Why is it so hard to let go? Why is it so hard to follow the leader? How much faster could you achieve your goals if you did so right away?

In this dynamic TEDx talk, Ruben gives examples from his Olympic career and shares how to get yourself to trust, let go and follow your leader’s or coach’s’s advice right away so you can reach your goals faster than you ever thought possible.

Ruben is the first person to ever compete in four Winter Olympics in four different decades. Since 2002 he’s spoken for over 100 Fortune 500 companies about leadership and peak performance. He’s been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, Time Magazine, BusinessWeek, Forbes and Success Magazine. His books on success principles have been translated to over 10 languages.

Connect with Ruben Gonzalez on LinkedIn @Ruben-Gonzalez-Olympian

#leadership #coach #olympics

This talk was given at TEDxManitouSprings with the theme ‘Movement’ using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Ruben is a four-time Olympian in the sport of luge. Since 2002 Ruben has spoken for over 100 of the Fortune 500 companies on leadership, success, and taking advantage of change. His bestselling books have sold over 300,000 copies and have been translated to over 10 languages.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

You have more power than you think to influence the way people feel at work, at home, and in your community. In this inspiring talk, Heather R Younger explains how you can take consistent and compassionate action to not only uplift those around you but also improve their sense of wellbeing and worth. Heather Younger is a best-selling author, international speaker, consultant, adjunct organizational leadership professor, and facilitator who has earned her reputation as “The Employee Whisperer.” Her experiences as an entrepreneur, manager, attorney, writer, coach, listener, speaker, collaborator, and mother all lend themselves to a laser-focused clarity into what makes employees of organizations and companies—large and small—tick.

Heather founded Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and leadership development consulting and training firm, to inspire others by teaching the kind of caring leadership that drives real business results.

Heather hosts the weekly podcast Leadership With Heart, and she is the author of The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty hit the FORBES Must-Reads list and is a go-to source for HR professionals and organizational leaders seeking insight into their organization’s dynamics. Her book, The Art of Caring Leadership was released on April 13 2021. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

The words we use can either create enormous walls of isolation or build beautiful bridges of understanding. In this inspiring talk, Audrey May Prosper, a long-time advocate against domestic violence shares both personal and professional insight from her journey while also offering two simple ways to shift the narrative around domestic violence from one that is destructive to one that is restorative -- so we can do advocacy differently and truly nurture healthier communities. A talk to share. As the Founder of the National Domestic Violence Collaborative, Audrey finds meaningful and proactive ways to do advocacy differently by focusing on the roots in order to produce healthy fruits. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

According to psychology research, the pursuit of happiness has actually made us unhappier. In this inspiring talk, Shari Alyse explores how our focus on 'being happy' has disconnected us from ourselves, and shares a roadmap on how to find your way back to yourself and your joy. Shari Alyse, “America’s Joy Magnet”, is an Inspirational Speaker, Best Selling Author and Joy Consultant. Shari’s deep commitment to others is motivated by her own journey through childhood sexual abuse and other childhood traumas. At 7, Shari found herself having to use her voice on a witness stand to testify against the man who had abused her. After years of trying to outrun her pain, she chose to courageously face it and her healing journey began. Shari now uses her voice to speak around the world on finding your joy through self-acceptance, self-compassion and positive mindset. Shari has been featured in numerous media outlets and has produced and hosted multiple online TV and radio shows. She has reached millions with her inspirational videos, speaking, coaching and writings. Her book, Love Yourself Happy, quickly became a #1 New Release and International Best Seller. Shari believes that in the radical acceptance of ourselves, we truly can lead a joy-filled life. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What do exploding soda bottles, thru-hiking the stunningly beautiful 500-mile Colorado Trail, and ancient Native American curses all have in common? CHEMISTRY! As a chemistry educator, Ryan Johnson has encountered many people who have "chemistry PTSD", due to negative experiences in the classroom. Through experiential education, mountains, and some twists on chemistry experimentation, he believes he has the answer to fighting the STEM stigma in the Colorado outdoors. Ryan Johnson is a high school and college chemistry educator from Manitou Springs, CO. He has served as the Board President of the Colorado Association of Science Teachers, spoke and presented research at many chemistry education conferences, and has published research in chemical modeling and engaging students with unique and fun approaches to chemistry. When he’s not sharing his passion for chemistry in the classroom with his students, he can often be found running or hiking the mountain trails near his house with his dog, Kuiper, or rock climbing at some of his favorite crags nearby. His happiest places are backpacking in the beautiful Colorado wilderness with his daughter Fiona, and watching the sunset over Pikes Peak from his porch swing. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

A talk that challenges everyone to look beyond esthetic and embrace individuality rather than encompassing immediate judgment.

