Pivot
November 5, 2025
2025 TEDx Talks
What if I Don’t Want to Recover? Exploring the Difference Between “Impossible and Uncomfortable”
Alexa Kittay
Recovery is often portrayed as the obvious, empowering choice—something we should all want, once we’re “ready.” But what happens when you’re not? What if the eating disorder still feels safer than the unknown? In this talk, Alexa Kitay unpacks the rarely spoken truth: that sometimes, recovery doesn’t feel like freedom—it feels like loss. Loss of identity, control, purpose and familiarity. Drawing from her own journey, Alexa explores why the desire to recover isn’t always clear-cut, and why acknowledging ambivalence might be one of the most honest first steps toward healing.
Defunding Truth: The Real Cost of Ignoring Marginalized Voices in Research
Alexandra Wynn and Yendelela Cuffee, PhD
Research driven by and for marginalized communities is under attack. Efforts to defund and censor science, researchers of color, and vulnerable communities themselves will weaken the systems that protect everyone’s health. Our proposed TEDx Talk will explore how to foster community strength and capital to continue equitable, community-driven health research.
Main Character Syndrome, Climate Edition
Kelsey Malloy
Climate has always shaped human history and experience. In this talk, we’ll meet its many “characters,” from a formidable samurai warrior to a legendary party host.
My Rebuttal: College and the Case of Change
Michael DiPascale
The security of sameness convinces us that change is dangerous. My rebuttal is that even our strongest beliefs must be tested—and sometimes overruled. Unlikely relationships and my college testimonials taught me that listening isn’t a weakness but the foundation of growth.
Feeding Recovery: The Missing Link in Addiction Treatment
Ginny Cooper
Recovery from substance abuse is about more than just willpower—it’s also about rebuilding the body and mind. This talk highlights how simple, intentional nutrition choices can restore balance and support long lasting healing.
FosterED: The Realities of College for Youth with Foster Care Experience
William Woelki
College is supposed to be about finding yourself—but what if you arrive on campus not knowing what a syllabus is and never having heard of shower shoes? For youth with foster care experience, the road through higher education is a rollercoaster filled with unexpected turns: financial hurdles, constant transitions and the pressure of doing it all without a safety net. This talk goes beyond the statistics to share the lived reality of earning a degree while navigating a system never designed with you in mind.
“What… Happened?” Rethinking Disability Beyond the Medical Narrative
Charlotte Walder
In this talk, Charlotte challenges assumptions about disability through their story of paralysis, identity and self-acceptance. Blending humor, vulnerability and insight, they invite audiences to reconsider what it means to live a disabled life—not as a tragedy, but as a vibrant, joyful and radical act of empowerment.
Rethinking Mental Health Advocacy: Helping Others Save Themselves
Leah Wentnick
We are told, “You’re not alone.” We see the Instagram graphics. We are reminded of the resources available to us. But how effective is this surface-level advocacy when it fades just weeks after a suicide hits close to us? How effective is it when we continue using stigmatizing language in everyday conversations? This talk examines the subtle yet powerful harm of desensitizing ourselves to suicide through the words we choose. True suicide prevention begins with the simplest form of human interaction: face-to-face conversations.