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).

Theater Amsterdam
Danzigerkade 5
Westpoortnummer 2036
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, 1013AP
Netherlands

Alissa Rees

Simple thoughts and ignored emotions are my biggest inspiration, I design for that moment of believing that we are in the right place.

Alissa Rees is a concept designer and has a special interest in healthcare design. She finds solutions with a poetic touch. Rees graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2017 with twenty concepts to humanise the hospital. The concepts concerned communication, mobility, atmosphere, mental distraction and balance. Rees creates valuable concepts and solutions for municipalities and companies in different areas. She presented her work in cities as Milan, Paris, Rome, Dubai and Las Vegas and in several TV-shows. Her product the IV-Walk, a portable IV-pole that stimulates mobility, won multiple awards such as the Impact in healthcare Award 2018 and Accenture innovation Award 2017. Rees applies her unique way of thinking also in her profession as a speaker, short video director and design teacher.

Busi Sizani

Busi is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader, coach and consultant

Busi Sizani is a South African Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader, based in Amsterdam. Driven by her values of freedom and fairness, she works to amplify diverse voices and foster a more inclusive culture in the technology industry as a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practitioner, executive coach, speaker, and trainer. She is committed to supporting leaders in tech to confront the myth of meritocracy and work to redesign systems and organisational cultures that are inclusive by design. A storyteller at heart, Busi had a 10 year career in media and television broadcasting and produced a feature film in 2015 with an all female team, which screened at Le Marché du Film at Cannes and film festivals in Los Angeles, Italy and South Africa. She is currently executive producing a project telling the stories of hidden female figures in South African history through art, combining her love of the creative arts with her passion for empowering underrepresented voices to be heard.

Chanel Matil Lodik

A Black autistic woman who enlightens 20,3 k people on a daily base by just living her life and sharing her truth.

Chanel Matil Lodik is a mother, an autistic female, a girlfriend, an author, an entrepreneur and an educator who entertains and enlightens over 20,3 k Instagram followers on a daily base by just living her life and sharing her truth. Chanel shares her life as a Black, autistic woman and the struggles that she faces due to the way society treats Black people, disabled people and women. After expressing what she endures she always shows ways in which people could reflect on their own behaviour and how they can change for the better.

Dina-Perla Portnaar

I change the world through vision and storytelling

Dina-Perla is a speaker and the author of the biography Exodus from the lighthouse, Shadow behind and face towards the sun and the guide Living gracefulness. She speaks and writes about what she calls living gracefully, namely integrity, mind building and personal growth, also in the business world. Not the knowledge and tools are her badges of honor, but the many themes of her personal life. Dina-Perla loves storytelling, especially sharing personal tales that break taboos. The way of living is ever changing and evolving. The only constant Dina-Perla firmly believes in is humanity, the freedom to choose and to share.

Kristel de Groot

Co-founder of Your Super, a next-gen industry leader in plant-based living, and female empowerment

The company is #25 fastest growing company on the INC 5000 list in 2021 and was created when de Groot’s partner and Co-Founder Michael Kuech, at 24 was diagnosed with cancer. Together with her Orthomolecular Nutritionist Mom and Aunt she developed superfood and plant protein mixes to help boost Michael’s immunity and overall health. The direct-to-consumer business was founded in Berlin and in 2018 the headquarters were moved to Venice, California. As the Chief Marketing Officer, Kristel was recently named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, and Inc Magazine’s 30 Under 30. She has been featured in InStyle, Well +Good, Thrive Magazine, and Good Day LA. De Groot holds a BBA in finance and accounting from Valdosta State University, and an MSC in Management from Cass Business School, London. She received her certification in plant based nutrition from eCornell University, graduated from INN as a plant-based health coach, has completed her 200 hour yoga teaching training, and is a former tennis pro.

Lisa Stel

The food on our plate has a story to tell. Our collective food choices have a huge impact on our health, our planet and all earth inhabitants.

Lisa Stel is an entrepreneur, author, consultant and founder of Lisa goes Vegan and Smarter Food Choices. Through her platform Lisa goes Vegan, Lisa aims to demonstrate how a transition to a more plant-based food pattern/diet can have a profound and positive impact on matters such as animal & human welfare, reducing carbon footprint, circularity and the environment in general. With her enterprise Smarter Food Choices, she provides guidance to professional food service operators such as caterers, festivals, company restaurants and governmental institutions on offering a more sustainable food supply. Lisa loves thinking outside the box and she's always up for new challenges. Besides her two award winning cookbooks, she was listed several times as one of the top 100 Dutch Sustainable Young Entrepreneurs.

Roeltje van de Sande Bakhuyzen

Portrait photographer

The term In Lak'ech is a greeting of the ancient Maya, which means 'I am the other you’/ 'we are all one'. Everything is connected and we are all connected. Roeltje was born in the Netherlands in 1992. She has always been fascinated with visual art. Capturing and creating feelings. After her journey in Tibet, where she captured her sense of the journey through photography, she knew that this was the universal language where she was understood. Expressing the unknown, and indescribable feelings in images. As a real people person, she mainly focuses on portrait photography. Working together and capturing the unique beauty of an individual. Connecting with the other, discovering intimacy, making vulnerability powerful and creating. Her photography can be described as sincere, intimate, vulnerable, quirky and raw. Working from intuition, with a touch of glamour. There’s magic in every moment and you can only capture it by following your gut feeling.

Rosalinde Leijdekker

15-year-old student and activist

My name is Rosalinde Leijdekker and I’m a 15-year-old secondary school student. My passion is soccer, but there’s one thing that I love more than that and that’s writing. At the age of seven I already wrote short stories about unicorns and princesses. Now, I prefer to write about things that I’m interested in, like climate change. I wrote a letter to our prime-minister, Rutte, about my worries regarding climate change and all of its consequences. That letter literally changed my life. Different media platforms wanted to talk to me and conduct interviews. TED reached out to me, and I couldn’t say no. My talk is about climate change, an annoying cliché for some and a really important subject for others. Nonetheless, climate change will eventually define all of our futures. My generation doesn't have a say in our future. I can attend climate strikes, however, I cannot vote. After a strike it’s back to business as usual, so what else can I do? Exactly, write a letter to the prime-minister.

Sophie-Anne Onland

We can change our perspective on self identity and female beauty if we shift to showing our differences instead of covering them

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Sophie-Anne Onland works as a project manager for Randstad Group Netherlands. A social person who likes to be around friends and family, Sophie spends her spare time enjoying sports including cross-fit and kickboxing, and loves to deejay techno music. Sophie was born with a disability: her left leg is 25 cm shorter than her right leg. Such a large difference necessitates the use of a prosthetic leg, which for most of her life has been a covering prosthetic leg that looked almost like a real leg. Her story is about what she learned through self-discovery when she shifted recently to a new non-covering prosthetic leg. This helped her to accept herself and her disability. By sharing her vulnerability and being proud of her difference, Sophie hopes to inspire people to be brave, to accept themselves as they are and to in fact make their difference their power.