Theme: REIMAGINE

TEDxFolsom event embraces the powerful theme of REIMAGINE. This theme is not just about thinking outside the box; it's about eliminating the box entirely. At the core of REIMAGINE is the convergence of what currently exists ("as-is") and the realm of new possibilities. This approach encourages a transformative thought process, inviting participants to envision beyond the conventional boundaries and constraints.

TEDxFolsom is dedicated to uncovering and sharing "ideas worth spreading." The event aims to influence the local community and leave an imprint on a global scale. The event seeks to inspire change, innovation, and progressive thinking by focusing on reimagining. Attendees are encouraged to explore ideas that redefine the status quo, challenge existing paradigms, and propose novel solutions to contemporary issues.

Participants of TEDxFolsom will embark on an intellectual journey, discovering new perspectives and visionary ideas. The event is designed to be a catalyst for change, empowering individuals to reimagine their roles in shaping the future. It’s an opportunity for thinkers, innovators, and change-makers to connect, collaborate, and contribute to a global dialogue on redefining possibilities.

Harris Center for the Arts
10 College Pkwy, Folsom, CA 95630
Stage 2
Folsom, California, 95630
United States

Andre MAMMXTH Shaw

Artist

My name is Andre, but those that know me through art, know me as “MAMMXTH.” I was born, raised, and still reside in Sacramento, CA. I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, but my career as an artist started around 2015. I started with custom shoes and hand painted apparel and in the past 3 or so years I have painted mainly canvas and murals. Although art is what most know me for now, it comes third in my life behind my faith and my role as a husband and father. There would be no “MAMMXTH” without these things first. “…From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” -Luke 12:48

Andru Defeye

Poet

Whether sharing stages with legendary beat poets or your favorite Hip Hop emcees, Andru Defeye’s unorthodox writing and performance style has made him a fixture behind microphones around the country. 2020 saw the release of his critically acclaimed Frequency album followed shortly after by his crowning as the youngest Poet Laureate in California capitol history. In 2021, Defeye was listed by Sacramento Magazine as one of the city’s 100 business leaders and nominated to receive an honorary doctorate from CSUS. In 2022 he joined the ranks of some of the most celebrated poets in the country as an Academy of American Poets fellow and brought Sacramento Poetry Day (October 26th) to life creating a locally sourced curriculum, collection, and contest and bringing it to over 250,000 youth in the Sacramento area. In 2023 these efforts earned him a key to the city making him one of the city’s youngest and only artist recipients of such an honor.

Aryana Altaha

Teen Mental Health Advocate

Aryana Altaha is a 17-year-old Iranian-American, teen social media sensation, author, and award-winning actor, who weaves her experience with mental illness into viral storytelling. Since age 15, Aryana accumulated a combined audience of 90,000+ supporters with millions of monthly views on her social media. She shares scientifically-proven mental health advice & provides a safe space for others to be vulnerable. Additionally, she self-published her mental health poetry book “am i too broken?” at age 16 and continues to write. Through her publications, motivational talks, and advocacy, Aryana educates others on mental illness, combats deeply-rooted stigmas, and shows others how to truly live instead of simply survive.

Brook Wineland

Data Science Engineer

Brook Wineland: Data Science Engineer, 2 time CEO, High School Lacrosse coach and a Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Denver. As the founder of “the happiness algorithm”, Brook has deployed generative ai systems across fortune 500 companies for 10 years to arrive at the conclusion: We become better humans when we embrace the machines. She leads the most lucrative IT stack integrations by teaching people to start with the question: How can I use ai to positively impact people (and the world)?

Charles Gellman

CEO HiDO Health

Charles Gellman, CEO and co-founder of HiDO Health, is dedicated to enhancing millions of lives through AI-assisted robotics. With over 20 years of expertise in healthcare IT, informatics, and robotics, he’s collaborated with both startups and Fortune 500 firms. Holds a Masters in Clinical Informatics from UC Davis School of Medicine and is a data scientist. Renowned as a speaker, author, and researcher, he’s contributed to numerous publications, podcasts, and documentaries envisioning the future of care. Charles, a former StartXMed advisor, has partnered with Stanford and Rush Universities on NIH-funded projects. A leading authority on AI-assisted robotics and digital health, he continues to shape the landscape of healthcare delivery.

Daniel Farber Huang

Journalist

Daniel Farber Huang founded the Eternal Access Project to protect and preserve banned books and ideas from censorship and oppression by archiving digital copies in secure vaults deep in the Arctic Permafrost, available to future generations. He is a journalist and documentary photographer, and co-founder of The Power of Faces, a major portrait project raising awareness of the global refugee crisis. His work is included in the collections of The International Center of Photography, Museum of the City of New York, New-York Historical Society, Museum of Chinese in the Americas, and other institutions. Combining his love of both words and strategy, Daniel earned his Masters in Journalism from Harvard University and MBA from The Wharton School. He is an author, corporate strategy consultant as well as Board Director for the Emergency Care Research Institute, one of the largest healthcare safety entities in the world. He is a Fellow of both the Explorers Club and Royal Geographical Society.

Dr. Catlin Tucker

Educator and Author

Dr. Catlin Tucker is a bestselling author, international trainer, and keynote speaker. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2010 in Sonoma County, where she taught for 16 years. Catlin earned her master’s in education at the University of California at Santa Barbara and her doctorate from Pepperdine University. Catlin has published nine books, including The Shift to Student-led and The Complete Guide to Blended Learning. She hosts The Balance podcast and is active on X @Catlin_Tucker and Instagram @CatlinTucker.

Jacob Rangel

Copywriter, Prompt Engineer

Jacob is a visionary AI explorer and innovator, seamlessly blending creativity with cutting-edge technology to push the boundaries of human-AI collaboration. As an award-winning filmmaker and the co-founder of Prompt Krafter, a pioneering AI application company, Jacob has consistently demonstrated his ability to merge artistic vision with technological prowess. A highly sought-after speaker and advisor in the field of prompt engineering, Jacob empowers teams and businesses to harness the transformative potential of AI, revolutionizing operations and unleashing creativity. He is renowned for creating bespoke AI tools that amplify efficiency and innovation across various industries, all while championing responsible AI integration. With a relentless dedication to shaping a future where technology enhances human potential, Jacob stands at the forefront of the AI revolution, inspiring others to explore the limitless possibilities of AI-driven innovation.

Janice Burt

International Speaker

Janice Burt is an international keynote speaker, court-certified Spanish interpreter, voiceover artist/actor, yoga instructor, and award-winning author. She is a lover of peace, a proponent of Love, and never takes herself too seriously. In 2023, she performed on Speak Up streaming on Prime Video. She was the recipient of The Catalyst of Courage award given by the Los Angeles Tribune, as well as being listed as a Global Woman to Watch in 2024 in the Washington DC Chronicle. Being raised in Mexico City, as well as being bilingual, gives her a multi-dimensional appeal. Her mission in life is to encourage, uplift, and unite people’s hearts through the power of words and authentic action. Janice longs for people to be set free from the prisons of fear and people pleasing that so easily entrap us. She is the proudest mom you will ever meet of her two adult children, Sam and Ella. She lives in Sacramento, California with her boyfriend and their Blue Heeler, BB.

Jill Osur

Entrepreneur

Former UC Berkeley softball player, Jill Osur, draws on her athletics to hone her leadership style and overcome obstacles. Elevating women and inspiring change have guided her career—first as a political fundraiser, then Special Olympics, and now, as an Entrepreneur. In 2020, she founded Teneral Cellars, a company on a mission to reshape the wine industry to reflect its largest customer, women! She acquired property for Teneral with 26-acres of vineyard, production winery, tasting room, and 5-star hotel Grand Reserve Inn, in the Amador wine region. Jill’s a Tory Burch Fellow, member of the Gov’s Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Taskforce, Women Presidents’ Organization, and an advisory board member for Enterprising Women. Accolades include: WPO’s Adrienne Hall Award for Breaking Down Barriers; Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur; Leader Award from Leadership CA; NAWBO OWL Award; and 2023 Honoree as 100 Women to KNOW in America.

