Best of TED 2014 | 7 Amazing Talks for Purposeful Women

I enjoyed curating my list of 12 Must-See TEDs for Purposeful Women so much that I decided to do it again with TED’s latest offerings. They’ve had so many great talks in the last year, and I’ve loved the challenge of listening and narrowing down the list to my absolute favorites.

Covering everything from body image to parenting to a better way to donate, I hope you enjoy this playlist for purposeful women.

Ready to get fired up about life?

Best of TED 2014 | 7 Amazing Talks for Purposeful Women

1. Why Thinking You’re Ugly is Bad For You by Meaghan Ramsey. This is a must-see for all women, especially mothers of daughters. What low body confidence is doing to women and girls—and what we can do about it. Inspiring! (1.7 million views)

2.  For Parents, Happiness is a Very High Bar by Jennifer Senior. This talk is like a warm hug saying, “Don’t worry, Mama! There’s a reason you have no idea what you’re doing!” From women entering the workforce to couples divvying up more of the household management to us trying desperately to raise kids who are equipped to do ANYthing, we’re all forging new paths. And last—if all you want is for your children to be happy, is that really a fair weight to place on your shoulders? (1.2 million views)

3. Why a Good Book is a Secret Door by Mac Barnett. The intersection between truth and lies = fiction, art, imagination. This touching and witty talk will have you scheming ways to infuse your child’s life (and yours!) with a little more mystery and wonder. (I love this one so much that it inspired a post of my own.) (1 million views)

4. How to Practice Emotional Hygiene by Guy Winch. A heartwarming case for valuing psychological wellbeing as much as we value physical wellbeing. How much impact would better emotional maintenance have on your quality of life? I found his thoughts on loneliness to ring especially true. (TEDx)

5. Should You Donate Differently by Joy Sun. Sun questions two assumptions: that poor people are poor because they are uneducated and that because of that, they need people like us to figure out what they need and get it to them. “I believed that I could do more good with money for the poor than the poor could do for themselves.” A convincing case for unconditional cash transfers. (700,000 views)

6. Meet the Mom who Started the Ice Bucket Challenge by Nancy Frates. I don’t know why this one surprised me so much, but it did. Maybe I thought it would apply most to people who felt called to be advocates of disease research, or maybe I thought it would be braggy. It was neither. It was a call to grab life by the reigns and contribute however we can. (400,000 views)

7. The Art of Stillness by world traveler Pico Iyer. “We can make contact with people on the farthest corners of the planet, but sometimes, in that process, we lose contact with ourselves.” I always benefit from reminders to find stillness; the problem is actually doing it. And doing it often. So next time you want to go somewhere, try watching this and then going nowhere. (800,000 views)

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PS. Let’s change the world.

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Check here for the Best of 2015.