Kiran Bedi has a surprising resume. Before becoming Director General of the Indian Police Service, she managed one of the country’s toughest prisons — and used a new focus on prevention and education to turn it into a center of learning and meditation. She shares her thoughts on visionary leadership at TEDWomen.

http://www.ted.com/talks/zainab_salbi.html

Anything is possible… 

 

At TEDWomen, Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don’t “act like a man.” Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and each other. His solution: Break free of the “man box.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men.html

Let’s have a new man-box now…

 

Babble.com publishers Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman, in a lively tag-team, expose 4 facts that parents never, ever admit — and why they should. Funny and honest, for parents and nonparents alike.

http://www.ted.com/talks/rufus_griscom_alisa_volkman_let_s_talk_parenting_taboos.html

Interesting to listen to. I feel lucky that my own circle of friends are far more open about the highs and lows of becoming parents. 

 

The future of green is local — and entrepreneurial. At TEDxMidwest, Majora Carter brings us the stories of three people who are saving their own communities while saving the planet. Call it “hometown security.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/majora_carter_3_stories_of_local_ecoactivism.html

Every small thing is part of a bigger thing and makes a difference. 

 

Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

This is who I am… I am enough and my vulnerability is my greatest tool for love and connection – just as Brené talks about here.  I swear it’s like she can see into my brain and what’s circling there… 🙂

 

Lesley Hazleton sat down one day to read the Koran. And what she found — as a non-Muslim, a self-identified “tourist” in the Islamic holy book — wasn’t what she expected. With serious scholarship and warm humor, Hazleton shares the grace, flexibility and mystery she found, in this myth-debunking talk from TEDxRainier.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lesley_hazelton_on_reading_the_koran.html

Lesley speaks of poetry, of understanding and of seeking, of respect. This is a beautiful talk to listen to. 

 

In an intimate talk, Barry Schwartz dives into the question “How do we do the right thing?” With help from collaborator Kenneth Sharpe, he shares stories that illustrate the difference between following the rules and truly choosing wisely.

http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_using_our_practical_wisdom.html

This was interesting. I think it has some merit but over simplifies some aspects of the way the world engages in society. However, I do agree that building wisdom is an important part of one’s life. 

 

Artist Dianna Cohen shares some tough truths about plastic pollution in the ocean and in our lives — and some thoughts on how to free ourselves from the plastic gyre.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dianna_cohen_tough_truths_about_plastic_pollution.html

This is food for thought… how big an issue plastic is only just begins to dawn on me, in a meaningful way.