TEDxKew 2026
Theme: Think Again
Meet the Speakers
Aadityaa Gupta
Disability Advocate, Former Tech Professional, and Blind Adventurer
Aadityaa Gupta (Aadi) is an avid solo traveller who happens to be legally blind. Born in India, raised in Canada, and now living in Australia, he is passionate about exploring new places, challenging assumptions, and stepping beyond perceived limits. When Aadi began losing his vision, he struggled to imagine a fulfilling future. A chance encounter with a six-year-old girl changed the way he viewed his blindness and opened the door to new possibilities. Since then, he has travelled solo through multiple countries, completed a marathon, learned to surf, and pursued goals he once believed were impossible. These experiences taught him that growth often lies on the other side of uncertainty. Aadi also enjoys theatre, improv, and adaptive sports. Through his journey, he has learned that embracing vulnerability and challenging assumptions can lead to a richer and more meaningful life.
Alex Kain
Systems Innovation Specialist
Alex Kain has worn many hats throughout his life, including private investigator, dating agency consultant, stand-up comedian, tech entrepreneur, and business advisor. His experiences helped develop a deep curiosity about people, behaviour, and the systems that shape society. An adventurer at heart, Alex has travelled extensively and founded several technology startups, including being among the pioneers of Australia's early internet industry. As a systems thinker, he has spent years helping businesses improve performance through better processes and efficiency. Over time, he realised the same principles could be applied to people and society itself. Driven by a desire to create positive change, Alex continues to challenge assumptions and explore how better systems can help build a better world.
Connie Paglianiti
Event Professional and Student of Human Reinvention
Connie Paglianiti spent more than 40 years working in events and community engagement across Australia and internationally. In her early sixties, her life took an unexpected turn when she served a prison sentence following a serious mistake linked to a gambling addiction. After her release, Connie faced the challenge of rebuilding her life while navigating the stigma that often follows people long after they have served their time. At 66, she returned to study and completed a Diploma of Event Management, becoming one of the oldest students in her cohort. Through her experiences of loss, accountability and reinvention, Connie became fascinated by why so many people continue to live according to old verdicts about themselves.
Jewels Harrison
Former Police Officer, Professional Skydiver
Jewels Harrison has always been drawn to challenge and adventure. As a young athlete, she competed at State level Netball and qualified for the Australian National Swimming Championships. Later, she became an accomplished skydiver, earning two licences and completing more than 250 jumps, including advanced formations and aerial manoeuvres. She completed an Associate Degree in Leadership with a major in Youth, which led to several roles supporting young people. During this time, she met her future husband. Together, they later completed an Associate Degree in Policing at Charles Sturt University and began careers as Police Officers. Jewels spent the first six years of her policing career serving in some of the region's toughest stations before eventually retiring from the force.
Mantin Lu
Leadership Strategist, Former Gaming Executive, and Author, MBA
Mantin Lu spent more than two decades in the gaming industry, fascinated by why some people persist through challenges while others quit. His perspective changed dramatically when his son was diagnosed with autism. Suddenly, the challenge was no longer on a screen but within his own family. As a father of three, Mantin discovered that overcoming real-life obstacles follows many of the same patterns as succeeding in difficult games. He realised that willpower alone is rarely enough. People need practical systems and strategies. This insight led him to develop the SLAY the Dragon framework, a methodology focused on identifying root causes, building daily habits, creating support systems, and pursuing a meaningful purpose. Today, Mantin is passionate about helping people, especially the next generation, stop avoiding challenges and start navigating life with greater confidence and clarity.
Marleen Mour
Mother, Migrant, Author & Human Behaviour Researcher
Marleen Mour's perspective on worth, identity, and human value has been shaped by life across two cultures. Born and raised in Egypt, she grew up observing different expectations placed on women and men. At nineteen, she moved to Australia seeking greater freedom and the opportunity to shape her own future. Living between cultures gave her a unique perspective on the beliefs and assumptions that influence how people define success, contribution, and self-worth. As a daughter, migrant, mother, and woman, Marleen began questioning what truly makes a person valuable. She became particularly interested in why some contributions are recognised while others are overlooked. Through years of reflection and lived experience, Marleen developed a deep interest in the relationship between achievement, identity, and intrinsic human worth.
Meenakshi Gautam
Yoga instructor and Self Discovery Strategist
Meenakshi grew up in Meerut, India, before moving to Delhi, where ambition and achievement shaped her outlook on life. Drawn to solving problems, she studied Nanotechnology with hopes of using technology to help cancer patients. As she navigated a demanding corporate career, balancing work, home, and countless responsibilities, yoga entered her life. What began as a practice evolved into a philosophy that challenged her lifelong belief that every problem could be solved through effort alone. Through yoga therapy studies and teacher training, Meenakshi discovered ancient wisdom that offered a different path: surrender, acceptance, and self-compassion. Today, she lives in Meerut with her cats, Piddu and Pintu. Her TEDx talk was inspired by a simple yet profound moment when her teacher told her, "You can bend your knees."
