Theme: Lemon & Sweets

"Lemon&Sweets" can be seen as a metaphor to explore the balance between the sweet and sour aspects of life. The sour taste can represent the challenges and adversities we encounter in life, while the sweet symbolizes the happy and successful moments. Through the TEDxCopou theme, we reflect on the balance between these opposing flavours and together discover the recipe for success.

Ateneul Național din Iași
Strada Ion Creangă 14
Iași, Iași, 700320
Romania

Adrian Serghie

Illustrator

Adrian Serghie - an illustrator and artist from Iași, known for his unique humor as well as his creativity and projects like "Illustrated Romanian Expressions," "Desenaton (drawing marathon)," "Drawings from your photo," and "Iași (old photographs)." His illustration has found its way onto skin, canvas, paper, and the online environment. It has been tattooed, personalized clothing, appeared in tribute books to bands, filled the pages of comic books and coloring books, featured in wedding and baptism invitations, given as gifts, and represented various products and companies in the medical and pharmaceutical field, and the list goes on. His motto is "Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do yesterday."

Andra and Andrei Dodițe

Explorers and Travel Influencers

We are Andra & Andrei, and we absolutely love to travel. For almost 4 years, we've been sharing with 'Aer de Vacanță' and providing tips, useful advice, destinations, and various itineraries online. We've gathered a community of over 500,000 travelers on social media, and it brings us joy that we've been able to assist a large number of people in their travels and exploration of the world. Traveling makes you happy, changes your life, broadens your mind, and helps you grow. Once you start traveling, you see life through a different lens!

Andreea Ogăraru

PR Specialist and Brand Manager

Andreea Ogăraru is a specialist in sports sponsorship and marketing, as well as in communication and public relations. She is the first Romanian graduate of the "Johan Cruyff Institute" in Barcelona, an institution that aims to educate athletes, sports professionals, and business professionals in the field of sports management. She has worked with and for organizations such as Amsterdam Arena, UEFA, the Romanian Football Federation, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Football Academy, and the "Viitorul" Football Club. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of the International Festival of Byzantine Music in Iași, a project manager for various cultural projects, the director of the "George Ogăraru" Association for Culture and Sport, and an ambassador and fundraiser for multiple foundations. In addition to all of these roles, she is a wife, mother of six children, a friend, and a supporter of people and ideas that carry the mark of goodwill.

Bogdan Puiu

Founder of Soft&Grace Cooking Studio

A chef, a trainer, and even a marketer on top of it all! In an open relationship with laughter and happiness, food and the kitchen, people and dedication.

Dan Tudorache

Entrepreneur, Psychologist, and Solution Architect.

A graduate of "Gh. Asachi" Technical University of Iași, Faculty of Automation and Computers, he is a technical professional with nearly two decades of experience in the international IT industry (Software Developer, IT Consultant, Technical Director, Team Manager, and Solution Architect). He redefined his career after a second degree in Psychology and multiple training programs, including becoming a Psychologist, Coach, Trainer, and Speaker. Throughout his extensive professional experience, he observed that the main obstacle to success for a team or an individual often lies in underdeveloped human skills, including Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence. Therefore, he now combines two different worlds through his experience and training: the international software development industry and the development of teams and individuals, aiming to create and deliver transformational educational programs, courses, and experiential workshops dedicated to both individuals and companies.

Felix Pătrășcanu

Business owner

Felix Pătrășcanu is a member of the board of directors of Romanian Business Leaders, the leader of the RePatriot project, and the founder of the SuperTeach project. He is also a founding member of the Association of Courier Operators in Romania (AOCR). For most, Felix Pătrășcanu is one of the three founders of the courier company FAN Courier, the market leader in Romania, with a business of over 1 billion RON and 11,000 employees. Few know Felix Pătrășcanu in other roles, such as a passionate collector of new, vintage, or off-road cars, the latter being used annually in humanitarian campaigns, where he works side by side with volunteers and friends he inspires and involves. He also lists wine and viticulture, history, and literature as his passions. He says he "loves them all passionately."

Geta Lupu

Lawyer, Mediator

Every obstacle is an opportunity to generate solutions. The joy of working with people and for people is the source of my energy. Experience has taught me that we can harmonize our behavior in any context to achieve overall balance. Good faith in what we undertake must be accompanied by professionalism, commitment, and responsibility as the foundation of our efforts. Last but not least, we must act to bring about the desired changes in life.

Ion Dafinoiu

University Professor

Ion Dafinoiu teaches courses in psychotherapy and clinical psychodiagnostics at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University in Iași, where he also served as the dean. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology in 1996 at the same university with research in the field of suggestibility. His main areas of scientific interest are psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis, hypnotic and non-hypnotic suggestibility. He has published several books with publishers in Romania and Germany and articles in prestigious national and international journals. He is a founding member and president of the Romanian Association of Clinical Hypnosis, Relaxation, and Ericksonian Therapy. From 2017 to 2022, he was the president of the College of Psychologists in Romania.

Irina Cațighera

Doctor, Writer, Tasteful traveller

As a Contraception and Family Planning Specialist, author of two fiction volumes, and a discerning traveler, Irina Cațighera is an impressive and inspiring presence. Over her nearly 30 years of experience, she has successfully combined two seemingly different worlds: medicine and adventure. What truly sets her apart is her passion for creating unique travel programs that first and foremost challenge herself. Her bold approach to travel has led to the discovery of unique places and experiences, which she shares with fellow travelers. Irina doesn't limit herself to typical vacation destinations; she seeks authentic adventures, diverse cultures, and transformative experiences. Her adventurous spirit and unrelenting desire to learn and explore make every journey with her a memorable experience.

Silviu Petcu

Actor

I am known to the public from hundreds of comedy shows with the humor groups DIVERTIS and DISTRACTIS, presented both on TV shows and on stages in Romania, as well as in communities in the USA and Germany. I worked as an actor and scriptwriter in this field from 1990 to 2019. I started alongside my colleagues from the DIVERTIS group back in 1983, and I have remained loyal to them to this day. Due to my somewhat exotic appearance, my colleagues gave me roles that were as "humanizing" as possible: I played roles of chickens, horses, women, individuals with fluid gender, as well as Arabs, Chinese, drunks, and even a Tractor. As time passed and humor no longer fit on television, I transitioned to more or less serious discussions about food and wines on the agrointeligenta.ro platform. For the past three years, I have been hosting a podcast about intergenerational relationships called "Boomerul și Milenialu'" on the Happy Fish channel, along with a younger colleague, Alexandru Zob.

Sorin and Diana Gadola

Pioneers of Integrative Health.

Two prominent and active figures in the field of health, Diana and Sorin Gadola, have been passionate about the holistic concept of health since the age of 20. With a burning desire to do good, they have become well-known names both online and offline, thanks to the remarkable results that patients or those who followed their guidance have achieved in terms of their health. They have made their presence felt not only through their active engagement on social media, where they share knowledge and experiences but also as the founders of the prestigious Transilvania Healing Center, an integrative medicine center in Cluj-Napoca. This year, they launched the revolutionary "HEALTH BOOST" program. Under their guidance as performance coaches, hundreds of people have radically transformed their lifestyles, adopting healthy and balanced practices. Moreover, they have successfully treated conditions they had been suffering from for years.

Vasilica Stoiciu Frunză

Musician

A musician with university training in musicology, piano, and management, has built her artistic career in three distinct domains. She worked as an artistic consultant at the Romanian National Opera Iași from 1990 to 2012, served as a collaborative pianist, and held a teaching position at the "George Enescu" National University of Arts in Iași. She has been an active presence in organizing the most significant music events with a broad public impact in Iași, a symbol of elegance, distinction, and a person of the present.

Victor Miron

Founder of Cărțile pe Față

Victor Miron is an idealist with initiative and a promoter of the lifelong learning lifestyle. He began to love reading in high school. Characters like Don Quixote, the Little Prince, Prince Myshkin, or the nearsighted adolescent became role models for him. He has been involved in the family auto service business Iovi, in startups like UseTogether and AppFavorites. In 2014, he launched the reading promotion campaign "Cărțile pe Față," where they devised and implemented over 20 actions to encourage reading (e.g., free public transportation for readers, free entry to the botanical garden if you have a book with you, the readers' gala, reading classes, neighbors' library, books on business cards, and the mobile library BookTruck). He has published seven books and performed spoken word poetry on "Romanians Have Talent." He is also the curator of TEDxZorilor.

Vlad Ungureanu

International School Chess Union President

2010-2018 - Member of the School Chess Federation of the World Chess Federation 2006-2021 - President of the National School Chess Committee Founder of the National Chess in School Project Mathematics teacher, chess teacher, FIDE arbiter, FIDE coach Organizer of the World School Chess Championship in 2012 and 2017 Organizer of the European Team Chess Championship in 2011 and 2013

Vladimir Poroch

Consultant general surgeon

Vladimir Poroch is a consultant general surgeon with a subspecialty in palliative care, working in the Palliative Care Section of the Regional Oncology Institute in Iași. He is also an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine of "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași and the course instructor for "palliative care" for third-year students. Vladimir Poroch serves as the President of the National Association for Palliative Care (ANIP) and is actively involved in numerous research, educational, and advocacy projects in the field of palliative care. He is also the President of the Association for Quality Management in Healthcare (AMCS).