TED Talks Daily - podcast cover

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.

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Episodes

What if mental health workers responded to emergency calls? | Leslie Herod

When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests -- and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Mar 15, 202110 min

How to challenge conventional wisdom -- and change any industry | How to Be a Better Human

Do you think Hollywood needs to change? How about your own industry? It’s difficult to get decision makers to step outside of the tried-and-true and attempt something new. In this episode, host Chris Duffy sits down with Franklin Leonard -- founder and CEO of the Black List, a company that elevates great screenplays and the writers who create them -- to discuss how he shifted the way Hollywood works, and how anyone can catalyze change by questioning whether the conventional wisdom is all convent...

Mar 12, 202128 min

4 lessons the pandemic taught us about work, life and balance | Patty McCord

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we work for good. Can it also change it for the better? Consultant Patty McCord reviews four key insights employers and employees alike gleaned from their shift to working from home -- and shares how companies can use what they learned in lockdown to creatively and innovatively rethink how we do business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 11, 20219 min

What is deep tech? A look at how it could shape the future | Antoine Gourévitch

How do companies like SpaceX make sudden breakthroughs on decades-old challenges? Emerging tech expert Antoine Gourévitch explains how deep tech -- a new approach to innovation that merges science, engineering and design thinking -- is unlocking solutions to problems in space exploration, biology, energy and more. As Gourévitch says: “[deep tech] is changing what was once considered impossible into something actively possible, today.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Mar 10, 202111 min

Love, sorrow and the emotions that power climate action | Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug

Picture your favorite place in nature. How would you feel if it disappeared tomorrow? In this love letter to the planet, social worker and environmental activist Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug invites us to confront the deep, difficult emotions -- love, sorrow and even rage -- born from climate-driven ecological loss in order to act in service of our collective home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 09, 202113 min

The myth of bringing your full, authentic self to work | Jodi-Ann Burey

Calls for authenticity at work ask for passionate people with diverse, fresh perspectives who challenge old ways of thinking. But too often workplace culture fails to support the authenticity of professionals of color and other underrepresented groups, leading instead to backlash and fewer opportunities. Writer Jodi-Ann Burey outlines steps toward achieving true equity and exposing privilege on the job -- and implores those in leadership positions to accept responsibility for change. Hosted on A...

Mar 08, 202116 min

Should we cry at work? | TED Business

Feelings are complicated. And even more so at work. We like to believe the ultimate professional is stoic, but what important information do we miss when we disregard our emotions on the job? In this episode, Harvard psychologist Susan David helps us break free from the "tyranny of positivity" and embrace the full range of our emotions. After the talk, host Modupe Akinola extends this idea to the workplace by examining a time she shed tears at a meeting with colleagues. Listen and subscribe to "...

Mar 05, 202124 min

Climate change is our reality. Here’s how we’re taking action | Al Gore, Gloria Kasang Bulus, Nana Firman, Ximena Loría and Tim Guinee

With the Climate Reality Project, Al Gore is helping mold future leaders to build the movement for climate survival and social justice from the ground up. He introduces us to four of the Project’s graduates, each of whom confronts climate change on their own terms: Ximena Loría, founder of Misión 2 Grados, an NGO influencing public policy in Central America; Nana Firman, “daughter of the rainforest” and advocate for climate justice among Indigenous peoples; Gloria Kasang Bulus, a Nigerian activi...

Mar 04, 20218 min

My mother's final wish — and the right to die with dignity | Elaine Fong

After a terminal cancer diagnosis upended 12 years of remission, all Elaine Fong's mother wanted was a peaceful end of life. What she received instead became a fight for the right to decide when. Fong shares the heart-rending journey to honor her mother's choice for a death with dignity -- and reflects on the need to explore our relationship to dying so that we may redesign this final and most universal of human experiences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Mar 03, 202122 min

How compassion could save your strained relationships | Betty Hart

When personal relationships and ideological differences collide, the result can lead to strained relations -- or even years of silence and distance. Actor Betty Hart offers an alternative to cold shoulders and haughty hellos: compassion, and a chance for growth and change instead of losing important time with loved ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 02, 202112 min

