Theme: Breaking Boundaries

Join us for TEDxCU's 10th Anniversary Event! Our theme is Breaking Boundaries. Speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. This year we are back in person at Macky Auditorium and Concert Hall on the campus of CU Boulder!

Breaking boundaries is in our nature. From childhood, our lives are defined by the boundaries that limit us. We are told to stay within these boundaries, but every child inevitably learns that life is more rewarding when we break them instead, to discover what lies deep within us or far beyond our walls.

We build boundaries to define ourselves, but we can break them to understand each other. We build boundaries to keep our fears out, but we can break them to let love in. Our boundaries form our identities as well as our limits, and by breaking them we can discover new perspectives.

The speakers of TEDxCU 2022 will examine the boundaries we have broken, the ones we are called to break, and the ones which perhaps should remain unbroken. These speakers will challenge our understanding of ourselves, each other, and our world. They will share stories and ideas that may inspire us all to break boundaries of our own.

Macky Auditorium
1595 Pleasant St
Boulder, Colorado, 80309
United States

Audra Barber

Faculty at CU Boulder, Department of Communication

After living in Southeast Asia and teaching English for two years, Audra was compelled to move back to the United States to address the climate crisis. Audra earned her master’s in Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her graduate research focused on the nexus of environmentalism and spirituality. Currently, Audra teaches Public Speaking and Professional Communication. She believes these courses fuel her commitment to using communication as a tool for collective change and personal evolution. In addition, Audra enjoys developing and facilitating communication based workshops as the Assistant Director of the Josephine Jones Speaking Lab.

Chris Liggett

Major in the US Army & English Instructor

Chris is an active-duty Major in the United States Army. After graduating from the United States Military Academy, he served as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Afghanistan (2014) and a Special Operations Civil Affairs Team Commander in Burkina Faso, Africa (2019). Chris is also a founding member of Task Force Boulder: a grassroots community organization that helps to resettle Afghan refugees in Boulder, Colorado. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in literature at the University of Colorado Boulder, and in the summer of 2022, he will join the West Point Department of English and Philosophy as an instructor.

Damon McLeese

Executive Director, Access Gallery

Working at the intersection of art, ability and disability Damon is a speaker, trainer, activist and community artist. Specializing in unlocking the creative power of people regardless of their background. Whether in a corporate setting or in the classroom, Damon's collaborative approach bridges the gap between creativity and community. Damon has been the Executive Director of Access Gallery for 25 years and was the recipient of the 2019 Bonfils Stanton Arts and Society Award, the 2017 Governors Award for Leadership in the Arts, 2014 Mayor's Award for Innovation in the arts.

Elizabeth Gillespie

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Elizabeth is a licensed couple and family therapist, and owns a private group practice in Lafayette, CO. She has spent the last 14 years studying the treatment of couples through the lens of attachment, using evidence-based models to heal trauma both within and between her clients. With a masters in education, she also loves teaching and training adults as they support children in a variety of settings. She is passionate about learning and connecting with others, and finds great joy in supporting others as they do the same.

Larry McNaughton

Brand Development Executive

Larry has spent a career helping to identify and develop the presentation and the value of brands. He is grounded in straightforward business principles along with a strong dose of common sense accumulated on the streets of New York. Larry’s brand stewardship began at TWA where he developed the airline’s worldwide market research. With a number of creative-based advertising agencies, Larry brought his brand outlook to many well known brands — IBM, American Airlines, Maxell, Saab, Sharp, 3COM, Nortel, and quite a few others. His down-to-earth attitude and his understanding of communication realities have helped to create outstanding brand presentation.

Lucia Cordeiro Drever

Couples Therapist & Sex Researcher

Lucia Cordeiro Drever is a psychotherapist working primarily with couples and psychedelic-assisted therapy in Longmont, CO. She is also pursuing a PhD in Clinical Sexology. Lucia's work with couples mainly involves helping partners understand one another and take responsibility in order to find a safe and fulfilling partnership. Her work with psychedelics helps people access deep parts of themselves that were previously unavailable. She is originally from Brazil and loves spending time with her husband, children, family and friends in tropical places eating delicious fruit.

Patti Ashley

Psychotherapist, Author, & Speaker

Patti Ashley, PhD, LPC owns and operates Authenticity Architects in Boulder, Colorado. Integrating her forty-plus years of experience in education, child development, and psychology she has developed a wholehearted psychotherapy approach that facilitates long-term changes in the brain and nervous system, breaking through unconscious barriers to self-love, belonging, and connection. Dr. Ashley also teaches and trains clinicians, physicians, hospitals, universities, and other organizations on her unique psychotherapy approach, offering insights into the identification and treatment of shame, trauma, grief, and dysfunctional family patterns. Patti holds a PhD in psychology from the Union Institute and University, a MS in early childhood from Old Dominion University, and a BS in special education from James Madison University. She is the author of Living in the Shadow of the Too-Good Mother Archetype (2014,) Letters to Freedom (2019,) and Shame-Informed Therapy (2020.)