Last October, TED’s Head of Events Monique Ruff-Bell, Hala Moddelmog, CEO of The Woodruff Arts Center, and I announced that the annual TEDWomen conference, which I co-founded and currently serve as editorial director, would be convening for the next three years in Atlanta, Georgia, at The Woodruff Arts Center.

Atlanta's Mayor Andre Dickens joined us to speak about the city's innovative spirit that embraces diverse perspectives and ideas to fuel its thriving entrepreneurism and strong community values. These qualities form the bedrock of Atlanta's remarkable vitality and success, aligning harmoniously with the values that the TED organization exemplifies and magnifies through its impactful conferences and free talks that reach an unprecedented global audience.

For the past several months, our TEDWomen team has been planning for TEDWomen 2023, Oct 11-13, curating a speaker program from hundreds of recommended speakers and from our own research to identify the most diverse set of speakers and ideas to illuminate this year’s theme: "Two Steps Forward.”

We’ll celebrate those taking bold strides into the future and those working unapologetically to make big dreams become reality, highlighting the progress being made toward equity in technology, science, and health care while giving space for an important review of the barriers to full economic, racial and gender equity everywhere!  

Through 5 sessions of TED Talks and additional Discovery Sessions — which allow for more intimate deep dives in small groups — TEDWomen 2023 will focus with a solutions-based lens on the barriers remaining to moving forward in our own lives, work, communities, and relationships.

Among those invited to share transformative ideas, life-defining discoveries, and compelling stories are political activist Dasha Navalnaya, who is raising awareness of Russia's authoritarian regime and campaigning for the release of her imprisoned father, Alexey Navalny; First Lady of Chile Irina Karamanos Adrian, a feminist leader who is reimagining and reforming the role of first lady in her country; and Oleksandra Matviichuk, who leads the human rights organization and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Center for Civil Liberties, documenting war crimes against Ukrainian civilians perpetrated by Russian soldiers in occupied areas.

Here are even more speakers announced so far:

• Freada Kapor Klein, Impact Investor

• Dyhia Belhabib, Maritime Crime Fighter

• Mary Ann Sieghart, Author, Journalist, Broadcaster

• Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh, Firefly Scientist

And so many more!

You can read their bios and see more of the announced speakers at the TED 2023 website. Also invited are actors, musicians, poets, dancers, artists…all carefully curated to create an immersive, unmissable 3-day experience.

Registration is moving quickly towards our capacity number and the Early Support membership will close on June 15. This is your last chance to attend at the lowest price available. 

Remember, TED conferences curate the audience as well as the speakers so please consider applying ASAP! Join me for an experience that will expand your mind and inspire your spirit with meaningful new connections, new friends, new ideas, and new ways to take not one, but ...Two Steps Forward! Apply here.

Onward!

- Pat