“Rethink Courage”: TEDxLogan Circle Announces Speaker Lineup for 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 6, 2025 – Get ready to rethink your worldview! TEDxLogan Circle is thrilled to announce its powerful lineup of speakers for the 2025 event, themed “Rethink Courage.” This year’s selection follows an exceptionally competitive application process, with over 570 individuals from 44 U.S. states and 20 countries eager to share their stories of courage. After months of meticulous review, we’ve curated nine speakers whose stories truly embody the spirit of bravery and resilience, inviting us all to consider courage in new and unexpected ways.

“The sheer number of applications we received truly underscores the countless acts of courage taking place around the world,” says Monica H. Kang, Executive Director of TEDxLogan Circle. “The careful consideration that went into selecting these nine individuals reflects our team’s commitment to showcasing stories that will not only inspire but also offer fresh perspectives on what it means to be courageous. We are incredibly excited to witness their talks and eagerly anticipate welcoming everyone this August for an event that promises to ignite new ways of thinking.”

The 2025 TEDxLogan Circle speakers who will take the stage on August 14, 2025, are as follows:

• Beth Barr (Saint Clair Shores, MI) – “Help Kids Succeed: Let Them ‘Fail'”
• Guru Madhavan (Washington, D.C.) – “The Forgotten Courage of Engineering”
• Dr. Ivy Akid (Baltimore, MD) – “How to Say Goodbye with Grace: The Art of Dying”
• Laura Singer (Washington, D.C.) – “Rethinking Resilience: Changing the System, Not Just Beating the Odds”
• Dr. Marakie Tesfaye (Atlanta, GA) – “Where Do You Go When You Gotta Go?”
• Marc A. Coronel (Los Angeles, CA) – “The Courage to Ask: How a Simple Story Can Save a Life”
• Melissa Hunt (Seguin, TX) – “The Senior Care Industry is Broken, but There Is Hope”
• Noah Fenstermacher (Annapolis, MD) – “Learning to Love the Low-Paying, High-Impact Job”
• Romeo Gardner (Stafford, VA) – “Ctrl + Alt + Teach: Why Cybersecurity Should Be a Mandatory Subject in Schools”
  
  

Mark your calendars for an unforgettable event filled with inspiring talks and opportunities for connection as we “Rethink Courage” together.

Registration Information:

Secure your spot to witness these courageous ideas unfold! Tickets and further event details are available at TEDxLogan Circle 2025 Registration.

About TEDxLogan Circle:

TEDxLogan Circle is an independently organized TEDx event by volunteers dedicated to showcasing innovative ideas, fostering dialogue, and inspiring action for the community in Washington D.C. and beyond. Through engaging talks and interactive experiences, TEDxLogan Circle aims to amplify the voices of changemakers and thought leaders, sparking conversations that drive positive change.

About TED 

TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge—without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community. 

TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.

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We eagerly anticipate sharing this remarkable event with you!