7 Inspiring TED Talks That Will Motivate You to Change Your Life

A couple of weeks ago, Travis and I were invited to attend TEDxDetroit 2019. It was our first time attending a TED Talks event so we were really excited to go! In this post, I’m sharing seven TED Talks that I felt were very inspirational and had a positive impact on me.

Wrapping up its 11th year, TEDxDetroit is held each November and it features inspiring entrepreneurs, artists, educators, musicians, world travelers, community leaders, and many other inspiring people living in or from Detroit.

TEDxDetroit 2019 | Detroit, Michigan — Sweetwater Floral created and designed this lovely garden photo backdrop.

7 INSPIRING TED TALKS FROM TEDXDETROIT

We enjoyed listening to the wonderful TED Talks speakers at TEDxDetroit. Each speaker shared stories of hope and inspiration. You can watch the complete program on YouTube here.

Here are seven highlights from TEDxDETROIT 2019 plus the speakers’ videos to go along with my brief summaries.

1. BROKE(N)HUNGER: KYD KANE

Kyd Kane, who shared a spoken-word poem called “Challenge Privilege”. Kyd’s poem resonated with me in so many ways. From my journey as a single mother of two children (almost a decade ago) to most recently when Travis lost his job, I have experienced my share of hardships. Kyd’s poem reminded me to never stop challenging privilege.

“Accessing quality, nutritious meals shouldn’t be a privilege,” Kyd said during her set. “We should all challenge privilege.”
Detroit Poet Kyd Kane

TEDxDetroit "Challenge Privelege" | Spoken Word Poetry — Kyd Kane’s poem “Challenge Privilege” resonated with me in so many ways.

2. CONFESSIONS OF A REHAB ADDICT: NICOLE CURTIS

Nicole Curtis, Host of The Rehab Addict on HGTV. Nicole talked about how she founded her home renovation business and created The Rehab Addict.

What stood out most, though, was when Nicole shared how she wanted a career where she could have a flexible schedule to be with her children. Relatable!

It was encouraging for me to hear another mom say this because having a flexible work schedule to have more time with my kids is very important to me, too. Nicole created a career to not only have flexible scheduling to be with her family but to also pursue her passions!

7 Inspiring TED Talks That Will Motivate You to Change Your Life — Nicole talked about how she founded her home renovation business and created *The Rehab Addict*.

3. THE CONTAMINANT BOOMERANG: DR. TRACIE BAKER

Dr. Tracie Baker, Wayne State University Assistant Professor, Biologist, and Environmental Toxicologist. I loved Dr. Baker’s suggestion of encouraging the public to practice Toxin-free Thursdays! I’ll be honest– it wasn’t until I met Travis that I even realized a lot of the products we use contain toxic chemicals.

Blindly, I trusted brands and organizations’ had our best interest at heart. Travis introduced me to a whole new world of growing your own food, apothecary, and toxin-free products. Dr. Baker’s speech encouraged me to keep being mindful of the chemicals that are used in our home.

4. HAJJ FLEMINGS, FOUNDER OF REBRAND CITIES

Hajj Flemings, Founder of Rebrand Cities. Hajj’s TED Talks discussion was about work with Rebrand Cities and the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses.

Something new I learned about Hajj was he was featured on CNN’s Black in America 4: The New Promised Land: Silicon Valley documentary with Soledad O’Brien (Love her!).

5. CO-PARENTING AS ALLIES, NOT ADVERSARIES: EBONY ROBERTS & SHAKA SENGHOR

Ebony Roberts Shaka Senghor. Founder of QualOne Research, Ebony is the author of The Love Prison Made and Unmade and she’s an ethnographer.

Shaka is the author Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison, a speaker, and a community leader.

Most importantly, though, Ebony and Shaka are the parents of Sekou. Their message about love and parenting reminded me of how parenting is a team effort. Our role is to love our children and guide them to discover who they are and their place in this world.

Inspiring TED Talks from TEDxDETROIT | Shaka Senghor and Ebony Roberts

6. THE WORLD IS OUR NEIGHBOR: JESSICA NABONGO

Jessica Nabongo, photographer, writer, and world traveler. I loved Jessica’s message‘s at TEDxDetroit! She talked about what it means to be a good neighbor. She’s the first Black woman to travel all 195 countries so Jessica has met many amazing people throughout the world!

