Charitable acts tend to address a single symptom of a broken system. Lisa Nelsen tells stories of her experiences with some of the most challenging systems: foster care, education, and healthcare. She explores the interconnectedness among these three systems, and how they could be improved with a greater commitment from the public. Good marketing communications can advance our collective understanding and approach to handling these issues, but it all begins with our own mindsets. Lisa Nelsen is a communications and branding strategist for organizations that advance public good. Her business, Coruzzi Communications, LLC, helps mission-driven organizations communicate powerfully through both visual and written messaging. By crafting clear messages coupled with empowering visuals, Lisa’s work as a communications strategist clarifies complex topics and encourages action that fundamentally addresses human needs. She worked for top Las Vegas advertising agencies before joining the nonprofit and public education sectors and ultimately launching her own business. During her time in the nonprofit sector, Lisa helped secure over $25 million to fund education initiatives in Nevada’s high-poverty neighborhoods. As a volunteer, Lisa has supported more than 25 child-centric nonprofits in her hometown of Las Vegas. She also serves as a trained advocate for children in the foster care system, and served as a state board member and co-chair of the Resource Development Committee for the Nevada CASA Association. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Bad behavior does not equal a bad kid! There’s always something else going on. Unfortunately, labels like “bad” keep parents from finding and understanding the underlying causes that, when addressed, can lead to positive behaviors. Destini Ann is a certified parent coach who is a compassionate and relatable source for navigating motherhood! She takes the psychology of parenting and turns it into fun, digestible content for her community. She teaches with empathy and empowers parents to shift the culture of their homes to more intention, grace, and presence. From the public school system to her own home, Destini has been developing her connection-based approach for 10+ years. In a society where we are more stressed than ever, Destini reminds parents of their innate power so that they can give that same gift to their children! This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

When dealing with world problems, we often take incremental approaches to improve. From world hunger to climate change, we're always taking small steps towards a better future, but what if we could eradicate these problems in their entirety once and for all. What would that entail? This talk explores a framework for universally tackling world problems at scale through thinking radically and leveraging technology. Sidharth Sood is a tech entrepreneur. He has built various ventures including accelerator-backed tech startups, consulted Fortune 500 companies, and given speeches at universities and conferences covering the topics of tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He is also a computer science student at Fordham University in New York City. He has an immense passion for leveraging technology and building impactful startups as a means to tackle large scale societal problems. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Have you ever been to a cultural competency training and thought it was a complete waste of time? Dr. Raquel Martin has, and she has a message for all those who have felt this way: you're not a terrible person, most of these trainings completely miss the mark. Dr. Martin shares the history of cultural competence, how we have lost the original vision of the concept, and methods to remedy this issue. Because therapy can't be the only safe space, we must improve the human experience. Dr. Raquel Martin is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor, and Research Scientist that holds her PhD in Medical and Clinical Psychology. Dr. Martin specializes in racism related stress, racial identity development, and anti-racist and anti-oppressive care. Dr. Martin is passionate about mental health education, activism, and critical consciousness. As a practicing psychologist, Dr. Martin works directly with patients to help them identify and resolve emotions, beliefs, and thoughts that are impacting their mental health. As a research scientist and author, Dr. Martin contributes to the growing narrative regarding mental health disparities, racial identity, and trauma based interventions. Finally, as a professor, Dr. Martin mentors, educates, and advocates for the next generation of clinicians. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What if I told you that that the secret to getting better answers in our life is to stop forcing them? We all want to find answers, so much so that we often don’t realize the pressure we put on an immediate and set outcome in a hope to have everything squared away into a tidy box. Those boxes end up giving us more stress because they are created with cognitive distortions, or filters of how we see and interact with the world. These filters strip a balanced perspective and lead us towards negative thoughts and feelings that influence us every day. Instead of being controlled by these filters, let’s push back against them and learn to live in the in-between, that place where we feel uncertain, vulnerable, but a place where hope can live too. Courtney Kidd, LCSW, MSc, is a graduate student in Rutgers-Camden’s History program focusing on Early-Modern Britain, and early America. She obtained her MSc from the University of Edinburgh in Science and Technology Innovation Studies where she researched emotional artificial intelligence, and her Master’s in Social Welfare from SUNY Stony Brook University. At the heart of all her work, Courtney believes in an interdisciplinary approach which is seen in her research interests. Courtney is an adjunct Professor at Fordham and Stony Brook University, and enjoys engaging with students, and peers both in the classroom and at conferences on a variety of topics. Additionally, as a LCSW, Courtney continues to act as a mental health provider with private clients. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

In our current society, phones and social media are often painted as an evil force against our mental health. But, what if that’s not entirely true? The consumption of information and the exchange of ideas, stories, and emotions are all core to our human experience. So, what’s the issue? Our “E-diets” are polluted with hyper-sensationalized and polarizing content, but what if used the food industry as a model to change how we consume information on the internet? And, what if art could be the metaphorical veggies for the mind? Max Reisinger is a student, content creator, and serial entrepreneur. He’s amassed over 25 million views and 500,000 subscribers on YouTube through a series of short films documenting his life with a more vulnerable lens. He is the co-founder of Creator Camp, an event based on bringing together artists, filmmakers, musicians who are making meaningful content on the internet. In addition to this, he’s the co-founder of Circle Park, a creative agency and consultancy that works with top brands like Calm. And, he sits on the creator advisory board of Thatch.co. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Did you grow up with all kinds of questions about your body that never got answered by your parents or teachers? Was it too awkward to ask? Maybe you still don't know the answers to some of them, specifically those questions having to do with your pelvic health. Well, there may be an overlooked reason for that. In her talk, Brittney Ellers analyzes the way stigma stops us from receiving the information women and vulva-owners need from an early age and how we can embrace the natural processes our bodies have to offer, from menstruation through menopause, for a more confident outlook on our bodies. Brittney is the founder of Being Better, where she tackles the "taboo" and offers holistic and accessible pelvic physical therapy and education to help people feel the most confident and free in their body from menstruation through menopause. She is passionate about helping people transform into powerful beings who are able to harness and express their body, mind, and spirit for a fully embodied life, beginning at the root of it all: the pelvis. She works in North County San Diego and virtually with people around the globe using a blend of her skills in her growing private practice. She is currently working towards spreading the message of holistic pelvic health to millions more people through her upcoming project The Pelvic Pulse Podcast. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Asian American women often feel the pressure to conform to the model minority stereotype, fight imposter syndrome, and aim to lead authentically as an "other" in the corporate world. From her personal journey identifying as a banana in college (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) through a 22 year career as a design leader in tech and now an executive coach, Tutti Taygerly moves beyond the stereotypes and shares three strategies for how to claim your leadership and succeed in workplaces not built with you in mind. Tutti coaches co founders and tech leaders to embrace their unique leadership style to achieve professional impact and a sustainable company culture. She focuses on working with women, people of color, and immigrants. Previously she was a design leader at design firms, startups, and large companies including Disney and Facebook. Tutti writes for Harvard Business Review, Business Insider, and Fast Company and her book Make Space to Lead shows high achievers how to reframe our relationship to work. Tutti grew up in seven countries on three continents and is settled in San Francisco as her home base. She spends her time parenting two spirited girls, obsessively reading, and paddling out for the next wave. Find her at tuttitaygerly.com. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx