The TEDxPortland 2015 event featured diverse speakers discussing themes of technology, personal growth, and the value of every life. Noteworthy moments included Karen Gaffney's inspiring story of living with Down syndrome, Benji Wagner's insights on using technology to connect with nature, and Regina Ellis's dedication to joy in the fight against childhood cancer. Overall, attendees left feeling motivated and with a fresh perspective on the future and their personal tomorrows.

2. WE ARE
TOMORROW’S
PAST.
— Mary Webb

3. We explore the unknown and explore many windows,
if only to catch a glimpse of our own tomorrows.

6. // 2015
Portland
Portland
SPEAKERS
Jon Wexler
Vidya Spandana
Karen Gaffney
G Douglas Bundy
Linda Smith
Fawn Weaver
Maurice Conti
Benji Wagner
Gregory Gourdet
Cameron Smith, PhD
Jenna Nicholas
Kent Thornburg, PhD
Regina Ellis
Amber Starks
Daniel Wilson, PhD
Speech
Renny Gleeson
PERFORMERS
The von Trapps
Jacob Miller & The Bridge City Crooners
Con Bro Chill

7. // 2015 IDL Attendees
Portland
Portland
Bryan HumphreysLisa KlupengerAli Werner Lauren Wimmer Jason Petredis Jenny Shirk
Kimberly Brandt
Kara Burke
Brian EylerMax Kretschmer Paul Leser Charlie AllenKari Rowell
Jeff BrummerBrian Madden

8. THE BEST WAY
TO PREDICT THE
FUTURE IS TO
CREATE IT.
— Peter Drucker

9. TEDx PDX 2015 not only exceeded my expectations
but also re-set my mind and forced me to take a hard
look at myself and where I am headed tomorrow.
My favorite speaker of the day was Benji Wagner -
the founder of Poler Outdoor Stuff, here in Portland,
OR. He began his comical speech talking about the
great outdoors and how lucky we are here to be
surrounded by epic outdoor activities I too often take
for granted - the Oregon coast, Mt. Hood, and the
Columbia River Gorge. He expressed how too often
people are “Phrozen ™” by technology - allowing
themselves to be hindered by their phone instead of
using it as a resource. He explained how “Modern
technology is a tool that can help us reconnect
with the natural world.” This really resonated with
me. Future Ali won’t be caught “Phrozen ™” by
technology. Instead I will use technology to fill my
own tomorrow with friends, nature, and adventures.
ALI WERNER

10. This year, there were a lot of talks that resonated
with me on so many different levels. For me there
was an underlying theme about how if we were to
learn to be more honest in how we feel, speak, and
how we see other people, we can have more love
in our lives.
Fawn Weaver, of the www.happywivesclub.com,
said to always go with your first honest emotion.
Take the time to really see how you feel about
things before you speak. And always speak in a
loving way, because you never know if you’ll be able
to have another conversation with that person again.
We never know if we will have a tomorrow, so take
the time to be calm and loving in your responses to
others, even if angry, so you have no regrets and you
don’t hurt the ones you love.
“The best time to love with your whole heart is
always now, in this moment, because no breath
beyond the current is promised.”
— Fawn Weaver
LISA KLUPENGER

11. Two speakers that impacted me the most were Karen
Gaffney and Speech, from the iconic group Arrested
Development. Karen shared her story of growing
up having Down Syndrome. Karen shattered every
stereotype one may have previously had about this
medical mystery. Karen spoke with passion, further
sharing several personal accomplishments in life
such as her open water long distance swimming.
More importantly than providing a heart warming
story, Karen gave scientific insight into Down
Syndrome. Karen was clear in her message of “every
life counts” and is living proof of that. You could
feel the emotion in the air when every person in
attendance gave Karen a standing ovation.
The second most impactful moment for me was
hearing Speech talk about the time in his life, the
hardships and lessons learned in his past. During
that time is when he took the pen to paper and
crafted the lyrics to many of his songs. Hearing these
snippets of stories and then hearing him sing the
songs that were created from these moments in life
was incredible.
JASON PETREDIS