The real life skills you need to master video games | William Collis

What does it take to be a pro gamer? Esports expert William Collis charts the rise of the multibillion-dollar competitive gaming industry and breaks down three skills needed to master video games like Fortnite, League of Legends and Rocket League. And watch out, Collis says: these skills can set you up for crushing it at work, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 01, 202111 min

Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Cheryl Strayed

Debbie Millman talks to author Cheryl Strayed about her childhood, career and the value of taking a very long hike. Listen and subscribe to "Design Matters" and more podcasts from the TED Audio Collective at audiocollective.ted.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 26, 202157 min

The value of your humanity in an automated future | Kevin Roose

To futureproof your job against robots and AI, you should learn how to code, brush up on your math skills and crack open an engineering textbook, right? Wrong. In this surprisingly comforting talk, tech journalist Kevin Roose makes the case that rather than trying to compete with the machines, we should instead focus on what makes us uniquely human. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 25, 202112 min

The people who caused the climate crisis aren't the ones who will solve it | Angela Mahecha Adrar

Corporations and big business have wrecked the environment, but disadvantaged communities living in "sacrifice zones" -- urban areas heavily polluted and poisoned by industry -- are paying the price, says climate justice leader Angela Mahecha Adrar. Explaining why racial and economic justice must be at the center of climate action, she takes us to the frontline communities that are leading the world to clean, innovative and just climate solutions -- like Cooperativa Tierra y Libertad, a local fa...

Feb 24, 202113 min

Why there's no such thing as objective reality | Greg Anderson

In the grand scheme of history, modern reality is a bizarre exception when compared to the worlds of ancient, precolonial and Indigenous civilizations, where myths ruled and gods roamed, says historian Greg Anderson. So why do Westerners today think they're right about reality and everybody else is wrong? Anderson tears into the fabric of objective reality to reveal the many universes that lie beyond -- and encourages a healthy reimagining of what other possible ways of being human could look li...

Feb 23, 202117 min

You don't need aliens to make history interesting | Sarah Kurnick

Aliens have invaded ancient history: they've cropped up in humanity's past through popular television and movies, displacing facts with absurd yet commonplace beliefs like "aliens built the pyramids." Archaeologist Sarah Kurnick illustrates why these misconceptions perpetuate racist and xenophobic notions of history and culture -- and demonstrates how you can help debunk these dangerous, outlandish myths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Feb 22, 202112 min

The US is back in the Paris Agreement. What’s next? | John Kerry and Al Gore

On his first day as president, Joe Biden signed a letter of acceptance that set in motion the 30-day process for the United States to re-join the Paris Agreement on climate. On the day the US returns to the accord, John Kerry, the US Special Envoy for Climate, sits down with Nobel Laureate Al Gore to discuss the make-or-break decade ahead of us. Listen as Kerry lays out how the US fits into the global plan to get to net-zero emissions, explains why the COP26 UN climate conference could be humani...

Feb 19, 202139 min

How technology has changed what it's like to be deaf | Rebecca Knill

"Complete silence is very addictive," says Rebecca Knill, a writer who has cochlear implants that enable her to hear. In this funny, insightful talk, she explores the evolution of assistive listening technology, the outdated way people still respond to deafness and how we can shift our cultural understanding of ability to build a more inclusive world. "Technology has come so far," Knill says. "Our mindset just needs to catch up." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Feb 18, 202115 min

How theater weathers wars, outlasts empires and survives pandemics | Cara Greene Epstein

When catastrophe strikes, art prevails -- and has done so for centuries. In this fascinating talk, writer and director Cara Greene Epstein places the closing of theaters during the coronavirus pandemic in a historical context, exploring how we can use this intermission to imagine a more just, representative and beautiful world, onstage and off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 17, 202115 min

I let algorithms randomize my life for two years | Max Hawkins

What if everything in your life was randomized: from the food you ate to the things you did and the places you traveled? Computer scientist Max Hawkins created algorithms to make decisions like these for him -- and got hooked on the experience for two years. He shares how relinquishing choice sent him across the world and opened him up to the beautiful complexity and richness of life. It makes you wonder: What lies just outside your comfort zone? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

Feb 16, 202112 min

The political power of being a good neighbor | Michael Tubbs

Michael Tubbs is the youngest mayor in American history to represent a city with more than 100,000 people -- and his policies are sparking national conversations. In this rousing talk, he shares how growing up amid poverty and violence in Stockton, California shaped his bold vision for change and his commitment to govern as a neighbor, not a politician. "When we see someone different from us, they should not reflect our fears, our anxieties, our insecurities," he says. "We should see our common ...

Feb 15, 202118 min

The hidden history found in your teeth | Carolyn Freiwald

Your teeth carry secrets: centuries of history about your ancestors, from where they lived to what they ate and where they traveled. Bioarchaeologist Carolyn Freiwald traces the story of human migration across the Americas -- from Mayan royalty and Belizean buccaneers to rural Appalachian farmers -- to illustrate what ancient teeth can reveal about you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 12, 202111 min

The paradigm shift toward equitable tech access across Africa | ’Gbenga Sesan

Centuries of inequality can’t be solved with access to technology alone -- we need to connect people with training and support too, says tech inclusionist ’Gbenga Sesan. Sharing the work behind the Paradigm Initiative, a social enterprise in Nigeria that’s empowering young people with digital resources and skills, Sesan details a vision for creating life-changing opportunities for generations of people across Africa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Feb 11, 202111 min

Community-powered solutions to the climate crisis | Rahwa Ghirmatzion and Zelalem Adefris

Climate change is the epic challenge of our lives, and community leaders like Rahwa Ghirmatzion and Zelalem Adefris are already working on sustainable, resilient solutions. Through their organizations in Buffalo and Miami, they're focused on durable, affordable housing for under-resourced communities, the most vulnerable to the instability of climate change. Watch for a lesson on how we can work alongside our neighbors to address climate catastrophe and social inequality. (Narrated by Don Cheadl...

Feb 10, 20215 min

The promise of quantum computers | Matt Langione

What if microparticles could help us solve the world's biggest problems in a matter of minutes? That's the promise -- and magic -- of quantum computers, says Matt Langione. Speaking next to IBM's quantum computer, he explains how these machines solve complex challenges like developing vaccines or calculating financial risk exponentially faster than even the best supercomputers -- and shares why industries should prepare now for this new leap in computing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

Feb 09, 202113 min

A concrete idea to reduce carbon emissions | Karen Scrivener

Concrete is the second most-used substance on Earth (behind water), and it's responsible for eight percent of the world's carbon footprint. Cement researcher Karen Scrivener shares the research behind a pioneering new kind of cement known as LC3, which could slash carbon emissions from this crucial building material by 40 percent, if adopted at scale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 08, 20215 min

How a green economy could work for you | Angela Francis

How do you get the environment to the top of everyone's priority list? You can't, says climate advocate Angela Francis -- but you can get them to care about improving their lives. In this pragmatic talk, she shares her playbook for helping even the most skeptical among us see the benefits of a greener economy on their health, wealth and well-being. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 05, 202112 min

How technology changes our sense of right and wrong | Juan Enriquez

What drives society’s understanding of right and wrong? In this thought-provoking talk, futurist Juan Enriquez offers a historical outlook on what humanity once deemed acceptable -- from human sacrifice and public executions to slavery and eating meat -- and makes a surprising case that exponential advances in technology leads to more ethical behavior. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 04, 20218 min

The surprising connection between brain injuries and crime | Kim Gorgens

Here's a shocking statistic: 50 to 80 percent of people in the criminal justice system in the US have had a traumatic brain injury. In the general public, that number is less than five percent. Neuropsychologist Kim Gorgens shares her research into the connection between brain trauma and the behaviors that keep people in the revolving door of criminal justice -- and some ways to make the system more effective and safer for everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Feb 03, 202112 min

How a geospatial nervous system could help us design a better future | Jack Dangermond

What if we could better understand the world's biggest challenges simply by looking at a map? Jack Dangermond, a pioneer in geographic information system (GIS) technology that powers the digital maps people around the world use every day, speaks with TED technology curator Simone Ross about how his team is building a geospatial nervous system: a global, interconnected GIS network that reveals patterns, visualizes trends -- and could transform the way we make decisions about nearly everything. Ho...

Feb 02, 202120 min
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