It’s no secret, I love TED talks. Anyone who has ever worked with, or known me for that matter, knows that I am constantly recommending a talk or two. Today I share with you a list of some of my all time favorite talks. I hope that they inspire you in the way that they inspire me. I am also always open to new finds, so if you have a favorite talk, please let me know!
Guy Winch: Why we All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid
An incredible talk about taking care of our emotional health with the same amount of love and attention that we give taking care of our physical health. That we are brought up to know how to heal a physical cut at a young age but are not taught how to heal emotional wounds. How we often times pour salt on emotional wounds in ways that we never would a physical wound. Guy Winch inspires us to take care of our emotional selves in a gentle and loving way.
Andrew Solomon: How the Worst Moments in our Lives Make Us Who We Are
Andrew Solomon gave a powerful talk from the TED stage about how his childhood trauma of being bullied and gay has shaped his life story. How he draws strength from these experiences. Read my article here: https://lindyariff.com//embracing-the-past-celebrating-hope-resiliency/
Renee Engeln: An Epidemic of Beauty Sickness- A powerful talk about the impact of our cultural ‘beauty’ obsession and an alternate way of seeing ourselves and the world. A must see talk for anyone who has ever struggled with body image or self-acceptance.
Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work
Happiness expert and psychologist Shawn Achor believes that we actually train our minds to scan back and recall the positive or negative events of our days. He believes that the mind is a muscle, and much like we lift weights to tone our arms we must create repetition to tone our mind muscles for scanning for positivity to increase happiness levels in our lives. Read my article on happiness: https://lindyariff.com//heal-the-blues-with-gratitude/
Drew Dudley: Everyday Leadership
An inspiring talk that reminds us about the opportunity to impact someones life every day, and we often don’t even realize that the small acts of kindness have a big effect.
Johann Hari: Everything You Think You About Addiction is Wrong
A powerful talk about shifting our views on addiction and encourages us to meet addiction with love and kindness. Read my article on intimate connections + an animated video of his work HERE.
Pico Iyer- The Art of Stillness
A meaningful talk, reminding us to slow down and unpack our lives and our stories. To give ourselves permission to sit in silence and open the gifts it provides.
Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts
Susan Cain, author of Quiet, encourages us to question the societal pressure to be extroverted and inspires us to celebrate our introverted peers and colleagues, and selves. Read my thoughts here: https://lindyariff.com//are-you-a-social-introvert/
Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability
Of course, no TED list can be complete without Brene Brown’s TED talks. The Power of Vulnerability is one of my all time favorites, I get so much out it each time I watch it. I’d recommend her books as well! If you’ve already seen them I recommend watching them a second, third, or fourth time 🙂
Brene Brown: Listening to Shame
An equally inspiring talk about rising beyond ‘shame’ and the stories we tell ourselves.
Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs. West- the myths that mystify
A culturally expansive talk to help us understand the different viewpoints of which cultures see the world and how it affects our current world.
Glennon Doyle Melton: Lessons from a Mental Hospital
Glennon Doyle Melton, founder of Momastery and bestselling author of Carry On Warrior, speaks about helping others through being transparent and living in the open with our flaws and imperfections, about choosing hope and realness instead of trying to be a superhero. Read my article about it: https://lindyariff.com//its-a-brutiful-life/
Gavin Pretor-Pinney: Cloudy with a Chance of Joy
I love this TED talk by Cloud Appreciation Society founder, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, he gave an inspiring talk reminding us about slowing down to appreciate the clouds as a way of finding a greater sense of peace and balance in our lives. Read my article about it: https://lindyariff.com//being-whimsical-childlike-with-clouds/
Kristin Rivas- The Life Changing Power of Words
A great TED talk explaining Rapid Resolution Therapy and one woman’s experience and how it has impacted her life. Learn more about Rapid Resolution Therapy: https://lindyariff.com//rapid-resolution-therapy/
Sharon Salzberg: Transform your Mind, Change the World
I cannot say enough good things about Sharon Salzberg and her words of wisdom. An inspiring TED talk about the power of meditation and creating space and compassion within.
Elizabeth Gilbert- Your Elusive Creative Genius
A must see for anyone who draws inspiration from art and creativity. Author of Eat, Pray, Love, I love her perspective on creativity and the concept of being a channel for creative expression.
Cheryl Strayed: Radical Sincerity
A sincere talk about following our truth by the author of the memoir, ‘Wild.’ I also loved the book!
Frank Warren: Half a Million Secrets
Such an interesting TED talk about secrets and a man who created an opportunity for us to share our deepest secrets and be heard in astonishingly anonymous way.
Carl Honore: In Praise of Slowness
A very inspiring talk encouraging us to slow down and to have enough space to enjoy and savor life. Embracing slowing down as a route towards a fuller, more joyful way of life.
David Isay: StoryCorps
What I love about this TED talk is that it reminds us to honor the stories of our loved ones, and really take the opportunity to create space for getting to know one another in a deeper, more profound way. His website and a list of great questions can be found at: https://storycorps.org/great-questions/
Tony Robbins: Why We Do What We Do
Inspiring us to move towards a more fulfilling life. Moving beyond our biography and the past in order to create a significant life worth living.