How Curiosity Will Save Us
For Mónica Guzmán, curiosity isn’t a muse that flits by when we wonder about something. It’s the most powerful tool we have to navigate our world, especially when our world is dangerously divided along political lines. “If you can’t be curious across divides in a polarized world,” she says, “you can’t see the world at all.”
Mónica shares examples of curiosity-driven conversations that make it possible for even the most opposed liberals and conservatives to see and hear one another, despite the misperceptions from their news feeds. With simple, powerful questions she herself has used in countless treks across the divide, Mónica shows us how having critical conversations with people—instead of about them—changes everything. And how taking the first steps toward understanding the views that most confound us isn’t just possible, it’s easier than you think. Mónica is Director of Digital Storytelling at Braver Angels, the nation’s largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization dedicated to bridging the political divide. She is a former fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, studying political division, and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, studying community engagement. Mónica is the co-founder of the Seattle newsletter The Evergrey and was a juror for the 2013 and 2014 Pulitzer Prize in journalism. In her 17-year journalism career, she’s written columns for The Seattle Times, GeekWire, the Columbia Journalism Review, the Daily Beast, and others. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, and dual US/Mexico citizen, she lives in Seattle with her husband and two kids and is the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents. Her book, I Never Thought of It That Way, comes out in March 2022.
TEDxSeattleWomen (In person watch party!)
2021 TEDxSeattleWomen: What Now?
Watch Party
Register Now!
Join us for an in-person viewing of the virtual TEDxSeattleWomen event on December 8th. Following the viewing, we'll be hosting this year's speakers in person for a live interactive panel, where you'll be given the opportunity to ask questions and network. There are limited spots available, so get your ticket today!
A special thanks to our presenting partner Comcast Washington
TEDxSeattle + TEDxSeattleWomen (Live!)
Experience TEDxSeattle and TEDxSeattleWomen live at the Meydenbauer Theater in Bellevue, WA in a unique, live studio setting. Both events will be virtual again this year—but the talks by the Northwest’s boldest innovators and change makers are being recorded in front of a live audience on Sunday, November 7, and you’re invited to be a part of it!
With two events in one day, choose to join TEDxSeattle in the morning for nine speakers and live entertainment, or take in TEDxSeattleWomen in the afternoon for three talks and a chance to network and mingle with like minded attendees. You can also make a day out of it with both events for the full spectrum of conversations and live performances. Either way, you’ll enjoy speakers and entertainment in a talk show studio-like setting as camera crews and production staff capture every moment.
Tickets will be selling fast–so reserve your seat today to view this year’s talks live.
Please note that strict COVID safety protocols will be in place for the event. In accordance with King County protocol, all attendees, volunteers, and staff will be required to show proof of vaccination or negative test results upon arrival and will need to wear a mask while indoors. Please visit our FAQs for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I attend this event?
There is a magic to seeing TEDxSeattle speakers and entertainers perform live; it’s an experience that cannot be matched. And this year will very likely be the only time our event will be held in a small, intimate theater setting ever again.
What is the difference between this event and TEDxSeattle on Nov 20th and TEDxSeattleWomen on December 8th?
This event on November 7th will be in-person at a small theater in Bellevue. Speakers and Entertainers will be performing live in front of a small audience and our film crew. These performances will be recorded and then the videos will be debuted at the virtual events on November 20th (TEDxSeattle) and December 8th (TEDxSeattleWomen).
Should I attend the in-person event on November 7th or the virtual events?
This really depends on whether you would prefer to see the speakers and entertainers perform live and in person, or if you’d prefer to watch the talks from the comfort of your home at a later date. While the talks and performances will ultimately be the same, the experiences will be completely different.
Why are there separate events?
We feel that the best way to create an incredible event experience is to design each event for a specific audience. By hosting both in person and virtual events on separate days, we can create the best experiences for each audience.
What is the COVID safety protocol for this event?
Entry requirements
We will be strictly following the King County COVID protocol. All attendees will need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (no more than 72 hours old) upon entry, along with a government issued ID (school IDs are also accepted).
Do I need to wear a mask?
Yes. All attendees will be required to wear a mask at all times over their noses and mouths while indoors. We plan to provide snacks and beverages during the breaks. During these breaks, there should be plenty of space in the lobby to socially distance while consuming. You can go outside and take off your mask during breaks if you'd like.
Will I be able to socially distance?
Given the nature of the intimate theater environment in which the event is taking place, socially distancing will not be possible. Please be prepared to sit next to people. Again, masks will be required at all times.
Will this event provide captions and translation services?
Yes. We will provide real-time captioning and translations via Microsoft Translator. More info coming soon!
TEDxSeattleWomen 2021: What Now?
2021 TEDxSeattleWomen: What Now?
We’re virtual again this year, with speakers to inspire hope and spark change.
Register Now!
Over the past year, we’ve struggled to navigate a global pandemic, political and social upheaval, and a growing awareness of the flaws in the systems designed to support us.
After all this change and uncertainty, many of us are asking, WHAT NOW?
Join us December 8 for this FREE, virtual TEDxSeattleWomen event. Our speakers will tackle that question, imagining new possibilities and exploring ideas for how we might live and work better together in the years to come.
