Australians call them “runners.” The British know them as “trainers.” Americans refer to them as “sneakers.” Whatever you call them, these casual shoes are worn by billions of people around the world. Today, roughly 23 billion shoes are produced each year. So, how can we balance our love of sneakers with the need for sustainability and Planet protection? Here’s a TED-Ed short docu.
With the upcoming holidays just around the corner, we know what’s on your mind: what’s the perfect present for HER in 2020. We challenge you to flip the script. Don’t just buy a present — choose the TEDxBucharest spring experience!
Tickets’ price will go up at midnight! Make sure you get the best deal!
Who is HER?
Why?
At Women March Together, she’ll enjoy a strong and inspiring combo:
Simona Tache is shifting her perspective. She is transitioning from a well-known journalist and blogger (and her self-confessed love for writing will never fade) to a psychotherapist who is motivated by the change she sees in patients.
You can see her on the TEDxBucharestWomen stage on December 7th.
But till then, here are 4 BOLD+BRILLIANT things you didn’t know about her.
You can see Simona Tache’s TEDxBucharestWomen Talk on December 7th. Tickets available on https://tedxbucharest.ro/buy-tickets-tedxwomen/
The content in this article is based on the interview Simona Tache gave to Andreea Vrabie in “Decât o Revistă” in April 2019.
Do you suffer from emotional exhaustion or a sense of detachment from others? Do you sometimes think of yourself as ineffective at work? In this case, you have probably met the big and ugly monster called “burnout”. He creeps in silently, with some tiredness and maybe small focusing problems at work and, without you even noticing, you are exhausted all the time, you suffer from insomnia and you are not able to leave your professional life where it belongs: at work. We know, this article doesn’t sound very cheerful and it shouldn’t be. With more and more people suffering from this condition, we need to take action – for us and for others.
It’s hard to have all the answers when talking about burnout, but we believe that there are some very good practices you may want to start doing from today on to help you put your mind at ease. Like all good psychological advice, you should start by accepting you are suffering from burnout – we can’t emphasize enough about the importance of this step because, without it, all the actions might become superficial. Moving on to the physical part of defeating this condition, you can increase the quality of your thoughts by doing cardio exercises or yoga. These will not only make you healthier and increase the quality of your sleep, but they will also help you fight anxiety attacks that come with the burnout.
On the other hand, you should focus more on practicing mindfulness – by going for a mindful walk or a session of meditation, you will be able to live in the present and worry less about your work, missing deadlines and so on. Last, but not least, talk with people about what you’re going through – even if your brain tells you that’s shameful to share this kind of information with somebody else, it might make a huge difference to your whole mood – especially if you talk with your manager, a wellbeing specialist or a therapist.
We encourage you to keep in mind that miracles don’t happen overnight, so don’t lose your mojo after one walk or one meditation session because defeating the burnout monster requires practice and repetition. We trust you, knock it out!
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
If you were to monitor the actions of a group of people, you would probably notice that some of them tend to be more empathetic than the others. But how do you define empathy? For some people, empathy is a rare personality trait that appears in a few people and is mostly inherited from their ancestors. We don’t necessarily agree with them, because we consider that empathy is something we can all learn to practice, so we can become better human beings with each day that passes by.
The key point of being empathetic is to listen. We live in a world where everything is happening so fast and our attention span is constantly decreasing and, as a result, we do not actively listen that much anymore. Let’s change this behavior and become more aware of how other people are feeling – put yourself in the shoes of another person and try to truly understand what they are experiencing.
Stay out of judgement, if you really want to be more empathetic. When your friends or close ones are facing problems and want to discuss them with you, they put themselves in a vulnerable position, so you should not take advantage of this. Do not become the almighty judge of their actions. Speaking of vulnerability, Brené Brown has beautifully said that Empathy is a choice, and it’s a vulnerable choice because, in order to connect with you, I have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling. Some people do not practice empathy because they are scared of reviving their own wounds, but we truly believe that our unfortunate experiences can help others grow. Let’s make an exercise of imagination – if we all practice empathy, can you visualize how the world would look like?
We want to live in that world of empathy that shows up in all conversations, all relationships and all life experiences. How about you? You can share your opinion with us at TEDxBucharest11, on November 16th and 17th.
