You can learn more, and sign up to attend, volunteer, sponsor, or speak at TEDxColoradoSprings.org

Ent Center for the Arts
5225 N Nevada Ave
Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80918
United States

Aaron Johnson

Dr. Aaron W. Johnson is Executive Director of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He holds a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Missouri and has received a NASCAR True Value Mechanic of the Year Award. Aaron's adventures in geology have taken him from 9,500 feet below Earth's surface to 14,100 feet above sea level. Scientist, philosopher, mechanic, thinker, and speaker, he is simultaneously geek and chic.

Allen Rowe

I was brought up in a Texas farming community. I marveled at thunderstorms and anyone who could speak more than one language. With other guys on the high school track team I learned the beauty and power of the baton hand-off. After graduation from the Air Force Academy, I studied French at the Sorbonne as a Fulbright Scholar and served in Cold War West Germany, in war-time Vietnam, at the Air Force Academy teaching French and at the Defense Language Institute where I founded the Language Technology Division. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, I earned my Ph.D. in education from Utah State University. I taught in New York City and in Tijuana. I've been told I’m a walking TED talk, and so it's an honor to have gotten to give one.

Amy Segreti

Amy Segreti is an experience designer for small groups, couples and individuals. She got her start in the world of immersion by writing immersive nonfiction as a print journalist, editor-in-chief and publisher. She has studied in-person with Esther Perel (Mating in Captivity, The State of Affairs, TED) at her clinical trainings as well as with Barbara Carrellas (Urban Tantra). Amy has studied mapping and story archs of experience design with Odyssey Works, a theater company that specializes in productions for an audience of one. She is a Denver/Boulder area writer for No Proscenium, the most well-known website for reviewing immersive art, theater and experiences in the country.

Andrew Ziegler

Andrew Ziegler is a performance poet and educator based in Colorado Springs, CO Visit his insta: @drewdatpoet

Arielle Sokoll-Ward

Arielle Sokoll-Ward is a clinical social worker, published writer, and professional speaker. She specializes in grief and trauma work in her professional practice after personally surviving a traumatic illness and shortly after, the sudden death of her partner. Arielle started a chapter of a support group called GRASP, that helps surviving loved ones of those who have died from alcohol or drugs. Arielle’s vulnerability is felt with her raw and honest tone when speaking about grief. Her hope is that through sharing her story, others can find their own bravery and resilience in the midst of tragedy.

Dr. Aaron Johnson

Dr. Aaron W. Johnson is Executive Director of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He holds a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Missouri and has received a NASCAR True Value Mechanic of the Year Award. Aaron's adventures in geology have taken him from 9,500 feet below Earth's surface to 14,100 feet above sea level. Scientist, philosopher, mechanic, thinker, and speaker, he is simultaneously geek and chic.

Dr. Monique Walker

Dr. Monique Walker is a medical doctor, professional speaker, women transformational coach, and business consultant who has been in healthcare for over 15 years. She is also a wife and mother who is passionate about her family. She is a survivor of domestic violence and childhood abuse. Her life’s work is to help women find their voices, redefine their lives, and live in their purpose on purpose.

Heather Younger

Heather R. Younger, J.D. is the founder and CEO of Customer Fanatix, an organization that helps organizational leaders and their employees find their truth through executive coaching, leadership roundtables, culture team facilitation and scouring employee engagement survey comments. As a best-selling author, international speaker, focus group facilitator, podcast host, and Forbes Coaches Council coach, she has earned her reputation as “The Employee Whisperer”.

Heather Younger, J.D.

Heather R. Younger, J.D. is the founder and CEO of Customer Fanatix, an organization that helps organizational leaders and their employees find their truth through executive coaching, leadership roundtables, culture team facilitation and scouring employee engagement survey comments. As a best-selling author, international speaker, focus group facilitator, podcast host, and Forbes Coaches Council coach, she has earned her reputation as “The Employee Whisperer”.

