TED Talks Daily
Want TED Talks on the go? Everyday, this feed brings you our latest talks in audio format. Hear thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable – from Artificial Intelligence to Zoology, and everything in between – given by the world's leading thinkers and doers. This collection of talks, given at TED and TEDx conferences around the globe, is also available in video format. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Recent Episodes
Everything successful starts with heart — even the most pragmatic business plan, says Sharon Price John, CEO of Build-A-Bear. She shares how she led a purpose-centered approach to save the beloved ted...
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Sharon Price-John, CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, shares how she rescued the company from near bankruptcy by rediscovering its true purpose. Rather than focusing solely on financial metrics and traditional turnaround strategies, she united the organization around the mission 'we add a little more heart to life.' This heart-centered approach transformed Build-A-Bear from a struggling mall-based retailer into a thriving global brand with over 2,000% stock price appreciation, demonstrating that leading with purpose and emotional connection can drive remarkable business results.
- The Crisis: Build-A-Bear on the Brink
- The Textbook Turnaround That Failed
Daredevil Michelle Khare has trained with Olympians, run seven marathons on seven continents in a single week, and even escaped Harry Houdini's deadliest stunt. She shares how embracing fear, failure ...
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YouTuber Michelle Khare shares her journey from fear-avoidant child of immigrants to daredevil creator, performing extreme stunts like hanging from a C-130 aircraft and escaping Houdini's water torture cell. She explains how embracing an amateur's mindset and reframing fear as information rather than a stop sign enabled her to accomplish seemingly impossible challenges, from earning a black belt in 90 days to performing Tom Cruise-level stunts.
- From Safety to Risk: The Birth of a Daredevil
- The Amateur's Mindset: The Secret to Rapid Learning
When kids say school is "fine," that's the sound of potential fading, says education innovator Aylon Samouha. He introduces Transcend, the nonprofit engaging communities across the US to redesign thei...
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Education innovator Alon Samoa presents a compelling case for redesigning America's education system through community-based design. Drawing on examples from Brooklyn, Washington D.C., and rural North Dakota, Samoa demonstrates how schools can transform from boring, factory-model institutions into engaging learning environments where students develop real-world skills, discover their purpose, and thrive. The talk advocates for a continuous, community-driven approach to educational evolution that centers student experience and prepares young people for an AI-shaped future.
- The Brooklyn STEAM Center: Education Reimagined
- The Engagement Crisis: When 'Fine' Isn't Fine
In 1999, a NASA mission to Mars failed ... not from a technical glitch, but because people weren't talking to each other. Psychology professor Tessa West explores how assumptions, overlooked details a...
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Psychology professor Tessa West examines how miscommunication leads to major failures, using NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter disaster as a case study. She reveals that even highly intelligent teams miss critical information due to hidden languages, unstated assumptions, and communication norms. Through research on team decision-making, she demonstrates that groups consistently fail to share and incorporate unique information, even when motivated to succeed. West offers practical strategies for improving workplace communication by stating the obvious, restating critical information, and normalizing questions about jargon and acronyms.
- The Mars Climate Orbiter Disaster: A Communication Failure
- Multiple Missed Opportunities to Save the Mission
How can you make your life meaningful with the finite amount of time you have? In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview, host Elise Hu speaks with Oliver Burkeman about his book “Meditations for Mo...
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In this TED Talks Daily book club episode, Elise Hugh speaks with writer Oliver Burkeman about his latest book 'Meditations for Mortals.' The conversation explores why embracing our limitations, imperfections, and mortality—rather than trying to optimize and control everything—can lead to a more meaningful and present life. Burkeman shares insights from his journey writing a psychology column for The Guardian, explaining how his pursuit of the perfect productivity system ultimately led him to realize that accepting our finite nature is the key to actually living fully.
- The Journey from Productivity Obsession to Acceptance
- Imperfectionism as a Life Philosophy
The ethical case for taking on the climate crisis | Al Gore, Wanjira Mathai & Karenna Gore (TED Countdown House)
Dec 06, 2025For the first time in climate negotiations, leaders are asking the question that actually matters: not just how do we solve the climate crisis — but why aren't we? Join Nobel laureate Al Gore for an i...
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The late Stanford neuroscientist Nolan Williams shares his research on the potential of a plant-derived psychoactive compound called ibogaine to help people with traumatic brain injury recover from PT...
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Neuroscientist Nolan Williams presents groundbreaking research on ibogaine, a plant-derived psychoactive compound, and its potential to treat traumatic brain injury and PTSD in veterans. Drawing parallels to the historical resistance against citrus as a scurvy treatment, Williams argues against modern 'anti-fruiters' who dismiss promising plant medicines due to institutional bias, while acknowledging the need for proper medical supervision and rigorous scientific evaluation.
- The Historical Lesson of Scurvy and Anti-Fruiters
- Introducing Ibogaine: From Indigenous Medicine to Modern Research
Every minute somewhere in Europe, a house is demolished — along with the memories and sense of community it holds, says architect Olaf Grawert. Exposing the human and environmental cost of demolition ...
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Architect Olaf Gravert delivers a powerful critique of Europe's demolition-driven real estate system, revealing that a building is demolished every minute across Europe not due to structural necessity, but purely for profit. He exposes how current legal and financial systems favor demolition over renovation, contributing to both the housing crisis and climate change, while French architects Lacaton and Vassal demonstrate a sustainable alternative through their transformative renovation work. Gravert calls for systemic change through a European Citizens Initiative to make renovation the norm.
- The Hidden Crisis of Demolition
- The Profit Motive Behind Demolition
After finding himself alone in an unreported wildfire in the woodlands of California, John Mills decided to take matters into his own hands. Hear the incredible story of how he rallied fire survivors ...
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This TED Talk features John Mills, founder of WatchDuty, a nonprofit emergency alert app that provides real-time wildfire information across the American West. Mills shares how experiencing wildfires firsthand in Northern California inspired him to create a citizen-powered alerting system that now serves millions, outpacing government response times and changing how communities prepare for and respond to natural disasters. The conversation explores the tension between civic tech innovation and institutional systems, the mechanics of WatchDuty's operations, and plans for expansion to other natural disasters.
- The Origin Story: A Personal Wildfire Wake-Up Call
- Building WatchDuty: An 80-Day Sprint to Change Emergency Response
How did Misty Copeland break barriers and become one of the world's most famous ballerinas? In this powerful talk, she charts her rise from childhood adversity to history-making dancer at the prestigi...
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"How are the children? How are the cattle? Is it raining?" Filmmaker Jackie Lebo discovered the meaning of this traditional greeting when she and nine other artists explored Turkana, an isolated part ...
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Filmmaker Jackie Lebo shares her transformative journey to Turkana, northern Kenya, where a documentary about oil discovery evolved into a profound exploration of pastoralist identity, creative collaboration, and resource sharing. Through working with local and Nairobi artists, Lebo discovered how traditional Turkana society's communal values could inform new models of artistic collaboration and collective ownership, ultimately leading to the creation of the Nomadic Arts Festival.
- Introduction and Traditional Turkana Greetings
- Journey to Turkana and the Oil Discovery Context
Sunday Pick: Tech Solutions (#3): How one of China’s biggest tech companies is tackling carbon removal (with Xu Hao)
Nov 30, 2025Tencent is one of China’s biggest tech companies, running the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat and the world’s largest video game vendor. Now, it’s also an up-and-coming force in the field of carb...
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Dr. Xu Hao, Vice President of Sustainable Social Value at Tencent, discusses the tech giant's ambitious carbon removal initiatives and the role of corporations in addressing climate change. He explains how Tencent's CarbonX platform is funding breakthrough technologies in hard-to-abate sectors, leveraging digital innovation to advance decarbonization, and using video games to educate millions about climate issues. The conversation explores the challenges of scaling carbon removal technologies, the importance of diversifying solutions, and the intersection of business value and sustainability goals.
