Theme: Bridges

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).

1400 Market Street
Saint Louis, Missouri, 63103
United States

Ann Shoket

Millennial Advocate

Author, speaker, millennial expert, and former editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine. Ann Shoket has been a key architect in shaping the national conversation about and for millennial women. Shoket’s book, The Big Life: Embrace the Mess, Work Your Side Hustle, Find a Monumental Relationship, and Become the Badass Babe You Were Meant To Be is a guide for millennial women who are changing what it means to be powerful and successful in the world—for everyone. Forever. Over the last 15 years, Shoket brought two major young women’s publications to number one across every platform. As Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen from 2007 to 2014, Shoket repositioned the iconic fashion and beauty brand to dominate as the most relevant voice for its 13 million readers. As part of the launch team of CosmoGIRL in 1999, she helped revolutionize teen magazines by talking openly about important emotional issues that weren’t yet addressed by traditional publications.

Chelsea Roff

Founder of Eat Breathe Thrive

Chelsea Roff is the Founder and Director of Eat Breathe Thrive. An author, researcher, and educator, she has spent nearly a decade pioneering integrative health programs for people with mental health challenges.

Crystal Martin

Technology

Crystal is the CoderGirl Program Director at LaunchCode and a Co-organizer of Strange Loop Conference. CoderGirl is an education program of LaunchCode designed to engage and educate women in the technology field in St. Louis making training and careers in tech easily accessible. As a Detroit Public Schools graduate, Crystal is passionate about equal access to education at all levels. She came to St. Louis as a 2010 Teach For America Corps Member and taught middle school math in St. Louis Public Schools for four years. After her time in the classroom, she wanted to explore a career that would allow her to bring together her love for creativity, science, and community and technology was just that! Crystal likes to call herself a “developing developer”, she’s a lifetime learning and is currently digging into JavaScript and fighting the patriarchy and imposter syndrome one key stroke at a time.

Kathy Lambert

Founder - Connections to Success St. Louis

Kathy is a forward-thinking entrepreneur, social justice advocate, and thought leader dedicated to building the bridge between the entry-level and living wage. Sought after to speak on social responsibility, empowerment and career development, Kathy’s story of combining faith with definite plans, enthusiasm and self-discipline resonates across various types of audiences. While working as a corporate trainer, Ms. Lambert was inspired to assist individuals living in poverty and therefore launched Dress for Success Midwest in 1998 to focus on strengthening the economic independence of disadvantaged women. In 2001 recognizing the gaps in job-readiness services, Kathy and her husband, Brad, formed an umbrella organization, Connections to Success, which is a nationally recognized and replicated evidence-based model for improving children’s futures by empowering parents to become economically independent and break the generational cycle of poverty.

Keisha Mabry

Author

Keisha Mabry is an author, speaker and social entrepreneur. She spends her days helping students successfully matriculate to college via text and her nights traveling the world teaching people how to connect. She is not a native St Louisan but moved to the city six years ago with Teach For America, and since moving Keisha has taken the city by storm. She has been recognized as a thought-leader in social innovation and entrepreneurship by the St Louis Business Journal and has appeared on St Louis Public Radio, the Nine Network, NextStepU and Blavity for her work launching and growing Bridgit2College.com – an education technology platform – from zero users to over 12,000 in less than six months.

Samantha Ettus

Work/Life Fulfillment Expert

An inspirational work/life fulfillment expert, Sam revolutionizes corporate cultures and increases employee retention and productivity. Her work has elevated thousands of professionals. Sam’s guidance on how to maximize work/life success starts by finding that spark within each of us and turning it into a fire.

Sarah Byrden

Educator

Sarah Byrden is a dynamic educator, speaker and advocate known for her domain-changing work in sexuality, cross-cultural, wilderness and experiential education. She has been working in the fields of empowerment education, international cross-cultural development, and body-based healing since 2000. As a visionary leader in the field of sex-education, Sarah’s work, mentorship and consultation is sought after by educational institutions, teachers, parents, birth-workers, and students of all ages, genders and orientations. She is a certified MogaDao Sacred Daoist Sexuality Teacher and holds over 2500 hours of formal training in western and non-western body-based healing modalities. Sarah is the owner and operator of the company THE ELEMENTAL SELF. Her most recent project, THE BODY OF SEX is a radical paradigm-shifting approach to sex education and empowerment on college campuses.

Tabatha Coffey

Hair Stylist, Author

Tabatha Coffey has devoted her professional life to achieving excellence, as a successful business woman, company owner, hair dresser, educator, motivational speaker and business consultant. Drawing on her years of hands-on experience, Tabatha traveled the country helping struggling business owners turn their lives and businesses around for five season’s of Bravo’s, Tabatha Takes Over. With her signature edgy style, tough love approach and exceptional skills as an artist and as a business woman, Tabatha is without question the golden girl of small businesses. She proves that her professional instincts transcend the realm of beauty and can transform owners and staffs across all kinds of businesses.

Teri Griege

Survivor

Teri Griege is Mother, Wife, Multi-Sport Athlete and Survivor. Two weeks after completing the Ironman Louisville in 2009 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer with metastases to her liver. She was not stopped by this diagnosis and continued to train for her dream: the Ironman Word Championship in Kona, Hawaii. With the help of her army of supporters known as Teri’s Troops, she trained for this grueling event while undergoing chemotherapy and crossed the finish line in Kona on October 8, 2011, at age 50.

Toniya Singh

Cardiologist

Dr. Toniya Singh is an invasive, non-interventional cardiologist. A managing partner at St. Louis Heart and Vascular, she is passionate about empowering and mentoring medical students and cardiology fellows nationwide. Dr. Singh is also the founding President of the Missouri chapter of Women in Cardiology (WIC) section of The American College of Cardiology. Trained as a cardiovascular disease specialist, she has been in practice since 2003. Licensed in both MO and IL, Dr. Singh is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Adult Echocardiography. Dr. Singh received her MBBS degree from Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi India, and completed an internal medicine residency and a Cardiology Fellowship at St. Louis University Hospital.