In today’s busy distracted world, those who carve out 15 min to walk in a park or forest on a regular basis will have an edge. Research shows time in a park or forest practicing Shinrin Yoku or forest bathing will decrease stress and anxiety, and it will increase the ability to focus, think critically and make better decision.

For the past 25 years Ronna has been exploring ways of connecting people to themselves through time in wild places. This interest has led her to study a variety of practices including leadership development, meditation, storytelling, indigenous traditions, and most recently Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing).

Ronna is one of the first people in Canada to guide the simple yet powerful practice of Shinrin Yoku. As faculty with Leadership Development at the Banff Centre, Ronna has been working with professionals and executives using nature as the teacher to create powerful reflections and transformation. When people feel connected to nature they become connected to themselves, others and everything else in their life becomes clear. Ronna provides effective tools so people can listen to themselves and what nature has to tell them. With our increasingly busy technological world, research shows it is the nature wise who will have the advantage.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director and producer who captures breathtaking images and stories that celebrate life — revealing connections, universal rhythms, patterns and beauty. His notable career spans feature films, television shows, commercials and documentaries. He won two Clio Awards for TV advertising, including best environmental broadcast spot, an EMMY® nomination for best cinematography and the Heartland Film Festivals Truly Moving Picture Award for the feature film «Americas Heart

Herman Chinery-Hesse is a software engineer by profession, although his early training was Industrial / Manufacturing technology. Twenty years ago, he co-founded the SOFTtribe Limited, which became the leading software house in Ghana and possibly West Africa. Hermans current venture Black Star line (BSL), seeks to financially empower rural Africans via e-commerce via their webmall (www.shopafric53.com) as well as their proprietary novel, global payment system and related technology, which serves as the platform for their «African liberty cards/credits» (ALC). Herman has won a number of awards including «Outstanding Ghanaian Professional» and «Distinguished Alumnus Award» from the Texas State Alumni Association and Texas State University-San Marcos, USA. He is the first and currently only African recipient of the award. He was a speaker TEDGlobal conference in Arusha, Tanzania. The BBC describes him as «Ghanas Bill Gates» and he is widely viewed as an African technology giant. Herman believes that «If Africa misses the current global IT boat and participation in resultant new economy, there may never again be another opportunity for rapid wealth creation on the continent». He is smart, dedicated and passionate about Africa.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.

Alison Ledgerwood joined the Department of Psychology at UC Davis in 2008 after completing her PhD in social psychology at New York University. She is interested in understanding how people think, and how they can think better. Her research, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, investigates how certain ways of thinking about an issue tend to stick in peoples heads. Her classes on social psychology focus on understanding the way people think and behave in social situations, and how to harness that knowledge to potentially improve the social world in which we all live.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Что общего у законов христианской морали и правил поведения при пожаре? Почему за то, за что сейчас мы уважаем человека, пятьдесят лет назад его могли убить.

Мы живем в мире правил и игнорировать их нельзя. Вы можете быть конформистом или нонконформистом, но плывёте вы по течению или против течения, вы всё равно внутри потока.

Владелец ресторана японской кухни, изучает философию в БГУ (Минск, Беларусь).

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

You learn many things in school, but learning how to learn is often forgotten. Neuroscientist and 4 time Guinness World Record Holder for Memory Dr. Boris Nikolai Konrad believes in a World, where students are passionate about learning and believe memorization is fun and easy. In his TEDtalk he answers the question «How does memory work?» and explains how to improve memory by using your brain the way it is meant to be used. Dr. Boris Nikolai Konrad is a Guinness World Record holder for memory, a neuroscientist, an author, and an international expert on memory improvement. He teaches memory techniques anyone can employ to achieve outstanding memory performances. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

American students are rarely proficient in a second language, few even study one at all-- and the proportion that do continues to drop over time, displaced by math and science. Yet, foreign language proficiency is an excellent predictor of academic success, and achievement in the workforce and beyond. Jillian Axelrod asks us why we dont study language, and how we can start.

Jillian Axelrod is interested in learning all about learning. Coming from a small Jewish school, she spent four years at Upper Dublin delving into language, writing, and music. After finishing her senior year at UDHS, she is beginning a project to explore personalized and project-based education, and to examine how different types of instruction can impact students, teachers, and communities. Next year, she will be continuing in the Joint Program at the Jewish Theological Seminary at Columbia University.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

Cole Bennett came up with the idea for Lyrical Lemonade while still in High School. Through his talk, he walks through what it took to grow Lyrical Lemonade into what it is today along with how he navigated the music world. His talk emphasizes why having a passion for what you do can change the game and bring you success no matter the obstacle. As CEO of Lyrical Lemonade, Cole Bennett has produced some of hip hop’s most viewed videos. Entrepreneur Cole Bennett is not afraid to confront risks to move ideas and creative expression forward. Growing up in Plano IL, Cole enjoyed bringing ideas to life. Whether, creating comics or making skits with friends, he always loved to create. At 17 years old and a senior in high school, Cole produced his first music video. Discovering this deep passion, he founded Lyrical Lemonade while still in high school. After graduation, Cole moved to Chicago to attend DePaul University and further chase his dreams for Lyrical Lemonade. Cole’s dreams quickly became an undeniable reality that led him to dropout of college. His imprint, Lyrical Lemonade, is now a multi-faceted company that specializes in visual content, live events, high demand merchandise and more. At the age of 22, Cole has now directed over 300 music videos for some of the most influential artists that have amassed over 2.8 billion views. Cole has been featured in major publications such as Rolling Stone, Forbes, XXL, and Billboard Magazine. As the Summer approaches, Bennett is exploring another adventure — preparing to enter the beverage business with his very own lemonade. The lemonade launch is just in time for the second annual Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash, a hip hop music festival expected to bring together 20,000 people in Douglas Park, Chicago. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

Think you cant be a minimalist? Think again! Author and Afro Minimalist Christine Platt offers guidance on how to focus less on the aesthetics of mainstream minimalism and more on intentional living. Christine is a passionate advocate for social justice and policy reform. Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, she holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida, M.A. in African and African American Studies from The Ohio State University, and J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. Christine currently serves as a Race, Equity, Diversity

Shirzad Chamine shows Stanford students how his research on positive intelligence can help them achieve their full potential for professional success and personal fulfillment.

Professor Shirzad Chamine is author of the New York Times bestseller Positive Intelligence. His work exposes 10 well-disguised mental saboteurs and shares how to defeat them. According to Chamine, «positive intelligence» measures the percentage of time our mind serves us as opposed to sabotaging us. While IQ and EQ (emotional intelligence) contribute to our maximum potential, it is PQ that determines how much of that potential we actually achieve. Chamine is chairman emeritus of CTI, the largest coachtraining organization in the world. Chamine has coached hundreds of CEOs and their executive teams. Before running CTI, he was the CEO of an enterprise software company. His background includes PhD studies in neuroscience in addition to a BA in psychology, an MS in electrical engineering and an MBA from Stanford.