TEDxStanleyPark 2016 took place in Vancouver on Saturday, May 28, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and featured over a dozen inspirational speakers.
In 2018, TEDxStanley Park takes place on March 3.
Click TEDxStanley Park 2018 for details.
2016 Speakers for TEDx Stanley Park
TEDxStanleyPark speakers in 2016 included self-made millionaires, BC’s youngest ever MLA, the first openly gay leader of a major national religious organization, some of Vancouver’s top business coaches and personal mentors, and phenomenal public speakers that motivated, captivated and inspired their audiences.
In 2017 the speakers spoke on a wide range of topics, including everything from business success and entrepreneurship to modern-day slavery, technology, loneliness, the collaborative economy, finances, sex, bed bugs and world happiness.
The presentation topics and speakers for 2016 are listed below.
Iman Aghay: Marketing & Networking Specialist
Iman Aghay has an impressive business and marketing background, being the founder of Success Road Academy – one of the largest marketing information training centres in the world – and the founder of the largest small business networking Meetup group in Canada – the Vancouver Business Network. Iman Aghay has also been named one of Canada’s Top 25 Immigrants by the People’s Choice Awards.
Through his work with the Success Road Academy Aghay has taught thousands of business owners in his seminars, webinars, group coaching and one on one coaching sessions.
Click Iman Aghay for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Maureen McGrath: Sexual Health Radio Host
Maureen McGrath is the radio host of the CKNW Sunday Night Sex Show and a registered nurse specializing in sexual health for both men and women.
In a world where many marriages end in divorce and 20% are sexless, McGrath talked about why lust has been lost and ways to get it back in marriage, about the importance of sexual health, and how to make relationships the best they can be. Health and relationships matter!
Click Maureen McGrath for a video of her 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Gary Paterson: Religious Leader
Gary Paterson is the former Moderator of the United Church of Canada, which made him the head of the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the country and first openly homosexual person to lead a major religious organization in the world.
As a man passionate about the spiritual journey that embraces personal transformation and the work of justice, Paterson spoke at TEDxStanleyPark about religion, religious intolerance and the LGBT community.
Click Gary Paterson for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Gayla Westler: Technology & Society
Galya Westler is a technologist, entrepreneur and public speaker. She is also the president of the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Toastmasters Club.
Galya Westler has a software engineering degree from Israel and now owns a Vancouver company specializing in business-to-business mobile projects for both large and small companies with the purpose of connecting people and their communities.
Westler’s goal in life is to inspire women around the world to be larger than life and to become leaders in their communities. At TEDxStanleyPark her topic was loneliness in society and technology addiction.
Click Gayla Westler for a video of her 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Ryan Phillips: Reformed Drug Smuggler
Ryan Phillips is a former CHL professional hockey player who got involved in drug smuggling. After serving time in an American prison he has started a new life as a public speaker promoting health and happiness internationally. Five years ago he started a movement called Return to Happiness where he shares his experiences and insights about overcoming challenges, learning from mistakes and making the world a better place.
Click Ryan Phillips for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Kieron Sweeney: Finance Educator
Kieron Sweeney is an international speaker, author, digital entrepreneur, and wealth mindset and business coach.
Kieron Sweeney talked at TEDxStanleyPark about finances and the importance of financial education, especially within the public school system.
Click Kieron Sweeney Talk for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Jules Ku-Lea: Anti-Slavery Crusader
Jules Ku-Lea is a mental health worker and clinical counsellor with an interest in modern-day slavery and creating awareness about its existence.
Ku-Lea works with marginalized people in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side but at TEDxStanleyPark she spoke about the millions of people worldwide that live in slavery, with many of them producing foods and products that we here in Vancouver benefit from. As the audience learned from Ku-Lea, slavery lurks inside our pantries and refrigerators.
Click Jules Ku-Lea for a video of her 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Karn Manhas: Environmentally-Friendly Technology
Karn Manhas has a degree in biology and biotechnology from McGill University and a law degree from UBC. At age 24 he was elected as a Liberal representative to the provincial legislature, making him the youngest MLA in British Columbia’s history.
Today Karn Manhas is the CEO of Terramera, a company he founded that develops high-performance plant-based bio/organic substitutes for chemical pesticides. In 2012 he was named one of Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40.
Karn Manhas’s topic at TEDxStanleyPark was bed bugs, which are a growing problem in Vancouver. After hearing Manhas participants saw bed bugs differently and felt the itch to bug-proof themselves in new and environmentally-friendly ways.
Click Karn Manhas for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Isabelle Mercier: Brand Strategist & Business Influencer
Named one of the continent’s Top Small Business Influencers, Isabelle Mercier is a brand strategist with LeapZone Strategies, a business mentor, best-selling author and television host who sees her purpose in life to empower entrepreneurs everywhere to rock their businesses and lives by creating a worldwide “My Life, My Biz, My Way” movement.
In her TEDxStanleyPark talk Mercier addressed how people can decrease worry and increase peace of mind.
Click Isabelle Mercier for a video of her 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Bosco Anthony: Digital Strategist
Bosco Anthony is a digital strategist, mentor and natural storyteller. His talk at TEDxStanleyPark will be about how people can go from being just spectators in life to becoming change catalysts in society.
Bosco Anthony shared his wisdom from the digital and corporate world on the topics of business growth, thought leadership and critical thinking ideology and his talk inspired and motivated his audience to act on their personal life purposes and empower transformation.
Click Bosco Anthony for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Jessica Pautsch: The Sharing Economy
Jessica Pautsch is a technology expert and social venture strategist for leaders in business innovation. She is also the co-founder and managing partner of the Social Impact Tech Accelerator (SITA), a firm that specializes in community development, environmentally aware technology, web application development and crowdfunding campaigns.
Jessica Pautsch’s talk was about the Sharing Economy, which, with the rise of companies like Uber, Airbnb, Guiides.com and Homestay.com, is becoming a powerful new consumption model and industry change catalyst. At TEDxStanleyPark Pautsch examined how the Sharing Economy is shifting the way society consumes, governs itself and conducts business.
Click Jessica Pautsch Talk for a video of her 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Connor Beaton: Founder of ManTalks
Connor Beaton is the founder of ManTalks, an organization that supports men’s health and wellness by providing tools to be better husbands, fathers and leaders in community. He also has a diverse professional background, having worked everywhere from gravel pits to opera stages to Apple Inc.
In his talk, Beaton discussed the detrimental impact of the “man mask” and how stereotypes have produced a culture in which men often experience internal conflict which can lead to depression, isolation, aggression and even suicide. Men need to remove their man masks, he argues, and free themselves to experience self-expression.
Click Connor Beaton for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Sita Sahasrabudhe: Impacting Lives
Sita Sahasrabudhe is a registered social worker with a passion for disability advocacy work. Her TEDxStanleyPark talk empowered her audience to make a difference in the lives of those with chronic illnesses.
Click Sita Sahasrabudhe for a video of her 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Dr. Gurdeep Parhar: Expert on Diversity
Dr. Parhar is an academic, intellectual and internationally-renowned expert on equity, diversity and professionalism. He is also an Executive Associate Dean at UBC with a clinical practice focusing on refugees, immigrants and patients with severe disabilities. At TEDxStanley Park Dr. Parhar spoke about racism, his experiences and the science behind it.
Click Dr. Parhar Talk for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
Dan Lok: Achieving One’s Goals
Dan Lok‘s story is about that of a young immigrant who, through hard work, determination and mentorship, has become a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, international best-selling author and a highly sought after business mentor himself.
Lok’s presentation looked at why some people achieve their goals consistently while others do not, and he shared his personal discoveries and route to success.
Click Dan Lok for a video of his 2016 TEDxStanleyPark talk.
The annual world TED Conference takes place each year in April and tickets start at a hefty $8500, but the show is recorded and available online as well as at other designated venues around town.
For more information about TED and TEDx conferences in the Lower Mainland, click TED Vancouver Conferences.
For information on the TEDx event in 2017, click TEDxStanley Park 2017.