- The Challenge of Scaling Carbon Removal Technologies
- Carbon Utilization Startups Competing Without Carbon Pricing
Can AI help people without a traditional credit history get access to fair loans? Impact entrepreneur Mercedes Bidart shows how AI is letting informal entrepreneurs in Latin America transform "invisib...
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"The minister of loneliness" | Sarah Kay
Nov 28, 2025Sarah Kay performs "The minister of loneliness," a heartwarming poem imagining what life would look like if homes were connected with tin-can telephone strings, creating a universe of curiosity, joy a...
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Sarah Kay delivers a spoken word performance at TED 2025 exploring loneliness through the lens of Japan's real Minister of Loneliness position, created after suicide rates spiked during COVID-19. She imagines a whimsical world where connection is prioritized over productivity, using the metaphor of tin cans and strings connecting people to combat isolation. Through vivid imagery and poetic storytelling, Kay reflects on human connection, vulnerability, and the importance of meaningful relationships in a complex world filled with both grief and joy.
- Japan's Response to the Loneliness Crisis
- The Tin Can Communication System
Timm Chiusano was having one of the worst days of his career when he found himself inexplicably fascinated by a mundane part of the world on his walk home. That moment sparked a life-changing realizat...
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Emotional intelligence coach Tim Chiusano shares how observing a manhole cover during one of his worst career days led to a life-changing realization: he was 'addicted to appreciation.' He explains how this mindset—actively noticing and valuing the good in everyday life—differs from gratitude and can transform how we experience the world. Through personal stories and practical examples, he demonstrates how appreciation can become a foundational practice that brings more joy, presence, and understanding to daily life.
- A Terrible Day and an Unexpected Epiphany
- Defining Appreciation as an Addiction
Will AI make humans useless? | Akram Awad
Nov 26, 2025"As jobs disappear, so will identity," says AI futurist Akram Awad, outlining the three types of people that will emerge as AI continues to replace the workforce. He introduces the blueprint for a soc...
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Scientists estimate that 80 percent of life on Earth is still unknown to humanity. But as global temperatures rise, habitats shrink and food and water sources dry up, we're losing these species faster...
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How the fridge changed food | Nicola Twilley
Nov 24, 2025What if your kitchen fridge is just the tip of an iceberg that's reshaping the world? Food storyteller Nicola Twilley reveals how the massive “artificial Arctic” we built to keep our food fresh is sim...
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Sunday Pick: How to love your hometown (w/ Hanif Abdurraqib & Sarah Kay) | How to Be a Better Human
Nov 23, 2025Loving where you live means caring for the people who make that place home, says cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. He invites poet Sarah Kay and Chris Duffy, host of the podcast “How to Be a Better Hu...
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In this episode of How to Be a Better Human, host Chris Duffy joins poet Sarah Kay to visit writer and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib in his beloved hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Through visits to local record shops, sneaker stores, parks, and bookstores, Hanif demonstrates what it means to truly be from a place and build meaningful community. He shares personal stories about homelessness, generosity, and the power of offering yourself freely to others, revealing how home is created through care, attention, and the simple act of surrendering our time to love others better.
- The Power of Community in Crisis
- Building Relationships Through Shared Curiosity
For decades, investor and business leader Steve Howard watched companies pour money and effort into sustainability initiatives ... and still fall short. The problem isn’t a lack of will, he says; it’s...
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Steve Howard, Vice Chair of Sustainability at Temasek, challenges the notion that capitalism cannot solve climate change. Drawing from his experience as former Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA and founder of several climate organizations, he presents four 'hard truths' about how profit-driven systems can scale climate solutions—but only if we fundamentally change the rules of the game through policy reform, long-term investment, and a relentless focus on making sustainable options better than their alternatives.
- The Hard Truth About Business Machines
- The Short-Term Trap of Financial Markets