Connecting her traveling experiences to her message, Jessica encouraged all of us to step out of our comfort zone and be a good neighbor to everyone we meet, not just our inner circle.

7. MAKING AN EXTREME POSITIVE FROM AN EXTREME NEGATIVE: MATT LISTON & WENDELL BROWN

Matt Liston & Wendell Brown. Matt Liston is a sports documentary filmmaker. His film Chasing October was featured on HBO’s Wait Til Next Year and ESPN’s Catching Hell. Wendell Brown is a former football player for Ball State University and Canadian Football League.

In 2016, Wendell was arrested in China for a bar fight. He was sentenced to four years in prison, but Wendell’s sentence was reduced to three years. Matt and Wendell shared Wendell’s story and it was inspiring, to say the least.

My favorite quote from Wendell’s TED Talk was this:

“I could be negative and allow my situation to control my thoughts and my feelings, or I could choose to be positive and conquer anything that’s not worthy of me and my life. Things happen daily in our lives, some of which we have no control over. But there are two things we do have the power to control: the first is how we approach each day and the second is our outlook on life.”
Wendell Brown

Wendell Brown at TED Talks for TEDxDetroit

Inspiring TED Talks: TEDxDetroit featuring Matt Liston and Wendell Brown

TEDxDetroit Labs

I also spent some time in the TEDxDetroit Labs. The Labs were a marketplace featuring Michigan-based, small business owners. About a month ago, I featured a blog post highlighting TEDxDetroit Labs’ three inspiring women: Lauren Clayborne, Anu Gopalakrishan, and Jennyfer Crawford.

Lauren serves as the Director of the TEDxDetroit Labs. She said the Labs are a wonderful opportunity for small business owners and local startups to demonstrate their products. I loved this concept because the TEDxDetroit Labs introduced me to small business owners who sell many products that I love such as soy candles, handmade clothing, beautiful jewelry, and cosmetic products.

I bought “Relieve Skin Rescue Salve” from Rustic Maka. Elijah (19) has eczema and the natural-based skin product truly helped his skin with dryness and skin irritation.

Another product I purchased at the TEDxDetroit Labs was a travel-size jar of Mellow Body Butter from ILERA Apothecary. It is made with all-natural ingredients sourced in Africa. I use it just about every day and keep it beside my laptop for when my hands are dry.

I also enjoyed connecting with Colleen Martin and Saharsh Hajela, co-creators and founders of The Shout App. Colleen and Saharsh created the app to help citizens discover who are their local, state, and federal representatives and connect with them to share their concerns and issues.

The Shout app is free and nonpartisan. It’s also available for iPhone and Android. I downloaded the Shout app on my Samsung Galaxy S10+ and Travis thinks it’s just the coolest thing. I also shared a little push back for my local area to help add a bus stop near the local library.

The Shout App TEDxDetroit — Colleen Martin and Saharsh Hajela, co-creators and founders of The Shout App.

Shout App TEDxDetroit — Colleen and Saharsh created the Shout app to help citizens discover who are their local, state, and federal representatives and connect with them to share their concerns and issues.

A few more small business owners I loved connecting with at TEDxDetroit Labs:

Achsha Jones from the Detroit Historical Society
Electrifly Collective
Delightful Scent
Phil Simpson, Detroit artist and entrepreneur
Ronnie Love Catering (The food was really good!)
Well Done Goods
Rebel Nell handcrafted jewelry
Mint Artists Guild
Sweetwater Floral

In a previous interview on Good Life Detroit, Jennyfer Crawford, TEDxDetroit Labs Marketplace Curator, said she loves being involved with TEDxDetroit because she gets “to provide a great opportunity for small businesses to be seen.”

“TEDxDetroit Labs gives attendees an opportunity to connect with businesses and individuals – who may or may not be TEDxDetroit speakers – and have a great talent to share,” Jennyfer said.

Special thanks to TEDxDetroit for inviting Good Life Detroit to the TED Talks conference! I’m looking forward to next year’s event and I hope you’ll have a chance to go, too! Visit TEDxDetroit’s website here for the latest updates on 2020 TEDxDetroit!

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All photographs are courtesy of Jennifer Hamra for Good Life Detroit.

Written by

Jennifer Hamra

Jennifer Hamra is a freelance creative and the founder of Good Life Detroit. She lives in Metro Detroit with her husband Travis and their six children. Contact Jennifer at [email protected].

An Inspiring, First-Time Visit at TEDxDetroit 2019