It’s time to wake up to the fact that the current state of work isn’t working. The future of work won’t be better if we don’t do things differently. But how do we shift the way we work? Social entrepreneur, Joe Mechlinski, believes that by humanizing the workplace, we can change the way we work and live. The reality is that the future of work begins with you. In this mesmerizing talk, Joe will inspire you to think differently about the future of work, take back your power, and embrace your role in shaping a workplace that works for you. Joe Mechlinski, Founder and CEO of SHIFT and New York Times bestselling author, wants to change the way we work to transform the way we live. At SHIFT, a tech-enabled management consulting firm nationally recognized as a ‘Best Workplace,’ Joe helps leaders build healthy and high-performing organizations by disrupting outdated norms, building engaged teams, and using technology to unlock human potential. Passionate about equity in the workplace, Joe is a partner at Conscious Venture Partners: a group that invests in minority and female-founded businesses. 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 American election system is complicated, to say the least -- but voting is one of the most tangible ways that each of us can shape our communities. How can we rebuild public trust in the American election system and move toward a more transparent, accountable and inclusive democracy? Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission and current President of the nonpartisan organization Campaign Legal Center Trevor Potter and journalist Jane Mayer share a frank conversation about what’s needed to advance democracy and fight for every American’s right to participate in the democratic process. Trevor Potter is one of the nation's best-known and most experienced campaign and election lawyers. He is the President of the Campaign Legal Center, a former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, and counsel to several Presidential campaigns. The American Bar Association Journal has described Trevor Potter as “hands-down one of the top lawyers in the country on the delicate intersection of politics, law and money.” During the 2020 election season, Trevor was named to the cross-partisan National Task Force on Election Crises. He is a member of the DC Bar and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. Jane Mayer is the chief Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, where she covers politics, culture, and national security. Previously, she worked at the The Wall Street Journal where she covered the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, the Gulf War, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1984, she became that paper’s first female White House correspondent. Jane is the author of four best-selling books including “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right,” which in 2016 the Times named as one of the ten best books of the year. 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

While others are looking up, Chelsea Ritter-Soronen is looking down. For Chelsea, the pavement beneath our feet is the most underrated canvases in the world. In this delightful and charming talk, Chelsea explores the unknown history of pavement art as a vehicle for placemaking and protest. You will learn about the various types of pavement art: chalk art and painted, and then in the form of memorial, beautification, protest, expression, campaigning, community connections and education. Chelsea will help you become inspired by the very ground you walk, drive, bike and roll on, and understand its full potential to connect our communities and world. Chelsea Ritter-Soronen is a multi-disciplinary visual artist living and working in Washington, D.C. When not creating large scale murals, Chelsea Ritter-Soronen stays busy with Chalk Riot, her pavement art business that specializes in chalked street art and semipermanent ground murals. Formally trained by scenic artists and informally trained by graffiti artists, Chelsea's murals often combine trompe l'oeil elements with modern playful twists. 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

Team USA Rugby player Ilona Maher shares the highs and lows of competing in the Olympics, and how she used the social media app TikTok to document her journey by giving the world a behind the scenes look at life in the Olympic Village. Ilona Maher is a Professional Rugby Player who recently represented the USA at the Tokyo Olympics. While there, she shared her journey on Tik Tok and became a viral sensation through her witty commentary and insightful view into the Olympic Village. Originally from Burlington, Vermont, Ilona received her Bachelors of Nursing from Quinnipiac University. Two weeks after graduating, she decided to pursue her Olympic dream and focus solely on rugby. She has become very open about her struggles with mental health after the Olympic Games and is a champion for Women’s Empowerment. 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

NOTE FROM TED: TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf How do you transport people during the pandemic from their home to the beaches of Bora Bora or to a rainy evening in Seattle so that they feel the peace and joy of a vacation? And how, in doing so, do business founders create multi-million-dollar global brands? The answer lies with Mei’s story on applying design thinking to everyday mundane products. Her theory is that the most ordinary products people use cannot deliver the perfect solution unless more innovation and passion driven businesses make them more desirable and enjoyable, while providing better sustainability, local jobs, and more thoughtful consumption! As the new consumers look for transparency, transformative experiences and meaning social connections, this is a moment to explore such opportunities! Mei Xu is a Chinese American entrepreneur. The founder and CEO of three global companies, Yes She May, BlissLiving Home® and Chesapeake Bay Candle®. Xu successfully negotiated the sale of Chesapeake Bay Candle to Newell Brands in 2017, a conglomerate with a $14 billion portfolio of consumer goods. Mei is now focused on helping women-owned consumer product companies grow and prosper with the Yes She May product platform. 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

In recent years, the United States has witnessed a significant rise of domestic extremist political movements, seen most clearly in the uptick in violent attacks from supporters. At the heart of this growing political polarization and mainstreaming of extremist beliefs is the internet. Jared Holt has spent countless hours in some of the darkest places on the internet, exploring the scope and nature of domestic extremism in order to help develop long-term strategies to respond to and counteract its resulting violence. In his research, he has critically examined how the design of social media platforms has fueled the rise in domestic extremism. In this powerful talk, he shares his ideas on how we can combat extremism’s threat to our democracy. Jared Holt is a senior research manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, where he researches domestic extremist movements in the United States and their usage of the internet. His