TED Talks Daily

At age 16, Reginald Dwayne Betts was sentenced to nine years in prison. He turned to books to help hold onto his sanity — and developed a belief that we find what we look for, even in the toughest places. Now a lawyer and poet, he's opened hundreds of Freedom Libraries inside prisons across the US, putting books he once dreamed of reading into the hands of incarcerated people. In this profound talk, he makes the case that hope is something people pass on to one another. "We put millions of people in prison. I would put millions of books inside," he says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vigilance. Grit. Resilience. Valerie Montgomery Rice, the president and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine, shares where she learned these key qualities of successful leadership, offering three lessons for anyone who wants to overcome their fears, stand up for what’s right and build opportunity for all. (This episode originally aired in 2024.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are we so obsessed with productivity? Horticulturist Rebecca McMackin (who wants people to let their lawns grow wild) and author Catherine Price (who wrote a book about the power of fun) come together to discuss the relief of giving up control. From growing milkweed to taking up unproductive hobbies, they dig into the benefits of rest — and why doing something for its own sake shouldn't need defending. (This conversation is part of "TED Intersections," a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more than two decades, sleep health educator Lindsay Scola attributed her never-ending exhaustion to long hours and demanding jobs. When she was diagnosed with narcolepsy, she finally got the wake-up call that transformed her life. In this rousing talk, she discusses the epidemic of undiagnosed sleep disorders and encourages you to ask yourself: Is your tiredness different? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does healing look like for a refugee child? That's the question educational leader Erum Mariam asked when her team built the humanitarian "play labs": small, welcoming spaces where children displaced from their homes can play and reconnect with what they lost. From songs and dances to games and art they remember from home, Mariam shows how making space for kids to play brings back confidence and joy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For thousands of years, the Klamath River in Northern California was home to one of the continent’s great salmon runs, creating abundance for the native Yurok Tribe … until a series of dams and a century of extraction nearly destroyed it. Indigenous advocate Amy Bowers Cordalis helped lead the fight to take down those dams — the largest removal of its kind in US history. She offers a roadmap for communities everywhere working to protect and restore the places they call home. (Following her talk, Cordalis joins Elise Hu to talk about her journey becoming a lawyer to fight for the Klamath River dam removal. She shared a story about the time her grandmother and great-grandmother faced down a team of federal marshals from a tiny rowboat, in a standoff that somehow involved… underwear.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the best way to make a project more playful? Game designer Eric Zimmerman has a counterintuitive suggestion: a few good rules. Drawing on his experience making everything from video games and tabletop classics to museum-scale installations, he breaks down how creative play comes to life — and how to harness the power of constraints to create endless fun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate strategist Joojin Kim spent years convincing banks across South Korea to stop funding coal, and it worked. Now he's aiming that same playbook at a new target: maritime shipping, a hidden engine of the global economy — and one of the world's dirtiest industries. He breaks down how the whole system converges in one place and why redirecting finance could transform it into a driver of a clean economy worldwide. (This ambitious idea is part of The Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you navigate life's growing number of transitions with meaning, purpose and skill? Writer Bruce Feiler offers a powerful way to handle uncertain, painful and confusing times -- or "lifequakes", as he calls them. Learn how to equip yourself with the essential tools and mindset to ride out (and rewrite) the toughest chapters of your life story, and turn unease and upheaval into growth and renewal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's more health advice available than ever before — and no easy way to tell what’s worth your time. From biotech breakthroughs to smarter cancer screening, physician Dhruv Khullar and microbiologist Zack Abbott examine what happens when science can change who we are — including the potential of reengineering the human body — and what medicine might look like in 20 years. