TEDxToronto 2015 | Thresholds
Canada’s largest TEDx event is just around the corner. 2015 marks the seventh year of TEDxToronto, a day celebrating great orators by giving them a “…platform for exceptional ideas, and a catalyst for profound change.” NSB has a strong affiliation with the TED/TEDx organization over the years. Several of our thought-leading speaker have been featured on stage as well as many of our staff members volunteering their time behind the scenes. This year our National Marketing Manager Jaime Heinke is bringing her expertise to the organization as a Project Manager for the Marketing team. We’re excited to have one of our most requested and inspirational exclusive speakers hitting the stage: 
Natalie Panek | Rocket Scientist & Advocate for Women in Technology
Natalie has been having quite a year as she continues to pursue the road less travelled while working towards her dream of becoming an astronaut. In a year where she was featured on both Forbes and Flare Magazine 30 Under 30 lists, Natalie has worked tirelessly in her quest to motivate young women to embrace technology and pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. Last month she was one of our featured speakers at #NSBest Toronto where she inspired our audience with her story of perseverance. Natalie discussed the obstacles she faced on her journey across North America as the first female driver of the University of Calgary’s inaugural solar powered vehicle. She was also candid in discussing how she overcame rejection en route to getting a coveted intern position with NASA. Here’s some highlights from her talk:
She recently sat down with SheHeros, an organization that empowers young girls of all backgrounds to dream big, explore their interests and passionately pursue nontraditional careers. Natalie shared her advice for young women looking to follow their dreams:
“Dream big and dare to achieve the impossible.”
You can catch Natalie’s TEDx presentation October 22nd at Koerner Hall in Toronto. Check out her official TEDxToronto Teaser clip:
TEDxToronto has been the launching pad for some of our most requested keynote speakers. Our three most-viewed TEDxToronto speakers have collectively nearly 2 million YouTube views of their presentations:
Mark Henick | Mental Health Advocate | TEDxToronto 2013
Mark’s ‘Why we choose suicide’ was the highest viewed talk from the 2013 event – currently with over 1.4 million YouTube views. Diagnosed with depression and an anxiety disorder following his first suicide attempt in the eighth grade, it was not long before Mark discovered the profound opportunity for advocacy through recovery. His moving talk shares his incredible journey.
“I know that there’s a hope somewhere deep inside you. I felt it too. Keep that hope alive. We need you. We need you to be leaders in this conversation, whether we are ready to have it or not. And trust me, if you’re anything like me it’s this conversation that’s going to keep you alive every single day as though you’ve got just one more day.”
–Mark Henick
Barbara Arrowsmith-Young | Pioneer in Neuroplasticity | TEDxToronto 2012
Her talk ‘The Woman Who Changed Her Brain’ has over 485,000 YouTube views so far. It covers the personal and the universal. The personal is Barbara’s journey of discovery driven by her hunt for a solution to her own debilitating learning disorders leading to the integration of two lines of neuroscience research. The universal is that we all have a brain, and by furthering our knowledge of how our brain shapes us through mediating our understanding of the world we can gain insight into our functioning and that of others.
Dave Meslin | Community Catalyst| TEDxToronto 2010
Dave’s “Redefining Apathy” talk has gained over 32,000 YouTube views. Local politics — schools, zoning, council elections — hit us where we live. So why don’t more of us actually get involved? Is it apathy? Dave Meslin says no. He identifies 7 barriers that keep us from taking part in our communities, even when we truly care.
Other notable TEDxToronto presentations including Trey Anthony’s “Coming Out of Your Box“, Bruce Poon Tip‘s “Beyond the Triple Bottom Line“, Sol Guy‘s “How To Be Powerful“, Gavin Sheppard‘s “Creative Education“, Darrell Bricker‘s “The big shift – understanding the new Canadian“, Matthew Good‘s “Balancing mental health and genius“, Gabrielle Scrimshaw’s “A brighter future through indigenous prosperity“, Dr. Brian Goldman‘s “Redefining the Practice of Medicine“, David Miller‘s “Redefining Citizenship“, Heather Jarvis and Sonya JF Barnett’s “The Spread of Infected Language” and Dr Joseph Cafazzo‘s Patient, Heal Thyself“.