Theme: TEDxNormal 2022 - The Power of Two

TEDxNormal is back for our first in-person event in two years, so we’re exploring “The Power of Two” on Saturday, November 12th from 9 am – Noon.

Join us at the Historic Normal Theater as 11 dynamic speakers share their big ideas on the iconic TEDxNormal stage.

Normal Theater
209 W North St
Normal, Illinois, 61761
United States

Amy Johnston

Amy is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience working in mental health, trauma and burnout. Amy studied at Northwestern University and The University of Chicago before moving to Dublin, Ireland to work in mental health. She then returned to Chicago to support parents and staff in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Lurie Children's Hospital, before joining Urban Wellness in 2019. As a clinician, Amy specializes in workplace mental health, leadership training, grief and trauma, and burnout/compassion fatigue. Amy is a certified perinatal mental health specialist.

Bri Seeley

Bri Seeley is Google's top ranked Entrepreneur Coach. She believes that a more just and equitable world is possible today through entrepreneurship.

Dr. LaShonda Fuller

Dr. LaShonda Fuller is an Associate Professor at Liberty University in the Counselor Education and Family Studies Department. Dr. Fuller earned a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Western Michigan University and has both a Master of Education degree in guidance and counseling and a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the states of Michigan and Texas, and a Licensed School Counselor in the State of Michigan. Dr. Fuller has served as a Counselor Educator over 10 years, nine years of clinical practice and two years as a school counselor. While teaching, she has mentored students, consulted with other health professionals within varying communities, served as a behavioral and grief consultant, and have maintained active membership in several professional counseling organizations. Among Dr. Fuller’s global conference presentations, her research interest targets rest management, identity development, workplace bullying, and reframing trauma.

Jennifer J. Keith

Forget flying, invisibility or teleportation - the best superpower to covet is humor. Jennifer Keith’s superpower has been and always will be humor - in many forms. As a certified Humor Professional and current president of the international Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, Jennifer discovered the brain remembers two things - trauma and humor. Using her G.R.I.T. method of using humor to process trauma and loss, Jennifer finds ways to fix the funny bone and find the funny faster when surrounded by disappointing and upsetting events. If your brain is remembering the difficult times anyway, why not cushion them with a little bit of light, levity, and laughter? Jennifer has degrees in English, journalism, theatre, technology, and educational leadership, proving that she doesn’t want to nor should any of us grow up or stop learning. This soon-to-be published author encourages you to take funny bone breaks - integrating humor into daily life, career, and family situations which can transform situations from barely tolerable to memorably positive. Jennifer is excited to add TEDx speaker to her extensive resume of educating and laughing at the same time.

Jeremy Rinkel

Jeremy’s Talk “If Our Schools Were Like Woodstock” asks: how do teachers and schools compete with the fast pace and instant gratification mindset of teens today? The Woodstock Music Festival defined a generation and provides lessons we are still learning from today. This talk will focus on concepts and lessons taken from Woodstock paired with stories, strategies, and ideas we can use daily to make our lives simpler. Pretty groovy, huh?

Laura Briggs

Laura’s Talk “The Service Behind the Service: America’s Military Spouse Employment Crisis” explores the flip side of a career military families: spouses. Many military spouses face high unemployment and underemployment rates, are not taken.

Lauren Beane

Lauren's Talk "Raise Your Hand If You Don't Feel Ready" explores an important leadership skill: risk. As of June 2021, only 8.1% of Fortune 500 companies have a female sitting in the CEO position. Studies show that women are more likely to wait until they feel they have 100% of the qualifications before they advocate for those top leadership positions. The more women exercise our readiness muscle, the more women we will see changing our corporate narrative and sitting in the C-Suite.

Laurie Swanson

With 25+ years as a recruiter and career coach, Laurie has serious credentials. She is excited to show people the way out of a career defined by cultural expectations and lead them to a career aligned with their True Nature.

Leanne Mull

Leanne has been supporting people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to achieve their dreams since 1999. In her previous career as a corporate trainer and business manager Leanne hired someone who used a job coach and that experience completely changed the course of her life. She spent the next 15 years at a traditional agency in a variety of roles ranging from job coach to QIDP, Day Services Manager to Director of Employment and Advocacy, and everything in between. Leanne believes that the key to meaningful lives for people who receive services is to encourage, engage and enlighten the staff who work for them. As co-director of Blue Tower Solutions, Inc. and Quality Enhancement Specialist for CQL, The Council on Quality and Leadership, Leanne fulfills that dream as an international speaker, writer and consultant improving organizations and systems supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Leanne’s current projects include the Central and Northwest Illinois Epilepsy Resource and Supports project, supporting organizations with implementations of best practices aligning with the federal HCBS Settings final rule and educating home visitors about supporting parents with disabilities. Most recently Leanne and a colleague with disabilities created a diversity and inclusion training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities called “It Starts with Saying Hi!”. Leanne’s advocacy work includes serving as Board President for The Arc of Illinois and supporting self advocates to educate those who work with them to support them in living their best lives.

Meghan Goldfarb

Meghan Goldfarb is an extraverted actuary and technology leader with a passion for solving impossible problems with data and technology. She is also a wife and a mother to 3, and enjoys sewing, singing and gardening. She is very passionate about increasing the number of women and other under-represented populations in STEM careers, and actively volunteers to make the path easier for others. Meghan received her B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Millikin University, MBA from Indiana University, and M.S. in Business Analytics from Indiana University. She is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, holds her AWS Certified Machine Learning Speciality and is a Certified Specialist in Predictive Analytics.

Michael Puck

An animal-loving philanthropist, Michael Puck merged his economics education and career in human resources with his lifelong passions for both dogs and photography. The unlikely combination led to the discovery of how photographs of dogs can solve some of the most pressing human challenges. Images of dogs not only break the ice but also foster trusting relationships and promote physical and mental recovery. Michael is the founder of K9Photo and the Global Dog Art Gallery, where he helps businesses leverage the benefits of the human-canine bond. Puck graduated from the German Air Force Academy. During his time in the military, he earned a degree in business and a postgraduate degree in economics. Additionally, Puck is a Senior Certified Professional with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP), a published author, TEDx Speaker, and award-winning photographer.