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
Cautam oameni valorosi prin prisma activitatii lor si a exemplului pe care il dau comunitatii
Andrei Dinu (TEDxBucharest Licensee & Event Curator)WeInvent.ro: Cum ati ales tema evenimentului din acest an?
Andrei Dinu (TEDxBucharest Licensee & Event Curator): Tema evenimentului din acest an, “Metamorphosis”, este, pentru noi, traducerea intr-o tema de eveniment a unui mesaj greu si deopotriva omniprezent: suntem intr-o continua transformare, intr-o trecere catre ceva mai bun si complet diferit, iar acest proces este unul de amploare, dar care se construieste din eforturi si transformari individuale. Intreaga noastra societate trece prin schimbari profunde, definitorii, structurale, din ratiuni ce tin de factori externi, precum tehnologia sau accesul ubicuu la informatie, precum si din ratiuni intrinseci, ce tin de trairile si raportarea noastra la mediul extern, ca indivizi. Vrem sa capturam aceasta realitate si sa o redam pe scena, catre publicul larg, in speranta de a intelege mai bine, cu totii, cum ne putem raporta la aceste schimbari din punct de vedere profesional, personal si relational.
WeInvent.ro: Care sunt principalele criterii in urma carora ati ales speakerii si ce criterii trebuie sa indeplineasca acestia?
Andrei Dinu: In fiecare an invitam la eveniment si suntem onorati sa avem pe scena speakeri din domenii variate, specialisti recunoscuti in domeniile lor sau oameni care infaptuiesc niste initiative grozave ce merita sa fie promovate pe scena TEDxBucharest.
Cautam din partea speakerilor nostri diversitate in abordarea temei noastre, inovativitate si originalitatea ideilor puse pe scena. Vrem sa avem pe scena oameni valorosi prin prisma activitatii lor si a exemplului pe care il dau comunitatii locale sau internationale si nu ne intereseaza daca acestia au mai sustinut prezentari in public sau daca sunt la prima astfel de experienta.
Ca atare, verificam foarte atent cariera profesionala sau academica a acestora, precum si originalitatea ideei pe care urmeaza sa o impartaseasca la eveniment cu publicul nostru. Mai mult, ii ajutam in structurarea mesajului si a ideei pe care o prezinta pe scena prin sesiuni de pregatire si coaching, astfel incat sa poata sustine pe scena cel mai bun speech posibil.
Ne dorim, ca in fiecare an, sa avem alaturi pe scena experti de talie mondiala, cum ar fi, in editia de anul acesta, prezenta lui Dex Torricke-Barton, un comunicator cu o experienta vasta, care a lucrat ani buni ca speech-writer pentru Mark Zuckerberg si ca lider al echipelor de comunicare executiva a Facebook. Insa integram, in egala masura, si inovatori locali, precum Mihai Toader-Pasti, CEO si co-fondator al EFdeN si energiaTa, tanar care face parte din Forbes 30 sub 30 si unul din cei 100 de tineri viitori lideri din energie selectati anul acesta de Future Energy Leaders sa faca parte din programul Consiliului Mondial al Energiei.
WeInvent.ro: Exista un procent pe care il aveti in gand atunci cand faceti balanta speakeri romani-speakeri internationali? De ce?
Andrei Dinu: Desi nu este o reteta sigura sau permanenta, tintim catre o proportie de 50-50 intre speakerii internationali si speakerii romani, dorindu-ne sa aducem pe scena idei valoaroase, atat din tara, cat si din mediul international. Si profitand de faptul ca TEDxBucharest este derivata din conferinta globala TED, incercam sa pastram acest ADN global al ideilor care merita impartasite, fiind convinsi ca sunt initiative locale absolut valoaroase ce merita sa fie propagate in afara Romaniei precum si idei pe care le putem prelua si integra in viata noastra pentru a o imbunatati.
La TEDxBucharest vin atat speakeri internationali, cat si speakeri romani, care isi desfasoara de ceva vreme activitatea in afara tarii si suntem incantati sa ii putem “repatria” macar pentru o durata scurta, pentru cele 18 minute de inspiratie de pe scena.
Mai mult, in comunitatea noastra se regaseste si un numar considerabil de expati, speakerii straini si evenimentul derulat aproape in intregime in limba engleza (sau cu traducere simultana disponibila) oferindu-le o oportunitate grozava de conexiune cu publicul local.
WeInvent.ro: Cu ce se diferentiaza in principal fata de editia din 2018?
Andrei Dinu: Primul diferentiator este tema evenimentului, “Metamorphosis”, prin care transmitem un continut diferit fata de editia anului trecut, poate orientat mai mult catre schimbare personala si sociala. Si din acest punct de vedere, cu siguranta am urmat un alt drum fata de evenimentul anului trecut, un drum mai curajos, mai diversificat.
Si cred ca momentele speciale pe care le pregatim anul acesta sunt diferite si captivante deopotriva, precum momentul de performance artistic al Anei-Maria Lucaciu, una dintre cele mai valoroase coregrafe si dansatoare contemporane din Romania, sau singurul speech TEDx (inclusiv la nivel international) unde participantii la eveniment pot decide prin vot online felul in care speech-ul se deruleaza pe scena, la fel ca in inovatia Netflix – Bandersnatch.
O alta diferenta majora este si mutarea evenimentului intr-o sala mai incapatoare si cresterea numarului de participanti, urmand ca TEDxBucharest 2019 – Metamorphosis sa se deruleze in noua Aula a Universitatii Politehnice din Bucuresti, cu o audienta de peste 1000 de participanti pe durata celor doua zile de eveniment.
WeInvent.ro: Cum ati spune ca s-a schimbat /diversificat sau nu publicul roman care merge la un astfel de eveniment?
Andrei Dinu: Cred ca suntem in plina crestere a pietei de evenimente si conferinte din Bucuresti si din tara, acest lucru aducand cu sine cresterea numarului de oportunitati de dezvoltare personala si profesionala pe care publicul larg il are la dispozitie, diversificarea si chiar nisarea evenimentelor de pe piata si, astfel, fragmentarea publicului.
Din ce vedem la TEDxBucharest, si ne bucura foarte tare, publicul a devenit mai exigent cu calitatea pe care o cer de la eveniment, din punct de vedere organizatoric si mai ales al continutului si cred ca asistam la o educare a publicului cu privire la elementele unei experiente de succes.
Vedem in publicul conferintei noastre persoane tinere sau aflate la maturitate care care odata cu un nivel de trai crescut sunt interesate de inspiratie si de dezvoltare personala, dar si de a intoarce catre comunitate ajutor, resurse si cunostinte astfel incat sa ajute la dezvoltarea comunitatii. Si speram ca prin intermediul TEDxBucharest sa le fim alaturi pentru a ajuta la aceasta transformare, la aceasta metamorfoza.
WeInvent.ro: Ce va propuneti de la aceasta editie?
Andrei Dinu: Urmarim sa cream un context, sa oferim omului din sala o coala alba pe care sa isi poti asterne ganduri pe care abia ce le-a constientizat datorita ideilor speakerilor de pe scena, sa descopere idei si sa inteleaga mai bine transformarile din jurul tau sau chiar cele interioare.
Am ajuns la editia cu numarul 11 a TEDxBucharest, ne dorim sa putem sa indrumam oamenii care ne vor fi alaturi la eveniment catre noi idei, catre noi conexiuni, catre o comunitate care are la baza curiozitatea si pasiunea pentru noutate si profunzime.
WeInvent.ro: Cui va adresati?
Andrei Dinu: Vom avea alaturi de noi un public divers, de la persoane din domeniul corporate, care au o viata de birou intensa si a caror activitate se invarte intr-un cadru foarte bine delimitat, la antreprenori si, freelanceri care isi creeaza propriul context. Vom avea placerea sa avem in audienta atat persoane din mediul societatii civile, preocupati si activi in schimbarile societale prin care trecem, precum si tinere talente din mediul academic sau educational, cercatatori sau inovatori din spatiul public.
Vom avea peste 1000 de participanti la eveniment si, bazandu-ma pe experienta anilor trecuti, sunt sigur ca publicul va fi unul divers, provenind din domenii precum domeniul financiar, al serviciilor sau dezvoltarii IT, comunicare si PR, business process outsourcing sau alte servicii de consultanta de business precum si domenii din sfera de telecomunicatii, comert si servicii online.
WeInvent.ro: Cat de importanta este pentru voi puterea povestirii (a storytellingului)?
Andrei Dinu: Este o granita fina intre storytelling pus in slujba unei idei grozave si storytellingul facut de dragul povestii. Iar intre cele doua variante, noi o validam pe prima, deoarece discursurile de pe scena TEDxBucharest se concentreaza, in primul rand, pe idee.
Cele 18 minute de pe scena sunt suficiente pentru a captiva interesul oamenilor asupra unei idei ce are potentialul de a le schimba viata. Si cred ca speech-ul de pe scena poate fi cu atat mai buna cu cat orice elemente de inspiratie, informatie si storytelling sunt legate intr-un cadru captivant. O poveste buna va fi intotdeauna captivanta si lucram cu fiecare dintre speakerii nostri pentru a ne asigura ca reusim sa ii sustinem si sa ii ajutam sa isi transmita ideea cat mai bine.
WeInvent.ro: Care sunt principalele provocari ale organizarii unui astfel de eveniment?
Andrei Dinu: Cred ca autodepasirea este cel mai important obstacol. Si intelegerea si invatarea din greseli. Am reusit pana acum sa gasim solutii mai mereu la probleme logistice sau de organizare, insa cea mai dificila lupta pe care o avem este cu transformarile si trairile noastre. Ca echipa, ca indivizi, ca societate. De acolo a plecat si tema evenimentului de anul acesta, “Metamorphosis”, am constientizat ca trecem prin transformari profunde si vrem sa marcam aceste momente impreuna cu comunitatea noastra.
Este probabil cel mai greu sa iti vezi greselile si sa lucrezi cu tine, sincer si asumat, astfel incat sa poti deveni mai bun, sa poti fi mai performant, sa te ridici la nivelul asteptarilor si nevoilor evenimentului si ale oamenilor care investesc timp si energie in acest proiect.
Sigur, la fiecare eveniment provocarile exterioare se schimba si ne confruntam de fiecare data cu unele diferite, fie ca tin de gasirea celor mai potriviti speakeri fie ca discutam despre obtinerea suportului partenerilor pentru a ne asigura ca putem derula evenimentul la calitatea pe care ne-o dorim. Este un proces constant si unic de invatare, si probabil ca acest lucru ne face pe fiecare dintre noi, cei implicati voluntar in acest eveniment, sa ne intoarcem si sa dam de fiecare data ce este mai bun din noi.
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
We live in such a hectic and fast-paced world that sometimes we feel like everything around is just an infinite list of work and life to-dos. When you’re stressed out it’s even harder to stay focused and to be efficient, it’s more complicated to prioritize, and it’s actually impossible to get things done. Is it really worth it? We think not!
So how do you lay back, relax, and allow your thoughts and tasks to get back in line? Sometimes we might find it very difficult to hit the ‘pause’ button and just go offline for a bit – leaving all emails and reminders behind. Well, we have some options that you might find both useful and fun and that will help with you disconnect!
Have you ever tried to dance it out? Playing your favorite songs and letting your mind and body have some fun? Well, you really should! Problems will seem less pressing, tasks will be left far behind, the mood will be switched to instant-happy, and calories will be burnt! How cool is that?
Talking about cool stuff – what do you think about cultivating your hobby? It might be about reading a book written by your favorite author, half an hour of relaxing yoga, going for a quick run, handcrafting some nice decorations for your cozy home or going out and about to discover new places in your town. Whatever makes you feel like you have all your ducks in a row! This way you can relax while getting better at the things you love most!
Now let’s talk about what’s important in life – food! A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology suggests that people who take time to cook or bake feel more enthusiastic about their pursuits the next day. This doesn’t mean you must be an experienced chef or to follow very complex recipes. Not at all – you can just start by cooking your favorite meal, a tasty snack for a movie night or a tummy-hugging dessert to reward yourself! Whatever you choose, it will make the stress just vanish – trust us!
But just in case you need some inspiration from a Culinary Artist – we have it ready for you at TEDxBucharest11. Charles Michel will take the stage on November 16th and share with you his vision and plans on inspiring solutions for important challenges. And maybe some of his techniques on living a stress-free life! So let’s meet on November 16thand 17th and share ideas worth seeking!