JJ Thomas

JJ Thomas is a 2002 Olympic Bronze Medalist in snowboarding half pipe. When JJ retired from competitive snowboarding in 2010 he quickly fell into coaching. Years Later JJ went on to coach Shaun White at the 2018 Winter Olympics and he now works for the US Snowboard team.

John Anderson

John Wesley Anderson, MBA, is a published author, storyteller and TEDx speaker. He enjoyed a 30-year law enforcement career, retiring as a sergeant after 22 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department, followed by 8 years serving as the elected sheriff for El Paso County, Colorado. After being term-limited as Sheriff John retired from public safety and worked homeland security for ten years in the corporate world. He retired from Lockheed Martin in 2012 to launch a small consulting business allowing him the freedom to pursue his love of history, writing, and the arts. Although John has traveled around the world, including several adventures on a catamaran sailing the Caribbean, three corporate security assignments into a combat zone on the Horn of Africa and landing on an aircraft carrier at sea in the Pacific Ocean, he remains most fascinated by the rich history and art discovered in his own backyard in the American Southwest. John has given over 200 talks, walks and book signings and his latest book, Native American Culturally Modified Trees of Colorado is available on Amazon.

Liz Carlile

Liz is a mom, podcast host and speaker who uses her platform to provide a space for individuals to heal, connect, and create more beautiful lives for themselves. Her journey to advocating for mothers to love themselves and engage in non-negotiable self-care began when she started blogging about her surprising unhappiness as a new mom, how she made her self-care the priority, and how she stopped being a martyr in the home. Her blog turned into a top-rated self-help podcast and speaking career and she’s now impacting moms and caregivers of all backgrounds all over the world.

Oleksii Klymenko

An interior and architectural designer / developer, a scuba diving instructor, an aspiring writer / director and something of a thinker... Born and raised in Ukraine, having received fundamental education in math and economics, that I’m so grateful to my parents for, I then had years of experience in scriptwriting, marketing, advertising and business management, before founding my design and development firm and later moving to the States to expand my company and study filmmaking. An award wining in anything I do*, yet restless perfectionist, a true Gemini, these are the main principles I live up to: Never begin a fight if you don’t intend to win it. I allow myself to be deceived, so as not to be on my guard against deceivers. It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little. Think different. Defining my life goal as “to achieve something subjectively significant”, I want to help this World become a better place as much as I can; through various things, including storytelling, filmmaking, public speaking and designing a better model of our civilization... Especially because I believe I can...

Peg Shippert

Peg Shippert is a licensed professional counselor, victim advocate, consent educator, and speaker, who specializes in helping survivors of sexual violence move from feeling broken and invisible to feeling whole and empowered. Peg has a private psychotherapy practice in Boulder, CO. She often works with her registered professional therapy dog, Nova, whose belly rub limit has never been reached.

Rory Gardiner

In 2018, CCMA nominated Recording Artist/Comedian/Speaker Rory Gardiner lost his house in a Tornado in Eastern Canada. The next day, he created an "Extreme Makeover: Tornado Edition" parody video, laughing in the face of adversity, and spreading a resilient attitude during a time when the community needed it most. You’ve heard his music on Television starring icons like Kevin Nealon, or Arnold Palmer, or sharing the stage with great acts like Keith Urban. You've heard his comedy on Funny or Die, Sirius XM, commercials for brands like Under Armour, or TV shows like “The Handmaids Tale” on Hulu.

Yonason Goldson

Yonason Goldson is director of Ethical Imperatives, LLC, teaching how ethics and intellectual diversity form the foundation of our attitudes and relationships. He’s a community rabbi, as well as a recovered circumnavigator, repentant hitchhiker, and former newspaper columnist. Yonason taught high school for 23 years in Budapest, Hungary, Atlanta, Georgia, and St. Louis, Missouri, where he and his wife now live happily as empty-nesters. He's written five books and hundreds of articles applying ancient wisdom to the challenges of the modern world.