5 Powerful female TED talks you NEED to watch.

I must admit, I love a good TED talk. They are motivational, inspiring and have influenced more aspects of my life than I can even count. They are short and to the point yet engaging enough to keep you interested.

TED talks are also a great kick-off point for just about any subject and leave you feeling informed; ensuing great knowledge and personal growth. So, without further ado, here is my list of life-changing TED talks you need to listen to as well as books you will want to read after:

1. 10 WAYS TO HAVE BETTER CONVERSATION, CELESTE HEADLEE

Have you ever listened to something or watched something that just completely changed the way you thought about something? That’s what this TED talk did for me. It has changed nearly every aspect of how I engage with people I speak with and have drastically improved the quality of my conversations. During this talk Celeste says:

“you have to enter every conversation assuming that you have something to learn”, she also states, ” everyone is an expert at something”.

We Need To Talk by Celeste Headlee is a definite must-read as it delves deep into the art of conversation or communication, a skill that is, in my opinion, rapidly deteriorating.

2. WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS, CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE 

I was blown away by this TEDx talk. Chimamanda speaks about gender (in)equality and how in our society where in her words “We have evolved, but it seems to me that our ideas of gender have not evolved.” Furthermore, she says “I am angry. Gender, as it functions today, is a grave injustice. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change; but in addition to being angry, I’m also hopeful. Because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better.”

I recommend reading her book, We Should All Be Feminists, in which she brings to light what it meant growing up in Nigeria as a woman and the great deal of gender inequality that not only Nigerian women, but women all across the globe face on a daily basis.

3. GET COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE, LUVVIE AJAYI

Luvvie Ajayi isn’t afraid to speak her mind or to be the one dissenting voice in a crowd, and neither should you. “Your silence serves no one,” says the writer, activist and self-proclaimed professional troublemaker. In this bright, uplifting talk, Ajayi shares three questions to ask yourself if you’re teetering on the edge of speaking up or quieting down — and encourages all of us to get a little more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

 I’m Judging You dissects our cultural obsessions and calls out bad behaviour in our increasingly digital, connected lives. With a lighthearted, rapier wit and a unique perspective, it’s the handbook the world needs now, doling out the hard truths and a roadmap for bringing some “act right” to our popular culture, social media, and our lives.

4. A BETTER WAY TO TALK ABOUT LOVE, MANDY LEN CATRON

In love, we fall. We’re struck, we’re crushed, we swoon. We burn with passion. Love makes us crazy and makes us sick. Our hearts ache, and then they break. Talking about love in this way fundamentally shapes how we experience it, says writer Mandy Len Catron. In this talk for anyone who’s ever felt crazy in love, Catron highlights a different metaphor for love that may help us find more joy — and less suffering — in it.

What really makes love last? Does love ever work the way we say it does in movies and books and Facebook posts? Or does obsessing over those love stories hurt our real-life relationships? When her parents divorced after a twenty-eight-year marriage and her own ten-year relationship ended, those were the questions that Mandy Len Catron wanted to answer.
How to fall in love with anyone is a series of candid, vulnerable, and wise essays that takes a closer look at what it means to love someone, be loved, and how we present our love to the world.

5. SUCCESS, FAILURE AND THE DRIVE TO KEEP CREATING, ELIZABETH GILBERT

The brilliant mind behind the book Eat, Pray, Love strikes again with her vulnerable talk discussing success and failure and how to carry on regardless of the outcome. Elizabeth Gilbert explains that while Eat, Pray, Love was an incredible break in her otherwise underwhelming writing career, she felt immense pressure for her next book because she knew it would be a disappointment in comparison. Due to her extreme passion and love for writing, however, Elizabeth pressed on and continued to create great books regardless of if they fail miserably or succeed beautifully. Writing is Elizabeth’s home, something that she loves more than she loves herself. The point she makes is we all have to find what our home is and always return to that place because it is the one thing you can devote all of your energy and passion toward and ultimately the outcome is inconsequential to your happiness

With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work,  embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy. 

Did you enjoy this post? Share this jumble of inspiration and learning with a friend!