Your mind is a stallion - learn to ride it.

When Cat Williams was ten years old she experienced a near fatal bike accident which left her physically scarred for life. Fast forward 35 years and Cat now knows that what led to the events of that fateful day was her desire to “fit in”, to make her friends like her. As an adult and a trained clinical hypnotherapist, Cat now understands that rejection is the biggest fear among the human population. It is this deep-rooted fear which leads to the lack of self-esteem, negative thought patterns and limiting behaviours that hold many people back from reaching their true capabilities. Cat now works with people of all ages to free them of their lack of confidence by teaching them how to work with their minds. She uses her knowledge, clinical and personal experience and professional training to help others achieve their highest potential. In this TEDx talk, Cat explains how your subconscious mind can be viewed like a Stallion. Left to roam wild it can be very destructive. But if you, as the rider, can learn to calm and control that stallion, its potential for achievement is endless. Cat is a clinical hypnotherapist, transformational therapist, author and keynote speaker.

Can education really close the advantage gap?

Professor Eunice Simmons leads the University of Chester as Vice-Chancellor, Chief Executive, Professor of Sustainable Environments, and Chair of Mersey Forest Partnership and of the national charity TASO: Transforming, Access and Student Outcomes. She is committed to delivering the university’s Citizen Student strategy, whilst ensuring the university delivers social value and economic uplift in Chester and in its University Centres in Warrington, Birkenhead and Shrewsbury. Widening participation to higher education has been a great success in the UK. The focus has now shifted to exploring whether studying a degree really can close the socio-economic advantage gap which appears to be stubbornly persistent beyond university. Using examples from Chester, the Purpose Coalition and from TASO: Transforming Access and Student Outcomes, Professor Simmons’s talk explores the positive role employers can play in supporting university graduates into fulfilling and rewarding careers.

Creative Health- A joke or valuable learning experience

Professor Victoria Ridgway is a Professor of Nursing, and is currently, the Associate Dean in the Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Society at the University of Chester. Having been a qualified nurse since 1993, she worked in acute care before becoming a lecturer in 2003. Upon completing an MA in Gerontology in 2002, Victoria’s passion and interest were ignited to further study the field of ageing and later life, which led to her achieving her PhD with a thesis titled – “Visual Perceptions of Ageing”. At present, she considers herself a pedagogic researcher as her current research work, in partnership with the Philip Barker Centre for Creative Learning, focuses on the development and evaluation of a creative health placement. Thus, in her talk, she will share with the audience why creative health is important to the general population, its approaches and activities which have benefits for our health and wellbeing, and how this is being taught to Nursing students at the university. Here, Victoria will shed light on how creative health is available in any setting and how it can contribute to the prevention of ill health, promotion of healthy behaviours, management of long term conditions, and treatment and recovery across the life course. By sharing conducted pilot placement research, she will provide further insight into the feedback and rich data gained from this.

People Power

Cel Spellman — an actor, presenter, and proud ambassador for numerous wildlife and conservation charities which include the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), The Wildlife Trusts, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Young People's Trust for the Environment, and many more. On this platform, Cel will delve into how an individual’s influence can bring about change and highlight how global warming has affected our environment today. Cel is keen to share the wondrous works of individuals who brought an impact and encourage the audience to bring about change in their own lives too.

Memes, Streams and Never Having to Ask How You Are: Social Media and Mental Health

Professor Andrew Reeves — Professor of Counselling Professions and Mental Health, a Senior Accredited counsellor, psychotherapist, coach, and registered social worker specialising in mental health. With keen interests in how to enable individuals to seek out and get access to mental health support, Andrew delves further into the ways individuals work together and support those experiencing suicidal crisis, as well as methods in equipping oneself with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have conversations about suicide and risks. Thus, the emergence of a discourse about mental health on social media and whether it helps or hinders more meaningful conversations will be explored in his TEDx talk. Here, Andrew will encourage audiences to reflect about their personal use of social media, and how or if they have helped engage loved ones, friends, or colleagues in conversations about mental health.

