30 Oct 2024
A St Albans speakers event aimed at sparking reflection, engagement, and emotion returned for its second year recently.
Hosted by Hertfordshire High Sheriff Annie Brewster at the Abbey Theatre, TEDx St Albans featured 14 dynamic speakers who inspired, challenged, and moved an eager audience under the central theme of ‘curiosity’.
Nathaniel Hawley set the tone by asking, “What is normal?” He urged neurodivergent individuals to embrace their unique brains, and called on the workforce to be allies in creating neuro-inclusive cultures, highlighting how 70% of autistic adults are unemployed.
Professional adventurers The Tempest Two encouraged the audience to activate their brain’s motivation muscle and embrace challenges. Their message was “Yes, you can and you probably should”, explaining how difficult tasks lead to personal growth.
Psychotherapist Jon Wilson-Cooper shed light on the conditional nature of compassion. He urged the audience to replace judgement with understanding, asking not “What’s wrong with you?” but “What happened to you?” and highlighted the power of empathy and relentless love.
A panel on fast fashion provoked important conversations on sustainability and ethical consumerism.
TEDx St Albans co-organiser, Cheryl Luzet, CEO of Wagada Digital said: “TEDx 2024 was a huge success. I’m really proud of the speakers and the hard work that they put in to perfect their ideas into engaging talks. The audience was captivated and really supportive of the speakers. I know they really appreciated the variety of the event – from drumming, and guitars to painting and fashion. Thanks to our sponsors for their ongoing support.”
TEDx St Albans curator, Patricia Seabright said: “TEDx St Albans is all about community and to bring together local speakers, sponsors and audience members was terrific. It was a privilege to have as our host, Annie Brewster, High Sheriff, who is a massive supporter of the Hertfordshire and St Albans community. I’m delighted that the event was so well received by our audience on the day, and I hope that the speakers’ videos on the TEDx platform will go on to be the roaring success of last years, which to date have received over 40,000 views.”
TEDx St Albans will return in 2025, and organisers says it will be even bigger, bolder, and packed with more inspiration and excitement than ever before.
Partnership opportunities are available, and interested parties should contact: info@tedxstalbans.com.
All photos by Stephanie Belton.
