TEDxBoulder

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• David Chernikoff

  David Chernikoff began practicing yoga and meditation in 1971, after which his life story reads like a greatest-hits of modern spiritual teachers. He trained as a yoga teacher with Swami Satchidananda, studied with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and deepened his commitment to meditation practice with Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and Sharon Salzberg. This led him to begin teaching insight meditation in the late 1980s. He was also greatly influenced by Ram Dass, whose teaching inspired him to work with dying people at the Dying Center in Santa Fe and in hospice programs. Because of his passion for interspiritual dialogue, he met and was mentored by Father Thomas Keating for many years, and worked closely with Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi at the Spiritual Eldering Institute. Chernikoff trained with Thrangu Rinpoche and other Tibetan teachers during a three-year stay in Nepal, and then returned to the U.S. to begin a long stint of teaching in the transpersonal psychology program at Naropa University in Boulder. During that time, he became one of the guiding teachers of the Insight Meditation Community of Colorado. Currently, he teaches retreats and workshops throughout the U.S. and has a private practice as a spiritual counselor and life coach. For more information, please see www.davidchernikoff.com.

• Dr Mark Neyrinck

  Mark is a cosmologist who enjoys radically multidisciplinary scientific research and art. He has held research positions in several university departments in the US and Europe, after his PhD at CU-Boulder. He is now back in Colorado, an affiliate research scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science.

• Dr. Andrew Holecek

  Andrew Holecek is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner in Tibetan Buddhism and other nondual wisdom traditions. He is the Resident Contemplative Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, and a research consultant for the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University. His work involves studies on dark immersion and dream yoga. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the author of nine books, and a concert pianist. He has completed a three-year solitary retreat and is a frequent subject in scientific studies on meditation and lucid dreaming. His work integrates ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary scientific, psychological, and philosophical perspectives, aiming to help individuals navigate the challenges of life and death. He is currently writing two books on dark retreat. Holecek holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery.

• Dr. Ashley Shew

  Dr. Shew is a multiply disabled person: tinnitus-buzzing, hard-of-hearing, chemobrained amputee (all due to treatment for bone cancer) with Crohn’s disease (unrelated to bone cancer). She is also a working philosopher of technology and biotech ethicist as a faculty member at Virginia Tech in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society.She has expertise on the subjects of animal studies, disability studies, ethics and emerging technologies, and technological knowledge. She likes the challenge of writing and adapting material for different audiences and communities.

• Dr. Devin Effinger

  Dr. Devin Effinger is a neuroscientist, science communicator, and advocate for recovery-informed mental health. With a PhD in Neuropharmacology and postdoctoral training in circuit-level neuroscience at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, his research explores how psychedelics and neuromodulatory systems reshape brain circuits involved in stress, reward, and motivation. After surviving a traumatic brain injury and more than a decade of heroin addiction, Devin found recovery through community, endurance sports, and a fascination with the brain’s capacity to heal. He later built and ran a nonprofit serving at-risk youth and incarcerated individuals, where his neuroscience-informed curriculum produced drastic reductions in recidivism. As founder and CEO of NeuroRecovery, Devin integrates qEEG analysis with a comprehensive systems-based approach to design individualized recovery and optimization protocols. His team works with both individuals in recovery and entrepreneurs seeking peak performance, and is developing an AI-driven neurofeedback app to help people optimize brain function and resilience.

• Dr. Jadwiga (Yaga) Richter

  Dr. Jadwiga (Yaga) Richter is a Senior Scientist at the National Science Foundation's National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), where she has spent most of her career advancing Earth system science through an integrative, cross-disciplinary lens. Yaga has led several interdisciplinary teams on topics ranging from identifying sources of forecast skill in the challenging “Week 3–4” range to exploring how the Earth system responds to a range of natural and human-driven influences—and how that knowledge can be used to better anticipate impactful environmental outcomes. She is known for bringing together scientists across disciplines and fostering collaboration across institutional and intellectual boundaries. Her work reflects a deep commitment to reconnecting what science has often fragmented—connecting people, tools, and knowledge systems to better understand and respond to the complexity of the Earth system. She sees this integration as essential to reshaping how science can serve society in an increasingly interconnected world. Currently, Yaga serves as a Special Projects Lead to the NSF NCAR Director, leading NSF NCAR’s Earth System Predictability Across Timescales Initiative, aimed at advancing scientific understanding and developing tools to enhance societal resilience. Yaga holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a minor in Physics from the State University of New York at Purchase and earned her Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington in 2002.

• Dr. Merritt Turetsky

  Merritt is a scientist, professor, and mom. For the past 30 years, she has led field expeditions across the far north to better understand the impacts of rapid climatic and landscape changes. Her research focuses on issues that are important to ecosystem services, global change, and environmental policy. People living in the north are experiencing the most rapid climate change on the planet, and Merritt aims to help them address what these rapid changes mean for their land, traditional foods, and the quality of their water. For example, permafrost thaw is leading to subsidence, erosion, and flooding that affects the ability of hunters and harvesters to travel across their land and access traditional foods. By conducting user-driven research that also addresses fundamental questions in ecology and global change biology, Merritt strives to build knowledge and capacity for northern communities and governments. Through research, engagement, and teaching, Merritt’s primary aim is to train the next generation of scientists in the interdisciplinary skills required to tackle ongoing challenges in the north related to food and water security, energy sustainability, carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, and landscape change. Her first creative nonfiction book, Bogland, will be released in 2026, detailing her passion for the world's boglands - ethereal, almost magical ecosystems that defy death, tell secrets, and will determine our climate future. Merritt is happiest in, near, or on top of any body of water, or traipsing through a bog looking for carnivorous plants.

• Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza

  Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza is a leading marine biologist, explorer, and ocean advocate recognized globally for her work in shark conservation and science education. She is the CEO and Chief Scientist of Ocean First Institute, a nonprofit organization advancing marine research, education, and conservation. Under her leadership, the Institute has reached over half a million people across 46 U.S. states and 35 countries through award-winning conservation programs and transformative educational outreach. With over two decades of experience, Dr. McComb-Kobza's research explores the biology, behavior, and movement of sharks using innovative technologies such as satellite tracking, environmental DNA (eDNA), and remote camera systems. She directs shark research from Ocean First Institute’s field lab in the Florida Keys, where her team studies local shark populations and trains the next generation of marine scientists. She has led or participated in more than 40 scientific expeditions around the world, from the Amazon River Basin to the South African coast, and from the coral reefs of Belize to the icy waters off Nova Scotia. Her work has been featured by National Geographic, the BBC, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, NPR, and CBC National Radio Canada. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, past President of the American Elasmobranch Society, a National Fellow of The Explorers Club, and a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Dr. McComb-Kobza earned her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from Florida Atlantic University and is the author of numerous scientific publications. She is passionate about inspiring ocean stewardship through science, education, and storytelling.

• Jonathan Fields

  Jonathan Fields is a dad, husband, award-winning and bestselling author of six books, co-executive producer and host of the top-ranked Good Life Project® podcast, which has been listened to and viewed more than 100-million times. Through his Awake at the Wheel Substack newsletter, he helps you feel more alive and less alone. Jonathan is also the founder of a series of companies focused on human potential, currently serving as CEO of Spark Endeavors, where he developed the Sparketype® Assessment, which has been tapped by over 1-million individuals and organizations to identify and pursue work that reconnects you with purpose, possibility, and joy. He is also a lifelong maker of everything from businesses, experiences, books, and brands to paintings, prints, mixed-media art, acoustic guitars, metalwork, tables, and beyond. Jonathan’s work has been featured widely in the media, from The New York Times, FastCompany, Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard Business Review to Oprah Magazine, SUCCESS, Allure, Parade, Vogue Elle, Outside, Reader’s Digest and more. Learn more at jonathanfields.com

• Kaelynn Partlow

  Netflix’s “Love On the Spectrum”; Author of “Life On The Bridge” Kaelynn Partlow is an autistic therapist, public speaker, content creator, and author of Life on the Bridge. She shares autism insight through national speaking events, social media, and her work at Project Hope Foundation to promote real-world autism support and inclusion.

• Lee Frankel-Goldwater

  Lee Frankel-Goldwater is a poet, social innovator, and environmental educator. He holds a PhD in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder, an MA in Environmental Conservation Education from New York University, and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Rochester. He is a teaching professor at the University of Colorado Boulder focusing on novel teaching and learning in, about, and for the environment. Lee is also an active member of Boulder’s vibrant literary scene.

• Lia Thomas

  Lia Thomas (she/her) is a transgender woman, an athlete, and an advocate. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 where she competed as an openly transgender swimmer and became the first trans athlete to win an NCAA D1 Championship. She received significant media attention for her competition on the women’s team and has spoken about her experiences and of the importance of inclusion in athletics. In addition to her NCAA awards, she has been named one of the 100 most Influential Philadelphians in 2022 and The Trustee’s Council of Penn Women’s 2022 Athletic Achievement Award.

• Lincoln Jesser

  🎧 Lincoln Jesser is the creator of Healing House—a global movement bridging music, mindfulness, and modern culture. A charting artist and producer with over 50 million streams, Lincoln has performed at Electric Forest, Deep Tropics, Daybreaker, and other major stages, bringing high-vibration dance music and sound healing to audiences around the world. With a growing community across Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify reaching millions each month, he’s redefining what it means to experience music as medicine—transforming the dance floor into a space for connection, breath, and awakening. 🔗 Connect & Learn More Website: https://lincolnjesser.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/lincolnjesser Instagram: https://instagram.com/healinghousemovement