TED Talks Daily

TED

Every weekday, TED Talks Daily brings you the latest talks in audio. Join host and journalist Elise Hu for thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable — from Artificial Intelligence to Zoology, and everything in between — given by the world's leading thinkers and creators. With TED Talks Daily, find some space in your day to change your perspectives, ignite your curiosity, and learn something new. read less

Our Editor's Take

Over the last several years, few websites have grown as quickly as TED and their TED talks. Now, the brand has expanded its social media reach even further with the TED Talks Daily podcast. The podcast continues TED's original mission of shining a light on the brightest minds in the world. By bringing top experts into a public forum, TED continues to help lead the way in education.

The program's host, Elise Hu, creates a dynamic environment for the podcast. Her keen interviewing ability keeps the dialogue moving in a compelling, informative way. Her back-and-forth with guests includes insightful questions to guide the interview. But mostly, she ensures the guests can shine on their own. It is obvious that much of Hu's success as a host has to do with her extensive journalistic experience.

TED Talks Daily, much like its namesake website, covers a wide variety of topics in many fields. Anything and everything can show up as a topic on the podcast. Recent episodes have focused on climate change, empathy, and insulin prices. But this is only a sampling of what's discussed. The show is one of the main programs within the TED audio collective.

The podcast focuses on providing insightful information that's succinct. Every episode averages around 20 minutes long. This timeframe makes them easy to listen to. It also makes them fun to keep up with regularly. New episodes drop every Monday through Friday. Listeners can hear new and old episodes of this podcast on Amazon Music now.

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K-pop, cutting-edge tech and other ways Asia is shaping the world | Neeraj Aggarwal

K-pop, cutting-edge tech and other ways Asia is shaping the world | Neeraj Aggarwal

For a long time, the conveyor belt of ideas moved from the West to the East, says business strategy expert Neeraj Aggarwal. But now, Asia’s rising cultural and intellectual influence is redefining this established order. He explores how Asia’s booming culture and economy — from K-pop to cutting-edge tech — is sparking creative solutions to global challenges and reshaping the future in unexpected ways.

Episodes

K-pop, cutting-edge tech and other ways Asia is shaping the world | Neeraj Aggarwal

K-pop, cutting-edge tech and other ways Asia is shaping the world | Neeraj Aggarwal

For a long time, the conveyor belt of ideas moved from the West to the East, says business strategy expert Neeraj Aggarwal. But now, Asia’s rising cultural and intellectual influence is redefining this established order. He explores how Asia’s booming culture and economy — from K-pop to cutting-edge tech — is sparking creative solutions to global challenges and reshaping the future in unexpected ways.

From prison to purpose through wildland firefighting | Royal Ramey

From prison to purpose through wildland firefighting | Royal Ramey

When wildfires rage in California, incarcerated people are often on the front lines fighting the flames. TED Fellow Royal Ramey was one of them. He shares the story of how doing public service in prison inspired him to cofound the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit helping formerly incarcerated people become wildland firefighters — and find purpose along the way.

Why friendship can be just as meaningful as romantic love | Rhaina Cohen

Why friendship can be just as meaningful as romantic love | Rhaina Cohen

We tend to consider romantic partners and family ties to be our most important relationships, but deep friendships can be just as meaningful. In a perspective-shifting talk, author Rhaina Cohen introduces us to the people unsettling norms by choosing a friend as a life partner — and shows why we're all better off recognizing there's more than one kind of significant other.

Trump’s 2024 election win — and what’s next | Ian Bremmer

Trump’s 2024 election win — and what’s next | Ian Bremmer

In this in-depth discussion on the implications of Donald Trump’s re-election as US president, geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer explores the key issues that shaped the result — as well as the coming shifts in US foreign policy, from the Russia-Ukraine conflict to the US-China relationship and the Middle East. Learn more about the economic pressures, complex global dynamics and central personalities (including Elon Musk) that will define a second Trump presidency. (This live conversation, recorded on November 7, 2024, was hosted by TED’s Helen Walters.)

Sunday Pick: The meaning of embodiment w/ Prentis Hemphill | How to Be a Better Human

Sunday Pick: The meaning of embodiment w/ Prentis Hemphill | How to Be a Better Human

Each Sunday, TED shares an episode of another podcast we think you'll love, handpicked for you… by us. Our bodies and minds are deeply intertwined, yet we often overlook this vital connection in our daily lives. In this episode of How to Be a Better Human from the TED Audio Collective, host Chris Duffy welcomes therapist, somatics teacher, author, and founder of The Embodiment Institute, Prentis Hemphill. Prentis shares what it means to be fully present in your body -- and explains how cultivating a sense of embodiment can enhance your self-understanding, and your relationship with the world. For more How to Be a Better Human, listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to your intuition — it can help you navigate the future | Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir

Listen to your intuition — it can help you navigate the future | Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir

"Intuition helps us see the big picture," says filmmaker and sustainability leader Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir. Reflecting on her work at the UN, she outlines three ways innsæi (the Icelandic word for "intuition") can help humanity face our greatest existential threats — urging us to use our inner wisdom as a guide for essential change.

Why you think you look bad in photos | Teri Hofford

Why you think you look bad in photos | Teri Hofford

Do you hate having your photo taken? Portrait photographer Teri Hofford is here to change your mind. She unpacks why you may think you look bad in photos — and how to boost your confidence for those moments captured on camera.

Democracy is being tested. Citizen assemblies can help | Ketakandriana Rafitoson

Democracy is being tested. Citizen assemblies can help | Ketakandriana Rafitoson

How can everyday people help foster and protect democracy? Detailing her work fighting for people power as an activist in Madagascar, Ketakandriana Rafitoson discusses how citizen assemblies — meetings where ordinary citizens get educated about democracy — empower communities to protect their rights, debate important civic questions and take action to create a brighter future.

