2023
The Art of Living
On September 23, 2023, TEDxHartlandHill celebrated its second year at the historic Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, Vermont. TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events, celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. The Woodstock event brought together a dynamic and diverse group of people from the local community and beyond to share ideas and inspire change while honoring our past. TEDxHartlandHill 2023 featured 12 captivating speakers, many of which were from Vermont. This event explored the art of finding balance and purpose in our lives and featured a diverse lineup of speakers who share their unique perspectives and experiences from the academic to the artistic, the concrete to the cutting edge. The 2023 Schedule of Events and 2023 Speaker Bios are hyperlinked. The 2023 event was made possible by the hardworking and dedicated team of volunteers, staff members, and vendors who were committed to building the foundation for this annual event.
Body Neutrality is So Much More Than Neutral | Bon Allen
Body Neutrality is the next step in the quest to identify with our bodies. Whether it’s hauling a sled marathon distance or deadlifting 100,000kgs in 10 hours, Bon Allen demonstrates the power of shifting our internal concepts of ourselves into positive, life affirming action.
Global Lessons from the Middle East: Tech, Dialogue, Shared Interest | Tomer Cohen
Tomer Cohen presented this talk exactly two weeks before the Hamas-Israel war erupted on October 7th. In the following weeks Tech2Peace, the non-profit he helped create, hosted dozens of online alumni dialogue and social innovation workshops with young leaders from both Palestinian and Israeli. Tomer's inquiry exemplifies that even amidst intense conflict, individuals from opposing sides can create partnerships and friendships despite historical divisions.
A Repurposed Life - Upcyling Bernie’s Mitten Maker | Jen Ellis
Jen Ellis was a teacher and crafter when the mittens she sewed for Senator Bernie Sanders became the inspiration for millions of memes. Originally from South Portland, Maine, Ellis’s teaching career spanned nearly two decades in the public schools of North Carolina and Vermont. She is a songwriter, beekeeper, and still sews the occasional pair of mittens for local non-profit fundraisers.
Save the World. Watch a Movie (…Made by a Woman) | Rachel Feldman
Film & television, writer & director RACHEL FELDMAN just completed LILLY, a feature film starring Patricia Clarkson, John Benjamin Hickey, and Thomas Sadoski - based on the life of fair pay activist Lilly Ledbetter. The screenplay won the Athena List, was a Breaking Through the Lens Cannes selection, and was awarded the Ravenal Grant for first time feature directors over 50.
The Curatorial Practice of Living | Shanta Lee
Shanta Lee is an award winning artist who works in different mediums as a photographer, writer across genres, and a public intellectual. Shanta Lee is the author of the poetry collection, GHETTOCLAUSTROPHOBIA: Dreamin of Mama While Trying to Speak Woman in Woke Tongues, winner of the 2020 Diode Editions full-length book prize and the 2021 Vermont Book Award.
Black Dots & Iced Tea; What Kind of Person Are You | Jermaine Moore
Jermaine Moore, with his expertise in the areas of DEI, culture, leadership, team development and coaching, grounds our inquiry of "What kind of person do I want to be?" Bringing forward his personal experience with heart and insight, Jermaine allows us space to reflect on our own identity and wish to be our best selves.
The Art of Living (with Impermanence) | Adrian Tans
Chalk pastel drawings by Adrian Tans have become popular attractions in Woodstock. The fine artist and children’s book illustrator carves out time every week or two to create a new, temporary drawing using chalk pastels. Emerging during the pandemic, this storyteller found a way to connect us and lightened a difficult time.
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Sound Journey to Arctic Siberia | Snow Raven (SUOR)
SNOW RAVEN - SUOR was born in one of the most remote and cold inhabited places in the world—the Republic of Sakha—Yakutia (arctic Siberia). She was three years old when she started to learn the language of birds and animals. Her voice takes its breath from traditional Sakha culture and is truly an instrument. She is the OG of “arctic beatbox” - the reindeer breath and the founder of OLOX ecosystem: Of Many Believes Common Truth.
Vermont: Value of Hardship? | Rocket
Rocket is a videographer, a local food enthusiast, a rising 3L at Vermont Law, and a member of the Hartford Selectboard. Originally hailing from California, Rocket is an alumnus of The Putney School ('10) and Middlebury College ('14). He is the lead producer behind both the acclaimed local food brand "Eat Vermont" and the popular video series "Rocket in Vermont". Rocket is passionate about the power of storytelling to build empathy and relentless in his pursuit to foster stronger connections across the state of Vermont.
Reclaiming Life Amidst Mental Illness | Rachel Siddoway & Sonja Wasden
This is a Mother & Daughter's story: How does a family live openly and with dignity about their struggle with mental health? Sonja Wasden is a suicide survivor with over 30 years of lived experience with mental health challenges. She and her daughter Rachel Siddoway are award-winning authors and mental health advocates who share their story around the nation providing a forum for healing conversations. Each step of the way they illustrate compassion and bravery as we watch their own deepening healing in real time.
When the Reporter Becomes His Story | Mike Sugerman
After 44 years in the news business in California, Mike and his wife moved to Brooklyn 7 years ago to help take care of their new grandkids. Both of their sons were there. Last year after an operation, he became paralyzed in the ICU. That threw their lives into the cement mixer.