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).

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Anissa Centers

Anissa Centers is a communications coach, motivational speaker and Emmy-award broadcaster whose passion in life is to empower individuals with the tools and support they need to speak up so they can powerfully show up in their own lives. She understands the power of words and how frustrating it is to not be able to get the words out and ask for what you want. Her decades-long search for answers to her own frustration lead to the development of the techniques and methods she now teaches others to use to make incremental changes so they can live their lives in a big way. Her broadcast work has been seen by millions of people around the world. She has decades of experience interviewing Presidents, First Ladies, Senators, business leaders and world-famous entertainers, while working at the network and local level. She draws from that experience to teach individuals how to confidently use their words to create the lives they want and deserve.

Dante Poole

Dante Poole, co-founder of Life Sculptors, LLC since 2003, established the organization as a platform to deliver therapeutic, relationship, and life coaching services to individuals, organizations, and communities. With a remarkable 17-year tenure as a school counselor and administrator in Moore County, NC, Dante's dedication earned him the honor of being named the 2021-2022 Moore County Schools Principal of the Year. Bringing over 30 years of experience, he focuses on strengthening and supporting individuals in their journey toward becoming healthy, productive community members. Dante's educational background includes undergraduate studies in biology and graduate studies in counseling & student personnel services at the College of New Jersey. Throughout the country, his varied responsibilities as a trainer, mentor, author, and keynote speaker demonstrate his leadership abilities and dedication to enhancing the potential of people, families, educators, and organizations. He is happily married to Anisa Poole for 27 years and is the proud father of four sons.

Don Lamp

Born into a medical missionary family, Don Lamp has been a lifelong traveler. By the age of ten, he had already visited 33 countries and is now a member of the Traveler’s Century Club, an elite group of travelers whose members have visited over 100 countries. With five children and 15 grandchildren, his life is full of fun, faith, and family. A registered nurse by profession, with a master’s degree in leadership, he finds creative and meaningful ways to enjoy retirement, after 38 years of service. His passion for travel led him most recently to voyage to Antarctica, and in the process to discover a deeper meaning within the idea of travel, where the spirit of exploration, curiosity and enjoyment take center stage. His interests range widely from poetry to art and music, to psychology and economics, and yet what he loves most is bringing a fresh perspective to others by offering imaginative ways to incorporate the novelty and excitement of travel into everyday life.

Jamie Haith

Jamie is a workforce consultant by day and transformational speaker & coach by night. She draws from her diverse life experiences to guide others through their own adversities. From navigating the challenges of trauma & addiction, to becoming a six-figure sales powerhouse and now the president & CEO of her own lifestyle brand, Jamie embodies resilience and relentless courage. Celebrating five years of sobriety, her journey is a testament to personal growth and triumph. Her mission remains aligned through her speaking and coaching: to accompany others on their journey toward self-discovery and empowerment, ensuring no one walks alone like she once did.

Jennifer Watson

Jennifer Watson, MPT, I.M.T.,C., speaker, healer, and visionary on a mission to help leaders heal and accelerate their deeper purpose of impact through shifting their mental-emotional state and optimizing healthy high-performance leadership. As a former D1 athlete and 2x All-American, Jennifer, founder of Watson World Wide, overcame years of debilitating depression to become an integrative physical therapist, entrepreneur of 6+ figure businesses, a TEDx speaker and now an international speaker & coach. Jennifer’s ultimate goal in life is to be known for the healing she gave, the love she showed and the hope she gave to all that they can truly live their highest potential life. In her spare time she loves to dance, run, play tennis, read and hang-out with her amazing friends and beautiful nieces and nephews.

Kelly Pascuzzi

Kelly Pascuzzi is an entrepreneur, film producer, wife of 30 years to her husband Robert, and the mother of three boys. Kelly is the co-producer of The Ravine, a Hollywood feature film, based on real life experiences. The Ravine weaves a story of how Kelly and Robert’s existence was shattered due to a horrendous crime. Compelled to share their lessons of faith and forgiveness, The Ravine film was born. Kelly is a co-producer on the upcoming grief documentary undertaken by the award-winning, women-led production company, Just Like You Films. Kelly is a bereavement facilitator with Heal Grief, a non-profit virtual community helping individuals coping with grief and loss. Kelly and her husband Robert are the co-hosts of the Time For Forgiveness podcast. Kelly is the founder of Creative Living, a company committed to helping individuals, professionals, and entrepreneurs become the best version of themselves.

