WE ARE TOMORROW’S PAST.— Mary Webb

We explore the unknown and explore many windows, if only to catch a glimpse of our own tomorrows.

// 2015

Portland

PortlandSPEAKERSJon Wexler

Vidya Spandana

Karen Gaffney

G Douglas Bundy

Linda Smith

Fawn Weaver

Maurice Conti

Benji Wagner

Gregory Gourdet

Cameron Smith, PhD

Jenna Nicholas

Kent Thornburg, PhD

Regina Ellis

Amber Starks

Daniel Wilson, PhD

Speech

Renny Gleeson

PERFORMERS The von Trapps

Jacob Miller & The Bridge City Crooners

Con Bro Chill

// 2015 IDL Attendees

Portland

Portland

Bryan HumphreysLisa KlupengerAli Werner Lauren Wimmer Jason Petredis Jenny Shirk

Kimberly Brandt

Kara Burke

Brian EylerMax Kretschmer Paul Leser Charlie AllenKari Rowell

Jeff BrummerBrian Madden

THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT.— Peter Drucker

TEDx PDX 2015 not only exceeded my expectations but also re-set my mind and forced me to take a hard look at myself and where I am headed tomorrow.

My favorite speaker of the day was Benji Wagner - the founder of Poler Outdoor Stuff, here in Portland, OR. He began his comical speech talking about the great outdoors and how lucky we are here to be surrounded by epic outdoor activities I too often take for granted - the Oregon coast, Mt. Hood, and the Columbia River Gorge. He expressed how too often people are “Phrozen ™” by technology - allowing themselves to be hindered by their phone instead of using it as a resource. He explained how “Modern technology is a tool that can help us reconnect with the natural world.” This really resonated with me. Future Ali won’t be caught “Phrozen ™” by technology. Instead I will use technology to fill my own tomorrow with friends, nature, and adventures.

ALI WERNER

This year, there were a lot of talks that resonated with me on so many different levels. For me there was an underlying theme about how if we were to learn to be more honest in how we feel, speak, and how we see other people, we can have more love in our lives.

Fawn Weaver, of the www.happywivesclub.com, said to always go with your first honest emotion. Take the time to really see how you feel about things before you speak. And always speak in a loving way, because you never know if you’ll be able to have another conversation with that person again. We never know if we will have a tomorrow, so take the time to be calm and loving in your responses to others, even if angry, so you have no regrets and you don’t hurt the ones you love.

“The best time to love with your whole heart is always now, in this moment, because no breath beyond the current is promised.” — Fawn Weaver

LISA KLUPENGER

Two speakers that impacted me the most were Karen Gaffney and Speech, from the iconic group Arrested Development. Karen shared her story of growing up having Down Syndrome. Karen shattered every stereotype one may have previously had about this medical mystery. Karen spoke with passion, further sharing several personal accomplishments in life such as her open water long distance swimming. More importantly than providing a heart warming story, Karen gave scientific insight into Down Syndrome. Karen was clear in her message of “every life counts” and is living proof of that. You could feel the emotion in the air when every person in attendance gave Karen a standing ovation.

The second most impactful moment for me was hearing Speech talk about the time in his life, the hardships and lessons learned in his past. During that time is when he took the pen to paper and crafted the lyrics to many of his songs. Hearing these snippets of stories and then hearing him sing the songs that were created from these moments in life was incredible.

JASON PETREDIS

One of the most inspiring takeaways from TEDxPortland was that everyone has the power to change tomorrow. The speakers that stood out the most to me all had experienced tragedies in their lives. Rather than being defined by these events, they used them to bring positive change to tomorrow.

Regina Ellis, Chief Joy Officer of the Children’s Cancer Association, lost her 6-year-old daughter to cancer. Since then, Regina has dedicated her life to helping other children battling cancer. It was inspiring to hear her talk about the Joy Effect. Through friendship, play, and music, Regina is able to bring joy to children to help them fight against devastating illness.

“The practice of joy changes lives.” — Regina Ellis

KARI ROWELL

JENNY SHIRK

Speech!

KARI ROWELL

I loved it when Speech entered the

room singing.

BRIAN EYLER

When crowd gave Karen Gaffney

standing ovation.

FAVORITE TEDX MOMENT

BRIAN MADDEN

A tie. I was blown away by of the musical acts: The von Trapps and

Con Bro Chill

KIMBERLY BRANDT

Con Bro Chill energizing the

crowd after lunch

JEFF BRUMMER

“…The world needs more kid made things.”

— G Douglas Bundy

LAUREN WIMMER

The variety of speakers, all connected by

the same theme of tomorrow.

PAUL LESER

When Speech started singing the next the end of a spoken sentence.

ALI WERNER

Speech’s Speech!

One of my favorite takeaways from this year’s TEDxPortland was from G Douglas Bundy. His perspective on giving kids the power to teach themselves; that we learn as peers and not as teacher to student was both uplifting and enlightening.

Part of his speech centered around letting kids program their own games via the web, and after doing so; letting other kids be inspired by what the initial kid had done. “Another kid made this?” was the reply…making education a kind of impromptu competition to out do/challenge one another. Its an entirely new take on learning, and one that completely turns the norms of memorizing & testing on its head.

Super refreshing.

Oh, and his Dad built an X wing fighter in their back yard. Also super refreshing. Learn with your kids and in turn you will learn infinitely.

JEFF BRUMMER

“When a phone freezes you, you’re “Phrozen ™.” — Benji Wagner, co-founder of Polar

In Benji Wagner’s talk, he spoke about how technology and social media influence not only our culture, but begin to modifiy our human behavior. It seems we’re always looking at our phones. When checking our instagram feeds, do we become inspired to live better, more fufilling lives? “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou Even though technology can help connect us, it’s easy to overdo it sometimes. When I find myself with glazed eyes looking at Instagram I think back to Benji’s talk.