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate expert Ari Matusiak spends his days working to rewire America's energy system, and he has an idea: instead of tech companies building new power plants for their AI data centers, they should invest in energy-efficient upgrades to your home. He lays out how this swap could lower your power bill, reduce the strain on the grid and help communities reclaim control over the thing tech companies need most — power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In seven years as a political prisoner in Venezuela, activist Leopoldo López kept asking one question: Who holds the keys to freedom? Now the leader of an alliance of dissidents and exiles from more than 60 countries, he makes the case that open-source, decentralized technology can put power into the hands of ordinary people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie Paris quit her career in Washington, DC, to figure out how to make politics feel less like strangers shouting at each other and more like friends looking out for each other. In this practical talk, she reveals why conversations between real people can have a bigger impact on elections than anything millions of campaign dollars can buy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grammy-winning musician Jacob Collier has a name for the feeling that moves through a great piece of music: the wiggle. Watch him break down the idea into its three parts — melody, rhythm and harmony — with nothing but his own voice, a grand piano and Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Turns out life, like music, was never made to run in straight lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After working for years in film, fashion and graphic design, visual artist Kelly A. Boesch found a new collaborator to work with: AI. She walks through how she uses the technology to create dreamlike images and music that remain hauntingly human, exploring the two questions everyone keeps asking her — how do you make it, and is it really art? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Success rarely happens in a straight line, with setbacks all but guaranteed along the way. What's the best way to recover? Leadership coach Amy Shoenthal lays out the four phases of the "setback cycle" and explains how to transform difficult moments into opportunities for reinvention and progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is conversation a lost art, or is it just evolving? Journalist Joshua Johnson and social entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie answer questions on everything from the male loneliness crisis to what it actually takes to connect with others — and reveal two deceptively simple tips for going deeper with the people around you. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3D printing promised to reinvent how we make things, but it's mostly stuck producing prototypes with a high level of waste. Designer and TED Fellow Schendy Kernizan found a different way — by printing objects directly into a tub of gel. He explains how this technique eliminates the constraints of gravity, pushing the limits of how we can manufacture objects across medicine, fashion, space travel and more. Following his story, pulled from a short film he made for TED, Kernizan speaks with Lily James Olds, director of the TED Fellows program, on where this fascination with making things first came from. They talk about what kind of objects Kernizan’s is most excited to build, how he overcomes setbacks, and what keeps him motivated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a war look like when you sit still long enough to draw it? Reportage artist and TED Fellow George Butler sketches the people that the news passes by: a 99-year-old survivor of the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, a man gathering books blasted into a rose garden, an architect whose home was hit by a Russian missile. Urging us to slow down in the age of immediate news, Butler shows how a drawing reveals what a headline can't. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does bullying take root? Social psychologist Amy Cuddy got an inside view of this question after she became the target of a coordinated campaign to discredit her. Drawing on her own experience and years of research, she gives a clear-eyed analysis of how bullying reshaped our culture and how each of us can practice social bravery — everyday acts of standing up for one another — to end it. (Note: This talk contains discussion of suicide.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wealth inequality gets talked about as an economic problem. Writer Xochitl Gonzalez makes the case that it's a civic one, too — a slow, quiet threat to democracy. Drawing on her research into the psychology of social class, she shows how growing up with (or without) money changes how we experience politics, community and society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When technologist Luis von Ahn was building the popular language-learning platform Duolingo, he faced a big problem: Could an app designed to teach you something ever compete with addictive platforms like Instagram and TikTok? He explains how Duolingo harnesses the psychological techniques of social media and mobile games to get you excited to learn — all while spreading access to education across the world. This episode originally aired in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Math isn't just for "math kids" — it's for everyone, says learning expert Shalinee Sharma. She outlines four simple steps to transform your approach to math, creating an environment where any kid can develop a strong mathematical mind. This episode originally aired in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Video games naturally tap into the way we learn: they focus our attention and track our progress as we head toward a clear goal. Kris Alexander, a professor of video game design and passionate gamer himself, thinks the same elements should be used in traditional education to cater to different learning styles and engage students across the world, both in-person and online. This episode originally aired in 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forget home economics and standardized tests, education visionary Trish Millines Dziko has a much more engaging and fulfilling way for students to develop real-world skills. Get schooled by Dziko as she shares how project-based learning can transform public education and unlock genius for the next generation of critical thinkers, problem solvers, ideators and leaders. This episode originally aired in 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philosopher Meghan Sullivan and space architect Ariel Ekblaw don't usually work at the same altitude ... but put them in a room together, and they'll answer the big questions. Drawing on wisdom from Aristotle to astronauts, they discuss what humans inherently owe each other, what it takes to live a good life and what a rulebook for a better world might look like. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TED Fellow Ryosuke Takashima is the youngest-ever mayor in Japan's history — but he doesn't consider himself a politician. His approach to leadership is simple: listen to as many voices as possible (from students to elders) in order to figure out what needs fixing. Hear why he thinks inviting citizens to participate in reforming their own communities is the best way to get things done. Following his story, pulled from a short film he made for TED, Ryosuke speaks with Lily James Olds, director of the TED Fellows program, on the unexpected benefits of being a young civil servant. They talk about his view of politics, what it is and what it could be, and how his age allows him to ask more questions which helps him advocate for change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who decides which voices survive? It's a question classical singer Gabriella Di Laccio never thought to ask until she found an encyclopedia listing thousands of women composers from across history ... and knew almost none of them. Her journey to rediscover these brilliant musicians revealed how many songs have gone unheard — and sparked a mission to record what's missing before the silence becomes permanent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meditation asks you to slip into a state of serene presence. But why does something that sounds effortless often feel so difficult? In this lighthearted invitation, spiritual leader Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shares three steps to help you accept the ebb and flow of your emotions and learn to meditate anytime, anywhere. (This episode originally aired in 2022.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's your point? Communication expert Chris Fenning reveals how the first 60 seconds can make or break a workplace conversation — and shares a three-step framework to help you get it right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What sound came after the Big Bang? Astronomer Mark Whittle takes us back to the infant cosmos, where massive sound waves pulsed through primordial gas in a pattern that's still traceable across the universe today. Working with sound artist Ander Mikalson and composer Caroline Shaw, he turns those ancient tones into a glorious, awe-inspiring choral work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the pandemic, Anthony Klotz predicted the “Great Resignation”: a mass exodus of unhappy workers leaving their jobs after COVID epiphanies. Now, he’s seeing a different pattern begin to emerge as people opt to hunker down in their current jobs until they can find a better option. Anthony is an organizational psychologist and professor at the London School of Management. His recent book, Jolted: Why We Quit, When to Stay, and Why It Matters, explores how we make decisions in our jobs and careers. In this episode, he joins Anne and Frances to weigh in on the patterns developing right now in the world of quitting, offer practical advice for how to make measured decisions in a fickle job market, and explain the phenomenon he calls “jolts,” when a person experiences something that causes them to suddenly reevaluate their position. Together, they also work through a listener’s dilemma as she navigates a relationship with collaborators who mistrust each other, and offer tips for leaders who suspect a member of their team may be considering quitting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ann Patchett’s newest book “Whistler” is a love story born from grief. In this TED Talks Daily Book Club interview, Patchett tells host Elise Hu about her writing process for the novel, where she finds inspiration and her unlikely second life as a bookstore owner. (This conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if your city could borrow money from its own bank instead of private lenders? TED Fellow Trinity Tran is leading the push for public banks — which are owned by the people through their local governments — and shows how this model could ensure your local tax dollars stay in your community. Following her story, pulled from a short film she made for TED, Trinity joins Lily James Olds, director of the TED Fellows program, to dig more into how a public bank actually works, why it’s an ideal solution to reinvesting funds into local communities, and why local organizing really works Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Musician Maria Telesheva plays the accordion like a second set of lungs, showcasing this powerhouse instrument and its impressive 226 buttons — whether she’s playing Bach or the Beatles. In this talk and performance, she discusses how she fell in love with this musical acrobat and plays two beautiful songs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dolly Parton's hit songs — like "9 to 5," "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" — have captured generation after generation. In this episode, recorded around the release of "Run, Rose, Run" (her novel co-written with James Patterson and paired with a full-length companion album), host Adam Grant talks with Dolly about her creative process, how she balances getting things right with getting things done and how she manages the hefty cup of ambition she pours herself each morning. (This episode originally aired in 2022.