Ideas have the power to change minds and create movement. Ideas can completely alter the way you behave and feel while having a powerful ripple effect in both the local community and globally.
Many are familiar with TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks, but did you know Reno organizes its own TEDx event? Meet three locals who have taken the stage and shared their “idea worth spreading” at a TEDxReno event.
Then, see the next set of speakers live on April 6 at the University of Nevada, Reno. The event, titled “Disruption,” will surely spark fresh waves of influence and impact.
Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell
To call Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell “dynamic” is an understatement. She is warm, hard-working, intelligent, and inspirational.
Her first TEDx talk, “Why Black Patients Don’t Trust the Healthcare System,” was given in Reno and less than a year later, she gave another TEDx talk for Rutgers entitled “Do No Harm.” Both of her talks focus on health equity and advocating for patients, especially minorities whose voices are often diminished through unconscious biases that can have life-threatening consequences in healthcare
Dr. Curry-Winchell has long been an advocate for change in healthcare and beyond. Actively working with patients as a physician, she shares her expertise through social media including through a video series called “Beyond Clinical Walls” that she produces and publishes weekly.
She is also an expert correspondent for news organizations including the BBC, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, and others. “Representation is a huge goal of mine,” says Dr. Curry-Winchell. “Hoping that a child of color can see me as a physician on TV or in a TEDx talk and realize they can become a physician themselves… that matters a lot to me!”
Grant Denton
Grant Denton wants everyone to get the help they need, and he’ll tell you what you are and aren’t doing right when it comes to reaching those experiencing homelessness. His TEDxReno talk, “The Not So Helpful Help for Those Experiencing Homelessness,” shares his own experience of being unhoused in Reno. While people often think they are helping the unhoused by giving them resources, some help can actually keep those who are sick from becoming healthy.
“It was overwhelming,” Denton says of the TEDxReno experience. “You can feel the frequency onstage and the people leaning in and rooting for you and the ideas presented.” Denton is the executive director of the Karma Box Project in Reno. While early in his recovery, he would listen to TED talks and share information with his friends and fellows in recovery. Being able to give his own TEDx talk was a full-circle moment.
“Whatever culture you’re in, you only know what you know,” says Denton. “If you want to evolve as a group, you better learn new ideas and lean into listening to others. It’s absolutely necessary to learn different approaches and perspectives – that’s how you learn to make changes.”
Emily Jaenson
Emily Jaenson is a keynote speaker and podcaster whose podcast, Leadership is Female, is in the top 2.5% of most followed podcasts worldwide. Her TEDxReno talk is entitled “Six behaviors to increase your confidence,” and has over 3.5 million views on the TEDx YouTube account. In her ten-minute talk, she gives people six tangible steps they can take and embody to grow their confidence and step into their success.
“My goal was to impact ONE person,” Jaenson says. “If one person heard this talk and was motivated to change their life or become the person they wanted to be, I’d be honored. The fact that it has reached so many and that now I get to continue to share this message is such a blessing.”
Since giving her talk, Jaenson has become a professional speaker, coaching companies on how they can help employees and leaders become more confident, increasing not only the company’s bottom line but also helping everyone find greater fulfillment in their everyday lives. She’s also recently written a book scheduled to publish in Spring titled, Let’s Go! A Guide to Increasing Your Confidence.
