Irene Tsouprake

Activist, Brainstormer, Business mentor, Care taker, Connector, Event planner, Filmmaker, Foodie, Global soul, Idea generator, Life mentor, Parent, Performer, Producer, Writer/Editor

A curious generalist/serial entrepreneur. Done stints at wild-land firefighting, journalism, motherhood at 23, small business development, acting, (motherhood again at 37), larger business development, corporate meetings and events, (yes, at 43-motherhood AGAIN), nearly-dying-but-not, writing, Congress briefing, Gross National Happiness advocating, and ultimately, am so grateful to be living... to be living. Am committed to some new paradigm, one where purpose and value are wedded and corporations expand the definition of success way out beyond quarterly profits to include the natural environment and people. Spent a month in Bhutan curating TEDxThimphu and TEDxYouth@Thimphu. Produce corporate events steeped in community, gratitude, beauty, art, purpose and tribe. I act. Last, a one-woman show about Judy Garland. I write. I hire and support friends in bands, modern dancers, poets, directors to create experiential events that make people laugh, dance, cry. I speaker coach climate scientists and advocates to get beyond the data and into narrative storytelling. I'm a proud YiaYia! I curate and organize TedxSantaCruz.

Bhutan, the arts, acting, Civil Discourse, compassionate eldercare, empowering women and girls, BOOKS, climate change, mindfulness in schools, progressive education, writing, my family.

Gross National Happiness-- a set of alternative economic indicators developed by the tiny nation of Bhutan that measures success beyond gross national product. We are what we incentivize and what we measure.... a very small nation shining a very bright light. The BRILLIANT work being done by Helen and Newton Harrison and their Center for the Force Majeure-- we must collaborate with nature as she retreats to the high ground, planting resilient flora behind her-- creating glacier parks as the glaciers retreat, scaffolding with resilient plants and trees as the snow pack melts... AMAZING work, global in scale, so obvious-- and yet. Xtinction Rebellion: timelines are collapsing. CIVIL DISCOURSE. "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Eldercare, Gross National Happiness & Caring Economics, Public speaking, speech writing and speaker coaching, Transformational Corporate Events, Writing

My company provided logistical support years ago in Monterey when the conference was sooooooo small... nobody really knew what it was all about! When TEDx licenses became available, I joined the TEDxSantaCruz team right away. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Have served as curator and lead speaker coach since 2011. Invited to Bhutan in 2014 where I curated and co-organized TEDxThimphu and TEDxYouth@Thimphu. Curator and Lead Speaker Coach for TEDxSantaCruz 2024.

Memorization. Can rattle off all 50 states in alphabetical order. Performed Medea as a onewomanshow at the Edinburgh Fringe-played the Greek Chorus, Medea, The Crone. As the Greeks say, it was Epic.. Also... I'm a stone cold, natural born storyteller... and I make THE best chicken soup.