TED Talks, which have been around since the 1980s, are influential 18-minute videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech, and creativity. TED actually stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. They’re famously known to inspire, motive and evoke creativity or passion as the case may be. For millennials, it has become the go-to resource for thought provoking ideas and global conversations. If you haven’t been watching TED Talks, what have you been doing?
Fortunately, our theme for the month of August is lifelong learning. One of the ways you as a working mom can develop yourself as an individual is by listening to TED Talks regularly. If you find yourself in need of regular motivation, TED Talks are the perfect pick-me-up.
So, we have compiled ten TED Talks that are a MUST-WATCH for working moms.
PRO TIP: To enjoy this talks without distractions, create an account on ted.com and add each of them to a playlist. That way, you can listen/watch them wherever you go.
1. Sheryl Sandberg: Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders.
One of the most popular TED talks by a woman is the COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. She spoke on the topic, ‘Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders’ where she gives the best advice to women looking to have a seat at the table. She looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite. This TED Talk was also pivotal in launching the Lean in movement.
2. Carol Fishman Cohen: How To Get Back To Work After A Career Break.
Another important TED talk for working moms is by Career Reentry Expert Carol Fishman Cohen who speaks on ‘How To Get Back To Work After A Career Break.’ In this talk, we hear about Cohen’s own experience returning to work after a career break, her work championing the success of “relaunchers” and how employers are changing how they engage with return-to-work talent. It’s a must watch!
3. Susan Colantuono: The Career Advice You Probably Didn’t Get.
In this talk, Susan Colantuono speaks on ‘The Career Advice You Probably Didn’t Get’ where she shares a simple, surprising piece of advice you might not have heard before quite so plainly particularly aimed at women.
4. Gayle Tzemach: Women Entrepreneurs; Example Not Exception
Women aren’t micro–so why do they only get micro-loans? In this talk, Reporter Gayle Tzemach Lemmon argues that women running all types of firms — from home businesses to major factories– are the overlooked key to economic development.
5. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We Should All Be Feminists.
If you have watched Chimamanda’s 2012 TEDx Euston talk, then what have you been doing? In this classic talk that started a worldwide conversation about feminism, Chimamanda Adichie asks that we begin to dream about and plan for a different, fairer world — of happier men and women who are truer to themselves.
6. Amy Cuddy: Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are.
Did you know that your body language can shape who you are?Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. In this talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy argues that “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can boost feelings of confidence, and might have an impact on our chances for success.
7. Casey Brown: Know Your Worth And Then Ask For It.
Your boss probably isn’t paying you what you’re worth — instead, they’re paying you what they think you’re worth. Take the time to learn how to shape their thinking. In this talk, pricing consultant Casey Brown shares helpful stories and learnings that can help you better communicate your value and get paid for your excellence.
8. Shonda Rhimes: My Year Of Saying Yes To Everything
Shonda Rhimes, the titan behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, is responsible for some 70 hours of television per season, and she loves to work. “When I am hard at work when I am deep in it, there is no other feeling,” she says. She has a name for this feeling: The hum. The hum is a drug, the hum is music, the hum is God’s whisper in her ear. But what happens when it stops? Is she anything besides the hum? In this moving talk, join Rhimes on a journey through her “year of yes” and find out how she got her hum back.
9. Adam Grant: The Surprising Habits Of Original Thinkers.
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies “originals”: thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals — including embracing failure. “The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most because they’re the ones who try the most,” Grant says. “You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones.”
10. Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action.
Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership — starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers.
