student voice for gender equality. The role involves working closely with the University, and the women students of Cambridge, providing representational support and services for women, and coordinating the work of the Women’s Campaign – a political body within the university. She is an ardent feminist, an avid writer and an ambitious young thing. 

Chris Alton

Chris Alton is a 23 year old artist and Quaker. In September 2012 he founded English Disco Lovers (EDL), a subversive social movement looking to reclaim the EDL acronym, most commonly associated with the English Defence League. His intention was to make the three letter abbreviation more synonymous with disco than 'defence', supplanting negative connotations with positive ones. Through their deployment of radical joy, in opposition to contemporary intolerance in the UK, the English Disco Lovers (EDL) have built at UK-wide network of collaborators and followers. Over the past three years they have occupied various spaces online, participated in street-level demonstrations up and down the UK and in 2013 they were shortlisted for the National Diversity Awards. The group currently run a series of club nights, where they spread their “Don't Hate! Gyrate!” message and raise money for numerous causes, including; anti-racism, LGBT and refugee charities.

Chris Dance

Chris Dance became interested in integrated healthcare whilst at university. "We regularly burnt the midnight oil discussing medicine and I found myself thinking there must be better ways of empowering the patient, enabling choice, and weaving together the rich, complex tapestry that makes up a patient’s wellbeing." He took up acupuncture in 1998 and, after qualifying, ran his own complementary health centre for 10 years. In 2011, he was approached by Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews, who had a vision of healthcare similar to his own and they and practice manager Gary Toyne co-founded Brighton Health and Wellbeing Centre in 2013.

Dr David Everett

David is a skilled smart card and cryptographic security architect with over 20 years experience in the payment and PKI industries. During this time he has played a key role in a number of high visibility projects in the public and private sectors including national smart card projects and global financial payment cards.

Dr Gemima Fitzgerald

Dr Gemima Fitzgerald is a Clinical Psychologist, a woman and a parent. She works within a Specialist Palliative Care Psychology Service and a Bereavement Service within The Rowans Hospice near Portsmouth. Gemima acknowledges her own vulnerabilities and mistakes and views these as precious learning experiences. She is passionate about helping people overcome personal struggles and remove stigma from lives that are challenging. Her particular expertise is in the area of loss, in whatever form it comes, be it through bereavement, divorce, abuse, loss of health, status or hope. Her aim is to help people develop a sense of meaning in their personal story and resilience for their journey through life, with self-compassion and acceptance. Gemima's doctoral research focussed on how resilience is developed after experiences of adversity and this remains a strong interest for her.

Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews

Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews has been a doctor for nearly 20 years and a general practitioner for 12. She says that whilst the medical profession may be improving the physical health of its patients, and on paper can say they are healthier than ever before, in reality they are often still living with anxiety, stress, poverty, shame or loneliness. She became convinced that as a doctor she also needed to attend to the profound effect that illness has on a person's life and mental health. In 2014 the Centre won the General Practice Awards for Innovators of the Year.

James Thompson

James Thompson is a Canadian designer now residing in Sweden, producing rings, bangles and other objects from carbon and Corian, a unique blend of minerals and acryllic, under the name Black Badger. He has won a growing fan base amongst members of the watch and jewellery industry, collaborating with watch brands and retailers, as well as Warrs and Harley-Davidson. 

Jason Holt CBE

Government Apprenticeship Ambassador for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) and Chief Executive Officer of Holts Group, Jason Holt, was awarded the CBE in the 2015 Queen's New Year’s Honours. Jason, founder of Holts Academy, was recognised for his outstanding contributions to promoting apprenticeships to businesses and his efforts to regenerate skills in the jewellery sector. As a small business owner, Jason has devoted the past 15 years to developing and promoting vocational skills training and apprenticeships. His on-going advocacy and support for apprenticeships has made a difference to young people and to the growth of small businesses.

Jo White

13 years working as a musician and project manager in community settings, a series of fortunate events and meetings with like minded people all led to the development of the Wishing Well Music in Healthcare programme which now brings creative music making to the bedsides of children and older people in Hospitals and Hospices across Sussex. Jo is interested in using live music to create environments where people feel safe and heard, encouraging a healthcare culture that helps staff interact with the person, as well as treating the health condition; to use music to reach the places that medicine cannot reach. Jo is an accordionist, gardener and horse rider. She lives in East Sussex with her partner and their beloved dog Mosey.

Lewis Crathern

​Holder of the title of British Kitesurfing Champion for three years, Lewis has gone on to compete against the world's greatest kitesurfers in events including Red Bulls King of the Air and the Redbull Megaloop Challenge. He rose to prominence in the UK on the back of this incredible video showing him jumping Worthing pier which he shortly followed with the Brighton pier. As well as his career as a world class kitesurfer, Lewis is one of the sports best known commentators, he also acts as a coach and mentor to the UK’s next generation of kitesurfing champions.

Marina Cantacuzino

As a freelance journalist Marina wrote stories between 1990-2004 about ordinary people’s struggles and triumphs: the challenges they faced with their relationships, their health, and their work. As a result she became acutely aware that far more effective than reporting on the views of experts and analysts, was being able to share the authentic voices of people who had lived through difficult experiences. Consequently, when she founded The Forgiveness Project in 2004, she set out to tell the real stories of people whose response to being harmed was not a call for revenge but rather a quest for restoration and healing. The stories reflect the complex, intriguing and deeply personal nature of forgiveness, occupying a space of inquiry and authenticity rather than dogma or the need to fix.

Mark Shayler

Mark is dedicated to Making stuff better and making better stuff. Innovation and environmental advisor. Working with clients including Nike, Samsung, RS Components, Gentoo, Coca Cola, Ticla. Amazon and some of the greatest small companies in the world. Author of "Do Disrupt: Change the status quo or become it". Delivering The Great Recovery workshops. Do Lectures founding partner and speaker. Co-lead for Do Lectures Ideas Farm - a start-up school in tents. Public speaker and compere. Business coach, strategy advisor, brand provocateur, teacher. STEM advisor.

Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen

Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen is a Danish artist and documentary film-maker based in Paris. In the past 10 years Larsen's work has mainly focused on migration and disenfranchised communities. He exhibits his work internationally in museums and galleries such as Tate Modern, London, Sharjah Biennial, UAE and SALT Galata, Istanbul. Although Larsen’s work deals with complex political subject matter, he always explores it from the point of view of his protagonists, which gives it a very human feel. Most of Larsen's work is commission-based which gives him time to get beyond the surface of the context within which he works.

Susanna Halonen

Susanna Halonen, also known as the Happyologist®, is a positive psychology practitioner, using the science of happiness and human performance to help people live happy, passionate lives. She can help you kill your self doubt, eliminate bad habits, embrace positive thinking and build a lifestyle you love. As the author of Screw Finding Your Passion (It’s Within You, Let’s Unlock It), she debunks the myth that you need to find and follow one passion in life, and instead shows how to live a more fulfilling life by living it with passion. Her happiness blog at Happyologist.co.uk is followed by thousands.