Theme: Fearless

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

SFU Segal Building
500 Granville Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1W6
Canada

Anja Novkovic

Anja Novković is a Croatian-born, Vancouver-raised spoken word poet, storyteller, and researcher living in Montreal. She has performed on stages across Canada and Croatia. She has been published in Wax Magazine and is currently recording her debut spoken word album. Her poetry focuses on the body, the divine feminine, and the emotional spectrum. Anja has a B.A. in Social Anthropology from Simon Fraser University and is also currently conducting research for The Storied City: Montreal, her multimedia project connecting personal narratives and urban space. She is an affiliate researcher of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling out of Concordia University.

Cea Person

Cea Person’s bestselling first book, North of Normal (HarperCollins) chronicles her wilderness childhood and dramatic move into a decades-long modeling career at age thirteen. She makes regular appearances at book clubs and other venues to speak about her unique life, and teaches memoir writing at the university and secondary school levels. After living in such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Munich and Milan, she is now happily settled in Vancouver with her husband and three young children.

Devon Brooks

Devon is an evoker. She defined a new market category, co-founding Blo, the world’s first and largest franchise chain of Blow Dry Bars. PROFIT Magazine named her 1 of the 30 most fabulous entrepreneurs in Canada. She was the youngest-ever mentor to join Futurpreneur, the North’s foremost youth mentorship program, and now sits on its advisory board. As an advocate supporting women against violence, she is a strategic advisor, and past board member to WAVAW Rape Crisis Center (Vancouver, BC). Her resolute disposition for leadership shows up in all facets of her life. She was assaulted in two unrelated incidents at 18 and then again at 21. Right after launching Blo, she went through the ensuing judicial process that eventually led to two guilty pleas, and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety. Still, she soars.

Fatima Hewaidi

Fatima Al-Zahra Hewaidi, Libyan by origin, spent her life between Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Vancouver, Canada. She naturally gravitated towards pursuing a BA in International Relations at UBC. Her path of study led her to the opportunity to interview officials at the African Union in Addis Ababa, attend the NATO Summit in Chicago, embody the UN Secretary General at the Youth G8 Summit in London, and conduct field research in Tunisia. Upon completing her degree while studying abroad at Sciences Po Paris last year, Fatima travelled between London and Paris learning about green infrastructure finance while working for the World Investors in Renewable Energy (Wire) at Centuria Capital. This coming fall, she will begin her graduate studies in International Economics and Energy at the Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Kelsey Grant

Kelsey Grant is passionate about living in a world where people feel inspired, fulfilled, balanced and happy within the expansiveness of their intimate relationships. As a Relationship Coach rooted in Radical Self Love Methodology, her writing has been featured on various platforms such as My Tiny Secrets, One Life Momentum, Independent Awakening and Young and Raw. When she is not writing about love or supporting coaches, thought leaders and game changers in accessing greater alignment for their leadership and relationships to thrive, she is busy running a local sisterhood circle that is a safe space for women to share what is really going on behind the scenes of their lives. Currently, she is teaching “The Alchemy Of Love” program- her flagship series designed to create proper space from the inside out, for love to emerge in a greater way than ever before.

Kim Cope

Kim Cope is extremely passionate about entrepreneurship and its potential to change the world. As a social entrepreneur she works to ignite innovation in students through teachings on ethical entrepreneurship and impactful philanthropy. Prior to launching her latest venture, Kim has worked for multiple startups and organizations across diverse industries. In her spare time, Kim enjoys running, boxing and photography.

Nathan Lyndsay

Nathan is a 24 year old trans* masculine identified individual, who grew up in Ontario and has lived in Vancouver for just over 3 years. He lives in a queer collective house with four other social justice activists in East Vancouver and works as a support worker with Raincity Housing and Support Society. Nathan is currently working towards completing his undergraduate degree at Simon Fraser University in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s studies. Once completed, he hopes to work towards completing his masters degree in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s studies, where he hopes to guide and change current policies on trans* folks access to social services such as, shelters, addiction supports and crisis centers. Currently collaborating with Simon Fraser University admin to begin to implement gender inclusive washrooms in existing buildings and develop future policy that will ensure gender inclusive washrooms are included in all new buildings.

Pamela Goldsmith-Jones

As a mother of three children, Pam Goldsmith-Jones is the former Mayor of West Vancouver. Having recently completed her third university degree in Aboriginal business and leadership, she has been in public life for 12 years, founded her own business, served with numerous non-profit groups and is a candidate for Parliament in the 2015 Canadian Federal Election at the time this was written.

Samar Shata

Samar immigrated to Canada 7 years ago from Egypt, and received her master’s in Counseling Psychology from the Adler School of Professional Psychology. She is currently working as a therapist, leadership coach, workshop leader, and Reiki practitioner. Her other passions are, poetry, and being a mother of two young girls (3 and 7 years old). She is currently completing her first book, “14 letters to Ms. Money” (to be published Christmas 2015) and the founder of “Woman Temple Institute” facilitating women’s circles, one on one counselling and retreats. Holding space for women to find their voices and own their femininity gave Samar an inspired sense of purpose and more courage to overcome adversities.

Tori Holmes

Talk: Fear as an Expression At 21 years old, Tori became the youngest woman at the time to row across the Atlantic Ocean in a 24ft ocean rowing boat from Spain to the Caribbean with only her rowing partner, Paul Gleeson by her side. To Tori's surprise, facing hurricanes, dehydration, emotional lows, immense physical pain and 12 hours of rowing a day made it far more of a mental than physical challenge. She survived the crossing both in body and spirit by believing “the difficult you do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.” Following her crossing she was inspired to take her learnings at sea and apply them to entrepreneurship and recently co-founded Nectar Juicery, a 100%, organic, cold-pressed juice company focused on modern nourishment and corporate wellness.