Luxury, not landfill — the waste-free future of fashion | Joon Silverstein

Luxury, not landfill — the waste-free future of fashion | Joon Silverstein

Fashion is a huge part of the world's waste problem, but it doesn't have to be. Coachtopia founder Joon Silverstein shows how her company creates new designs from the waste products of another, a circular process that cuts the need for new raw materials — and rethinks what qualifies as "luxury." (Made in partnership with Coachtopia)

Sunday Pick: How to change your workplace | WorkLife with Adam Grant

Sunday Pick: How to change your workplace | WorkLife with Adam Grant

Each Sunday, TED shares an episode of another podcast we think you'll love, handpicked for you… by us. It's hard to make change at work happen. But wherever you sit in the hierarchy, there are steps you can take to overcome resistance and motivate people to embrace new ideas. In this episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant, Adam brings in an education change agent, a business turnaround specialist, and a bestselling author to identify what you can do to improve the status quo. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/WL49

How AI could hack democracy | Lawrence Lessig

How AI could hack democracy | Lawrence Lessig

Does AI pose a threat to democracy? Law professor Lawrence Lessig dissects how this emerging technology could influence democratic institutions, warning that we’ve already passed a point (before superintelligence or AGI) that deserves a lot more attention.

How to defend democracy — and fight autocracy | Leopoldo Lopez

How to defend democracy — and fight autocracy | Leopoldo Lopez

Seventy-two percent of the world's population lives under some sort of autocratic rule, says freedom fighter Leopoldo Lopez. In a rousing call to defend democracy worldwide, he shares the story of his imprisonment and exile for leading the movement against Venezuela's authoritarian regime — and shares his vision for uniting across borders to champion freedom and stamp out autocracy.

5 ways leaders can adapt to shifting geopolitics | Nikolaus S. Lang

5 ways leaders can adapt to shifting geopolitics | Nikolaus S. Lang

What will the world look like in 2030? International business consultant Nikolaus S. Lang predicts the evolution of a multipolar world, with multiple emerging coalitions of countries acting in new ways to achieve their economic, technological and military goals. He dives into what this will mean for the global economy, offering five tips for business leaders to prepare for the coming geopolitical landscape.

Poetry and music that reaches across the digital void | Elle Cordova

Poetry and music that reaches across the digital void | Elle Cordova

In this whimsical talk and performance, musician and comedian Elle Cordova ponders what happened before the Big Bang. She’s then joined by guitarist Toni Lindgren for the original song “Carl Sagan,” exploring social media, human connection and how we’re all just reaching out like stars in the night sky.

The tipping point I got wrong | Malcolm Gladwell

The tipping point I got wrong | Malcolm Gladwell

In his 2000 bestseller "The Tipping Point," Malcolm Gladwell told the story of why crime fell in New York City in the 1990s. Now, 25 years later, he's back with a confession and a mea culpa: "I was wrong," he says. He shares how his analysis contributed to the rise of the infamous "stop and frisk" policing policy in New York City — and shows why journalists should avoid the trap of imagining a story is ever really over. (Followed by a Q&A with TED's Monique Ruff-Bell)

A lens on Georgia's survival in the shadow of a superpower | Daro Sulakauri

A lens on Georgia's survival in the shadow of a superpower | Daro Sulakauri

"Georgia is not heard or seen in the world, and many don't even know the location of the country," says TED Fellow and photographer Daro Sulakauri. Through her striking photographs of life in the shadows of Russian occupation, she uses her camera to create a living archive of her home country and defend against the erasure of its borders, culture and history.

Sunday Pick: How to be an adult — and how to raise one | How to Be a Better Human

Sunday Pick: How to be an adult — and how to raise one | How to Be a Better Human

Each Sunday, TED shares an episode of another podcast we think you'll love, handpicked for you… by us. Whether it’s grades and test scores, cushy jobs or big salaries, our ideas of “success” tend to be incredibly narrow and often start incredibly early. Julie Lythcott-Haims is a New York Times bestselling author and former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford, and she is dedicated to helping people reconsider what really makes a happy, “successful” adult. In this episode of How to Be a Better Human, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, Julie shares wisdom for parents and anyone who has been parented on why it’s crucial to question societal expectations, how to find your own path and why empathy towards yourself and others are the true key to loving who you’ll grow up to be. Get more How to Be a Better Human wherever you get your podcasts.For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

Why don’t vampires cast reflections? | Eric Nuzum

Why don’t vampires cast reflections? | Eric Nuzum

Exploring the history and evolution of vampire lore, author Eric Nuzum traces the origins of these spooky stories, from misunderstandings of death to the sparkly pop culture icons we know today. Beyond the fangs and garlic, he digs into the deeper, everyday fears that vampires reflect.

Networking doesn't have to feel gross | Daniel Hallak

Networking doesn't have to feel gross | Daniel Hallak

Networking doesn’t always have to feel like a self-serving transaction, says executive coach Daniel Hallak. Highlighting the importance of focusing on giving rather than taking when it comes to making connections, he outlines a mindset shift to help you build better relationships — in a way that doesn't feel gross.

Your empty wine bottle could help rebuild coastlines | Franziska Trautmann

Your empty wine bottle could help rebuild coastlines | Franziska Trautmann

What if you could take something as tiny as a grain of sand — and as common as a glass bottle — and use it to tackle the climate crisis? Waste alchemist Franziska Trautmann shares how the spark of an idea turned into a large-scale operation helping restore the eroded shores of Louisiana and beyond. (Created in collaboration with Ignite Talks)