12. One of the most inspiring takeaways from
TEDxPortland was that everyone has the power
to change tomorrow. The speakers that stood out
the most to me all had experienced tragedies in
their lives. Rather than being defined by these
events, they used them to bring positive change to
tomorrow.
Regina Ellis, Chief Joy Officer of the Children’s
Cancer Association, lost her 6-year-old daughter
to cancer. Since then, Regina has dedicated her
life to helping other children battling cancer. It
was inspiring to hear her talk about the Joy Effect.
Through friendship, play, and music, Regina is able
to bring joy to children to help them fight against
devastating illness.
“The practice of joy changes lives.”
— Regina Ellis
KARI ROWELL

13. JENNY SHIRK
Speech!
KARI ROWELL
I loved it when
Speech entered the
room singing.
BRIAN EYLER
When crowd gave
Karen Gaffney
standing ovation.
FAVORITE
TEDX MOMENT
BRIAN MADDEN
A tie. I was blown away
by of the musical acts:
The von Trapps and
Con Bro Chill
KIMBERLY BRANDT
Con Bro Chill
energizing the
crowd after lunch
JEFF BRUMMER
“…The world needs more
kid made things.”
— G Douglas Bundy
LAUREN WIMMER
The variety of speakers,
all connected by
the same theme of
tomorrow.
PAUL LESER
When Speech started
singing the next the end
of a spoken sentence.
ALI WERNER
Speech’s Speech!

14. One of my favorite takeaways from this year’s
TEDxPortland was from G Douglas Bundy. His
perspective on giving kids the power to teach
themselves; that we learn as peers and not
as teacher to student was both uplifting and
enlightening.
Part of his speech centered around letting kids
program their own games via the web, and after
doing so; letting other kids be inspired by what the
initial kid had done. “Another kid made this?” was
the reply…making education a kind of impromptu
competition to out do/challenge one another.
Its an entirely new take on learning, and one that
completely turns the norms of memorizing & testing
on its head.
Super refreshing.
Oh, and his Dad built an X wing fighter in their back
yard. Also super refreshing. Learn with your kids and
in turn you will learn infinitely.
JEFF BRUMMER

15. “When a phone freezes you, you’re “Phrozen ™.”
— Benji Wagner, co-founder of Polar
In Benji Wagner’s talk, he spoke about how
technology and social media influence not only our
culture, but begin to modifiy our human behavior.
It seems we’re always looking at our phones. When
checking our instagram feeds, do we become
inspired to live better, more fufilling lives?
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will never
forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
Even though technology can help connect us, it’s
easy to overdo it sometimes. When I find myself
with glazed eyes looking at Instagram I think back
to Benji’s talk.
BRIAN EYLER

16. One speaker, Karen Gaffney, had a truly amazing
story and moral to share. Karen is an adult woman
living with Down Syndrome. She has the most
miraculous way of turning her challenges into her
strengths. Her point was that all lives matter, and
seeing the potential and value in people is simply a
matter of perspective. Her presentation captivated
the entire audience, and you could almost feel the
perspectives of the listeners shifting.
The musical numbers were very fun, and kept the
program from stagnating into continual lectures.
The final speaker, Speech from the band Arrested
Development, finished the event with a powerful
message of Spirit. He had an intense way of
communicating the idea about how to nourish your
inner drive, and manifest your truer spirit into action.
The great takeaway from the event was a new
perspective. It was a great way to open yourself
up to see interesting things from another point
of view, and in turn, accomplish another level of
understanding.
PAUL LESER

17. KARI ROWELL
Overwhelmed
& Inspired
LAUREN WIMMER
Inspired
KIMBERLY BRANDT
Inspired for
the future
THE FEELING
YOU GET
AFTER TEDX
BRIAN EYLER
Excited
JEFF BRUMMER
Mind=Blown
ALI WERNER
Motivated
JENNY SHIRK
Overwhelmed with the
wisdom, knowledge and
feeling of community
that was shared.
PAUL LESER
Inspired
BRIAN MADDEN
Both emotionally
overcome and
incredibly inspired.

18. Being my first TEDxPortland, I wasn’t sure what
to expect. It was an amazing day of knowledge,
community and wisdom. With a theme of tomorrow
tying into a diverse field of topics. Making me
re-evaluate what tomorrow looks like for myself, and
stepping through the doors with a fresh perspective
and open mind.
Two quotes, I keep going back to:
“We are the last ones that can remember life before
the Internet, and we’re doing it wrong.”
— Benji Wagner
Technology is a tool and when we get Phrozen, we’re
using it wrong. Step past a technology screen and
enjoy what is around you.
“All lives matter, regardless of the chromosome count.”
— Karen Gaffney
Hearing about all the obstacles Karen has surpassed
with grace, passion and never listening to anyone’s
doubt is a great reminder that every life has value and
every life matters. Max your potential.
JENNY SHIRK

19. Until attending TEDxPortland 2015, I looked at space
travel and the industry surrounding it as something
reserved only for highly-funded government
organizations, or wildly wealthy innovators and investors.
But Dr. Cameron Smith, a Portland-based archaeologist
and PSU anthropology faculty member, has skyrocketed
into that sector. His goal is providing humans the
ability to explore the final frontier in ever-lighter, more
affordable bonafide space suits. He’s effectively
breaking down a barrier to entry in a world that’s very
pay-to-play. His company, Pacific Spaceflight, seeks to
give “humanity an insurance policy by making space
access, and eventual settlement, cheaper and easier
by democratizing space access.” To put it in numbers, a
standard issue NASA space suit runs about $12 million.
Cameron’s costs $2000, and he’s been working on
dropping $1000 off the price tag. As Wired puts it, “he’s
a making a DIY Space Suit for the 99 Percent.” His
product better be reliable, because he’s the one doing
the high-altitude testing! I admire that Cameron Smith
is taking the future into his own hands, and I’m inspired
by the way he’s charting the course of history with
ingenuity, creativity and a little thriftiness.
BRIAN MADDEN

20. I’m so glad I was able to attend this year’s
TEDxPortland. There were a handful of speakers
that were inspirational to me, but Karen Gaffney’s
message at TEDxPortland was the one that
resonated with me the most.
Karen is a long-distance swimmer, a public speaker
and has down-syndrome. Her message was
emotional, simple and so filled with hope: everyone
deserves a life. With a chance, those with disabilities
can have just as much of an impact on this world as
anyone else. She was educational. She spoke from
her experiences and from her whole heart. I didn’t
think I would leave the event impacted in such a way.
But I did!
KARA BURKE

21. BENJI WAGNER [POLER FOUNDER]
Benji’s message was that modern technology is a
tool that helps us reconnect to the natural world. His
success in the outdoor industry gave him valuable
insight into the importance of using technology to
fully engage with nature. I liked that Benji talked
about how great technology is when we use it to
inspire us. But, too often technology is the reason
we miss out on life experiences. We are frozen by
our phones, or Phrozen, and completely checked
out of what’s happening around us. Benji would
say we aren’t using technology correctly when that
happens. He said we should use our phones to help
us have an experience that changes our lives. That
completely changed how I view my access and use
of technology. Instead of withdrawing and watching
cat videos, what if I used technology to strengthen
my connection with my surroundings? My main
takeaway was that technology shouldn’t prevent us
from fully engaging, but should enhance our ability to
explore and communicate, being fully connected to
our environment. #garyrulessohard
LAUREN WIMMER

22. JENNY SHIRK
“Give yourself permission
to fail forward”
— Jon Wexler
TEDX
FORTUNE
COOKIE
BRIAN EYLER
Choose your own
adventure
KIMBERLY BRANDT
The harder the
fall, the higher
the bounce
JEFF BRUMMER
It all matters
KARI ROWELL
“Be the mirror”
— Gregory Gourdet
LAUREN WIMMER
Today is yesterday’s
tomorrow.
ALI WERNER
“Be who you are.
Permit yourself to fail”
— Jon Wexler
PAUL LESER
Life lessons and
ice cream.
BRIAN MADDEN
Diversify your
thoughts.

23. — John Cage
I CAN’T UNDERSTAND
WHY PEOPLE ARE
FRIGHTENED OF NEW
IDEAS. I’M FRIGHTENED
OF THE OLD ONES.

24. // 2015 IDL Featured Artists
Portland
Portland
Brian Madden
Brian Madden and Kara Burke were
both selected as featured artists in the
TEDxPortland takeaway book. This
perfect bound book celebrates Year 5
of TEDxPortland and features over 60
local artists.
Kara Burke

25. DOGS IN SPACE
Kara Burke

26. CONTAINED LIFE
Brian Madden