Coming from a world that often criticized rather than celebrating individuality, Pepper Medina fought a solo battle early on, slowly changing the minds of people who at first glance judged him based solely on his looks. Pepper Medina started his career behind a small makeup counter. In the beauty industry, Pepper learned the repercussion against anyone who was and looked different. With a lack of support and resources against blatant homophobia, Pepper fought against the resistance and broke boundaries along the way. Pepper has supported the LGBTQ+ community, focusing on empowerment, self-love, respect, and awareness. With all of his experience and a never-ending rebel heart spirit, Pepper continues to ask questions on his incredible journey. Inspired by people who have endured resistance for just being themselves, Pepper is writing his first book based on his story of survival in a world that made him feel inferior and unwanted. Always an optimist, Pepper continues to fight for equality, freedom and helping people understand the beauty of diversity. Along with his childhood best friend, Pepper is now an ally in one of the most anticipated new restaurants in Old Colorado City, "Westside Cantina." This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What would your life look like if it were more whole, and what does that have to do with leading? After 25 years of studying the real journey of leaders, I can say with certainty that just like our world, every leader has a story of both brokenness and redemption, and aspiration for wholeness. A reformation in our preparation of leaders requires us to see them as human, and see them whole. Named among the top 30 most influential I-O Psychologists and featured in Forbes, Dr. Rob McKenna is the Founder of WiLD Leaders, Inc., the WiLD Foundation, and creator of the WiLD Toolkit - a scalable and repeatable system for whole and intentional leader development. He is a scientist, entrepreneur, and educator with a calling to support the courageous and sacrificial leaders doing important and impossible things. His clients include the Boeing Company, Microsoft, Heineken, Foster Farms, Alaska Airlines and Children’s Hospital. He is an international speaker and author of numerous articles and chapters on leadership character, calling, effectiveness, and sacrifice. He served as the Chair of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Seattle Pacific University and is the author of Composed: The Heart and Science of Leading Under Pressure, and Dying to Lead: Sacrificial Leadership in a Self-Centered World. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

No one is born a toxic leader but anyone can easily become one. It’s time we take the shame off of the toxic traits we all have and become aware of the three primary symptoms that can lead us into toxic leadership, so we can address our own. When we do, we build stronger relationships, establish trust and transparency, and set the path for positive change in ourselves, our teams, and our work cultures. Raj Subrameyer is a tech career strategist focusing on how people can navigate their way through the digital space to have positive life and career transformations. He is passionate about helping professionals maximize their opportunities and discover their zone of genius. He uses his experience in the tech industry to research, speak and write about how we can embrace technology and become full-on digital citizens. He is a sought-after speaker at various conferences and has been featured in numerous podcasts and publications, including Entrepreneur, Authority Magazine, Career Addict, InfoQ, Thrive Global, Addicted2Success and The Good Men Project. He is also the author of the best-selling book “Skyrocket Your Career.” His areas of expertise include the human impact of technology, career advancement, leadership, productivity and entrepreneurship. In his spare time, he loves traveling and enjoying craft beer. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What would it mean if each of us took risks without fear of failure? It would mean that we lived a courageous life without any regrets — learning lessons that we would have never learned if we only thought about taking the first step of taking our own training wheels off our childhood bicycles. Elizabeth Domangue (School District Superintendent) says, “A 'no' does not mean never," and she learned this important lesson at a young age. Elizabeth has had a wide range of professional experiences in education, including teaching, supervising student teachers, mentoring school and district leaders, collaborating to develop service-learning experiences, and leading. Additionally, she has extensive knowledge of best practices in the areas of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, leadership development, and evaluation.

Elizabeth received her Doctorate in 2009 from Louisiana State University (with a focus on pedagogy and achievement motivation theories in the context of school experiences). She is an instructional leader who consistently leans into her Core Beliefs—All Means All, Leadership Matters, It Is About People, and Lead Towards a Shared Vision. As a published author and an invited presenter, Elizabeth has addressed national and state level audiences on topics ranging from culturally responsive practices, service-learning experiences, teacher effectiveness, social emotional learning, and school safety and security. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Far more common ground exists between you and those with whom you disagree than you may believe, but finding it requires a different approach to your conversations. Podcaster and independent journalist, Michael Ashford, shares stories and insights from his exploration on what it takes for us to uncover common ground so that in turn we might co-create new, better solutions together. I’ve been a communications and marketing executive in the software space for more than a decade now building and leading teams at companies large and small. But before my marketing career, I was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. My years as a journalist helped me hone my interviewing skills and taught me just how important listening and asking follow-up questions is to understanding the full, real story. As a podcaster and author, I am focused on exploring how we find common ground despite our differences and disagreements at a time when it is increasingly harder to do so.

I’ve interviewed professional athletes and Olympians, CEOs and entrepreneurs, pilots and authors, TV stars and actors, doctors and Ivy League professors, all in an effort to better understand and share how we get beneath the emotionally charged societal landscape and better connect with the humans around us. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx