Theme: Perspective

The first TEDx event in the Blue Mountains, a World Heritage region west of Sydney, Australia. TEDxKatoomba will be a day of expansive and open thinking presented by a diverse range of voices from the Blue Mountains and beyond, showcasing ideas and new perspectives with no other agenda other than learning.

Katoomba & Leura Community Hall
81-83 Katoomba St
Katoomba, New South Wales, 2780
Australia

Corinne Loxton

Corinne Loxton is a visual artist from the Lower Blue Mountains. She paints landscapes that are imbued with human stories of loss, longing, joy and hope. She exhibits regularly, teaches workshops and writes a blog sharing her life as an artist.

Dimitri Douchin

Dimitri Douchin has a PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics and co-founded Blue Mountains Stargazing in 2020. He is a researcher at Western Sydney University collaborating with Aboriginal communities in the Blue Mountains to relearn local traditional astronomy.

Emmanuela Prigioni

Emmanuela Prigioni is an artist, regenerative grower, co-founder and coordinator of Farm It Forward, a social enterprise linking residents with unused land to young people passionate about growing local food in the Blue Mountains, Australia Emmanuela's passion for socially engaged food growing was born in 2014 when she overcame postnatal depression through growing and restoring her home garden, and reconnecting to place and community. She is also a permaculture educator and an advocate for community entanglements.

Faraz Pathan

Faraz Pathan is a cardiologist with a demonstrated history of working in cardiac units across Australia and in Germany. He is also Director of Cardiovascular Imaging and Heart Research at Nepean Hospital, a Senior Lecturer at Sydney University and a passionate researcher.

Hilary McAllister

Hilary McAllister is the co-founder of For Wild Places, a non-profit organisation focusing on empowering the trail running community to become wild place advocates. Hilary is an accident-prone outdoor enthusiast and environmental activist. Through trail running and exploration, Hilary aims to increase awareness of the threats that face our natural world and inspire action in others to protect our wild places.

Jacinta Tobin

Jacinta Tobin is a proud Darug woman of mixed race from the Boorooberongal and Cannemegal (warmuli) freshwater clans. Currently she is writing her PhD “Nura barayagai Song belonging to Country” at University of Sydney.

Little Green

Little Green (Amy Nelson) garnered attention across the globe by writing a song a day on social media during the Australian lockdowns of 2021. She has released a new album in 2023 and continues to be a creative force with music and message. Little Green developed a sense of storytelling and musicality in tandem with nature around her. The self-taught local musician plays flute, sax, guitar, piano, bass, and voice, noting she wrote songs from when she could speak as her way to process the world.

Michael Buckland

Michael Buckland is a senior neuropathologist and the Head of the Department of Neuropathology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Head of the Molecular Neuropathology Program at the Brain & Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Co-Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Brain Bank and the founder of the Australian Sports Brain Bank. Michael produced the first reports of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in Australia. His research poses important questions about our relationship to sports that may endanger our children.

Pranavan Yoganathan

Dr Pranavan Yoganathan is a gastroenterologist and gastrointestinal endoscopist based in Sydney. He practices an approach to healthcare that assesses the lifestyle of the patient to see how it impacts on their gastrointestinal and metabolic health. He discusses the gut, modern diseases, and potential solutions to gut based diseases.

Rosemary Morrow

Rosemary Morrow's work as a teacher has brought permaculture directly into the lives of thousands of students for nearly 40 years. As an author, she has touched innumerably more. Rosemary has been shaped by her decision at the beginning of her permaculture life, to work with victims of war, civil war and more recently as a result of her earlier work, refugees. She has seen permaculture impact positively and transform landscapes and people.

Sarah Farrell-Whelan

Sarah Farrell-Whelan has worked in the domain of Child and Youth Mental Health for over 20 years. She currently works as a Wellbeing Coordinator in an Independent K-12 school. She investigates how Open Dialogue could benefit children within the school system in Australia.

Sophie Scott

Sophie Scott is an award-winning broadcast journalist, international speaker and educator. She has written two books, Live a Longer Life and RoadTesting Happiness, and won numerous awards for her journalism including the prestigious Eureka Award for science and medical journalism. Sophie specialises in maximising human potential, mental health and mindset. She opens up about work pressures, being overloaded and unpacks the ever-growing malaise of career burnout.

Steven Coote

Steven Coote works with innovative educators and the latest research to create new learning models for the future. His track record of success in educational leadership, building cohesive and high-performing teams, and promoting student-centred schooling led him to be recognised as a Commonwealth Innovative Educator.

Theo Kapodistrias

Theo is a lawyer, speaker, and communication expert. He has been recognised for his work in legal, governance and not-for-profit. In the communications space, Theo works with individuals to speak up, show up and make an impact through their voice and words. He contributes to the community as the director of Business Events Tasmania and the Association of Corporate Counsel Australia.

Tracey McBeath

Tracey is a mum of 5, author, health coach and coach mentor. She is passionate about showing people how to change their lives by bridging that gap between knowing and doing. Tracey McBeath runs the Low Carb Lifestyle Hub and is known globally for her work through the Nutrition Network.

Will Boag

Will was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2010 and told that his life would deteriorate slowly but dramatically. Being a person who strongly believes in confronting issues, he responded by donning a ‘Walking for Parkinson’s’ sign on his back and conquering the Camino de Compostela. Will Boag raises money for Shakeitup, a Parkinson’s Research charity founded by Clyde Campbell. Will and his wife Corrie have been doing this for 10 years raising over $60,000.

Zac Quinn

Zac Quinn is the founder of RoseyRavelston Books, a social enterprise bookshop supporting and advocating for refugees. In 2013 he worked in the Offshore Detention Centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, having previously worked as a banker for ten years and specialty green coffee buyer for five years. Zac addresses the employment crisis in Australia and overseas, proposing a surprising new way of viewing refugees and what it could mean for future Australia.

Zoe Cox

Zoe Cox is the founder of Blue Mountains Counselling, leading a team of therapists in supporting individuals and families. She has lived and travelled across 6 continents; she is fascinated in understanding how individuals thrive within relationships from a cultural perspective. Zoe is a psychotherapist with a particular interest in the evolution of love. She has worked extensively with couples throughout parenthood to gain valuable insights into intentional parenting. Can we sustain love under the pressures of parenting?