TEDx to return to the Surf Coast

TEDx Talks will return to the Surf Coast next month, with the latest iteration to be based around the theme of “undercurrent”.

The five-hour TEDx Bells Beach event is the community-based, self-organised version of the TED Conference that spawned the globally famous series of short talks on a variety of subjects.

According to the TEDx Bells Beach website, the event’s mission is to “mission to create a gathering place for thinkers and change makers, to start conversations and expand the way we see the world”.

“An undercurrent refers to a hidden or underlying force, influence, or trend that is not immediately obvious but has a significant impact on a situation or phenomenon.

“Our speakers are highlighting some of these subtle, often unspoken factors, in order for you to discover, look again and reconsider.”

TEDx Bells Beach will feature a mixture of live presentations and TED Talks video, with Margie Foulkes to act as MC.

The 14 speakers and their topics include:

• Maths Australia chief executive officer and founder Esther White – Maths Is A Language
• Chief executive, advisor and thought leader Dr Wesley Payne McClendon – Seven Habits of Leaders in Crisis
• Business strategist Annelise Worn – The Paradox of Freedom
• Happy Spaces founder and Ripple Surf Coast co-founder Matty Lawrence – Big Things Happen In Small Places
• Facilitator and aikidoka Jessica Connor Kennedy – The Power of Connection During Conflict
• Inspire Learning Australia founder, facilitator and coach Bill Carson – Empathy vs Sympathy, and
• Vestibular audiologist, neuroplasticity therapist and author Joey Reminyi – The Invisible Forces that Shape Us: Using the Body as our Compass.

This year’s event follows the inaugural TEDxBellsBeachWomen in November 2022, which focused on the power of women and girls to be creators and change-makers.

Its virtual speakers included global activist Angélique Kidjo, retired head coach of the UCLA women’s gymnastics team Valorie Kondos Field, and Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses.

TEDx Bells Beach will be held at RACV Torquay Resort on October 14 from 9am-2pm.

For more information or to purchase tickets, head to tedxbellsbeach.au