12 Powerful TED Talks Every Woman Should Watch

If you need inspiration and motivation, TED talks are the place to be. And let’s be honest, it’s difficult to watch just one because there’s something good in every talk (that, and YouTube keeps recommending new ones….).

Some TED talks contain truly life-changing advice. Advice that I think we can all use in some way for our own personal growth and to improve our lives. So, I made a list of my favorite TED talks for woman by woman. I honestly think that every woman should watch these ;).

So grab a notebook (and a snack!) and get ready for some serious words of wisdom.

1. The power of vulnerability – Brené Brown

First off, let me say that this is hands down my number 1 favorite TED talk of all times!

Brené is a researcher studying shame, vulnerability and fear. In this TED Talk she talks about how being vulnerable and embracing imperfection is an important ingredient for living wholeheartedly. She explains that for many of us, fear and shame hold us back from being vulnerable, because being vulnerable means showing our imperfections and potentially getting hurt. With her talk, she’ll inspire you to be more courageous and vulnerable.

I love Brené and her work. She’s an incredible storyteller, she’s funny and her stories are so relatable. After seeing this TED Talk I read three (!!!) of her books and it has changed my life! I still go back from time to time to watch it.

Oh, and did I mention that she did another TED Talk? You might want to check that out after watching this one 😉

2. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable – Luvvie Ajayi Jones

If you’re always the quiet one in the room or if fear is stopping you from speaking your truth, this TED Talk is for you!

Luvvie calls herself a professional troublemaker. She talks about the power of fear and how she’s learned to speak up and challenge the status quo. She compares it to being the domino: the first one to fall (or speak up in this case). It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.

With this talk, Luvvie (with her incredible strong, honest and funny personality) will motivate you to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and actively pursue what scares you.

3. How to stop screwing yourself over – Mel Robbins

If nothing and nobody can motivate you to take action and get whatever you want, Mel Robbins will! Mel’s message is confronting and she’s very in your face, but it’s what you need to hear if you have dreams, goals and ideas that you never act on. This TED Talk was a big eye-opener for me!

Mel talks about why you don’t have what you want and what you need to do to get it. According to Mel, we’ve convinced ourselves that we’re fine with not having the thing we want. And if we’re fine with not having it, we don’t have to push ourselves to get it. She also explains how waiting for the motivation to actually do it doesn’t work. Because motivation isn’t coming. Say what?

Mell will tell you what does work and what you should do instead (but don’t expect it to be easy).

4. The magic of not giving a f*** – Sarah Knight

If you do things you don’t care about more often than you’d like to admit, this one’s for you!

Sarah explains how to stop spending time you don’t have doing things you don’t want to do. She introduces the fuck budget to help you spend your time, money and energy on things you DO care about. With her not sorry method, she makes saying no and setting boundaries so simple that you wonder why you always turn it into such a big thing.

Saying no to things you don’t give a fuck about, will become a whole lot easier for you after watching this TED Talk.

5. Programming your mind for success – Carrie Green

You’ll love this talk if you’re an entrepreneur or if you’re thinking about starting a business. 

At some point in your journey (especially if you’re just starting out), you’ve probably had self-limiting thoughts. Thoughts that made you think that you couldn’t do it, or didn’t have the right skills to do it.

Carrie is a successful entrepreneur and she shares her own struggle with limiting beliefs. She talks about the power of the mind and how you can program your mind for success, so that you’ll never have to miss out on an incredible opportunity again.

6. Stop searching for your passion – Terri Trespicio

‘What do you mean I should stop searching for my passion?’ That’s the first thing I thought when I read the title of this TED Talk. It made me curious, because finding something you’re passionate about is what we’re told to do, right?

The worst part of it is that you might think there’s something wrong with you if you don’t have an answer to the question. I’ve spend hours thinking about my passion, and all it did was keep me stuck. Sound familiar?

Well, after seeing this talk you can stop spending your precious time and energy trying to find your passion. Terri explains why you don’t need to search for your passion and what to focus on instead.

7. Why you need to be a bitch – Tabatha Coffey

Remember Tabatha? She’s the hair dresser from TV who helped other hair dressers with their struggling business. I loved her show (who didn’t?!). 

If you’ve ever seen her show, you probably remember how strong and tough she was. It’s because of those qualities that people started to call her a bitch. As she struggled with this, she wanted to figure out why people were calling her a bitch.

In this TED Talk, Tabatha shares what she’s learned. She talks about why it’s not okay for women to call each other bitches, but also what the word bitch actually stands for. As it turns out, it’s not such a bad thing to be a bitch.

8. Staying stuck or moving forward – Dr. Lani Nelson Zlupko

I think we’ve all had moments in our lives where we felt stuck and didn’t know how to move forward, right?

As a therapist, Dr. Lani helps people to get unstuck and move forward no matter how hard the problem is they’re facing. She explains why some people get stuck. And she shares her 3-step strategy to turn things around and overcome any problem you might face. Even despite your fears, ego and pride.

Next time you feel stuck, you’ll want to think back about this TED Talk and bring Dr. Lani’s strategy into practice.

9. Your body language may shape who you are – Amy Cuddy

Your body language says it all! It can unconsciously shape your communication and influence how other people see you. But have you ever considered the possibility that body language can also influence how you see yourself? Well, neither did I!

Amy explains how your body language can change your mind and your behavior. But more interestingly, she shares how you can use that to your advantage. 

The secret? Fake it till you become it.

10. The art of being yourself – Caroline McHugh

How many times have people given you the advice to ‘just be yourself’? It’s great advice, but how do you do it? Being yourself can be quite hard in a world where everyone wants you to be someone you’re not. Caroline breaks down what it actually means to be yourself and explains that we all have our own queendom. She also gives directions on how to become the most authentic you.

There’s so much wisdom in this talk, that you really have to go and watch it yourself. Caroline is fascinating and she had me glued to the screen the entire 26 minutes of this Talk (and all the times I rewatched it!). Also, I love her Scottish accent!

11. My year of saying yes to everything – Shonda Rhimes

Grey’s Anatomy, How to get away with murder, Scandal: Shonda is the brain behind them all. She calls herself a titan, because she loves to work. But at one point she got burned-out and lost her hum.

In this TED Talk, Rhonda talks about what saying yes to everything has taught her. She discusses the importance of play and joy in our lives and how it helped her get her hum back. If you’re always working hard, Shonda will inspire you to work less and play more.

12. How to gain control of your free time – Laura Vanderkam

Are you always complaining that you’re too busy or that you don’t have enough time? Then, you NEED to watch this talk!

Laura believes that there is time, even if we’re busy. She’ll teach you valuable lessons about time management and focusing on what matters. This will help you to make more time for yourself and built the life you want in the time you’ve got. Sounds good, right?

Just one more thing…

I hope these TED talks have inspired you! I’d love to know which one’s your favorite, so don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below :).