TEDx San Diego, TEDx Torrey Pines, and the Power of Relationship Riches

Our first event was ambitious: 16 speakers, a remarkable number of sponsors, a large volunteer team, and a beautiful venue. The full-day event took an enormous effort to produce. The focus was an exceptional live experience for everyone who attended in person, and that experience reached well beyond the talks on the main stage.

Before the event, we organized gatherings in several locations, including private homes. Volunteers got to know one another, sponsors became part of the community, and relationships formed before everyone came together for the main event. We were building more than a program of talks. We were creating ways for people to connect around ideas, experiences, and shared interests.

These experiences established what I valued most about our first TEDx San Diego event: the people, and the relationships that grew around the ideas.

Since 2010, independently organized TEDx events have passed 50,000 worldwide, an incredible milestone for the TEDx community.

As shared by TED about TEDx licensee events, February 2026.

Two volunteers stand out: Jennifer Dean, our speaker coach, and Amy Paul Pfleger, our marketing director. Both brought extraordinary talent and dedication to their roles.

At our second-year event, Jennifer coached Joe Risser, MD, MPH, a physician whose talk was titled The Secrets and Science of Mental Toughness. Joe was an introvert and quite shy, and Jennifer helped him bring out his best on the TEDx stage.

Ranked in the top 15 of the 50 most-watched TEDx talks on YouTube in 2025, with 5.9 million views as of October 2026, all through organic reach.

Joe deserved that recognition. His presentation was exceptional, and I have tremendous respect for the work Jennifer did as a volunteer speaker coach. The right person, offering encouragement, insight, and professional guidance, can help someone share an idea with remarkable impact. Read Jennifer's story in SDVoyager, or visit her coaching practice at CoachOrangeSlice.com.

Amy's work was equally impressive. As marketing director, she showed an extraordinary sensitivity to imagery, language, storytelling, and the personalities and passions of each speaker. Her social media posts conveyed the heart of each person's story and helped audiences connect with the people behind the ideas. With so many speakers and so much activity, that took considerable creativity, attention, and dedication.

The following year, I suggested adding a TEDxWomen San Diego event. An open call had brought in more than 600 applications and nominations, and about three-quarters of the applicants were women. I saw an opportunity to create another platform for people to share their ideas, and we made it happen.

With TEDxWomen San Diego, we held two public events each year. Ticketed audiences attended in person, giving speakers a live audience for their ideas and giving attendees the experience of gathering around them.

One of the most rewarding parts of the open application process was seeing what happened when people had more than one chance. Several speakers told me they had applied multiple times. One woman had applied five times before she spoke at TEDxWomen San Diego, and she went on to serve as master of ceremonies at the following main-stage event.

Her experience has stayed with me because it shows the value of keeping opportunities open. People develop, refine their ideas, improve their presentations, and grow more confident over time. An applicant who is not selected one year may be an excellent speaker the next.

Creating an open application process required substantial work. We reviewed hundreds of applications, listened to short video reels, and invited approximately 100 candidates to submit videos.

Every gathering, every coaching session, every second chance added to what I call Relationship Riches.

The same spirit of ideas worth sharing runs through TEDx Torrey Pines, held in La Jolla. Amy Paul Pfleger, our TEDx San Diego marketing director, organized the inaugural TEDx Torrey Pines, and I supported the event as a volunteer. Its lineup brought together voices from science, business, creativity, community work, and personal storytelling, along with a featured performer whose powerful voice added another layer to the event.

Among those voices, marine biologist Brendan Talwar shared the hardest lesson his research taught him.