Ted Talks Daily

“It is time to close the funding gap for Black female-led start-ups the world over,” says entrepreneur Temie Giwa-Tubosun, whose company LifeBank delivers life-saving medical supplies to remote areas in Africa. Today, LifeBank operates successfully across the continent, but Giwa-Tubosun knows that barriers to funding prevent many other brilliant business ideas from blossoming. She highlights examples of impactful women-led ventures around the world -- and challenges investors to help more of them thrive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's on Elon Musk's mind? In conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Musk details how the radical new innovations he's working on -- Tesla's intelligent humanoid robot Optimus, SpaceX's otherworldly Starship and Neuralink's brain-machine interfaces, among others -- could help maximize the lifespan of humanity and create a world where goods and services are abundant and accessible for all. It's a compelling vision of a future worth getting excited about. (Recorded at the Tesla Texas Gigafactory on April 6, 2022) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building a pandemic-free future won’t be easy, but Bill Gates believes that we have the tools and strategies to make it possible -- now we just have to fund them. In this forward-looking talk, he proposes a multi-specialty Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization (GERM) team that would detect potential outbreaks and stop them from becoming pandemics. By investing in disease monitoring, research and development as well as improved health systems, Gates believes we can “create a world where everyone has a chance to live a healthy and productive life -- a life free from the fear of the next COVID-19.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To solve the climate crisis, we need to make tropical forests worth more alive than dead, says environmental economist Nat Keohane. Highlighting the urgent need to stop deforestation and the carbon pollution it brings, he details the work of the LEAF Coalition -- a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership that’s channeling one billion dollars into protecting tropical forests -- and shares three building blocks for a robust market for forest carbon that enables economies to thrive while protecting natural resources. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Getting pregnant as a track and field athlete is often called the "kiss of death" -- a sign your athletic career will soon end. Olympic champion, entrepreneur and proud mother Allyson Felix thinks it shouldn't be that way. She tells the story of starting a family while fighting to change her former sponsor's maternity policy -- and paving the way for others to get greater protection and more support. Her message is a testament to the power of believing in and advocating for yourself. "You don't have to be an Olympian to create change for yourself and others," she says. "Each of us can bet on ourselves." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Africa needs new energy sources to fuel its development, but the continent should invest in renewable energy instead of cheap, polluting alternatives like coal, says climate inclusion activist Chibeze Ezekiel. He tells the story of how he worked with local communities in Ghana to halt the construction of the country's first coal power plant -- and encouraged the government to prioritize investments in renewable energy instead. "Development and clean, breathable air should not be mutually exclusive," Ezekiel says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this unedited conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, Elon Musk digs into the recent news around his bid to purchase Twitter and gets honest about the biggest regret of his career, how his brain works, the future he envisions for the world and a lot more. (Recorded April 14, 2022) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destroyed so much -- including hundreds of schools, where the country's children were forging their futures -- but it has not stopped Ukrainians from pursuing knowledge and curiosity. In a deeply moving talk, education leader Zoya Lytvyn shares her first-hand experience evacuating Kyiv and takes us inside the ongoing effort to continue educating children amid war and destruction. "As long as our children keep learning and our teachers keep teaching -- even while they are starving in shelters under bombardment, even in refugee camps -- we are undefeated," she says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When women lead, bias often follows. Documentarian Robin Hauser dives into the dilemma between competence and likeability faced by women leaders, detangling the unconscious beliefs and gendered thinking that distort what it means to be a good leader. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukraine is on the front line of a war between freedom and tyranny, says chess grandmaster and human rights advocate Garry Kasparov. In this blistering call to action, he traces Vladimir Putin’s rise to power and details his own path from chess world champion to pro-democracy activist in Russia. His message is a challenge to global leaders to rise in support of Ukraine -- and to choose life and love over death and hatred. “The price of stopping a dictator always goes up with every delay and every hesitation,” he says. “Meeting evil halfway is still a victory for evil.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Life makes our planet an incredibly exotic place compared to the rest of the known universe," says astrobiologist Betül Kaçar, whose research uses statistics and mathematical models to simulate ancient environments and gather insights into the origins of existence. In this fascinating talk, she explores how a deeper understanding of chemistry could lead to the "secret sauce" for sparking life on other planets -- and asks us to ponder an important question: If we could kickstart life in the universe, should we? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WorkLife with Adam Grant, a TED Audio Collective podcast, is back for a fifth season! Organizational psychologist Adam Grant knows that you spend a quarter of your life at work -- in this show, he talks to some of the world's most unusual professionals to discover how to enjoy it. From breaking down "The Great Resignation" to identifying the work culture that's right for you, this season is packed with actionable insights to help you make work not suck. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to the TED Audio Collective on youtube.com/tedaudiocollective Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Music can unlock a frozen memory that melts into the seeds of our creativity," says musician Rosanne Cash. Reflecting on the power of memory, solitude and community, she performs "The Sunken Lands" and "Particle And Wave" and meditates on some of life's most poignant and bittersweet themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In need of a brief yet illuminating lesson on the obsession with NFTs? Elizabeth Strickler breaks down the acronym and explains the fundamentals of non-fungible tokens, sharing how these digital assets are changing the landscape for artists and content creators looking to cash in on their creations -- in and out of the metaverse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Given the scale of the challenge, the conversation around climate change is often tinged with doom and gloom. But climate tech investor Gabriel Kra thinks we need to reframe the crisis as a source of tremendous opportunity. He offers five big reasons to be optimistic about climate -- starting with the fact that many of the world's best minds are focused and working on building a clean future for all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under the sea, untold wonders await in the form of untapped medicinal potential. Chemist Sam Afoullouss dives into the science behind natural remedies, explaining why the ocean's great (and still largely unexplored) biodiversity is ideal for deriving and inspiring future treatments -- if we protect its waters and the marine life within them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this live drawing performance and poignant autobiographical journey, author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka sketches some life-shaping moments, showing us how drawing and storytelling can help us honor and remain close to those we've lost. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Living under the constant threat of violence has a lasting effect -- even after you escape from danger, says writer and refugee advocate Zarlasht Halaimzai. One of the millions of people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced by conflict, Halaimzai now helps others overcome the devastation of war. In this poignant, vital talk, she articulates the lingering trauma of being expendable -- and shares how belonging to a community can help bring back feelings of long-lost safety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Performing two original songs, stand-up comedian, writer and musician Marcia Belsky shares comical commentary on some peculiar aspects of our culture -- from Instagram-stalking your crush to fending off mansplainers on social media -- and lampoons NASA’s notorious decision to provide astronaut Sally Ride with an egregious supply of tampons for her six-day trip to space in 1983. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After leading a well-established life as a pastor, father and husband, Paula Stone Williams could no longer deny her truth and transitioned. In this conversational and at times humorous reflection, Williams offers her perspective on the everyday experiences lost, gained and once taken for granted in her journey of trans womanhood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.