TEDxSeattleWomen is an annual event designed to empower women and girls to be creators and change-makers. The event combines compelling live speaker presentations with empowering content from our favorite national TEDWomen conference talks.
Meet our 2021 speakers
Talisa Lavarry
Andrea Driessen
Brook West
A special thanks to our presenting partner Comcast Washington
TEDxSeattleLive: Watching TED 2018 "The Age of Amazement"
To introduce TED2018, TED owner Chris Anderson and TED Head of Curation Helen Walters asked the audience to complete a simple task: to turn to someone whom they didn’t know and state what, over the last year, the main emotion is that they’ve felt. In Seattle, the crowd that was gathered at TEDxSeattleLive followed suit. Strangers exchanged quick greetings and with just a few minutes for the exercise began sharing their hope—and fears—from the past year. 
While there was plenty of apprehension in the crowd, there was also hope for what the next year would bring despite an increasingly divisive global culture. Seattle has long been known as a city filled with forward-thinking innovation and passion for change, so it’s no surprise a day full of learning and inspiration was met with such an openness to how an idea can shape the future.
The event screened two different sessions over the course of the day: “Doom. Gloom. Outrage. Uproar.” then “Wow. Just wow.” Between the two sessions, the audience listened to topics ranging from the #MeToo movement by Tracee Ellis Ross, to how artificial intelligence can upheave the job market as we know it today by Kai-Fu Lee.
Finding balance in bipolar
Ellen Forney is a passionate storyteller and artist who turned her bipolar diagnosis into a platform of hope for anyone struggling with mental health issues. In this moving and generous talk, Ellen uses both words and pictures — her own comics —to share the story of how she maintained her creativity while managing her illness and shares the system she developed for achieving balance and keeping it.
Special thanks to core the TEDxSeattle organizing team, 100+ volunteers, and our generous partners – without you, this experience would not be possible. Find out more about our talks, speakers, entertainers, activities, and year-round events at TEDxSeattle.com.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark in-depth discussion and connection in a community setting. These events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
Ellen is an artist, teacher, and mental health advocate. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me, the story of her diagnosis and struggle with bipolar disorder, and Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from My Bipolar Life, a guide to maintaining mental health. Rock Steady was featured in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA)’s “Best of Graphic Medicine 2018”, and the book’s self-care framework is widely used by therapists and clinicians. Ellen also curated the National Library of Medicine’s traveling exhibition on Graphic Medicine, a new genre of comics about health.
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
Ellen Forney is a cartoonist, teacher, and mental health advocate. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me, the story of her diagnosis and struggle with bipolar disorder, and Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life, a guide to maintaining mental health. Marbles has been printed in seven foreign editions and translated into six different languages and was selected as the Common Read for the University of Washington’s Health Sciences schools in 2018. 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
Why You Should Talk Regularly with Strangers
Since 2006, Traca Savadogo has met an average of three new people every day and heard their stories, resulting in 90 conversations a month. Sharing regularly on social medial and in speaking engagements, Traca discusses what drove her to launch her “Curiosity Conversations” and how her interactions often develop into surprising insights, unexpected opportunities, and treasured friendships. She recalls numerous examples of life-changing conversations that began with just one curious moment. Traca wants to show us that amazing stories are happening all around us and that we just need to “show up and get curious” She leaves us with a list of tips for what it takes to delve into a Curiosity Conversation and a reminder that in a world when many of us stay buried in our phones, human connection is truly what we crave. Traca Savadogo is a professional social butterfly. She has a passion for driving big ideas and conversation, and her approach is simple: ask questions, be curious. Savadogo is constantly looking for beautiful moments with strangers. She’ll ask people, ”What’s your story?” or “How do you want to be remembered?” and watch their narratives unfold.
Originally from the Midwest, where having conversations with strangers is commonplace and part of the fabric of society, Savadogo strives to give individuals actionable steps they can use to start having interactions of their own. 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
The Future of Pain Relief
Using virtual reality (VR) to treat pain has delivered exciting results, thanks to research conducted by Dr. Sam Sharar. A professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington, Sam explains how “pain is all in our heads”: our physical, cognitive, and emotional reactions in the brain combine to tell us we are experiencing pain. The reality of pain is entirely variable, unpredictable, and different for each person, making it hard to manage. Hearing the success of VR in other fields, Sam is now exploring the impact of applying VR to burn patients in an effort to alleviate the excruciating pain of their necessary treatments. The results of his studies are compelling. Getting relief from pain could come from leveraging the brain’s ability to leave the reality of pain for another reality that encourages healing—a promising concept across the field of medicine. Sam Sharar, MD, refers to himself as “an academic anesthesiologist.” He is a board-certified anesthesiologist and cares for seriously injured children and adults at Harborview Medical Center. He is also a Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at The University of Washington. Dr. Sharar teaches and advises medical students as a College Faculty Mentor and is Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Development of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. Additionally, he is the Associate Medical Director for King County Medic 1, where he provides training to paramedics. 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
A Prosecutor's Case Against Equality
Criminal justice reform depends on our willingness to reexamine fundamental principles. Pursuing equity, rather than equality, would produce more just and more effective outcomes.