Justin Black

Author

Justin Black is an author, speaker, and serial entrepreneur. Black studied public relations and African studies with a focus on urban and community development as well as political and economic philosophy in countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal, and South Korea. He is a part of Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneurs for 2021. Justin and his wife, Alexis, have published an award winning, bestselling book titled Redefining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat The Odds and Discovered Healing, Happiness and Love that has impacted over 30,000 individuals, families, and communities. With the Redefining Normal company (re-definingnormal.com), they hope to continue the conversation on healthy relationships, mental health, community growth and healing through speaking engagements, trainings, book clubs, and workshops.

Kaleem Joy

Midwife

Kaleem Joy has been a highly respected CA licensed midwife since 1997, educating and serving thousands of families as they journey through transforming and embracing their new life together. She uniquely combines the art and science of midwifery with empowerment coaching to shine a light on discovering the greatness within each of us and the expression of it through an idea. Kaleem is inspiring, and motivating as she uses humor and creative analogies to ignite a curiosity about the conception, pregnancy, and birth of an idea. She has served families as a home birth midwife, clinical director of the California Birth Center in Rocklin CA, founder of Natural. Childbirth 101 virtual classes, co-host of Empowered Today Podcast, mentor to student midwives, pregnancy & birth social media host. In her own journey to discovering her own greatness, she is often found exploring nature as she hikes, kayaks, or goes searching for waterfalls.

Liz Coleman

Professor of Communication Studies

Liz Coleman, a Professor of Communication Studies, is a passionate instructor, coach, speaker, and mother of two incredible boys. She holds an M.A. in Instructional Communication with over 15 years of experience in the field. Her personal journey underscores her commitment to transformative communication, enriching her life and those she assists. Liz has had the privilege of guiding hundreds of individuals toward overcoming challenges such as speech anxiety, improving relationships, emotional intelligence, leadership skills, and navigating conflicts with confidence. Her expertise is sought after by successful C-suite leaders, entrepreneurs, individuals, and organizations, highlighting her mission to unlock human potential through masterful communication.

Rishi Ambavanekar

Neuroscience Entrepreneur

Rishi is passionate about entrepreneurship and Neurotechnology. After struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, he started pursuing research into Neuroscience and developed low-cost devices to aid post-stroke victims. Discovering the high cost of Neurotechnology devices, he decided to use entrepreneurship to disrupt the industry with a commercial Neurotechnology start-up. His mission remains to democratize Neurotechnology and be a pioneer at the forefront of the field.

Selysa Love

Contortionist

When Selysa Love turned 18, she ran away to Peru and joined the circus. The twelve years since have been invested in healing and teaching through movement, including partner acrobatics, dance, contortion, and yoga. She can be found performing spellbinding contortion solos and dazzling acrobatic duos across Northern California. While right side up, Selysa is the founder of Sacramento Reiki Center, where she and her team have supported over one-thousand people to transform their mental and physical health. Sacramento Reiki Center has specialists in debilitating depression and anxiety, complex grief, chronic illness, stress management, PTSD, and the final stages of life. In her one-on-one work, Selysa supports those grieving the loss of abusive relationships to calm the shock, process their emotions, and move forward with their lives. Selysa is honored to facilitate her amazing clients’ recovery during the most challenging chapters of their lives.

Tiffani Sharp

Wealth Advisor

Tiffani Sharp, founder of T. Sharp Legacy & Wealth Counsel and T. Sharp Wealth Management LLC, is an experienced licensed attorney and investment advisor with a 20-year career. Specializing in asset attainment, estate planning, and generational wealth, her firm is the only Black woman-owned independent RIA in Sacramento. She’s dedicated to supporting undervalued communities, with extensive work in constitutional law, business equity, women’s rights, and immigration. A notable Accredited Behavioral Finance Professional™ (ABFP™), her unique approach integrates psychological factors into financial services. Focused on women and marginalized groups, she offers tailored strategies, workshops, and behavioral finance principles. T. Sharp emphasizes building trusting relationships, empowering clients for better financial outcomes.