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Seize the moment, embrace challenges, and take charge of your learning journey.
TEDx encourages people to share innovative ideas, forge connections, and inspire profound discussions. This year’s speakers convened for TEDx Sugar Land at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Center, touching on themes such as innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), health, well-being, and change management. Attendees included devoted volunteers, partners, and sponsors who contributed their time, energy, and talents to inspire civic engagement and become pioneering leaders.
President Faisal Momin of the Ismaili Council for the Southwest delivered opening remarks, reiterating the event's theme of “Unleashing the Future: Today's Ideas in Action,” and expressing his gratitude to the partners, the City of Sugar Land and the University of Houston, for their shared commitment to celebrating ideas that truly matter.”
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Lidia Molinara, a pharmacist and public speaker, urged attendees to become the superheroes of their healthcare journeys, encouraging the practice of ACE - Advocate, Communicate and Educate- in best practices to research, learn, and employ right-to-question processes, procedures, and prescriptions. “The power to protect is within you,” said Molinara. “You are the superhero of your healthcare journey.”
Sam Kabert, Author of the #1 bestseller “SOUL/Life Balance,” continued in this vein, emphasizing the importance of mental health. Recognizing the powerful tool identified by Dr. Jill Taylor, the 90-second rule, the event’s speakers reminded the audience that emotions have energy: breathe to gain perspective, pause to feel that energy, and think intentionally to allow 90 seconds to pass any overwhelming energy.
Dr. Deepika Gorji, who has worked in the oil and gas industry and now an aspiring author, shared her experiences and recommended a mantra to live by: “Survive, Learn, and Move on,” encouraging the audience to have the courage to experience life, take risks, and persevere to overcome challenges.
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The session ended with an inspiring talk from Avva Thach, highlighting the negative impact of unguarded AI introductions and how to bridge cultural representation through AI platforms to avoid issues with biased exclusion. Ms. Thach is an international consultant and author of “Decisive Leadership.”
The event left a lasting impact on the attendees, empowering them to recognize their potential and take charge of their choices. The speakers challenged them to break free from limiting beliefs, explore new learning styles, and seize new opportunities.
Echoing the sentiment of feeling empowered by the session, Tommy Kuykendall, an attendee, provided insights into the session. “ In his presentation, Ryan mentioned that when we are outside of our comfort zone, we learn the most. I couldn’t agree more. Being in my mid-50s, he made me think about continual learning. I recently started to train for my private pilot license but was apprehensive about learning later in life. He inspired me to set new learning goals and to pursue those at any age.”
Another attendee, Irfan Motiwala, said, “High-quality speakers, through masterful storytelling, gave me powerful and useful insights into human behavior.”
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