I am so grateful and humbled. My TEDx talk reached 10k+ views in less than 2 weeks. Thank you for your support. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGki_UYls0I

One of the gifts we’re sending to each of our cohort 2 finalists at TEDxThirdWard: Hand-Drawn illustrations of their headshots. If you’re in the greater houston area and would like this live, in-person service for a wedding, convention, or another event, inbox and I can make the connect.

It was a pleasure meeting so many Cohort 3 semifinalists!! I am wishing you all the best of luck and thought of a few pointers that I forgot to share yesterday: -Before falling in love with your talk and title, google it to see what's out there already. This topic will be your intellectual property, and you want to make you can own it if you want to create a signature talk, book, etc. And choose topics that haven't been said a million times. -While you can share some of your story, this big idea is for your audience more than anything. Think what they will get out of listening to it? Think less motivation and more transformation Best of luck! Here is my talk, Pleasure Ain't The Problem, Shame Is which just dropped this past Friday! Please watch, like, comment and share, share, share!! Thanks!! https://youtu.be/Lj18td1AnrE?si=hYwZWbLMqjkzORAv

One of the things that makes TEDxThirdWard different is that we actually build community. This will be the first opportunity for semi-finalists and volunteers to meet each other in person, and honestly, that’s where a lot of the magic begins. The relationships and conversations that start here are part of what makes the big event so special. What we create together on June 14, 2026 doesn’t just happen on stage. It starts with moments like this. So we’re hosting two casual Meet + Hang opportunities. No formal program. Just conversation, community, wings or drinks, and a chance to get to know the people who may end up sharing the TEDxThirdWard stage together. If you’re feeling brave, we might even hear a few talk ideas in the wild. PLEASE RSVP IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND. Option 1 Sunday, March 22, 2026 3:00–5:00 PM STUFF’d Wings (RSVP HERE) Owned by Semifinalist Jarrod De’Von Rector Option 2 Sunday, March 29, 2026 3:00–5:00 PM The Mood Room (RSVP Here) Owned by Semifinalist @Carlos Hernandez Come to whichever works best for you. If you plan to attend, please RSVP at the link below so we have a rough headcount. Looking forward to seeing some of you there. Also, there are still a few slots left for the $397 Virtual Speaker Lab

After receiving 786 applications to speak at TEDxThirdWard 2026 (June 14th in Houston), our team has officially selected this year’s 155 Semifinalists. HERE'S THE LINK: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q4-1AFI1i1tgZr4yXxv8AVM12hLOrJkgTfuKSD3bUO4/edit?usp=sharing All applicants received an email today, Monday, March 2nd at 5:00 PM Central Standard Time notifying you of your status. Check your spam. Here are a few interesting facts about this year’s semifinalist pool: • ~22% have previously attended a TEDxThirdWard event • ~8% have given a TEDx talk before • ~59% are based in Texas • ~41% are based outside of Texas • Representation from 15+ U.S. states • International semifinalists from 2+ countries Over 91% of this year’s semifinalists would be first-time TEDx speakers. Thank you again to everyone who applied.