Episodes: Year 1, Season 2
Google’s Circular Economy — Kate Brandt
April 5, 2021
To accomplish environmental change at the scale and pace we need, huge corporations have to make some fundamental changes. How will they do it? In this talk, the head of sustainability at Google, Kate Brandt, shows how one of the biggest companies in the world is aiming to translate techniques from nature, to build a circular system where nothing goes to waste.
Disruptive Startups That Actually Help Local Businesses — Amane Dannouni
March 29, 2021
More and more, we buy through online marketplaces: Amazon, Uber, Airbnb — the list goes on. But this convenience and efficiency comes with a hidden cost, mostly to small local businesses and workers. Does it have to be that way? Amane Dannouni doesn’t think so. In this talk, the BCG technology consultant shares stories we’re not used to hearing: of online apps in Southeast Asia and Africa that have found a way to help local economies, even as they disrupt them.
This Is the Side Hustle Revolution — Nicaila Matthews Okome
March 22, 2021
We’re seeing more and more full-time work replaced with part-time jobs, contract work, side gigs. “The term side hustle just seems to fit with this ethos where people are putting together a few different things to make a living,” says Nicaila Matthews Okome. Nicaila is the host of Side Hustle Pro, a podcast that spotlights Black female entrepreneurs. And in this talk she introduces us to the entrepreneurial spirit inside today’s side hustle revolution. Is a side hustle right for you? How do you decide what it should be? Stick around after the talk, for a little guidance from TED’s business curator Corey Hajim and Modupe.
The Forgotten Middle — Danielle R. Moss
March 15, 2021
You know the “forgotten middle”: they’re the students, coworkers and regular people who are often overlooked because they’re seen as neither exceptional nor problematic. How can we empower them to reach their full potential? In this talk, Danielle R. Moss describes how her mother’s special attention allowed her to climb out of the middle and towards her potential. Now, she offers that same kind of attention to high school students across the country. After the talk, Modupe and TED’s business curator Corey Hajim explore what it looks like to bring Danielle’s ideas to work.
The Long Term Stock Exchange — Michelle Greene
March 8, 2021
What do companies get when they go public on a major stock exchange? The opportunity for anyone to invest, giving the company access to a bunch of cash that allows for huge growth. And … pressure to think in the short term. This can end up hurting their workers, the environment, and even their own long-term strategy. In this episode, a proposal for a new kind of stock exchange, that isn’t just trying to shift a few rules but is building a whole new system to incentivize thinking in the long term. How do you do that? When is it better to just fix what you already have? And will it work? After the talk, Modupe and TED's business curator Corey Hajim dig in.
The Unexpected Habits of Original Thinkers — Adam Grant
March 1, 2021
Last week, you heard the latest thinking from Adam Grant, organizational psychologist extraordinaire, about his newest book. This week, we dive into the archives for a classic. We have a lot of ideas about what leads to our most creative thoughts. Today, Adam and Modupe tell us why we’re wrong. You might want to bring a pen.
Design Matters — Adam Grant
February 22, 2021
Some exciting news. Today, TED is launching the TED Audio Collective, a collection of podcasts all about ideas, brought to you in audio. So we’re sharing an episode we thought you’d like that features not one, but two TED hosts. In Design Matters, Debbie Millman interviews creative people about how they design the arc of their lives. In this episode, she interviews Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and host of WorkLife. Together, they examine his astonishing career—quite an exercise with someone who researches success. And they discuss his latest book, Think Again, all about the critical, difficult and timely art of rethinking your old ideas.
How You Can Shrink the Wealth Gap. Now. — Kedra Newsome Reeves
February 15, 2021
Did you know that in the U.S. the average white family has ten times as much wealth as a black family? Ten times. But while we wait for government policies to shrink that gap, we all decide where our money goes. So how can we collectively chip away at that gap, now? In this episode, we find out. First, through a talk by BCG consultant Kedra Newsome Reeves that follows her family through generations to understand how policy helped build this gap—and what financial institutions can do now to shrink it. Then, Modupe talks with founder Shani Dowell, the first black woman in Tennessee to raise a million dollars in VC funding, about the creative techniques that anybody can use to start redistributing wealth in America.
Should We Cry at Work?
— Susan David
February 8, 2021
Feelings are complicated. And even more so at work. We like to believe the ultimate professional is stoic, but what important information do we miss when we disregard our emotions on the job? In this episode, Harvard psychologist Susan David helps us break free from the “tyranny of positivity” and embrace the full range of our emotions. After the talk, Modupe extends this idea to the workplace by examining a time she shed tears at a meeting with colleagues.
Turn Critics Into Allies
— Bob Langert
February 1, 2021
When an organization is battered by critics, how does it usually respond? “Deny and push back, put out some sort of lame statement,” says Bob Langert, “and no progress is made at all.” But based on 25 years leading sustainability and corporate responsibility at McDonald’s, Bob proposes another way: To work with critics. In this talk, he shares stories that take us from the Amazon to slaughterhouses, from tree huggers to corporate suits, all in the search for common ground with his greatest detractors.
An Introvert’s Guide to WFH
— Morra Aarons-Mele
January 25, 2021
You might think working from home is an introvert’s fantasy. “But,” says writer Morra Aarons-Mele, “the truth is, for many introverts remote work is kind of a nightmare.” In this talk, she helps introverts understand how to protect their precious energy in a virtual work life. Lessons we can all learn from. But how do you know if you’re an introvert or not? After the talk, Modupe explains why the answer isn’t as clear cut as you might think.
For more from Morra, check out her podcast “The Anxious Achiever” from Harvard Business Review.
To Make a Company Change, Turn Up the Heat — Vinay Shandal
January 18, 2021
What do you do when a company doesn’t act in line with your values? Boycott? Divest? In essence, stop the flow of money? That’s the typical advice. But sustainability consultant (and former comedian) Vinay Shandal says we’re missing a whole set of tools more effective than walking away. He looks to the most intimidating and influential profit-chasing investors in the world for techniques on how to make real social change. After the talk, Modupe chats with Corey Hajim, TED’s Business Curator, to try to apply Vinay’s ideas to their own lives. Without getting exhausted.
The Foundations of Confidence — Brittany Packnett
January 11, 2021
Confidence. We talk about it all the time. We know it matters. And still, educator and activist Brittany Packnett thinks we underestimate it. “Confidence,” she says, “is the necessary spark before everything that follows.” In this talk, Brittany identifies the three basic elements of this elusive force, which can be especially valuable for people whose role models don’t look like them. After the talk, Modupe shares one more technique that has propelled her year after year at work. Spiderman makes a brief appearance.