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the fix for a fragmented world begin with a shared bookshelf? Photographer Rebecca Toh traces how she joined with 180 other people to build a community-funded library where strangers rent shelves, fill them with their personal collections and forge something rare: real connection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By 2030, nearly half the world's young people will be African. Yet for decades, the continent's learning crisis was treated with systems unfit for reality on the ground. Social entrepreneur Rapelang Rabana shows how homegrown leadership and technology designed for African classrooms can deliver foundational skills to millions of children — and shape a new future of education across the continent. (This ambitious idea is part of The Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.) (Following the talk, Elise Hu interviews Rabana on what makes the Imagine tablet so effective and engaging for students. Rabana also reiterates how using solar-powered tablets in a controlled setting can empower students and the limitations of applying Western standards of education to Sub-Saharan Africa.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s hard to not feel stress at the state of the world today, so how can you cope with stressors without letting them completely overwhelm you? Clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz spends most of her days helping clients navigate through their stress. She shares why she uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, in her therapy work, whether a cold plunge can help you snap out of your messy ruminations, and why doing a few tasks each day to practice for pleasure and mastery can help improve your mood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if science class felt less like studying out of a textbook and more like an unforgettable field trip? From viral glitter-bomb traps to backyard engineering marvels, former-NASA-engineer-turned-YouTuber Mark Rober has spent years proving that curiosity is contagious — and that the best way to teach science is to make it impossibly fun. In conversation with TED's Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Rober shares how play, wonder and a healthy dose of mischief can transform the way kids learn ... and gives a peek inside his plan to bring magic to every classroom in America. (This conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you need to make a decision, you might turn to AI for advice. But what happens when you let algorithms decide more and more things for you? Computational social scientist Sandra Matz reveals how AI models limit what you see, discover and try, subtly flattening what makes you unique. Hear her tips for how to use AI to fuel your curiosity and expand your world instead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Educator Stephen Nobles believes curiosity is the key to unlocking a student's potential. In conversation with TED's Whitney Pennington Rodgers, he encourages teachers to see every student through a lens of possibility — and asks what each of us might be missing when we let our assumptions go unchallenged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each year, around two million women are released from prisons and jails in the US, many with nowhere to go. Susan Burton knows this firsthand: after cycling in and out of prison for years, she finally found a safe place to land ... and made it her mission to offer others the same. She shares how she's helping thousands rebuild their lives — and changing the way we think about second chances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past 30 years, surviving as an internet business meant getting people to click on your website. But AI is now making that thousands of times harder, says Matthew Prince, CEO of Cloudflare, one of the world’s largest internet networks. He makes the provocative case for a different deal — whereby tech companies actually pay people for creating content that feeds their AI models. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Science communicator Saloni Dattani traces the quiet revolution of medical innovation that has slashed death rates from conditions like heart disease and malaria — and reveals the broken incentives that have delayed other lifesaving treatments for decades. "Diseases are not a fact of life," she says. "They're problems that we can solve." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If your company is growing faster than you can keep up, your manager might decide to “layer” you—that is, split your job in half or hire someone with more experience to become your boss. This is an experience a lot of people go through at work, but it’s rarely talked about because it’s often unpleasant for everyone involved. In this episode, Molly offers practical advice for anyone going through layering at work, from employees who find themselves sharing their job with someone new to leaders making the tough decision to hire another person for a role. She outlines 6 important things for employees to consider if they’re struggling to adjust to being layered, and key principles to help managers layer their teams in a way that builds trust instead of breaking it. She also reflects on her recent conversation with Don Faul and the lessons he shared from his experience being layered during his early years at Facebook. Connect with the team Follow Molly on Instagram , LinkedIn , and at glueclub.com/ Subscribe to Molly’s Substack Lesson Watch WorkLife videos on YouTube at TEDPods Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do some gatherings take off and others don't? Author Priya Parker shares three easy steps to turn your parties, dinners, meetings and holidays into meaningful, transformative gatherings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA -- in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maintaining a healthy weight takes more than diet and exercise, says physical activity epidemiologist Olivia Affuso. In this actionable talk, she shows how you can kickstart a healthy life by tapping into the collective power of a community that supports and motivates your health goals. (This episode originally aired in 2021.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Middle school is a time like no other, as significant biological and emotional changes coincide with profound personal growth, says educator Jerome Hunter. The middle school for boys that he founded centers on a program that helps redefine masculinity through what he calls the three "Cs" -- confidence, communication and community. He shares the growth he's seen when boys are encouraged to explore their own empathy -- and how it could lead to a more just world. (This episode originally aired in 2024.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can gaming with friends help combat loneliness? Laura Miele, the president of EA Entertainment & Technology, dives into how video games unite millions worldwide in a vibrant network of social hubs. With personal stories, research and a glimpse into the future of AI in gaming, she shows why playing together isn't just fun — it’s vital for human connection. (This episode originally aired in 2025.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Designer Salehe Bembury turns sneakers into stories — like a sunset-colored shoe and footwear with a hiking whistle in the heel. In conversation with TED's Cloe Shasha Brooks, Bembury walks through some of his most coveted drops (for Crocs, New Balance, Versace and more) and breaks down the risk-taking behind his work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your life will be divided into two sections: before and after you heard this choir sing, says music maker Jacob Collier. Listen along as the youth choir MAS Vocal gives a stunning performance of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," with a special arrangement by Collier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered why you like sad music? Do you find comfort or inspiration in rainy days? In this profound, poetic talk, author Susan Cain invites you to embrace the feeling of longing -- or the place where joy and sorrow meet – as a gateway to creativity, connection and love. Accompanied by the splendid sounds of violinist Min Kym, Cain meditates on how heartache unexpectedly brings us closer to the sublime beauty of life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Space technologist Robbie Schingler cofounded a satellite company that images the whole planet every day, making visible changes on Earth. He shows how pairing that data with AI creates a "planetary intelligence" we can use to spot emerging threats we might not have seen otherwise. Now he asks: Can we close the gap between seeing a crisis coming and actually stopping it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Citizen strategist Jon Alexander spent a decade gathering stories of democracy in action — and found that most change doesn't come from politicians or institutions. He shares examples from across the globe of ordinary people working together to improve their lives and communities, showing why the key to fixing things may already be in your own hands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liana Finck’s cartoons explore life’s big predicaments: what to make for dinner, how to leave a party without being rude, how to feel like more than a snack machine once you have a child. In today’s episode, Liana shares how drawing has become a practice for her to answer questions, solve problems, and why creating art helps humans understand ourselves better. Liana also discusses why she’s not bothered by impostor syndrome (okay maybe it helps that she regularly contributes to The New Yorker) and how she navigates the feelings of doubt we all experience with honesty and humor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're living through oil wars, wildfire smoke and extreme weather driven by a warming planet. But environmentalist Bill McKibben says one thing is finally going right: the price of clean energy has plunged, making it cheaper than ever to power the world without burning fossil fuels. He breaks down how energy from the sun became the best option on Earth — and why this narrow window of time may be our last real shot at a different future. "Energy from heaven, not from hell," he says. (Following his talk, Elise Hu interviews McKibben on why the climate sector needs to stop calling affordable solutions as “alternative energy” and why he thinks recent wars have sped up the clean energy shift. They also discuss what cheap solar means for the balance of power around the world, his work to get plug-in solar legislation passed in the U.S., and why it’s more important now than ever before to have good neighbors today.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.