Michael Puplampu
Ex-International Athlete, Athletics Coach, Corporate Leader
Michael brings an uncommon blend of elite sport, corporate leadership, and deep self‑awareness. A two‑time British champion athlete, now a corporate leader and coach, he’s spent years helping others perform at their best. But what truly sets him apart is the way he speaks about the voices in our heads. In his last speaking competition, the judges called his message “profound”, “crystal clear”, and “something I’ve never heard before”. They noted his voice “captivates people at once” – calm, yet electric. He gives those voices names: Michael, Titanium, and the big brother/father figure/mentor, Mike, who gets them on the same team. It’s a live philosophy he calls the “Council of Mikes” – a way to stop fighting yourself and start leading yourself.
Niky Hamilton
Resilient Leadership Specialist, Author and former Physiotherapist
Niky Hamilton is a former physiotherapist whose life changed profoundly after the loss of her son, Baxter. Through grief, uncertainty, and rebuilding her life, she became deeply curious about resilience—not as the ability to bounce back, but as the capacity to grow through adversity. Her journey led her to question traditional beliefs about success, strength, and leadership, and to explore how people navigate life's most difficult challenges with courage and self-compassion. Today, Niky is passionate about understanding human behaviour, emotional wellbeing, and personal growth. She believes true resilience is not about returning to who we were, but becoming someone new through the experience.
Noy Shani
Peak performance coach & Former sports journalist
Noy Shani's fascination with data and patterns began at age nine while watching a World Cup match. That curiosity led to an 18-year career in sports journalism, where he wrote hundreds of feature articles, interviewed athletes and coaches, travelled internationally, and covered major events including two Cricket World Cups and a FIFA World Cup. Yet what fascinated him most wasn't the stars. It was the people behind the scenes: the former athlete mentoring the next generation, the community coach, and the business owner quietly building something remarkable. He became fascinated by what drives people to keep going and what separates those who perform under pressure from those who don't. After a challenging period that began in 2018 and continued through his move to Christchurch, New Zealand, Noy developed a deeper interest in human behaviour and performance. Today, he still sees patterns others miss and remains fascinated by the gap between knowing what to do and doing it.
Preetah Bolaky
Leadership Trainer and Former executive director of a fintech company
Preetah Bolaky spent nearly two decades building a career in banking and finance, rising from a bank clerk in credit administration to Executive Director of a fintech company. For much of that journey, she believed strength meant handling everything alone. That belief changed when a highly experienced CEO on her team consistently sought the opinions of others. Watching someone with decades of experience choose curiosity over certainty transformed her understanding of leadership and success. The lesson extended beyond the workplace, influencing how she approaches relationships, family, and personal growth. Originally from Mauritius, she now lives in Australia and remains fascinated by what helps people grow, connect, and reach their potential.
Prof. Gladys Mangiduyos
Professor in Wesleyan University-Philippines. Curriculum Designing, Creativity and Criticality.
Gladys P. Mangiduyos is a Filipino deaconess of the United Methodist Church, educator for almost 30 years. She has been into Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Leadership in Wesleyan University Philippines. She loves creativity and criticality. She loves creative music, movement, and expression in art. She believes that creativity and criticality are inherent in each person. She upholds that it takes a village to raise a child, hence she has been into empowering educators and other Human Resources in the society to cultivate creativity and criticality.
Sarah Tse
Organisational Psychologist
Sarah Tse is an Organisational Psychologist fascinated by the conversations people avoid and the emotions hidden behind everyday words. Born in Hong Kong and now based in Australia, she has spent more than a decade exploring how people navigate change, uncertainty, and the tension between performance and belonging. Through both her professional and personal experiences, she has observed that many outwardly successful people quietly carry pressure, loneliness, or self-doubt. A deeply personal period of exhaustion and recovery changed how Sarah listens and the questions she asks. It sparked a curiosity about what helps people feel safe enough to be honest and genuinely connect. Outside of psychology, Sarah enjoys painting, creativity, and spending time in nature, where slowing down often reveals what busyness conceals.
Dr. Khai Win
PhD in Neuroscientist, Former Fortune 500 Data Scientist
Dr. Khai Win holds a PhD in neuroscience, specialising in how memory forms and breaks down, particularly in people living with dementia. After years in research and academia, she transitioned into data science, using technology to uncover hidden patterns behind business decisions. Her perspective shifted when she recognised that a seemingly small reaction in her own life was being driven by an experience from more than a decade earlier. Despite studying memory for years, she was surprised by the influence the past still held. That experience led her to explore a powerful question: who, or what, is really making our decisions? In her TEDx talk, Dr. Khai combines neuroscience and personal insight to show how understanding the patterns running beneath our behaviour can help us respond more consciously and create meaningful change.
This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.
Organized by Vincent Choy
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