In “Leadership Lessons from the Swamp” Dave explores how he learnt a critical leadership lesson from an unlikely mentor – Shrek!Dave explains how the vulnerability shown by Shrek at a key moment in his story inspires a deeper connection with others.Taking from this lesson, Dave challenges others to share their hopes and dreams, creating a space where the armour can come off and individuals can build trust, innovation and creativity together. Dave is a leadership and organisation development specialist, having spent 20 years working in diverse industries from professional services to utilities. Outside of his day job, he is often found treading the boards on stage in various roles, and is currently connecting his work and hobbies by researching the use of humour within organisations to build more creative and productive workplaces. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Welcome to one of the world’s most important debates, and hardly anyone’s even talking about it. It’s ‘The Rules’ versus ‘Freedom.’Aren’t rules supposed to keep us safe? How can a rule do damage?In this talk, Douglas unpacks the cost of excessive rules, and shows how you can intelligently dismantle them to promote greater freedom and productivity. Freedom isn’t a default setting. It must be carved out on purpose. But when you do, the effects on prosperity can be astonishing. Douglas Kruger is a multi-award winning speaker, and the author of several bestselling books. In 2016, in honour of excellence on stage, the Professional Speakers Association inducted him into their regional 'Speakers Hall of Fame.' Douglas writes regular columns for the Jersey Evening Post and Business Brief. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Pavel Tahkovuori was a Speaker at TEDxEspoo Youth 2025!What if everything you believed about meat - from childhood songs to food labels - was designed to keep you from asking a simple question: where does it really come from?For seven years, Pavel Tahkovuori, helped Finland’s biggest food companies make meat products look irresistible. He advised restaurants on how to make meat products more appealing, captured the perfect photo of a juicy burger, and shaped a comforting message. It was a job he never questioned - until one day, while eating pepperoni pizza, his girlfriend sent him an article that shattered everything he thought he knew. That Article featured a Swedish veterinarian who had worked inside a pig slaughterhouse. What she witnessed, the infections, the suffering, the silence - forced him to ask, for the very first time, what really happens before meat ends up on our plate.From that moment on, Pavel began to see animals differently. Not just the family dog he loved as a child, but all animals - pigs, chickens, cows - both those we love as a family member and those we consume. He could not disconnect anymore: He had always loved animals but also eaten them. Now, he was ready to ask why.This candid talk goes beyond a personal journey. It pulls back the curtains on how society teaches us to feel okay about something that might not be okay at all. From comforting but misleading labels like “happy farm” and “free-range” to childhood songs like Old MacDonald that tell us that factory farming is innocent and kind, Pavel reveals how storytelling has been used to soothe us into not questioning what is really going on. He asked those hard questions, and it changed his life. Today, Pavel is a vegan, the co-founder of an animal rights organization, and the author of a nonfiction book that challenges the meat industry's most powerful myths. In his Talk he shares how emotional disconnect is wired into our culture from childhood, what really happens inside so called “free-range” and “organic” farms, and how advertising quietly shapes our moral choices without us relaxing it.In Pavel’s Talk he also addresses common reactions he often hears: “But animals eat other animals.” “But it's legal.” “But I am just one person. Does it really matter?” He explains how modern farming affects not just the animals but the workers and the planet.At the end of Pavel’s talk he says: “We all have a huge impact in our daily lives, to our close people, to friends, to neighbors and to animals and the environment. We all create others, it could be either neutral, maybe sometimes negative and sometimes good. But what is most important for all is that each day we can choose to do better.”This is not a preachy talk. It is a genuine conversation about waking up, asking unforgettable questions, and choosing to live in alignment with your values, even if it means changing everything.#TEDxEspooYouth #TEDxTalk #TEDxEspooYouth2025 Pavel Tahkovuori is a Non-Fiction Author and Sustainability Expert with a background in the food business and a strong interest in how companies shape what we eat. Before Co-Founding Viral Vegans, he worked in market research, often for some of Finland’s largest companies. That experience gave him a rare inside view of the food industry giant's influence on consumer behavior. Today, he produces Finland’s most listened-to sustainability podcast and creates social media content that reaches up to 1.7 million people each month. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What happens when sustainability becomes just another PR strategy? In this revealing talk, Gihan Hyde lifts the lid on the “shark tank” of corporate ESG—where big consultancies sell confidence, not real change. From overpriced board training to shallow rebrands, Gihan shows how real transformation comes from within: listening to employees, engaging supply chains, and empowering communities. With honest storytelling and a powerful call to action, she urges both companies and practitioners to step out of echo chambers, challenge the status quo, and rebuild trust through human connection and courageous conversations. If you care about sustainability with impact—not image—this talk will challenge, inspire, and provoke. "Gihan is the award-winning CEO & Founder of one of the UK’s fastest-growing ESG Strategy and Communications Advisory Bcorps. She is an Equitable Growth Board advisor to BCorp UK and Money 20/20, mentor on Accenture’s Fintech Lab Innovation and is the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Director of ESG Communications Training. Gihan has led some of the largest ESG diversity and employee change communications departments including BP Workplace Sustainability, Barclays Internal audit, HSBC Asset Management, M&S HR, and the Riyadh Metro Project. Gihan has won numerous awards: UK’s “CEO of the Year” “The top black leaders in the UK to watch” and one of the most influential “40 over 40” communications professionals in the world according to Campaign Magazine and she is LinkedIn Top ESG Voice 2023. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What if the most powerful force driving space exploration isn’t technology, but humanity? In this inspiring talk, we rethink space not just as rockets and distant planets, but as a reflection of who we are. From ancient tools to modern satellites, our desire to explore has always been about connection, compassion, and creating a better future. Learn how space technology is saving lives on Earth—responding to natural disasters, improving healthcare, and tackling climate change Featuring stories from the European Space Agency, NASA, and global rescue missions. Watch now to discover why the future of space starts with our shared humanity. Lucía holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics and is the Faculty Strategic Project Manager at the University of Surrey, where she leads the development of the Institute for Space. She previously served as an Ambassador for the European Space Agency (ESA) in the UK, helping non-space companies integrate space technology. At the University of Portsmouth, she led the validation of ESA’s Euclid mission and contributed to space missions on climate change. Lucía's research includes dark matter studies, and she was honoured with an award of excellence for her work at the University of Sussex. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

¿Puede la inteligencia artificial representar nuestras voces? En esta charla, Omar Florez propone una idea audaz: reemplazar al Congreso con una red de modelos de lenguaje que simulen acuerdos entre peruanos, y explora cómo la IA puede acercarnos a una democracia más representativa. Doctor en inteligencia artificial, investigador en Silicon Valley y fundador de LatinX in AI, Omar Florez trabaja por un futuro donde más latinos lideren la tecnología. Desde su experiencia en Intel y Twitter, explora cómo la IA puede transformar instituciones, crear consenso y representar mejor nuestras voces. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx