Dear Friends,

I return to this weekly newsletter with renewed energy and commitment to sharing news and insights from my various platforms and learning journeys, with stories and ideas that I hope inform and inspire. For those of you who have read my memoir, “Becoming a Dangerous Woman,” you know how strongly I feel about not sitting on the sidelines, especially in these times of so many urgent challenges. From the climate crisis to the rollback on rights, to the threats democracies are facing on nearly every continent, there is an ever increasing need for each and every one of us to get more engaged, give more and have more impact.  

Doing so is not only good for the future we envision for ourselves and for our children, grandchildren and in my case, great grandchildren; it’s also the best antidote to aging! 

Yes! That’s my answer when I'm asked for secrets to aging well — activism. 

And by that I don't mean just being active, although that helps, too! I mean activism: a commitment to making a difference, to being in the “rooms where it happens” (to quote the musical, “Hamilton”) and to investing “in good people doing good things” (to quote John Gardner, the visionary founder of Common Cause). 
This week, I’m sharing updates about one of the impact platforms I feel very privileged to have co-founded and continue to curate: TEDWomen, an annual TED conference that elevates the ideas and stories of women (and some good men), who are the entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, technologists, artists, and leaders making impact around the world. 

Our theme for this year’s TEDWomen, convening in my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia, on October 11th/12th/13th, is TWO STEPS FORWARD. 

Exactly what's needed at this time — Two steps and many more, Forward!

Among the TED talks that will inspire us with their forward-thinking initiatives are Esha Chhabra, Christine Schuler-Descryver, Ava DuVernay, Freada Kapor Klein, Rebecca McMackin, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Rosita Najmi, and Maria Sophocles — to name just a few of the more than 40 speakers! You can see them all and read their bios on TED.com at the program.

I hope you have already registered to join the immersive and unmissable experience that defines a TED conference, and secured your hotel rooms in Atlanta. I’ve been informed by the TEDWomen partner hotels that many are sold out, but for those still seeking accommodations, the Starling Hotel has recently offered some suites at a special group rate.

TED conferences are not free, and comparatively, costly, so it’s important to remember that TED is a nonprofit and the registration fees support the distribution of TED talks all over the world — for free! The impact of hundreds of millions of views in 100+ languages is undeniable. 

There are also other ways that TED encourages and supports impact — donor funds, for example, which enable us to invite scholars, artists, social entrepreneurs and next-generation leaders to participate.

If interested, consider these three ways that registering as a donor makes a difference:

1) Attendance as a donor: recognition with priority seating, special curated activities and of course, there’s a donor lounge. 

2) Gift this immersive experience: recognize a future leader who can’t attend and make it possible for them to attend.

3) Unlock your donor advised funds: Many TEDWomen donors are channeling their donations to ensure that next generation leaders from HBCUs in Atlanta can attend and connect with this community of changemakers and leaders.
Contact conferences@ted.com to get started with registering as a donor!

Next week, I’ll be sharing insights from a learning journey I was privileged to make as part of a Skoll Foundation delegation to Brazil, a country whose vibrant community of changemakers and leaders will be consequential in mapping out the way forward as COP30 and G20 convene in Brazil next year. 

And for each of us, wherever we live, all of our choices as consumers, clients, and citizens are consequential and have impact on how we move forward as a world towards a climate safe and more just future.

Onward and Forward!

- Pat