Never mind whatever that Ted guy is talking about. Van is doing the talking here.
The fourth annual VANtalks, a homegrown smorgasbord of big ideas, inspiring tales and outside-the-box thinking, returns to the Kiggins Theatre at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 30. Seven speakers have been lined up to stimulate your imagination and your motivation with short speeches about lives lived, ambitions achieved (or not) and lessons learned.
“The idea has always been, ‘Let’s have a night that highlights the best thinkers, the best stories, the best of Vancouver,’ ” said co-founder Kevin Hiebert — who added that the idea was inspired by those brainy TED and TEDx talks you can catch on public radio and in live lectures.
But Hiebert didn’t want to franchise somebody else’s innovation, he said; he really wanted Vancouver’s own identity to stand out. “Vancouver has a culture of innovators all its own,” he said. “This is a way to brand ourselves.”
This year’s stories and speakers are a mix of the professional and the personal, Hiebert said. Here’s the lineup:
• Allison Magyar, CEO of software company Hubb: “The Journey from Fear of Failure to Self-Confidence: It Takes a Village.”
• Brad Richardson, executive director of the Clark County Historical Museum: “Our Park: Esther Short Park and the Relationship Between Place, Story and Self.”
• Debra Jenkins, life coach and social change strategist: “Daring Daily: Affirming Self Through the Use of Counter-narratives.”
• John Furniss, woodworker: “Becoming a Professional Blind Man by Learning to Look at the World in a Different Way.”
• Rachel O’Rourke, CEO of SPARK Global Media: “How Being an Underdog is Your Secret Super Power to Success.”
• Steve Becker, writer, interviewer and communications specialist: “The Worst Thing Imaginable: The Secret to Life After Survival.”
• Jim West, commercial real estate broker: “Yes, There is Life After Stroke!”