BRIAN EYLER

One speaker, Karen Gaffney, had a truly amazing story and moral to share. Karen is an adult woman living with Down Syndrome. She has the most miraculous way of turning her challenges into her strengths. Her point was that all lives matter, and seeing the potential and value in people is simply a matter of perspective. Her presentation captivated the entire audience, and you could almost feel the perspectives of the listeners shifting. The musical numbers were very fun, and kept the program from stagnating into continual lectures. The final speaker, Speech from the band Arrested Development, finished the event with a powerful message of Spirit. He had an intense way of communicating the idea about how to nourish your inner drive, and manifest your truer spirit into action. The great takeaway from the event was a new perspective. It was a great way to open yourself up to see interesting things from another point of view, and in turn, accomplish another level of understanding.

PAUL LESER

KARI ROWELL

Overwhelmed & Inspired

LAUREN WIMMER

Inspired

KIMBERLY BRANDT

Inspired for the future

THE FEELING YOU GET

AFTER TEDX

BRIAN EYLER

Excited

JEFF BRUMMER

Mind=Blown

ALI WERNER

Motivated

JENNY SHIRK

Overwhelmed with the wisdom, knowledge and

feeling of community that was shared.

PAUL LESER

Inspired

BRIAN MADDEN

Both emotionally overcome and

incredibly inspired.

Being my first TEDxPortland, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was an amazing day of knowledge, community and wisdom. With a theme of tomorrow tying into a diverse field of topics. Making me re-evaluate what tomorrow looks like for myself, and stepping through the doors with a fresh perspective and open mind.

Two quotes, I keep going back to:

“We are the last ones that can remember life before the Internet, and we’re doing it wrong.” — Benji WagnerTechnology is a tool and when we get Phrozen, we’re using it wrong. Step past a technology screen and enjoy what is around you.

“All lives matter, regardless of the chromosome count.” — Karen Gaffney Hearing about all the obstacles Karen has surpassed with grace, passion and never listening to anyone’s doubt is a great reminder that every life has value and every life matters. Max your potential.

JENNY SHIRK

Until attending TEDxPortland 2015, I looked at space travel and the industry surrounding it as something reserved only for highly-funded government organizations, or wildly wealthy innovators and investors. But Dr. Cameron Smith, a Portland-based archaeologist and PSU anthropology faculty member, has skyrocketed into that sector. His goal is providing humans the ability to explore the final frontier in ever-lighter, more affordable bonafide space suits. He’s effectively breaking down a barrier to entry in a world that’s very pay-to-play. His company, Pacific Spaceflight, seeks to give “humanity an insurance policy by making space access, and eventual settlement, cheaper and easier by democratizing space access.” To put it in numbers, a standard issue NASA space suit runs about $12 million. Cameron’s costs $2000, and he’s been working on dropping $1000 off the price tag. As Wired puts it, “he’s a making a DIY Space Suit for the 99 Percent.” His product better be reliable, because he’s the one doing the high-altitude testing! I admire that Cameron Smith is taking the future into his own hands, and I’m inspired by the way he’s charting the course of history with ingenuity, creativity and a little thriftiness.

BRIAN MADDEN

I’m so glad I was able to attend this year’s TEDxPortland. There were a handful of speakers that were inspirational to me, but Karen Gaffney’s message at TEDxPortland was the one that resonated with me the most.

Karen is a long-distance swimmer, a public speaker and has down-syndrome. Her message was emotional, simple and so filled with hope: everyone deserves a life. With a chance, those with disabilities can have just as much of an impact on this world as anyone else. She was educational. She spoke from her experiences and from her whole heart. I didn’t think I would leave the event impacted in such a way. But I did!

KARA BURKE

BENJI WAGNER [POLER FOUNDER]

Benji’s message was that modern technology is a tool that helps us reconnect to the natural world. His success in the outdoor industry gave him valuable insight into the importance of using technology to fully engage with nature. I liked that Benji talked about how great technology is when we use it to inspire us. But, too often technology is the reason we miss out on life experiences. We are frozen by our phones, or Phrozen, and completely checked out of what’s happening around us. Benji would say we aren’t using technology correctly when that happens. He said we should use our phones to help us have an experience that changes our lives. That completely changed how I view my access and use of technology. Instead of withdrawing and watching cat videos, what if I used technology to strengthen my connection with my surroundings? My main takeaway was that technology shouldn’t prevent us from fully engaging, but should enhance our ability to explore and communicate, being fully connected to our environment. #garyrulessohard

LAUREN WIMMER

JENNY SHIRK

“Give yourself permission to fail forward” — Jon Wexler

TEDX FORTUNE COOKIE

BRIAN EYLER

Choose your own adventure

KIMBERLY BRANDT

The harder the fall, the higher

the bounce

JEFF BRUMMER

It all matters

KARI ROWELL

“Be the mirror” — Gregory Gourdet

LAUREN WIMMER

Today is yesterday’s tomorrow.

ALI WERNER

“Be who you are. Permit yourself to fail”

— Jon Wexler

PAUL LESER

Life lessons and ice cream.

BRIAN MADDEN

Diversify your thoughts.

— John Cage

I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE ARE FRIGHTENED OF NEW IDEAS. I’M FRIGHTENED OF THE OLD ONES.

// 2015 IDL Featured Artists

Portland

Portland

Brian Madden

Brian Madden and Kara Burke were both selected as featured artists in the TEDxPortland takeaway book. This perfect bound book celebrates Year 5 of TEDxPortland and features over 60 local artists.

Kara Burke

DOGS IN SPACE Kara Burke

CONTAINED LIFE Brian Madden