Linda Metcalf

Linda Metcalf, M.Ed., PhD, LMFT, LPC-S, CSC is a former Chair and current Professor of Graduate Counseling Programs at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor supervisor and certified school counselor and secondary teacher. She is the author of eleven books including Counseling Toward Solutions (1995, 2008, Wiley, 2019, Routledge, 2021) She is the creator of Solution Focused Schools Unlimited, LLC, the Solution Focused Schools Unlimited podcast series and the Solution Focused (SF) Connection, a free webinar she developed for school counselors during Covid 19 and continues to provide bi-weekly to school counselors and educators for the past four years. She has presented her work extensively in the United States, Australia, Japan, China, Newfoundland, Germany, Scotland, England, Norway, Amsterdam, Singapore, UK, Canada, Mexico, Russia, France, Thailand and more. She is past president of both the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband Roger, a retired forensic dentist. Together, they are proud parents of three adult children, Roger Jr., Kelli and Ryan, a grandson, granddaughter and three golden retrievers.

Lorissa Rinehart

Lorissa Rinehart writes about women, politics, war, and their points of intersection. Her writing has recently appeared in Hyperallergic, Perfect Strangers, and Narratively, among other publications. Her biography, First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent (St. Martin’s Press) has received rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, among numerous other publications. Her forthcoming book, A Nation Unto Herself, the biography of Jeannette Rankin, the First Woman to Serve in Congress, is due out in 2025 (St. Martin’s Press). When not writing she can be found photographing the natural world impinging upon the urban landscape or digging in the dirt with her husband and two sons in Santa Barbara, California. She holds an MA from NYU in Experimental Humanities and a BA in Literature from UC Santa Cruz.

Nacho Ruiz Hens

Following a 15-year career as a renewable energy investor with more than $2Bn invested across 2GW in the Americas, Nacho decided to reinvent himself as an author, a coach and an entrepreneur. In 2020 Nacho was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suffered significant disruptions in his life. He started writing about bipolar to raise social awareness and help people who were struggling to find balance and a deeper purpose. He founded Ignite Elevate, a high performance coaching practice that includes the Powerful Bipolars program. As a non-for-profit entrepreneur, he created Brilliant Bipolars to provide financial and career transitioning support for bipolar people who are in between jobs. As a tech entrepreneur, he is developing the Open Upp mobile app: an anonymous social network that is meant to be a safe space for people to open up and get specific help. He believes the way forward to deal with bipolar calls for radical transparency and that this will save lives. Lives that can then make an impact and change the world!

Rana Salman

Rana Salman, Ph.D., MBA, is a distinguished expert in sales, transforming team performance globally. Her deep B2B enterprise sales experience makes her a go-to partner for global companies seeking sales improvement. As the CEO of Salman Consulting, LLC, she works with midsize and Fortune 500 IT companies, developing customized sales strategies, crafting compelling sales content, and leading impactful training sessions. Salman also co-founded WiSE (Women in Sales Enablement), linking female sales enablement professionals worldwide for ideas, support, and knowledge sharing. Salman's recognitions include LinkedIn's Top Direct Sales Voice in 2023, Woman Making an Impact in Enablement in 2022, and Top Female Sales Practitioner in 2021. She's a popular speaker at events like the Sales Enablement Society Conference. In her free time, she volunteers as a guest speaker and takes part in sales activities at institutions like Texas A&M's Reynolds Sales Leadership Institute. Her book, “Sales Essentials: The Tools You Need at Every Stage to Close More Deals and Crush Your Quota,” was a #1 New Release and #1 Best Seller in the Business Sales category on Amazon in its first week of release. It won the 2023 Best Book Awards in Sales and the Royal Dragonfly Book Award.

Susan Whitehead

Empowering change is a dominant theme running throughout Susan’s 20 plus years as a leader within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors. Recognized for her goal-oriented approach and commitment to inclusion, Susan earned recognition as one of the top LGBTQ+ BioPharma Leaders in 2023 in EndPoints News. Known for swiftly translating complex strategies into actionable steps, Susan founded BioSavvy Advisors, specializes in building people-centric organizations that achieve business objectives. Previously, she served as president and chief operating officer at PACT Pharma. Passionate about improving healthcare equity as well as creating an equitable workplace, Susan leads with intention, inspiring others and fostering inclusion. Currently, she serves as board chair and vice president of Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS), a support community for young adults with breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is an active impact investor in women's health, femtech, and oncology. Susan holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Michigan State University.

Tim Murphy

Tim Murphy is retired from the United States Air Force after 30 years of service. Then retired from North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. Having navigated addiction from teenage years into late adulthood, Tim embarked on a journey of healing and self-discovery and overcame the unique challenges and obstacles of alcohol addiction. Today, he has developed a proven and successful program to help others obtain sobriety in whatever addictions they have. Tim likes riding his motorcycle, hiking, fishing, reading, writing, and performing stand-up comedy. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.