Theme: Co-creating a limitless future

Get ready for an unforgettable TEDx experience in the vibrant Algarve! TEDxPraça Gil Eanes brings together the most inspiring Portuguese and International voices from our community and beyond to share transformative ideas through the theme
"Co-Creating a Limitless Future".
TEDxPraça Gil Eanes is the pioneer TEDx event in Lagos, bringing together inspiring speakers from local and expat communities in the Algarve and beyond.

This event will be held in both English and Portuguese, with live translation available. Expect a day of thought-provoking talks, networking, and fresh ideas that challenge perspectives and spark connections.

Lagos Cultural Center
R. Lançarote de Freitas 7, Lagos
Lagos, Faro, 8600-586
Portugal

Achim Nowak

Achim Nowak is a 4x author, 2x TEDx speaker, host of the My Fourth Act podcast, and an executive coach to successful CEOs around the world. His life includes roaming the archaeological digs of the Middle East as a child, living on Tobago where he became a windsurfer, helming peace projects for the Peres Center for Peace, and having a career as a professional theatre director in New York. A citizen of Germany, Achim now resides in Portugal.

Ana Araujo

Ana Araújo is a mentor and founder of New Line Marketing & Neuromarketing, where she turns neuroscience into action and emotion into strategy. As an immigrant in Portugal, she built a recognised brand from scratch and has helped hundreds of people unlock their hidden potential in life and in business.

António Guerreiro

António is a startup founder turned ecosystem builder, with a career that spans education in Portugal, entertainment in the U.S., hospitality in the U.K., and tech entrepreneurship in the Algarve. After seeing firsthand how vulnerable regional economies can be, especially during the pandemic, he became driven to help his home region, build something more resilient. Today, as Director of Algarve Evolution, António leads a movement of innovators, mentors, and changemakers who are transforming the Algarve from a seasonal destination into a year-round hub for talent and innovation. His mission is to make the Algarve a place not just to visit, but to build companies, careers, and communities.

Christina Egger

Christina Egger is a marine scientist passionate about protecting the ocean’s most overlooked ecosystems. She earned her PhD at the Centre of Marine Sciences in Portugal, where she focused on developing pioneering methods to reproduce and grow threatened native coral species. Her research laid the foundation for restoring Europe’s cold-water coral gardens, biodiversity hotspots hidden beneath the surface. Now, Christina is working to take these efforts further, scaling up coral restoration techniques and bringing them into real-world conservation initiatives. Her mission: to help Europe’s forgotten reefs recover and thrive in the face of growing environmental threats.

Danielle Riegel

Danielle Riegel is a classically trained harpist with an unconventional path. Drawn to the harp from the age of three—when its sound stirred a sense of something ancient and luminous—she entered the Royal Conservatory’s young talent program at twelve. Her early career spanned national competitions, international study in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Lyon, and performances as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral harpist. For over 15 years, she was principal harpist with The Hague Symphony Orchestra. Alongside this, she developed cross-disciplinary projects with dancers, visual artists, and composers. In her 30s, Danielle expanded her creative work through studies in yoga, movement, sound healing, and harp therapy. In 2020, she relocated to Portugal, choosing to dedicate herself to the Celtic harp as a more intuitive and personal voice. Her performances now blend French impressionism, minimalism, Celtic folk, and ambient sound—inviting stillness, deep listening, and emotional connection. Each concert is a journey that opens the heart, awakens the senses, and reconnects the listener to inspiration and inner freedom.

Fellyph Hes Rozendo

Fellyph Hes Rozendo is a front-end engineer, tech educator, and AI advocate with a background in digital innovation and user experience. Based in Portugal, he has spoken internationally on the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and the future of work. Fellyph is passionate about making complex technology accessible and using it to drive positive, inclusive change.

Guilherme Félix

Guilherme Félix discovered theatre at an early age—thanks, in part, to his complete lack of talent for maths. What began as a creative escape quickly became a calling. In 2018, he moved to Lisbon to study and train under artists he had long admired. Today, alongside his work as an actor, Guilherme also teaches theatre to young people. Through this role, he has witnessed first-hand the power of the arts in education and personal development. His work is rooted in the belief that creativity is not a luxury, but a tool for growth, confidence, and connection.

Humberto Silva

Humberto Silva was born in Lagos in 1984 and has been living, breathing, and spreading Portuguese music since childhood. At just 4 years old, he received his first accordion—and by 12, he was already performing at festivals and dance halls across the Algarve. With over 28 years of professional experience, Humberto has taken the rhythms of Portugal across Europe and Canada, delighting crowds with his upbeat shows and magnetic presence. Known for bringing funaná, baile vibes, and contagious joy to every stage, he has also appeared on national TV, charming audiences with songs like “Funaná da Criola” and “Ritmo de Festa.” Music isn’t just Humberto’s job—it’s his lifelong passion and a bridge to cultural connection.

