At age 16, Reginald Dwayne Betts was sentenced to nine years in prison. He turned to books to help hold onto his sanity — and developed a belief that we find what we look for, even in the toughest places. Now a lawyer and poet, he’s opened hundreds of Freedom Libraries inside prisons across the US, putting books he once dreamed of reading into the hands of incarcerated people. In this profound talk, he makes the case that hope is something people pass on to one another. “We put millions of people in prison. I would put millions of books inside,” he says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vigilance. Grit. Resilience. Valerie Montgomery Rice, the president and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine, shares where she learned these key qualities of successful leadership, offering three lessons for anyone who wants to overcome their fears, stand up for what’s right and build opportunity for all.(This episode originally aired in 2024.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are we so obsessed with productivity? Horticulturist Rebecca McMackin (who wants people to let their lawns grow wild) and author Catherine Price (who wrote a book about the power of fun) come together to discuss the relief of giving up control. From growing milkweed to taking up unproductive hobbies, they dig into the benefits of rest — and why doing something for its own sake shouldn’t need defending. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For more than two decades, sleep health educator Lindsay Scola attributed her never-ending exhaustion to long hours and demanding jobs. When she was diagnosed with narcolepsy, she finally got the wake-up call that transformed her life. In this rousing talk, she discusses the epidemic of undiagnosed sleep disorders and encourages you to ask yourself: Is your tiredness different? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does healing look like for a refugee child? That’s the question educational leader Erum Mariam asked when her team built the humanitarian “play labs”: small, welcoming spaces where children displaced from their homes can play and reconnect with what they lost. From songs and dances to games and art they remember from home, Mariam shows how making space for kids to play brings back confidence and joy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.