TEDxNashvilleWomen

Speakers

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

• Avery Anna

  Attracting attention from outlets like Rolling Stone and Billboard, Avery Anna released her sophomore album, let go letters, on May 16. The moving LP comprises songs all inspired by real-life situations shared by her fans via the “Let Go Letters.” The letter series has long been a safe space for Avery’s listener community, where she invites fans to ‘let go’ of real-life experiences that may be troubling them by putting them on paper. The album follows her celebrated 2024 album, Breakup Over Breakfast, and her 2022 debut EP, Mood Swings, which earned her Artist To Watch nods from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, MusicRow, and CMT and features her Platinum-certified hit, “Narcissist.” Currently featured with Sam Barber on their viral duet, “Indigo,” Avery has garnered more than 450 million global streams to date and she heads out on her headline Let Go Letters Tour this fall.

• Bekah Liechty

  Bekah Liechty is a singer and songwriter who shares music with her brothers in the sibling trio Girl Named Tom. After winning NBC’s The Voice as the show’s first-ever group champion, Bekah went from singing in her small hometown of Pettisville, Ohio, to performing on an arena tour with Pentatonix and headlining theatre tours across the country. For Bekah, music is more than performance—it is connection. Her voice, both tender and powerful, carries stories of love, loss, and healing. She believes in the gift of nostalgia: how songs can take us back, hold us in the present, and help us imagine what’s ahead. Whether on stage before thousands or in the quiet of songwriting, Bekah leads with honesty and heart. Her artistry invites listeners to feel deeply, to remember fully, and to find beauty in the moments that shape us.

• Candice Nicole Hargons

  Candice Nicole Hargons, PhD is an award-winning psychologist and associate professor at Emory University, where her groundbreaking work focuses on sexual wellness and liberation. As a leading expert in her field, her insights have been featured in major publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, and Essence. Through her research, she challenges conventional norms and empowers everyone to redefine "good sex" on their own terms. Her debut book, Good Sex: Stories, Science, and Strategies for Sexual Liberation, offers a powerful invitation to season your sex life and prioritize intimate justice.

• Debbie Gibson

  Debbie Gibson burst onto the scene at just 16, making history at 17 with her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Foolish Beat”—a record that still stands, making her the youngest female artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 hit. Her extraordinary talent has led to over 16 million in album sales and a prolific theatrical career spanning 17 musicals, including Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, Grease on the West End, and Cabaret. In 2021, Gibson released her first pop album in nearly two decades, The Body Remembers, which soared to No. 2 on the Apple Pop Sales Chart. In 2024, she celebrated the 35th anniversary of her iconic album Electric Youthwith special performances worldwide. Gibson is set to release her upcoming memoir Eternally Electric through Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, on September 9. Visit debbiegibsonofficial.com for more information.

• Fiona Cauley

  Fiona Cauley is a nationally touring comedian. Famously known for her dark sense of humor and positive perspective on living life with a progressive neurological disease.

• Jordan Grace

  Jordan Grace is a choreographer, entrepreneur, and founder of AREA 54, a nationally recognized dance brand that empowers people to rediscover joy, confidence, and community through movement. After working professionally as both a dancer and recording artist, Jordan saw how the pressures of the entertainment industry often strip people of their authentic selves. Determined to create a space that celebrates individuality, she launched AREA 54, where classes are about more than steps — they are about reclaiming freedom. As a wife, mother of two, and business leader, Jordan brings a unique perspective on balancing ambition with authenticity. Her mission is simple: to help others come home to themselves through dance and story.

• Lisa Monteggia

  Lisa Monteggia is the Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and the Lee E. Limbird Chair of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University. She investigates the molecular and cellular basis of neural plasticity, particularly as it pertains to neuropsychiatric disorders. She holds a PhD in neuroscience and has been a professor since 2013. She’s been recognized with several prestigious awards including the Anna Monika Foundation Prize, the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. She currently serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute of Mental Health, the Board of Directors of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, and is the Co-Editor-in Chief of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. She is actively involved in numerous advocacy and outreach initiatives at local and national levels.