Inês Martins

Inês Martins is an international interior designer, energy healer, and mentor based in the US. She began her career in 2010 in Miami, specialized in waterfront projects. With her innate knowledge & sensitivity to feel the space, allows her to create sacred interiors that unify harmony and balance with modern luxury. Inês’ work goes beyond aesthetics and beauty — she bridges energy work with design. Her mission is to help clients elevate their energy and the energy of their space — so they can thrive in life.

Izabella Soko

Izabella Soko is a TEDx speaker, certified breathwork facilitator, and executive coach who helps leaders, high achievers, and burned-out professionals build resilience, expand their capacity, and live from deep alignment. A former corporate high-performer turned trauma-informed coach, she has spent the last eight years studying the nervous system, stress recovery, and the science of breath with doctors, yogis, and scientists worldwide. Izabella’s work bridges neuroscience and mysticism, blending ancient practices with modern performance psychology. She is on a mission to make nervous system literacy as mainstream as mental health. Her message is simple but radical: real change begins with your next breath.

Nicole Silver

Nicole Silver is a soulful singer for weddings & ceremonies, who is based in the Algarve.

Paulo de Vilhena

Paulo de Vilhena is a renowned business mentor, author, and speaker known for his expertise in entrepreneurship, strategic planning, and financial intelligence. Over the past two decades, he has helped thousands of business owners across Portugal and beyond to scale their operations and shift from chaos to clarity. His pragmatic yet inspiring approach has made him a trusted voice in the business world, combining hands-on experience with deep psychological insights into leadership and decision-making.

Pedro Teixeira

Pedro Teixeira is a Professor of Physical Activity and Health at the University of Lisbon, Faculty of Human Kinetics, and holds degrees in Exercise Science and Nutritional Sciences (PhD). He is a past president of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and was the director of the National Physical Activity Promotion Program at the Portuguese Health Ministry. He currently leads a research group focused on determinants of behavioral health and health behavior change, including the role of psychedelic experiences in the process of behavioral change. He was the Director of Research for the Synthesis Institute and is the founder of www.safejourney.pt, a project dedicated to promoting psychedelic literacy. He is the father of two adolescent boys.

Penélope Gonçalves

Penélope is a community builder with a strong curiosity to find what makes people tick. Wearing different hats (software engineer, team lead, founder, artist), she actively participated in and organized numerous grassroot initiatives, including Geek Sessions Faro, Geek Girls Portugal, Agile Connect, and impactful hackathons like Startup Weekend, Shift and Impact Hackers. Having studied in several cities and worked with multicultural teams, Penélope quickly learned that people are the most interesting when they’re getting their hands dirty to solve problems in a collaborative way. Not one to settle for one thing, she likes to dabble into a bazillion creative hobbies, and by accident has created more than 90 music playlists.

Rafaela Prado Cardoso

Rafaela Prado Cardoso is a Brazilian oceanographer and co-founder of SOMAR - Marine Conservation and Bioacoustics Association, a nonprofit based in the Algarve, Portugal, that uses sound as a powerful tool for ocean literacy and conservation. She currently leads projects that merge science, art, and education to bring people closer to the ocean in inclusive, sensory, and emotionally engaging ways. Through immersive experiences — from underwater soundscapes to interactive exhibitions — Rafaela invites audiences of all ages and backgrounds to listen more deeply to the sea. Her work highlights how sound can reveal the hidden life of the ocean and foster a more conscious, connected relationship with the planet.

Rita Piçarra

Rita Piçarra is a former CFO of Microsoft Portugal who reached financial independence and chose to retire at 44, after a 22-year career across five countries and multiple leadership roles. Her journey is a living example of how ambition, planning, and purpose can radically transform a life. Recognised as one of the top financial leaders in Microsoft Latin America, she left the corporate world not to slow down, but to create space for what truly matters. Rita now dedicates her time to inspiring others through speaking, writing, and volunteering — helping people design lives of intention and meaning. Her story is proof that the future doesn’t have to be postponed — it can be created, starting today.

Sofia Rodrigues Academia de Ballet Dança & Arte

Founder & Director

Sofia Rodrigues is the founder and director of Associação de Ballet, Dança & Arte SR, a young but rapidly growing dance school based in the Algarve. Despite being only two years old, the school already has over 200 students and offers a dynamic curriculum that includes Classical Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Pilates, and Yoga—for students aged 3 to 103. Their training system follows the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance and includes preparation for international competitions. With a strong focus on both artistic excellence and community spirit, Sofia nurtures talent, confidence, and creativity through the power of movement.

Sónia Silva

Sónia Silva is a communication coach, trainer, and co-host of Storytelling Lisboa, where a safe space for storytelling is created for. She has worked with companies, entrepreneurs and TEDx speakers, helping them find authenticity in the way they communicate. Sónia has grown up in an environment where social narratives stories shaped how she saw, and was seen by, the world and therefore she believes that imperfect stories are the invisible glue of communitiesm. By sharing them can we rebuild trust, empathy, and belonging. On stage, she brings a voice committed to the human truth behind social and common narratives.