In this article: What TED Talks are and the impact they can have on your life, suggested life-changing TED Talks for women by women.
Powerful life-changing TED Talks have been given on stage worldwide for over 35 years.
What are TED Talks?
TED Talks are short-form speeches, typically 18 minutes or less. Each one is given by an expert speaker who covers various topics such as education, business, and creativity.
Each powerful life-changing TED Talk below helps bring new ideas to light or challenges a topic in a new way.
I have rounded up a few talks that I feel would benefit women, but thousands of TED Talks have been given over the years, so I encourage you to explore more here.
Sheryl Sandberg | Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders
In this TED Talk, Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg discusses why a vast majority of men reach the top of their professions as opposed to women.
She delivers sound advice on how we can change that statistic. Sandberg focuses on three main things if we want to stay in the workforce and become a leader:
- Sit at the table
- Make your partner a real partner
- Don’t leave before you leave. In other words, when you think about starting a family, don’t start leaning back; keep your foot on the gas pedal until you absolutely need to leave to take care of a child.
She asks a big question—Do you underestimate your own ability? Watch the full TED Talk here for more inspiration on how we can climb to the top of the ladder as women.
Related: 12 Boss Babe Habits That Will Instantly Make You More Successful
How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over | Mel Robbins
By now, many of us have heard of Mel Robbins. She is a television host, author, and motivational speaker. In Mel Robbins’ TED Talk, she discusses how extraordinary each of us is and why we need to take action in our lives.
Mel Robbins says many of us drum up excuses in place of taking action, and her talk will help challenge you from continuing that behavior. She notes that we often have an impulse to do something but hesitate to act on it.
One of the biggest lessons she teaches us is you have to do what you don’t want to do, so you can be everything you’re supposed to be.
Click here to watch the inspirational video on defeating your comfort zone and living an extraordinary life.
Related: How To Adopt A Growth Mindset And Revolutionize Your Career
Cultivating Unconditional Self-Worth | Adia Gooden
In this TED Talk, licensed clinical psychologist Adia Gooden discusses acquiring unconditional self-worth. She reminds us how busyness, perfection, and other relationships cannot do the job of fulfilling our self-worth but that we must come to the realization on our own.
Adia Gooden discusses how to shed the belief that you are not enough and how to move towards accepting yourself the way you are. If we neglect our self-worth, it can lead to depression and anxiety.
She ponders what the world could look like if we could all cultivate unconditional self-worth. Would we dare to dream differently if we felt worthy?
She also shares strategies to move toward unconditional self-worth, such as recognizing that you deserve to be loved and cared for. To reach unconditional self-worth, we must offer forgiveness and learn to connect with supportive people.
She asks a big question: Do you abandon yourself during times of challenge?
Watch Adia Gooden’s full talk here so you can learn to have unconditional self-worth.
Related: How To Learn To Believe In Yourself
The Power Of Introverts | Susan Cain
As an introvert, Susan Cain’s TED Talk highly resonated with me. She notes that up to ½ of the world are introverts.
If you want to understand if you are an introvert, consider how you feel when it comes to stimulation. From that knowledge, putting yourself in the right stimulation environment is essential. For example, do you prefer a quiet workspace or enjoy an open floor plan at work?
Susan Cain reminds us that some great influential leaders, such as Gandhi, were introverts. Being an introvert does not mean we are anti-social, nor is it a bad thing.
She discusses why it’s conducive to understanding if you are an introvert or extrovert. A big takeaway Cain leaves us with is to be like Buddha and unplug every so often.
Watch the full TED Talk here for a more in-depth discussion on being an introvert vs. an extrovert.
10 Ways To Have A Better Conversation | Celeste Headlee
This next TED Talk is for you if you have ever wished to be a better conversationalist.
Writer and radio host Celeste Headlee believes we are more polarized than ever. She points out that this is primarily due to choosing not to listen to each other.
In any conversation, we should assume that we have something to learn and will benefit from each conversation if we know to set our personal opinion aside.
She tells us that if we wish to engage in a more thought-provoking conversation, we should focus on questions using who, what, when, where, and how so that we aren’t just looking for a yes or no response.
The big takeaway I found in this TED Talk is that when you have a conversation, check in to see if you are listening to respond or if you are listening to understand, as there is a big difference.
Watch the full video here to understand ten ways to have a better conversation.
The Brain Changing Benefits Of Exercise | Wendy Suzuki
In this TED Talk, neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki discusses the brain-changing benefits of exercise. Our mood, focus, energy, and memory are all affected by our ability to move our bodies.
She notes there are immediate benefits to your brain after exercise. Even three to four 30-minute sessions can make dramatic improvements in your life. One of the biggest takeaways is how much we are in control of protecting our brain against incurable diseases such as dementia and alzheimer’s by simply making the cognitive effort to move our body every day.
Watch the full video here to understand the brain-changing benefits of exercise.
Related: 12 Tips To Get In Amazing Shape For The Summer
How To Make Stress Your Friend | Kelly McGonigal
In this TED Talk, Psychologist Kelly McGonigal discusses a new way to view and understand stress. She asks us to think about how we react during stressful times in life and the repercussions it can have.
She talks about what to do the next time you’re in a stressful situation and teaches us to view stress as beneficial instead of something negative that should be avoided.
Watch the full TED Talk here to see how you can begin to view stress differently.
Related: 12 Ways To Greet Stress With Open Arms
What other powerful life-changing TED Talks would you recommend?
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