TEDxDublin Salon

Speakers

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

• Bijan Ghorbani

  Storytelling expert

  Bijan defines storytelling as humanity’s most powerful technology. Since 2017, he has coached 8,500+ leaders to move beyond self-centered pitching. By blending neuroscience with narrative analysis, Bijan transforms dry data into unforgettable impact, ensuring your next proposal doesn’t just inform—it drives immediate action and builds lasting human trust.

• Emily Redman

  Speaker working across health, wellness, and social science

  Emily explores how neuroscience proves storytelling triggers oxytocin and healing. Amidst a "loneliness crisis," she champions sharing personal narratives to restore social health. After losing her husband Jude during COVID, Emily shares her journey, illustrating how vulnerability builds the deep connections essential for our collective health and well-being.

• Garry Cohn

  Designer working at the intersection of architecture, interiors, art, technology

  New Yorker Garry Cohn blends architecture, art, and technology through 30 years of "haute couture" design. His Cohn Design brand defies luxury norms, transforming everyday objects into sophisticated treasures. Through bold color and play, Garry creates rejuvenating spaces that prove style knows no limits. You really can have it all.

• Johanna Herfter

  Speaker and practitioner working across wellbeing, mental health, mindfulness

  Johanna Herfter is a practitioner working across wellbeing, mindfulness, and human-centered design. In a world prioritizing speed, she reframes beauty as a daily, trainable practice of attention. By noticing simple moments—like rain or city sounds—Johanna teaches us to reconnect with our capacity to feel, fostering the resilience essential for wellbeing.

• Sinead Sharkey-Steenson

  Speaker and facilitator

  Speaker and facilitator working across personal development and influence.Helping ambitious women lead from their Genius Zone to get the recognition & roles they deserve with less stress.She speaks from experience because she has lived it. From leading high-stakes teams to navigating perimenopause in power suits, she redefined her own career after asking the pivotal question: “Is this really it?” Today, she coaches high-level leaders at Meta, Deloitte, the UN, and beyond, helping them shift from overextending to expanding with clarity, conviction, and capacity. Her methodology blends two decades of senior leadership with deep coaching, neuroscience, and an intuitive "X-factor" her clients swear by—the ability to see the potential in them that they can’t yet see for themselves.

• Tomi Ilori

  Speaker, creative, and unapologetic changemaker

  Speaker, creative, and unapologetic changemaker navigating rooms where he is often the youngest, the only, and the unexpected. As an African-Irish professional, Tomi’s life has been shaped by a series of unfortunate events — moments of misfortune that he has learned not just to survive, but to leverage. In an era where Gen Z are under pressure to be unique while AI flattens individuality, Tomi offers a refreshing and “disgustingly real” perspective: standing out isn’t about perfection, polish, or algorithms. It’s about discipline, consistency, and having the courage to show up fully as yourself — even when it’s uncomfortable.