Ideas that rise from Struggle.
Stories that live beyond the stage.
May 9th 2026
Resilience is not loud or heroic. It is showing up again. It is saying yes when it would be easier to say no. It is believing in something bigger than yourself.
Thank you to our speakers
Ideas Change Everything
Alicia Ramos
MC
Alicia holds a Bachlor's of Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master's in Public Administration from CSU Long Beach. With over twenty-six years in design and construction, she is dedicated to improving communities through collaborative planning, equitable practices, and infrastructure that fosters resilience and long-term benefits for all.
Emem Washington
Speaker Coach
Emem is a coach and consultant helping clients elevate their voice, clarify their message, and lead with impact. She has shared with Iyanla Vanzant, Lisa Nichols, and Jack Canfield, speaking to audiences ranging from students and CEOs to international creatives and faith leaders.
Karlie Dean
Performer
Karlie has over 15 years supporting visionary leaders and entrepreneurs. Through her practice, InnerFire, she blends depth psychology and somatic therapy to help creatives move from performing their potential to inhabiting it. She is also a dancer, poet, and women's empowerment community leader.
The voices that open the room.
Kevin Kasner
Production Organizer
Kevin brings a multidisciplinary background spanning transportation, aviation, and film and TV production - known for combining operational precision with creative execution. He also runs Polynya, a company specializing in the sale, installation, and Maintanance of cold plunge systems. His vision: provide the tools doe those bold enough to take full ownership of their health.
Ragini Kaur
Curator & Licensee
Ragini is a visionary healthcare leader, community builder, and believer that the right idea at the right moment can change everything.
With over two decades in healthcare spanning clinical operations and compliance, Ragini has seen firsthand what happens when the wrong ideas go unheard and what becomes possible when the right ones finally do.
​
Through a global pandemic, wildfire evacuations, and real loss, she learned that ideas are not just thoughts. They are lifelines.
That belief is what brought TEDxPasadena to life.
​
As Curator, Ragini is committed to creating a space where ideas that deserve to be heard actually are ideas rooted in community, resilience, and the kind of human connection that no system can replace. She believes every community holds wisdom worth sharing, and her work across healthcare, workforce development, and local collaboration reflects that deeply. For Ragini, TEDxPasadena is not just an event. It is what happens when ideas meet people who are ready to act on them. You are stronger than you realize and so is the community around you.
Samantha Lin
Volunteer Lead
Samantha is a trained auditor with a Masters in Public Accounting who pivoted from Ernst & Young and PepsiCo to founding hospitality agency Ethos Collective in Hong Kong & New York, executing over 30 commercial events.
Now a Financial Controller for an Amazon business, she is building her Celebration Mindset Coaching practice-advocating that we untie our worthiness from our results and honor our present, our progress.
The architects.
Our incredible volunteers.
TEDxPasadena 2026 would not have been possible without the generous time and dedication of our Incredible Volunteer team. Thank each and every single one of you.