• Maggie Rose

  2x GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Maggie Rose continues to win over fans and critics alike. Maggie’s latest album "No One Gets Out Alive" earned her a GRAMMY nomination for Americana Album of the Year and was named one of the 100 Best Albums of 2024 by Rolling Stone. Billboard called it “superb” and American Songwriter hailed it as “moving” and “triumphant.” Her 2025 EP Cocoon features the smoldering Grace Potter collaboration “Poison in My Well,” which was recently nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY for Best Americana Performance. Rose earned an Americana Music Association nomination for Emerging Act Of The Year and performed a special concert with the Nashville Symphony at AmericanaFest to mark the occasion. Other festival stops in 2025 included Newport Folk Fest, Telluride Blues, Pilgrimage Festival and Floyd Fest among others. Her high-profile TV appearances include performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, TODAY, and CBS Saturday. A true road warrior, Maggie has shared the stage with the likes of Chris Stapleton, Kelly Clarkson, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dave Matthews Band, My Morning Jacket, and more. A fixture in Nashville, she has played the Grand Ole Opry over 100 times. Rose hosts her own podcast, Salute The Songbird.

• Makeba Williams

  Dr. Makeba Williams, an OB/GYN and certified menopause specialist, is dedicated to transforming healthcare for midlife women. As an award-winning educator and physician, she empowers women to navigate menopause with confidence and knowledge. Dr. Williams’ mission is to empower midlife women to live their best, healthiest lives during menopause. She recognizes menopause as a life stage deserving comprehensive, personalized care and is committed to training the next generation of healthcare professionals to deliver evidence-based, culturally responsive care and shared decision-making. Dr. Williams is also committed to breaking the silence around menopause and ensuring that all women have access to informed, compassionate healthcare.

• Malaka Gharib

  Malaka Gharib is an artist, writer and journalist. She is the author of the graphic memoirs, “I Was Their American Dream,” about growing up Filipino Egyptian American, and “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” about her summers in the Arab World. She is an editor at NPR, where she covers topics like health and finance. Previously, she worked for Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Bono’s anti-poverty charity ONE, and Al Jazeera English. She is a winner of the 2020 Arab American Book Awards, earned a Webby for her COVID comics and has won Gracie Awards for NPR editorial projects. Her comics have been published in The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times and The Believer, and she has been profiled by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her work is archived at the Smithsonian Institution, the Arab American Museum and The New York Public Library.

• MŌRIAH .

  MŌRIAH’s Mexican roots are evident in her work as an actress, producer (music & film), recording artist and songwriter. The L.A. native who now calls Nashville home, delivered her debut, “Hasta Mañana,” in English and Spanish in the Fall of 2024 and is part of CMT’s 2025 Next Women of Country class. In early 2025, she released her follow-up single “Sombrero” in English and Spanish and song’s music video debuted in Times Square in May. BILLBOARD has taken note of her “country sound and mariachi flair,” THE TENNESSEAN says she is “among the first to blend a strong Latin and mariachi influence into country music,” and Music Row Magazine raves, “It’s high time we had a Latina country star.” Always paying tribute to her heritage, MŌRIAH often points to the words of her grandfather as she describes her artistic mission: “'La música no tiene fronteras’ which means 'music has no boarders.'” Her debut Latin-Country EP is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2025

• Sheila Kilbane

  Sheila Kilbane, MD, is on a mission to get 1 million children off medications they may not need. She is a board-certified pediatrician and an expert in integrative medicine (trained with Andrew Weil). She has spent two decades on the leading edge of children’s health. She and her team are revolutionizing how we treat childhood eczema, asthma, allergies, and gut health. Dr. Kilbane is an author, speaker, and founder of Infinite Health in Charlotte, NC. She has helped thousands of children improve using her unique root-cause approach: common childhood illnesses often improve significantly or resolve altogether. Her bestselling book Healthy Kids Happy Moms outlines the seven-step process that is transforming pediatric healthcare. A sought-after expert, she's presented alongside luminaries like Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Evolution of Medicine Functional Forum (reaching 6,000-10,000 health professionals monthly), and she has spoken at international conferences from the UK to online summits. Through her practice, courses, and mentoring of other practitioners, Dr. Kilbane is demonstrating that nutrition, combined with conventional medicine, offers a powerful tool to slow the epidemic of chronic illness in our children.

• Tim Estes

  As a father of two, Tim Estes is tackling one of our time’s greatest challenges: making the internet safe for children. He is the founder and CEO of AngelQ, a company building an "Intentional Internet" powered by trustworthy AI. AngelQ gives kids a guided online experience, answering questions simply and looping in parents when needed. This mission is built on a two-decade track record in AI. Tim previously founded a pioneering firm whose technology helped banks detect risk and even supported law enforcement in disrupting child sex-trafficking rings. Now, his north star is clear: to put a trustworthy AI between every child and the internet, creating a safer digital world for the next generation..