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
What are you thinking of when hearing the word “networking”? Let’s be honest with each other: many of us die a little inside when they hear about it and, when we need to practice it, it’s like the end is coming. But how can we make it easier and more pleasant?
First, you need to change your network filters. Think about an ordinary day at the office – you probably take the same route to your office, drink coffee from the same place, arrive at your designated desk and so on. The same applies to your daily interactions because we, as human beings, tend to decide in less than one second if someone we meet is interesting or not. We recommend you fight the filters you have developed throughout your entire life – take a new path to work, drink your coffee in another place or even go to the bathroom on a different floor. On another level, “force” yourself to talk with people who have different views than you and who don’t look “interesting” from the first moment – they might surprise you.
Going deeper into this subject, we usually forget about one simple and easy opportunity – thanking people for doing us a favor. We are not referring just to the Thank you text, but actually going beyond that – finding a way that you can be useful to them, now or later. Put them first, be aware of their needs and you will surely expand your network without much effort.
Last, but not least, remember that most people feel the same way – they don’t like networking. So, instead of thinking that you are an impostor, you can remind yourself that you are connected with people doing the best they can, who also feel nervous and uncomfortable about approaching strangers.
With TEDxBucharest11 event rapidly approaching, we believe that networking can be reframed to having pleasant conversations, without obligations or fake masks. So, are you open to networking?
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
Recycling is really a thing – promoted worldwide and supported by many. But still not by all! Somehow, it is not part of who we are as human beings and even though very alarming statistics show how badly we’ve damaged the world we live in, we’re still not getting used to reuse and recycle on a daily basis.
Recycling doesn’t only mean throwing our plastic, paper, and glass waste in different specific trash cans and saying no to straws when ordering the next cocktail or lemonade. Has it crossed your mind that you can literally recycle everything you own or use? Let’s take clothes, for example. You can either choose to reuse the stuff you have in order to create new outfits, you can donate them to people in need or to stores that will reuse them to create new items. Or we can talk about your electronic devices. Instead of just keeping your old phone in the drawer of your nightstand, you can give it to someone who might need it if still functional. You can use the buyback programs to return it to the store you bought it from or you can donate the parts that are still good and contribute to the creation of new items or help repair some old ones.
But what if we told you that even the materials you use to build your home, or office building, or shop can be recycled, can be put to better use, can reduce waste, and unnecessary labor? And because you don’t have to take our word for it, we’ve invited the amazing Mariana Popescu to tell you even more about how it can be done. Mariana has been named to MIT Technology Review’s prestigious annual list of Innovators Under 35 as a Pioneer and on Sunday, Nov 17, she’ll be on the TEDxBucharest11 stage to share with you her vision on how to use materials in unusual contexts and how experimentation can be a part of it! See you there!
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
The thought of working for your own interests, being your one and only boss and having the ability to organize your schedule as you want might sound really nice and cool, but the ugly truth is that being an entrepreneur is more than that. Here’s a kind reminder: many businesses fail. Before risking all your savings and quitting your stable job, you might need to ask yourself some hard but necessary questions.
First, are you willing to be financially responsible of your own business? Many people are used to receive paychecks, not to create them, so you need to ensure that you are mentally prepared for all the paperwork that comes with owning a business. The next question goes hand in hand with the first one: are you ready to sell?Because you are in charge of what happens with your business, you need to generate revenue by actively seeking investors, employees and most important – clients. And talking about selling – what’s your attitude towards the idea of taking risks? If you like a comfortable path and a cozy office, the entrepreneurial life might not be the right thing for you. It’s true that you can’t know all the risks from the beginning, but we believe it’s important to know at least how you feel about taking them in business. Finally, one of the most important and tough question for every future entrepreneur: are you comfortable with failure, including the public one? If your business succeeds, you are a rock star, keep up the good work! But what if it fails? Think about a back-up plan and what would you do in such a situation.
Nowadays, we tend to romanticize entrepreneurship. However, before you run into this chaos, take some time, talk with people and find out if this life is the right one for you. Some of our TEDxBucharest11 speakers have amazing entrepreneurial stories and they are willing to spread their ideas, so come and meet them!
photography & retouch: Bogdan Mocanu, Oana Bardan - thebucharests.ro