Hypo-Visibility vs Hyper-Visibility: A Double-Edged Sword

Chiedza Ikpeh is a Zimbabwean-born education activist dedicated to driving meaningful change across the education landscape and beyond. With a rich academic background spanning Psychology and Human Resource Management, she is currently the Director of the RARA Education Project, an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Consultant, a podcast host, a Doctoral Researcher, and a Multi-Academy Trustee Director. Combined with her doctoral research, expertise, experience, and passion, Chiedza's talk will delve into the intricate dynamics surrounding the visibility and representation of ethnically minoritised individuals or groups, in the workplace and wider society. Here, she will explore the profound impact of being either “hypo-visible” or “hyper-visible”, the positive and negative consequences of these states of visibility and challenge the audience’s preconceptions about representation and recognition. Though representation is undeniable, Chiedza will reveal the often-overlooked challenges and drawbacks that individuals and communities face on both ends of the visibility spectrum. Thus, inspiring all to reflect on their perceptions of visibility, representation, and the broader implications for social equity and inclusion.

Rethinking Time: Why a 4-Day Work Week is the Future of Work

Dr. Dale Whelehan is a Social Entrepreneur and Doctor of Behavioural Sciences who graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. Dale became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the not-for-profit organisation 4 Day Week Global that aims to create a million new years of free time. In his talk, he will challenge the narrative to encourage individuals to embrace change for the creation of a sustainable, equal, and prosperous future for all. By allowing listeners to consider how the simple act of reducing work hours can unleash a tidal wave of transformation across the world and make a testament through 4-Day Weeks in commitments to use time wisely whilst valuing precious moments.

Breaking the 'Us and Them' Barrier

Dr. Michelle Pretorius is an esteemed lecturer, researcher, theatre creator, and performer of musical theatre who specialises in the academic study of musical theatre, contextual studies, as well as vocal technique and coaching. Within her research, she focuses on musical theatre within the realm of popular culture and celebrity culture’s effect on the field of musical theatre. Through her talk, Michelle will explore a world that is divided by the “Us and Them” mentality which disallows us to understand each other and appreciate the beauty and power of each other's unique contributions through difference. She will share examples and stories from her own experience as part of her talk. Here, she is keen to offer people the opportunity to open themselves up to seeing through another's eyes and stepping into another's shoes to bring a common understanding between all people.

Future of Work

Professor Michal Izak is a Professor of Organisation Studies at the University of Chester, an editorial board member of Organization Studies and an Associate Editor of Management Learning. With his extensive career journey and expertise, Michal’s talk about the 'Future of Work' will revolve around three core themes - work mobility/flexibility, automation, and space. He will explore whether the increasing importance of remote and flexible forms of work, which are changing the landscape of where and how we work, especially after Covid-19 pandemic mean the end of the office as we know it. He will also delve into how automation of work and the use of AI affect our jobs, but also into how the pace and selectiveness of technology adoption may be dictated by non-technological reasons. Finally, he will discuss how our various working spaces, be it office, home or virtual spaces, have recently been reshaped, and what these changes mean for how we interact with our spaces of work. Altogether, Michal believes that these three axis of reshaping work augur a change how individuals perform and even conceptualize work, and that this change will largely favour those who are prepared for it.

Achieving Industrial Decarbonisation: The Case of the North West.

Eleanor Lewis is a third-year PhD student studying the role of socioeconomics on industrial decarbonisation at the University of Chester, on the organising committee for the Postgraduate Research Conference programme, and one of the student deputy chairs for the Office for Students on the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) panel. Alongside her PhD, Eleanor has worked as a consultant on several decarbonisation projects, including ones for the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre, and the Welsh Assembly on their Net Zero Scenarios. At this year's TEDx, Eleanor’s talk will revolve around her current research that focuses on adopting carbon capture and storage technology, socioeconomics concerning how the industry can improve access to multiple factors in a community, and the possibilities of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from heavy industries and improving the lives of people in a decarbonised society. Here, she aims to help everyone gain a better understanding of the UK's response to the climate crisis as she believes positive steps are being taken on everyone’s doorstep which they can be a part of. With passion and determination, she will leave audiences with an interest in industrial decarbonisation, a grasp on how a career in heavy industry, manufacturing, or oil and gas does not always bring a negative impact on the environment, and that being part of change can harbour both environmental and socioeconomic benefits.

