Theme: Popping bubbles

When you take responsibility for your life unexpected events unfold and lead you to awaken your inherent wisdom. In this process you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and meet life with passion and fervour. This is an all too common scenario that illustrates how settling sometimes can lead to apathy and complacency.

Pop your own bubble and move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable while trying something new. Our 2021 theme of "Popping Bubbles" invites you to think big and act big, to gain the greater rewards in life. 11 Speakers will pop some bubbles for you and inspire you with their ideas worth spreading. Curious who will be on the TEDxVenlo stage on November 2nd in Theater De Maaspoort? Sign up right now! We are looking forward meeting you.

Theater de Maaspoort
Oude Markt 30
Venlo, Limburg, 5911 HH
Netherlands

Bela Evers

Atlantic Ocean Rower, Speaker & Motivational Mentor

Waves unimaginably high. The ocean blue, sometimes pitch black and full of danger. Bela made the ocean her home for 54 days and 20 hours. 3000 miles of water, rain, sun, setbacks and challenges all on a small rowing boat with 3 other ladies! She started preparing for 1.5 years with mental coaching, physical training and team building. Their goal was not only to reach the finish line but also to give something back to the ocean that they could call their home for a while. In doing so, they were aware that not everyone could bear such a strenuous journey physically and mentally, just like their friend who unfortunately lost the fight against ALS. That is why they chose the ALS foundation and the Plastic Soup foundation as good causes. At the finish line they had collected no less than € 66,000 in sponsorship money. A victory in itself!

Coen Jutte

Speaker, coach

You don't have to be perfect! That is Coen's motto. But how do you do that when the world and your environment is expecting something different from you? Coen gives you a sparkling artistic answer to this question. The idea of not having to be perfect is not a new idea. It is as old as the hills. But Coen's route there is spectacular and out of the box. The approach is playful and light-hearted, because letting go of perfection can be quite tough. Coen, a Sunday child and bon vivant, lives with his wife and son in Amsterdam. He seems to have had few setbacks in his life. Despite this, he has always been looking for the man he would most like to be. At the age of 58, he has finally figured it out. Where in the past he wanted to convince entire audiences of his right and happiness as a !happy nut, he now sees what it brings him if he is also allowed to be vulnerable and not perfect.

Daphne Muller

Scientist

Daphne Muller, 26, is a scientist working for Nextcloud, a company in Germany that produces alternative privacy-friendly software to products like Google Workplace and Microsoft Office. They’re building the Microsoft of the future. She studied Industrial Design at TU Eindhoven and graduated on the subject of privacy in IoT-products with very high marks, but with a lot of controversy among her colleagues who were somewhat biased towards big-tech. In her thesis she stated that all the data collection proposed throughout the IT-world is unnecessary, thereby breaking a taboo among IT-experts. Beside her work she is mainly busy with research in her spare time (which makes her an independent scientist) but she also enjoys exploring nature, which together make her pretty much of a nerd. To take the discussion on privacy out of the academic world she decided to take part in TedxVenlo, translating the abstract problem of privacy into a language that is understood by the general public.

Erwin van Woudenberg

Professor

Is our “Consumer mindset” actually able to always take our planet Earth’s viability in consideration while we’re consuming or buying products? How can the stewards of our planet be rewarded and become an existential part of a brand-experience? He is a professor at HAS University of Applied sciences, leading a research program, Innovative Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas, aiming to develop new business models including nature-inclusive agriculture. Erwin comes up with unconventional solutions that inspire action, especially within agriculture and in connection with biodiversity and supply chains. He proudly tells us about his travels to the village of Lubuklinggau, on Sumatra, Indonesia where he is working on a rather revolutionary solution with Mr. Karmain. This farmer works on his rubber farm every day, while making decisions to either protect the forest or provide food for his family.

Julia Berkenfeld

Student

Have you ever wondered if you are living a boring life? Julia Berkenfeld did and decided that this was a good question to raise in a TEDx speech! Julia went looking for the answer behind man’s most boring question. She researched standard, bored and boring people. Her conclusion is really interesting actually! Being bored or boring is a waste of time, which is why Julia tries to make the most of it. She was raised an only child in Helmond, where she spent her childhood in a nice home and family. Now, she has her own place but usually she’s still on the road. She enjoys being outside, does horse-riding and likes reading! She’s really sociable, often goes out with friends and actively takes part in scouting. But that’s not all! You can regularly find Julia in the gym and she likes spending her free time being creative: she draws a lot and plays the guitar and the piano and sometimes sings in addition to that.

Liza Cornet

Scientist, Phd in neurological aspects of antisocial behavior

Liza Cornet, 34, lives and works in Amsterdam and has relatives in the region of Venlo. She has her own company in science communication after having worked as a scientist at different universities for ten years. She got her Phd in neurobiological aspects of antisocial behavior, which involved visiting prisons for several years. In her free time she used to design her own clothes and likes to read about personal growth, business and female leadership. She is also a keen runner and cyclist and practises yoga. She has always wanted to do a Ted-talk and the business she’s in makes it quite worthwhile to learn the skills that Ted-talks require. Her talk will be about how necessary it is to bridge the gap between science and society. Especially since science has its own language that is often not accessible to the general public.

Matthias Massling

Student

Mathias looks at the environment we live in, seeing opportunities at hand and combining design insights with science and technology. The Dutch have an unprecedented advantage in how to manage challenging water issues and threats. Can the Netherlands use its precarious relationship with water to stay afloat through the climate crisis and make the transition towards a low emission future at the same time? Design being a first indication of human intention, Matthias Massling as a design student at Fontys has always been intrigued by the man-made world we live in, searching for the answers to what, how and why things are as they are. Combined with his interest in science and technology now, as one of the youngest speakers at TEDxVenlo 2021, his appealing talk will advocate the need for action, helping to bring solutions to the scale of just a neighborhood in the City of Venlo.

Susan Marcussen

Entrepreneur, financial trainer

What do assets and people at a party have in common? How financial principles can transform into bubble poppers. Susan loves finance and the southern Burgundy way of life, the typically Limburgian life style. She was ready for a new challenge, being part of TEDxVenlo 2021 is a great opportunity to meet interesting people, learn a lot and face that red dot challenge to speak at the main event. Finance is often seen as complex and boring, a bothersome necessity, but it is also the “one” thing that makes the world go round. No matter what dreams you chase or projects you want to start, a good financial plan is key. A prerequisite for getting the green light to start but also to convince your investor or the company’s controller that your project fits the overall fundamental goals and should be executed.

Venja Beck

Student in cognitive sciences

Venja Beck, 22, got her bachelor’s in psychology and communication at Maastricht University College and after a sabbatical year she’s now working on her research master’s in cognitive sciences in Amsterdam. At high school she attended the bilingual Da Vinci Class at College Den Hulster in Venlo, which explains her ease with the English language. The subject of her talk will be about the science of swearing, especially the impact of profanity on most people. The apt title of her talk is ‘I swear this will be a good TEDxtalk’, also indicating that swearing derives from taking oaths. In her talk she hopes to convince you that swearing is actually very powerful ‘cool’ language that doesn’t deserve to be condemned so much and must not be equated to poor intelligence. It has always been a widely accepted tradition dating back to medieval times.