The world seems to reward the loud and proud, confusing confidence for competence. In this speech I'll reveal that both research and history prove to us that the quiet, deep thinkers actually have a lot more power than we realise. My name's Thando Ngwenya, I am 18 years old, and trying to figure out how to make something worth sharing in my life. If there's one word to describe me, it's 'introvert'. Don’t get me wrong, it is nothing crazy, but I just prefer to listen to music while working at home than going out and partying. In my spare time a solid book or a sketch book are my comfort. I’ve seen being shy as a negative in the past but now I'm starting to have a different way of looking at it. 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

With over 100 million pieces of debris orbiting Earth at deadly speeds, space is becoming a dangerous junkyard. In this talk, I will unpack the hidden costs of space debris and explore the urgent need for action. If we don’t clean up our cosmic backyard now, the future of technology, exploration, and even everyday life on Earth could be at risk. Hi, my name is Max Van Der Toolen. I am half Dutch and half Polish. I was born in Poland but I now live in South Africa. My passion is playing golf but I am very interested in other sports like: skiing, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, basketball, scuba diving, and many more. My goal is to be a successful entrepreneur and a phenomenal golfer. 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 his TED Talk, Olsson Niklas traces his journey—from a formative two‑day summit in Paris on High Performing Teams to the moment he first heard, “We are not what we do; we are what we choose to be.” That maxim became his north star for exploring emergence: how individuals, teams, and organizations come into being by the paths they elect. Niklas Olsson, is the Learning & Organization Development Director, Asia Pacific for the Zegna Group, the leading Italian menswear brand. In this role, Niklas main responsibilities are to develop the Zegna organization across Asia Pacific, nurturing leaders and their leadership, accelerate and unleash the potential of talents, whilst also managing Learning & Development, Employee Engagement and Change Management across the region. Niklas Olsson brings extensive experience in the Learning & Development & Organizational Development field with over 20 years of accelerating effectiveness and performance in organizations, leaders and talents. Prior to his current position, Niklas has been working for the past 18 years in various regional roles in Asia Pacific leading Organization, Leader and Talent Development in companies such as Nike & AstraZeneca & Johnson Controls. 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

Former Disney executive and leadership coach Theresa Hudzinski argues that true leaders aren’t born—they’re made by carving out psychological safety through vulnerability, presence, and unwavering commitment. Theresa has over 30 years of leadership experience from Disneyland Anaheim, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland, where she built successful teams focused on trust, transparency, and respect. Now in Macau’s gaming sector, she continues inspiring growth. As President of IPWS, Theresa empowers women globally, earning Lifetime Achievement Awards from Disney and IPWS. Her guiding principle: “When people are your purpose, you create the biggest impact!” 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 a stirring TEDxNYU Shanghai talk titled “Dancing to Who I Am,” Yuanyuan Tan invited the audience to “close your eyes—refuse to see walls at all,” before tracing her extraordinary path from a late‑blooming student to international gold‑medalist, SF Ballet principal, and finally to professor and artistic director in China. Through tales of coin‑flips, injury‑defying dedication, and a courageous leap into new roles, Tan makes the case that artistry—and life—are defined by continual rebirth. Ms. Tan began her ballet journey at age 11 at the Shanghai Dance School, swiftly gaining global recognition with gold medals and the Nijinsky Award. Joining SF Ballet in 1995, she became its youngest and first Chinese principal dancer. Honored by Time as a "Hero of Asia" and recipient of the Dance Magazine Award, she concluded nearly 30 years with SF Ballet in 2024. Today, she directs the Dance Collaboration Center at Shanghai Theatre Academy and serves as Artistic Director of Suzhou Ballet. 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 a compelling delivery, clinical psychologist Dr. Katie Aafjes‑van Doorn argues that ending the era of subjective questionnaires and trial‑and‑error treatments requires harnessing digital sensors, multimodal AI, and generative foundation models to develop objective, data‑driven measures of mental health. Katie Aafjes-van Doorn is a Clinical Psychologist and psychotherapy researcher. She completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology in Amsterdam and received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. She is Associate Professor at NYU Shanghai, and Area Head of Social Sciences. She started the AI for Social Good cluster within the Center of Artificial Intelligence at NYUSH. She has an active research lab on the topic of Computational Clinical Psychology and has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications. She also co-founded Deliberate AI, a technology company pioneering ambient multimodal AI for mental health. 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