TEDx Delthorne Women Brings Female Voices to the Forefront

Jozanne Marie, acclaimed actress, playwright and NAACP winner for best solo show BEAUTIFUL, speaks at TEDxDelthorneWomen in Torrance, CA. Dec. 7th, 2019.

Last Saturday, in Torrance, CA, 15 female speakers, and one comedian, took the stage at the AMC Theatre in the Delthorne neighborhood to present at the second annual TEDxDelthorneWomen. The event was hosted and curated by creative non-fiction writer and Torrance local, Eraina Ferguson.

The theme of this year’s event was Better Together.

The speakers came from all over the country and engaged in a discussion about the importance of being better together. Their backgrounds included tech, business, entrepreneurship, advertising, journalism, military, medicine, filmmaking, motherhood, theater, and more.

The women spoke on topics ranging from how to change the healthcare system, to how to create healthier corporate culture, to women in music reclaiming female sexuality, to adoption and autism, to the power of walking in groups, to healing through the stories of our ancestors, to how to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

It was an enlightening and transformational event.

Elaine Hall, founder of The Miracle Project, speaks about the unexpected miracles of adoption and autism.

TEDx brings the spirit of TED’s mission of ideas worth spreading to local communities around the globe. TEDx events are organized by curious individuals who seek to discover ideas and spark conversations in their own community. TEDx events include live speakers and recorded TED Talks, and are organized independently under a free license granted by TED.

The talks are short-format and must be 18 minutes or less. The speakers at TEDxDelthorneWomen gave their talks in 8 minutes. This was no small feat.

Each woman shared her story (for some, publicly for the first time), her idea, and her vision of how to create a better world — both for individuals, and for the collective.

Multi-disciplinary musical artist, AJ Moultrie, speaks on “Women in Music: A Reclamation of Female Sexuality.”

Speaking on the TEDx stage is often a career boost for the speakers. Some speakers have been known to receive agent offers, book deals, paid speaking opportunities, and job promotions from their time on the TEDx stage.

I had the good fortune of working as a speaker coach with the 15 women of TEDxDelthorneWomen. As a speaker coach, one of my favorite things is to coach the women live the day before the event. They’ve done the hard work to get there (we met previously by video sessions to help them with their structure and storytelling) – now it’s go time.

Working with them live, I get the opportunity to help ground them, calm them, and provide them with just the right amount of notes to help them excel on stage the next day. I also get to help them work through whatever might be showing up in their body — jumpy legs, tight shoulders, tense jaw — but many times, my work is about helping the speaker get into her body.

When a woman gets into her body, she transforms. She becomes embodied in her power, and we can’t take our eyes off of her. This makes us listen better, and we take in her message at a cellular level.

As a speaker coach, it is my honor to support women in speaking their truth, sharing their story, and sharing their ideas and vision for a better world. All too often, these are the voices that have been silenced. It brings me great hope when I hear these women’s voices amplified on the TEDx stage. I look forward to sharing their videos with you when they are published next month.

In the meanwhile, please enjoy some more photos of the event below:

High-Performance Strategist and CSO (Chief Spiritual Officer) for cutting-edge organizations, Dena Crowder, speaks on revolutionizing the world’s relationship with power.

Healthcare Administration Expert Meghan Nechrebecki speaks about how to change the healthcare system to better support the health and well-being of Americans.

ABC News Journalist Abigail Cruz speaks about her journey from the tough streets of North Philly to seizing opportunity every step of the way to the ABC news bureau in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Pamela Abramson-Levine, a Pediatric and Maternal Family Practice Non-Force Chiropractor, shares case studies about the benefits of non-force chiropractic care to mothers and babies.

Leadership development expert, professor and founder of Rise Up for You, Nada Lena, speaks about how to create healthier company cultures.

Award-winning marketing professional, Catherine Conrad-Saydah, speaks about the power of words.

Joyce Shulman, founder and CEO of Macaroni Kid & 99 Walks​, speaks about the power of women walking in groups.

Georgetta Foreman, Hollywood TV Producer and daughter of Two-Time Heavyweight Boxing Champion George Foreman, speaks about what it means to be a champ.

COO and Founder of Trauma Recovery Yoga, Joyce Bosen, speaks about her journey with multiple traumas which gifted her with a profound empathy and drew her to work with marginalized populations, including at-risk youth, traumatic brain injury patients, PTSD vets and over-comers of other traumas such as traumatic grief, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

Community advocate, entrepreneur and caregiver, Chioma Agbahiwe, speaks about quiet authentic leadership.

Rabbi Sara Berman speaks about her experience with mental illness and shares her story in effort to help end the stigma of mental illness and raise awareness about the debilitating affects of depression.

Professional artist and storytelling coach, June Marisa Kaewsith — also known as "Jumakae" — shares her ideas about “story as medicine” and healing through our ancestors.

Award-winning writer, producer and comedian, Selina Ringel, gives the audience many laughs with her ideas about the differences between how women and men communicate (particularly through texts).

TEDxDelthorneWomen Organizer and writer, Eraina Ferguson, MCs the 2nd annual TEDxDelthorneWomen in Torrance, CA. Dec. 7th, 2019.

She TV Media captured everything on video. Pictured here: Meredith Yinger, co-founder of She TV. The TEDxDelthorneWomen videos will be released in January 2020.

We are BETTER TOGETHER. TEDxDelthorneWomen in Torrance, CA. Dec. 7th, 2019.

Tabby Biddle, M.S. Ed. is a women’s leadership coach, strategist, writer and consultant. Her life’s work is devoted to elevating women’s voices. To learn more about using your voice, making an impact, and being a leader of change in this world, visit tabbybiddle.com.