Theme: #Anything is Possible

TEDx Ipswich

The inaugural TEDxIpswich licence has been granted by TED to Dr Sarah Spencer-Matthews in conjunction with her husband,local Psychologist and Change Maker, Lindsay Spencer-Matthews. Sarah and Lindsay are Ipswich residents and passionately interested in seeing Ipswich continue its role as a world leader in many arenas.

The theme of TEDxIpswich is ‘Anything is Possible’. This theme was chosen to acknowledge the incredible achievements that Ipswich has reached in terms of its transformation over recent times and reflects the emergence of Ipswich as a city leading with innovation and inspiration. In addition the theme ‘Anything is Possible’ arouses feelings of positivity, activity and creativity. We believe this theme leverages Ipswich’s growing economy, uptake of innovation and technology, and ever increasing youthful demographic.

Fire Station 101
101 Limestone Street
Ipswich, Queensland, 4305
Australia

Arabella Watson

The longest journey starts with a single step, or perhaps a single turn of the pedals.

Get on your bike. Who remembers the joy, exhilaration and freedom of childhood bicycling adventures? Just grabbing your two wheels and disappearing for hours and hours, no destination, no plan just exploration and adventure. Then we grow up and put our bicycle and free spirit in the garage. At the age of 42 I dusted off my bicycle and jumped back on the saddle. My first ride 2kms to the Newmarket supermarket. I was exhausted, shattered, tired but it was fun!! It reminded me of childhood journeys, of travel for the sheer pleasure, it got me thinking where to next? How far can I go? What is possible? What can I do by myself? The sense of freedom and childlike adventure that comes from riding inspires me to see just how far we can go… and reminds us that anything is possible

Claire Ashman

Cult Survivor & free thinking driver

Claire Ashman, born, raised, and birthed 9 children in a cult, shares how the prevalence of cults and cult-like thinking affects everyday people – even your neighbours who may have just popped into a few personal development meet-ups. Her upcoming autobiography “A Phoenix Rising” focuses on her cult experiences. She shares awakening for cult-member’s friends, colleagues and family members to recognise the signs and be present to support upon exiting. Ashman is now happily married, of her own free will, to her supportive husband Mark raising their 10 kids together. By day she motivates women to take control of their own lives. By night she drives people to free thinking in her Uber. She powers herself up with Crossfit, coffee curation and patchwork quilting.

Jenny Wynter

Forget the Brace Position!

The moment you connect with another human being, you make yourself vulnerable: to rejection, to hurt and to loss. Sharing her own intimate journey – from her mother’s early death, to developing the shield of an at-arms-length comedy persona on stage, to becoming a full time carer in her grandmother’s final months, comedian Jenny challenges the idea of self-preservation at all costs. She dares us to forget the brace position.

Keran McKenzie

The everyday computer geek

Keran is a self-confessed geek who is constantly exploring how things can be made better, simpler or more fun through technology. He has spent the past 2 decades empowering business change through cloud technology starting with the dawn of the world wide web. Today in his role with cloud accounting giant MYOB, his mission is to empower true business change in the Australian & New Zealand small business economy through connected cloud tools. As Keran takes businesses on this journey he frequently draws on the experiences of his kids growing up in a technology centric world. He’s fascinated by the change from complex to simple, what once used to be hugely expensive business tools are now kids toys. He shares with us some of that journey and explores the role of learning to code in a modern education system.

Megan Bayliss

Keep talking garbage…weave it into every conversation you have.

What if all the emotional and literal garbage you carry around each day changed your life and your family’s future in a positive and enabling way? What if your purpose changed because you picked up a chip packet from the street? Sounds farcical, but, meet Megan Bayliss, founder of The Junk Weavers Inc. She is an eco social worker and therapist who talks garbage. It’s true, she takes every opportunity to teach people to manage their own single-use plastic waste from their kitchens before it gets anywhere near the garbage bin. Megan’s Not for Profit teaches women to weave plastics as a way to keep waste plastic out of ocean and landfill. The women were not just recycling, but upcycling – not the garbage but themselves. Megan has developed a practical model of upcycling people and she shares her model as a very simple and everyday tool to make anything possible: anywhere, anytime.

Renee Coffey

If one idea can change the world, imagine what one action can do?

What one intervention can change the course of a young person’s life? Renee Coffey has worked towards Reconciliation and closing the gap for over half her life. Ten years ago she left a career in government marketing and communications to work full-time for the cause she is most passionate about. She is now a senior leader with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation – a not for profit organisation that empowers Indigenous children to build a brighter future for themselves and for the nation. Renee has seen first-hand what it takes to enable a young person to transform their own life and the lives of their family and community.

Roman Spur

Sustainable living – a wholesome, simple and happy lifestyle in your own backyard.

Be inspired by Roman SPUR who shares his sustainable living story. Roman tells of his journey of how he and his family transformed an inner city rented property into a productive food source delivering sustainable living and complete happiness. As his story continues you will see how Roman converted a workshop shed into a liveable shed for his family on an acreage in suburbia where helping, sharing and caring is in daily order. Finally, a new exciting chapter of the story is going to be revealed. Roman will share how working towards self-sufficiency (growing food, making home produce, up-cycling materials, using urban environment to his benefit and living in a small functional community) make his family less reliant on the society. Roman and his family created a notion called Spurtopia and have inspired countless of people. So, please be inspired and create your own Utopia. #AnythingIsPossible

Russ L Wright

Saving our emerging generation with a Mouse Trap

Russ started training as a volunteer youth worker at 16 with a promise to himself that he would find the answers to every problem that young people come up against. Now over 40 years later, 35 as a professional youth worker, managing a not for profit and developing action-based programs, he has been a pioneer into training 1,000’s of youth workers to help over 10,000 young people across Australia and in Singapore. Discovering a way to connect young people with their values and virtues has allowed Russ to transform young lives in a powerful and enduring way. Russ now has many examples of how his program has helped troubled youths move from anger, withdrawal and anti-social behaviour to being motivated, caring for others and having a real future.

Taj Pabari

From suspended schoolboy to teenage entrepreneur. Taj Pabari is living proof that anyone with determination and passion can change the world.

Taj Pabari is a sixteen-year-old inventor, entrepreneur and educational pioneer passionate about inspiring children discover and embrace the world of entrepreneurship through technology and innovation. Taj has always been captivated by the world of business. From informally selling items during his free time and lunch breaks, he made his official entrepreneurial debut at the age of eleven, when he founded his first business, an electronic blogging site for children, by children. 300 articles later, the site was sold and was an inspiration behind starting his next venture. In late 2014, Taj founded Fiftysix, a build-it-yourself tablet and coding kit for kids.