TEDxKU

Speakers

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

• Amelia Knopp

  Amelia Knopp is a junior at the University of Kansas, studying accounting and sociology. At KU, she is a University Scholar, Truman nominee, KU Blood Drives executivemember, and an accounting teaching assistant. Amelia is a loyal KU basketball fan, an avid reader, and an aspiring memoirist.

• Eli Woody

  Eli Woody is a public school teacher in Kansas City, Kansas. Currently, he teaches Freshmen English and a college credit Public Speaking course. Eli attended public schools and has taught in public schools in Colorado, Texas, and Kansas. Eli holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Washburn University and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Colorado Denver. He is also the author of two books, entitled What I’ll Never Forget and Fruitcake; both are available on Amazon.

• Luke Karel

  Luke Karel is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he studied Business Administration. As a bone marrow transplant survivor who spent nearly 500 nights in the hospital battling leukemia, he found his way back to college at KU, and back to life. Luke is passionate about healthcare, faith, skiing, and travel, and believes deeply in the power of celebrating the moments most people walk right past.

• Meg Mill

  Dr. Meg Mill is a Doctor of Pharmacy and founder of the Women's Functional Health Institute. She has reached thousands of people worldwide through her certification program, her clinical work, and her globally ranked podcast "A Little Bit Healthier." Her work connects neuroscience and physiology to reveal how our thoughts directly impact our physical health. She is the creator of the 7-Second Switch method and author of the forthcoming book of the same name, and she is building a movement to help people understand that what happens in their mind is inseparable from what happens in their body.

• Megan Galloway

  Megan Galloway is a leadership facilitator, executive coach, and founder of Everleader. She has worked with thousands of leaders globally at some of the world’s largest organizations. Her work explores how identity shapes our behavior, our leadership, and who we believe we can become. She hosts the podcast Changed and is building a movement to change the world by changing how we lead at work.

• Sara Moses

  Sara is a professional speaker, podcast host, mindset coach, matchmaker, and international best-selling author with a Master’s in Psychology. A survivor of profound personal tragedies, Sara has turned her experiences into a mission to help others move through trauma, overcome adversity, and create meaningful, lasting change. Sara is a contributing author to the book I’m So Glad You Left Me: 88 Stories of Courage, Self-Love, and Personal Growth, released October 4, 2024. Featuring powerful stories of women who transformed adversity into empowerment, the book has sparked a broader conversation around healing, self-love, and personal growth. Beyond her work as an author and speaker, Sara is the Founder and CEO of BANTER, an expertly curated matchmaking service focused on authentic connection. She is certified as both a Matchmaker and a Science-based dating and relationship coach through the Global Love Institute.

• Yvette Colón

  We live in a culture that demands heroism from the suffering. From the moment of diagnosis, patients are handed a "warrior" script—a mandate to stay positive, fight hard, and serve as an inspiration to everyone around them. But what happens when the pressure to be "strong" becomes as exhausting as the disease itself? In this provocative talk, I dismantle the "Superhuman Survivor" narrative to reveal the hidden emotional tax of performing resilience. This isn’t just a talk about surviving a diagnosis; it’s an urgent call to trade toxic positivity for radical honesty, showing us that true healing begins only when we stop hiding the struggle and start embracing our shared humanity.