TED Talks Daily

Episod

• How to escape the smartphone doom loop | Larissa May, Elise Hu 01.06.2026 17min

  Larissa May has spent a decade building digital wellness programs for young people, and she's discovered something quietly radical: the smartphone doom loop of screen dependence and anxiety isn't inevitable, and joy (not restriction) is the way out. She makes the case for a different relationship with technology — starting with swapping screens for some analog fun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Sunday Pick: Kristen Bell on delivering honesty with empathy | from ReThinking with Adam Grant 31.05.2026 42min

  On today's "Sunday Pick" on TED Talks Daily, we're bring you an episode from the TED Podcast ReThinking with Adam Grant. You probably know Kristen Bell as the star behind characters like Veronica Mars, Princess Anna from Frozen, and Eleanor from The Good Place. In this episode, Adam sits down with Kristen live at BetterUp’s Uplift leadership summit to examine how she’s learning to overcome her people pleasing tendencies and stop internalizing other people’s emotions. Kristen gets in character to demonstrate how to be honest without being unkind. She also makes the case that compliments are underrated, opens up about her strategies for dealing with envy, and offers a surprising theory of why we overexplain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• The counterintuitive secret of leadership | Jessica Kriegel 30.05.2026 14min

  Control is an illusion — and the leaders who chase it are holding their teams back. Workplace culture expert Jessica Kriegel explores the tactic that leaders who want to achieve extraordinary results should try instead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Why you should be a techno-skeptic | Jonathan Haidt 29.05.2026 21min

  Humans aren't just social — we're ultrasocial, wired like bees and ants for deep connection. So what happens when smartphones take over childhood, tablets replace textbooks and AI companies infiltrate our kids’ lives? Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out three principles of technoskepticism — and explains why, two years after sounding the alarm in “The Anxious Generation,” he's more concerned (and hopeful) than ever before. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• The invisible infrastructure in the sky | Adam Bry 28.05.2026 11min

  Drones aren't just weapons of war; they're becoming first responders, infrastructure inspectors and guardians of the grid. Adam Bry, who leads the top drone manufacturer in the US, shows how autonomous drones are transforming emergency response and public safety — from detecting faulty power lines and preventing wildfires to catching crime in real time. During his talk, he demos the technology live from the TED stage, piloting a drone in Tokyo from his laptop in Vancouver. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• My $60 million science experiment | Mark Rober 27.05.2026 15min

  Mark Rober spent years trying to land a rover on Mars. Now, the former NASA engineer turned science YouTuber with millions of subscribers is launching a new mission: to teach the next generation of big problem solvers. That's why he's spending 60 million dollars to build a STEM curriculum kids actually want. With squirrel obstacle courses, giant lasers and elephant toothpaste explosions, who wouldn't want to learn from YouTube's top engineer? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• The missing ingredient in every peace deal | Hiba Qasas 26.05.2026 33min

  What if the path to peace starts with self-interest? After four decades inside some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, mediator Hiba Qasas has learned that most peacebuilding efforts get it wrong from the start. She makes a provocative case that conciliation shouldn't begin with empathy — and reveals how leading with shared incentives brought hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian leaders into active collaboration, even in the midst of war. (Following her talk, Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, interviews Qasas on our collective responsibility to advocate for peacemaking.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How to set the right goals and stay motivated | Ayelet Fishbach (re-release) 25.05.2026 18min

  You can't just "find" motivation, says scientist Ayelet Fishbach — you have to learn how to motivate yourself. She shares a handful of tips backed by 20 years of motivation research, offering surprisingly simple wisdom on how to optimize your goals, set yourself up for success and avoid the tempting calls of procrastination.(This episode originally aired in 2024.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How to prevent burnout (w/ Master Fixer Guy Winch) | from Fixable 24.05.2026 34min

  Do you feel like work is taking over your life? Guy Winch is a psychologist and author of the book Mind Over Grind: How to Break Free When Work Hijacks Your Life. In this episode, Anne sits down with Guy at the annual TED conference in Vancouver to discuss the insidious ways work can follow you home and how to set boundaries to avoid burnout. They dig into the harmful effects of after-hours rumination, share practical rituals to help you separate work from the rest of your life, and offer tips on how to take a truly restorative vacation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How to be smarter about the news | Ian Bremmer 23.05.2026 52min

  Political scientist Ian Bremmer has access to the rooms, conversations and world leaders who make the news of the day. So how does he stay on top of everything that’s going on? In conversation with TED’s Helen Walters, Bremmer opens up about how he thinks about sources, how he avoids getting spun — and what we can all do to think more clearly about the news. (This interview was recorded on May 20, 2026.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How to stand out in the ocean of AI slop | Mick Mahler 22.05.2026 9min