Building Sustainable Future Through EdTech

Aliu Toluwani Victor is one of the driving forces behind the Upsurge Foundation, an NGO dedicated to fostering global leaders among the youth through the African Royal Leadership Fellowship bootcamp, as well as the Aliu Empowerment program which offers tuition-free scholarships to numerous secondary and tertiary schools since 2022. With a passion for empowering the younger generation worldwide, he strives to make lasting impacts with multifaceted approaches and initiatives that focus on youth empowerment, leadership development, problem-solving skills, and entrepreneurship.

At TEDxUoChester, Aliu will call audiences to action by urging them to join the collective effort in shaping a brighter future. Here, he aims to break the chains of inequality whilst leaving audiences with thoughts of empowerment, possibility, and a vision of a world where EdTech and design thinking unlock the potential of individuals. Whether through volunteering, supporting educational initiatives, or advocating for inclusivity policies, Aliu’s talk will inspire individuals to take concrete steps toward building a sustainable future and in becoming a catalyst for positive change in their spheres of influence.

What Is Your Blind Spot?

Throughout her career, Kate Manton has travelled extensively and worked in a number of countries leading Project Management and Operations Teams in the Market Research Industry. Currently taking a break in her career, Kate is looking to the next steps in her profession and is currently involved in book writing and publishing. With much of her childhood spent in Africa, Zambia-born Kate currently resides in North Wales with her husband, Colt. With her experiences, she is keen to promote open and transparent discussions around topics that can be considered polarising and complicated in our world, in order that individuals can have informative discussions before making opinions. As an example of this, Kate is going to explore the differing viewpoints on the topic of wildlife hunting in Africa that is happening on both a large, uncontrolled scale through poaching, and more controlled through conservation. Many hold the opinion that wildlife hunting is unacceptable under any circumstances. Kate is going to talk to differing sides of this emotional topic, in the hope that the audience will leave with an understanding or even appreciation of certain rationales and arguments for both sides. 

Celebrating diversity by including everyone for a stronger society

Dr. Chandrika Devarakonda is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Chester. She is passionate for issues related to inclusion and diversity. This talk will enable audiences to relate to inclusion and diversity from their professional and personal perspective, where she will discuss the importance of focussing on the strengths of individuals, through models such as the wheel of inclusion, as well as raised awareness of diversity through the process of unlearning and relearning. This talk will enable the audience to understand that everyone has strengths and to develop an understanding that diversity is not homogenous.

Ethical Horizons: AI Explorations and Exploitations

Patrycjusz Szubryt specializes in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning within the finance industry, product development, and leadership. Flourishing in high-stakes initiatives, he demonstrates a knack for steering ground-breaking technologies across diverse industries. With an Executive Certification in AI Leadership from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and also being a Research Group Team Leader in the Centre for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), Patrycjusz’s passion for knowledge has now taken him on the journey to pursue a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) with a focus on the identification of the potential strategy for improving AI introduction in UK organisations.

Thus, in his talk, Patrycjusz will take his experience and research to explore the intricate landscape of Ethical AI with audiences, whilst delving into its pivotal aspects: transparency, explain-ability, and responsibility. With the use of real-world examples, he will dissect the delicate balance between exploration and exploitation so as to leave the audience with a deeper understanding and encouragement to explore the ethical implementation of AI within their organizations. Ultimately, providing everyone with a foundation for continuously asking the question: “Am I doing the right thing?”.