Abdullah Turki Al-Subaie believes that life offers many experiences that can help us grow and develop, despite the challenges we face. He encourages us to overcome obstacles such as fear and anxiety and to continue on the path of personal growth. Abdullah Turki Al-Subaie believes that life offers many experiences that can help us grow and develop, despite the challenges we face. He encourages us to overcome obstacles such as fear and anxiety and to continue on the path of personal growth. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What do a law exam, a divorce, and a pole in a European nightclub have in common? For Zalak Raval, they collided at 10:15 pm on May 28, 2018 and sparked a full-blown existential crisis (sequins included). In this raw, unexpectedly funny, deeply insightful, and vividly animated TEDx Talk, Zalak shares the moment her unconscious took center stage and demanded better choreography. That night marked the start of her unlearning: the hidden patterns scripting her relationships, steering her choices, and shrinking her sense of self. Somewhere between heartbreak and a quote from Carl Jung—“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate”—everything began to shift. With humor and clarity, Zalak reveals how early emotional bonds shape how we love, attach, focus our attention, and repeat painful patterns. What we call “normal” is often just unconscious programming—and rewriting it takes discipline. She shares three transformative tools: understanding your “normal,” catching and redirecting harmful thoughts, and slowing down to take back control/to create space for a passionate life. Watch now to laugh, reflect, and catch your unconscious doing cartwheels—because it’s one thing to find yourself upside down on a pole… it’s another to know you chose to be there. At 27, Zalak felt lost. A series of personal and professional failures stripped her back to the bone. She could not understand why her life felt so directionless and hollow. However, then a chance moment in a Denmark nightclub made the invisible – visible. The journey from that moment to a life following her passion inspired her to share her experience, helping others struggling with identity, direction, and discipline. She wrote her first book in 2024, ‘50 Shades of Shit: How to Unlearn and Re-wire our Unconscious’, a blend of philosophy, practical tools and painfully funny true stories. When she is not delving into unpacking the subconscious, Zalak practices Corporate Securities law as a Senior Associate at a law firm. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What if your life came preloaded with a script you didn't write? In this bold and inspiring TEDx talk, award-winning CIO and AI leader Priya Serai shares how she broke free from the algorithm she was handed as a girl growing up in India—and rewrote a new one rooted in purpose. Blending real-life stories from coding failures to karate lessons, Priya unpacks the three core elements that power a meaningful life: discipline as the framework, passion as the compass, and purpose as the output. With heart, humor, and hard-earned insight, she invites you to question the outdated rules you've been following and gives you permission to debug, pivot, and redefine your path. Because slipping out of hands? That's not rebellion. That's growth. If you've ever felt stuck in someone else's story—this talk is for you. If you're chasing dreams or facing detours—this is your playbook. And if you're ready to rewrite your own algorithm—start here. Priya Serai is an award-winning techno-business leader with over two decades of experience in data, enterprise applications, and artificial intelligence. As the Chief Information Officer at Zeus Fire and Security, she spearheads cutting-edge innovations in AI, blending technology and business strategy to solve complex problems. A Wharton MBA graduate with an engineering background from Mumbai University, Priya has consistently broken barriers as a woman, an immigrant, and a leader in the tech industry. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What if great leadership starts with something as simple as helping someone feel seen? In this TEDx Talk, Dr. Stella (aka Elizabeth Dellamora, PhD) reveals a powerful truth: leadership isn't reserved for executives or people with fancy titles. As Simon Sinek says, we're all responsible for someone else's success. That means we're all leaders. Drawing on stories from her kindergarten classroom to corporate consulting, Stella shares how the best leaders make others feel noticed, valued, and supported—starting with three deceptively simple and easy-to-implement steps. With real-life examples and compelling research, this talk is both a wake-up call and a guidebook for anyone who wants to build stronger teams, improve workplace engagement, and lead with intention—whether you're a CEO, a team member, or somewhere in between. Watch now to learn how small actions create big impact. Dr. Stella is a leadership coach, business executive, and founder of Seligo, a company dedicated to helping individuals and teams unlock their full potential by leveraging strengths and fostering trust. Along with her doctorate in Educational Leadership, Dr. Stella is a WHY Certified Coach through Simon Sinek’s The Optimism Company, a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and holds credentials from the International Coaching Federation. With her unique blend of expertise and experience, Dr. Stella empowers leaders to crush their goals, build resilient teams, and achieve lasting success. An accomplished triathlete (4 x Ironman), marathoner (3x qualifier for World Majors marathons: Chicago, New York, and Boston), and hiker (Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim in less than a day), she brings the same determination to her coaching as she does to scaling both literal and metaphorical summits. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

In the mammalian brain, tens of billions of nerve cells, with their tiny tree-like structures, make up a massive network capable of enormous computational power. In this talk, Giorgio Ascoli reveals that the branching shape of brain cells has a huge impact in determining what and how we learn and later remember. In the process, Ascoli ties together the foundations of neuroanatomy with psychological principles such as memory gating by background information. The talk also explains why humans can quickly absorb causal associations while seamlessly filtering much more numerous spurious cooccurrences. Experience sculpts network connectivity, making every individual absolutely unique. The speaker moved to neuroscience after training in chemistry, and his lab now uses neuroinformatics and data-driven modeling to investigate the mechanisms linking neural circuitry to cognition and consciousness. Giorgio Ascoli received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Neuroscience from the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy. He continued his research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, to investigate protein structure and binding in the nervous system. He moved to the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at George Mason University in 1997, leading a transdisciplinary research group that includes biologists, physicists, computer scientists, and physicians. Dr. Ascoli is founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuroinformatics and an editorial board member of several other international journals. He contributed to the establishment of the field of computational neuroanatomy. His 2015 book “Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind” was published by MIT Press. Dr. Ascoli received the 2012 Outstanding Faculty Award of the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia, was elected AIMBE fellow in 2022, and won the Beck Presidential Medal for Excellence in Research and Scholarship. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

The future of justice isn't just about laws and courts. It's about how we use technology to create a system that truly serves everyone. I am excited to speak at TEDx about The Role of Technology in Making Justice Accessible for All because I believe technology can help fix many of the problems in the legal system. Through conversations with my sister, who studies law, I’ve learned how difficult it can be for people to access justice—long wait times, high costs, and complex procedures make it hard for many to get the help they need.Technology, like AI-powered legal assistance and online platforms, could make legal support easier and more affordable. But it’s also important to consider challenges like data privacy and fairness. I want to explore how we can use technology to improve the legal system while ensuring it remains fair and accessible to everyone. Speaking at TEDx gives me a chance to share these ideas and start a conversation about making justice more efficient and inclusive. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx