TED
Want TED Talks on the go? Everyday, this feed brings you our latest talks in audio format. Hear thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable – from Artificial Intelligence to Zoology, and everything in between – given by the world's leading thinkers and doers. This collection of talks, given at TED and TEDx conferences around the globe, is also available in video format. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Artist Yinka Ilori believes that joy is inherited — handed down through the colors, rituals and gatherings of the people who raised you. In this vibrant tour of his work, he draws on what people say brings them joy and reveals the one surprising pattern that runs through almost every response. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We all have a "thing" — the way we act when we're not at our best that we somehow can't see in ourselves. Leadership expert Chris Wheatley learned about his when his best friend at work called him on it. He shares how hearing that hard truth shattered a lifelong pattern of defensiveness, offering a practical framework for receiving feedback with tact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neutrality can get you through a tough conversation, but it rarely gets you anywhere. Joshua Johnson, actor/anchor for “The Onion” and former NPR host, makes the case instead for objectivity — parking your own opinions for a moment so you can focus on someone else’s story. He shares three quick ways to turn your most frustrating conversations into real understanding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
No one loves to lose. But even if you are a GOAT on a great AND lucky team (and sure, we can debate about who the GOAT is – drop us a line at goodsport@ted.com), no one wins every time. So how do people who face loss after loss keep fighting to win? Jody speaks with Nikky McCray, a retired WNBA player who played on three All-Star teams and now coaches at Rutgers, about the secrets to perseverance. Then he chats with psychologist and neuroscientist Ian Robertson to discuss what losing can teach us about winning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Six months into a catastrophic war in Iran — and with no end in sight for the war in Ukraine — the world is embroiled in conflicts with no apparent exit plan. In this interview, political scientist and Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer breaks down what these wars are costing people around the world — and which one he's more worried might spiral out of control. (This interview, hosted by TED's Helen Walters, was recorded on July 28, 2026.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is authoritarianism winning, or is democracy just failing to deliver? Communications strategist Sally Kohn lays out how democracy has evolved before and why it must evolve again, into what she calls "Democracy 3.0" — a version that finally shares power and opportunity equally. "We the people demand that our politics and our economy work way better for us," says Kohn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Artist Joe Whale used to get in trouble for doodling in class, until a local restaurant let him cover an entire wall with his artwork … and the internet took notice. He traces his unlikely beginning to a bigger story: your imagination is a muscle, and it weakens when you hand it off to AI. Through a live doodling demo, he shows in real time what it looks like to let a thought become a drawing, one line at a time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: our actions, careers, relationships, health and happiness. In this deeply moving, humorous and potentially life-changing talk, she challenges a culture that prizes positivity over emotional truth and discusses the powerful strategies of emotional agility. A talk to share. (This episode originally aired in 2018.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Irish musician and songwriter Wallis Bird received her first guitar at six months old and has been chasing music ever since. After her TED2026 performance of three genre-bending original songs, Wallis sat down with TED music curator Anna Bulbrook – a musician herself – to talk about the cosmic energy she taps into on stage, and what drives her songwriting. Their conversation explores her lifelong pull toward music, the stories hidden inside her songs, and how creativity can heal. It's woven through Wallis's electrifying, deeply moving performance, as she sings about joy, grief, social struggle, and what it takes to use music to bring people together, even when the world gives you every reason to look away. To learn more about Wallis and her music, visit www.wallisbird.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In a globe-trotting career that has spanned corporations, governments, nonprofits and philanthropy, Rosita Najmi has often found herself translating among them. Instead of focusing on leadership style, she makes the case for becoming fluent in the languages of leadership, explaining how it can help you adapt to audiences across industries and collectively achieve your goals. (This episode originally aired in 2024.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rainn Wilson was a late bloomer: he landed the role of Dwight Schrute on The Office after over a decade of struggling as an actor. But success didn’t solve all of his problems -- and it even created some new ones. In this live conversation for the Authors@Wharton series, Adam asks Rainn about his unlikely journey to stardom and how it led him into exploring the insights that philosophy, psychology, and the world’s great spiritual traditions can offer on modern life’s existential questions. They also discuss Rainn’s favorite moments from The Office and do some improv when Dunder Mifflin invites a certain organizational psychologist to talk to Dwight. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How does studying the end of time change your perspective of life on Earth? Cosmologist and TED Fellow Katie Mack joins designer and podcaster Debbie Millman to talk about the story of the cosmos — from the Big Bang's ancient light still glowing across the universe to the five ways it might all come to an end — plus what aerobatic flying taught her about staying present. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Did progress on your next big project stall out? Transformation expert Mary Martin refers to this moment as the "messy middle" — the frustrating gap between starting and finishing a goal, when you might lose confidence or give up altogether. Offering three ways to find glimmers of progress when the going gets tough, she explores what to do when you feel stuck. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As a self-proclaimed radical street librarian, Storybook Maze makes books appear where they're scarce. Through initiatives like free, public book vending machines and street corner story times, she eliminates book deserts — or areas with limited access to literature — by making books accessible for children in underserved communities. (And in case you're wondering, she shares how you can become a radical street librarian, too.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you ate bread this week (or cooked with salt and oil), you probably benefited from something millions miss out on: food fortification. Social entrepreneur Felix Brooks-church is on a mission to solve "hidden hunger" — malnutrition caused by a lack of nutrients — by fortifying everyday foods for regions of the world hit hardest by food insecurity. Laying out a pragmatic vision to improve food systems globally, he reminds us that hunger doesn’t always look like an empty plate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Most of the technology powering life in Europe today — chatbots, the cloud, digital infrastructure — is owned by companies in the United States. Writer and curator Bruno Giussani makes the case that Europe's reliance on American technology has crossed the line from convenient to risky. His answer isn't to go it alone, but to build something the continent currently lacks: a real alternative, rooted in a different model. "Technology that does not spy on you — that should be Europe's digital difference,” he says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Writer and curator
Netflix cofounder and Anthropic board member Reed Hastings joins TED's Sal Khan to give a look inside the race to build AI. Hear his take on how the technology could accelerate education — including the possibility of an AI tutor for every student — and reshape the economy faster than anyone expects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What do radio personality Ira Glass, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, and your host Chris Duffy have in common? They all have practiced an unexpected skill that makes them more human—improv comedy. And they learned it from master improv teacher Rick Andrews. Rick joins Chris to discuss the life lessons they learn from giving up control and practicing how to “yes an” in conversations. They also modeled improv games such as “Alibi,” “7 Things,” “Fortunately and Unfortunately,” and more, so you can sprinkle some improvisational silliness to build better communication and trust in your work and personal life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the course of hundreds of scuba dives, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson fell in love -- with a fish. In this ode to parrotfish, she shares five reasons why these creatures are simply amazing (from their ability to poop white sand to make colorful "wardrobe changes") and shows what's at stake -- for us and them -- as climate change threatens the future of coral reefs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Among the dinosaurs, giant sea dragons roamed the ancient ocean. Millions of years later, paleontologist Dean R. Lomax and his team freed the remains of one of these colossal creatures from the Earth. Settle in to learn about the once-in-a-lifetime discovery of the 10-meter-long Rutland ichthyosaur: the largest and most complete ichthyosaur ever unearthed in Britain and one of the greatest finds in the country's paleontological history. (This episode originally aired in 2022.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What if we could hear nature's ultrasonic communication -- and talk back? From a bat's shrill speech to a peacock's infrasound mating call, conservation technology researcher Karen Bakker takes us through a sound bath of animal noises that are far outside humanity's range of hearing, demonstrating how artificial intelligence has translated the incredible complexity of nature's soundtrack. She asks us to consider the moral weight of such transformative technology and explores the futuristic opportunities presented for conservation, interspecies communication and more. (This episode originally aired in 2024.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Conservation technology researcher
The ocean plays host to a peculiar party of wild, marine sex life that's perhaps quirkier (and kinkier) than you can fathom. But is human behavior interrupting these raunchy reproductive acts? Take a deep dive with marine biologist Marah J. Hardt to discover what exactly goes down under the sea -- and why your own wellness depends on the healthy sex lives of fish. (This episode originally aired in 2020.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Meet the fantastically colorful and astonishingly adaptable sea slugs that found a way to photosynthesize (or create energy from sunlight) like plants. Diving deep into these often overlooked creatures, invertebrate zoologist Michael Middlebrooks introduces the solar-powered slugs that lost their shells -- but gained the ability to directly harness the power of the sun. (This episode originally aired in 2023.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When professional child actor Suki Hillier landed the title role in "Matilda The Musical," she thought she would have to learn how to become someone else. Instead, she realized she had known the role since she was three, when she playfully tried to move objects with her mind the way Matilda does. In this joyful talk, she reveals the similarities between the stage and life — because imagination isn't about escaping the world. It’s a way of building one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Garrett Langley founded Flock because he believed it was too easy to get away with crime in the US. His solution? A network of license plate readers, cameras, drones and audio sensors that has changed how police departments investigate crime — and raised urgent questions about safety, surveillance and privacy. In this talk, Langley explains why he thinks this tech makes the world safer, and addresses the controversy around it. (Followed by a Q&A with TED Chairman Chris Anderson and a note from TED guest curator Bilawal Sidhu) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What's the most powerful tool in any classroom? In the age of AI, education advocate Matt Wu still believes it's the people. In this hopeful talk, he discusses the nonprofit he leads, Schoolhouse, which pairs students with peer tutors from across the globe, building the crucial human connection that every person needs to thrive. Peer tutoring isn't just teaching students how to learn concepts, says Wu. It's teaching them how to better understand one another. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What if the next Lionel Messi or Simone Biles is out there right now ... but no one knows? Sports scientist Richard Felton-Thomas shows how new AI tools are expanding the reach of talent discovery in sports, helping scouts find the next great superstar — and letting athletes showcase their skills from anywhere in the world. (This episode originally aired in 2025.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sports scientist
You've probably heard the warnings about digital privacy: read the terms of service, think before you share, be careful what you click. But AI ethicist Jen Golbeck says the problem runs a lot deeper than that. In this eye-opening talk, she reveals how corporations and governments built a system of "data colonialism" that tracks your movements, searches and habits — for profit and control. Learn how you can fight back against the surveillance state, starting with the devices in your own home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
AI ethicist
Does your “dream job” really exist? You may know Emily Durham as Emily the Recruiter on social media, where she shares practical, refreshingly honest career advice and coaches people through the biggest professional decisions of their lives. Emily doesn’t believe in the idea of a dream job. In this episode, she joins Anne to make the case for the “awake job” that actively fits into your purpose, lifestyle, and financial needs. Emily reflects on how her own purpose has evolved over time, and answers questions from listeners about how to gracefully quit a job, find a path forward when you feel stuck, and communicate your values to a potential employer. Featured guest Follow Emily Durham on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and at https://emilydurham.org/ Listen to Clock In with Emily Durham Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDPods Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The idea that depression comes from a chemical imbalance in the brain has shaped treatment for decades. Neuroscientist Lisa Monteggia shares research suggesting that's not the whole story — and shows how a decades-old drug could upend what we thought we knew about depression, with the potential to offer relief within hours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.