TED Talks

Originally shared in our December 2025 Top of Mind Newsletter. We often wear exhaustion as a badge of honor. In the startup world, “always-on” is treated as the default setting for success. But in her compelling TEDxFargo Talk, leadership consultant Bec Heinrich exposes this as a dangerous lie. She argues that busyness is not a proxy for impact, and that the fear of stopping, of “falling behind,” is actually what keeps us from moving ahead. Through the…

Originally posted in our December 2024 Top of Mind Newsletter. ELI-certified facilitator Ginger Huebner spoke at the 2022 TEDx Asheville on her entrepreneurial idea of fostering connection and empathy through a novel concept: visual art. In this thought-provoking talk, Huebner explores the idea of using visual art as a medium for meaningful expression, helping those who participate unpack emotions that they may have trouble articulating verbally. Ginger now uses this technique in her own work, serving…

Originally posted in our November 2023 Top of Mind Newsletter. Over the last decade or so, the role of autonomous learning in the classroom has been a subject of much discussion. But we often fail to consider the conditions that lead to this sense of control and choice that we want to see in our students. Long-time followers of ELI’s work will recognize that we are huge advocates for self-directed (autonomous) learning. Enter the work of…

Originally posted in our December 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. Continuing on the theme of change, we often talk about how learning in the 21st century could be different. More engaging and transformative learning is possible, but many systems seem to be suffering from immunity to change. Jal Mehta, Graduate Professor of Education at Harvard, and his colleague Sarah Fine embarked on a study of the American school system. They hoped to review the practices of…

Originally posted in our May 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. In his TEDx talk from 2012, economist John Kay unpacks the concept of obliquity. That is, “our complex goals are often best achieved indirectly.” Kay provides a variety of examples, from geography and rocket science to architecture and philosophy, that show how sometimes the most effective route towards a goal is one that appears indirect. As he says, “defining what our objectives are is actually…