Meet the Moment

Friday, March 15, 2024

A speaker’s journey to the legendary TEDx stage begins long before they arrive at the historic Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. Speakers undergo a rigorous application and selection process, including multiple rounds of review with a diverse group of leaders from across North Carolina. In 2023, more than 250 people applied but only 9 will be selected for the main event in 2024. There are a few criteria for selection, eg. must be within a 4 hour drive of Asheville (to attend meetings, rehearsals, etc.), your idea must fit the theme, and you should be open to feedback. Once selected, speakers work with a dedicated speaker coach to craft and rehearse their talk.

2024 was an exceptional year for TEDxAsheville. Our largest event, with the most attendees, sponsors, and volunteers….thank you to everyone who contributed! And a special thanks to our 9 brave speakers who went through a life-changing evolution to get to the final red rug. We’re so proud of you!

Best regards,
Barrie, Lead Coordinator, TEDxAsheville

The speakers.

  • Aditi Sethi, MD

  • Andy Bobowski

  • Spenser Simrill

  • Sally Coxe

  • Michael Rosenberg

  • Melissa Red Hoffman, MD

  • Jennifer Hough

  • Madam Nselaa Ward

  • David LaMotte

The talks.

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  • A Blueprint for Racial Healing | Dr. Spenser Simrill, Jr.
    9/24/24

    A Blueprint for Racial Healing | Dr. Spenser Simrill, Jr.

    What happens when you find your ancestors on the wrong side of history? Spenser Simrill, Jr was teaching an ancestry course at the University of Georgia when he discovered a horrible truth: his great-great-grandfather belonged to the Ku Klux Klan in York County, South Carolina.

  • The Art of Dying Before You Die | Aditi Sethi, MD
    9/24/24

    The Art of Dying Before You Die | Aditi Sethi, MD

    Cultivating a relationship with death and moving towards acceptance of it as a natural part of life is a profound and personal journey. Here you are invited to consider a deeper understanding of the dying experience and the possibility of a community-centered approach to both life and death.

  • The Missing Piece of the Education Puzzle  | Andy Bobowski
    9/24/24

    The Missing Piece of the Education Puzzle | Andy Bobowski

    Millions of high school and college students never make it to a great first career that sets them on a path of opportunity and financial independence, including far too many that excel academically and work hard throughout their journeys.

  • An Ape as an Avatar: How Bonobos Can Lead Us to a Better World | Sally Jewell Coxe
    9/24/24

    An Ape as an Avatar: How Bonobos Can Lead Us to a Better World | Sally Jewell Coxe

    Imagine a world where females are in charge, scores are settled by sharing food and having sex, and home is in a Peace Forest! Meet the bonobos, humankind’s closest great ape relatives, who coexist in harmony in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • A Human-Friendly Future in the Age of AI | Michael Rosenberg
    9/24/24

    A Human-Friendly Future in the Age of AI | Michael Rosenberg

    Your mindset about AI is pushing you out of the conversation. This talk reveals the danger of staying on the fringes and invites you to escape the polarity and participate in the AI age on your own terms. Because we need you in this conversation.

  • Making Meaning After Violent Death | Melissa Red Hoffman, MD, ND
    9/24/24

    Making Meaning After Violent Death | Melissa Red Hoffman, MD, ND

    NOTE FROM TED: This talk contains a description of suicide, violent death, and trauma. This talk only represents the speaker's personal views and understanding of trauma and the brain.

    Can we make meaning after the violent death of a loved one? In this deeply personal talk, Red Hoffman - trauma surgeon, hospice doctor and survivor of multiple violent deaths - shares that, over time, meaning making is possible.

  • The Movement of One | Jennifer Hough
    9/24/24

    The Movement of One | Jennifer Hough

    Consider that you have always been a movement of one, but you have likely never thought of yourself that way. The world does not change from looking to our leaders, the world changes through billions of people answering one powerful question, are you ready to be a Movement of One?

  • Finding Unapologetic Self-Worth in Sex, Shame, & Secrets | Nselaa Ward, Juris Doctor
    9/24/24

    Finding Unapologetic Self-Worth in Sex, Shame, & Secrets | Nselaa Ward, Juris Doctor

    When one has been labeled as a villain or as society's biggest failure, can we ever really redeem ourselves?  How does one recover from an unforgivable act or unforgettable shame?

  • Why heroes don't change the world | David LaMotte
    9/24/24

    Why heroes don't change the world | David LaMotte

    Heroism is overrated. It is always movements that lead to large-scale change, though our dominant cultural narrative of change focuses on individuals. It is not naive to think you can change the world, it is naive to think you could be in the world and not change it, but that change happens in community.