  AI artist Mick Mahler has a counterintuitive take: the more powerful the machines get, the less the technology actually matters. Showing delightful examples of his own art, from jazz-playing spiders to a Kafka-inspired beetle film, he explains how creators can use new technology to serve their vision (not replace it). The real question — the one that separates meaningful work from AI slop — is the one only you can answer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How I set myself free | Keke Palmer 21.05.2026 17min

  Multihyphenate entertainer Keke Palmer has mastered the art of performing — on stage and off. But she realized the skills that carried her family out of poverty might be the very thing keeping her trapped. In this powerful talk, she unpacks the hidden cost of hyper-functioning and what it really means to stop acting and start living. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• The problem with streaming — and the case for physical media | Tom Rizzuto 20.05.2026 10min

  Streaming media gives us access to everything instantly, but at what cost? Music professor Tom Rizzuto traces the history of physical media — from CDs and vinyl to bone music (Soviet-era records pressed onto discarded X-rays) and the near-loss of "Nosferatu" — making the case that art shouldn't just live in the cloud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• The simple habit for a happier social life | Nicholas Epley 19.05.2026 16min

  We are wired for connection, and yet many of us spend most of our lives avoiding it, says behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley. Drawing on decades of research into happiness, loneliness and well-being, he reveals why we consistently underestimate how receptive others are to connecting — and invites us to seize the small moments that lead to a more social life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Life lessons from the DJ booth | ELEW 18.05.2026 8min

  Welcome to Club Reality, where no matter what life throws at you, the music never stops. In this talk and performance, musician ELEW shares his path from jazz pianist to DJ — and the unexpected philosophy he finds in both. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Sunday Pick: What are allergies — and how to get rid of them with Dr. Zachary Rubin | from TED Health 17.05.2026 31min

  On today's "Sunday Pick" on TED Talks Daily, we bring you an episode from TED Podcast TEDHealth. Does eating local honey help reduce your allergies through microexposure to local pollen? How effective is at-home allergies test? And why do so many Olympic athletes have asthma? These are some of the questions raised in today’s conversation with host Shoshana Ungerleider and her guest, immunologist Dr. Zachary Rubin. From cat dander to pollen to peanuts, Dr. Rubin discusses how having minor to severe allergies can affect your health and what you can do to manage your allergies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Why I love my bad days | Alexi Pappas 16.05.2026 32min

  One month before the Rio Olympics, runner Alexi Pappas couldn't hit her splits in practice. She was begging her watch to change its mind. Then her coach told her to take it off — and shared the best advice she's ever received. That single piece of wisdom led her to break a national record and changed how she chases her goals, carrying her through ultramarathons, a memoir and three films. Bad days aren't a detour, she says — they mean you're right on track.Following the talk, host Elise Hu caught up with Alexi for a "Beyond the Talk" conversation to dig deeper – into what the rule of thirds looks like beyond sport, what it means to befriend pain rather than just survive it, and what she wants people to know about how to keep going even when you think it’s impossible. A heads up: this conversation involves mention of mental health struggles and suicide.Afterwards, check out Alexi's own podcast Mentor Buffet, where she talks to athletes, actors, movie producers, DJs, chefs, authors, and other people she admires about who has influenced them along their journey. You can find Mentor Buffet on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• How to give feedback that lands | Dr Renee St Jacques 15.05.2026 14min

  Most managers give feedback. Few give feedback that actually works. Drawing on her background in psychology and executive coaching, Renee St Jacques breaks down what so many well-intentioned leaders get wrong — and introduces a three-part framework to help teams rebuild trust and perform at their best. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Why humans should merge with AI | D Scott Phoenix 14.05.2026 14min

  Deep tech entrepreneur D. Scott Phoenix spent years building AI — now, he believes we're on the cusp of a profound merger between humans and machines. Reframing the AI debate through the lens of evolutionary biology, he shifts the question from whether we should fear or embrace AI to whether we understand what's at stake if we get it wrong. Hear his provocative case for why we need to "eat the AI." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• A simple solution to fix workplace miscommunication | Melissa M. Mikus 13.05.2026 12min

  Leadership expert Melissa M. Mikus breaks down why most workplace friction isn't about personality clashes or bad intentions — it's about not knowing how to effectively communicate. Her solution? A small, visible and easy tweak that anyone can implement right away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.