TEDxHobart Salon

Speakers

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

• Alexander Hoysted

  Alexander Hoysted is a writer and researcher from the world of technology, exploring one of the defining questions of the modern age: Who are we becoming in the digital world? Alongside his professional work in technology advocacy, he studies philosophical accounts of stories, identity, and meaning. His forthcoming book, Can You Finish This Book?, explores how digital technologies have reshaped attention, identity and our sense of what is real. It also shows how to live peacefully alongside this noisy reality. Drawing on philosophy, cultural evolution and his own life spent bumbling through a screen-soaked upbringing, Alexander’s talk explores a deeper question beneath the noise: What does it mean to be truly authentic in an artificial world?

• Di Mason

  Di graduated from the University of Tasmania’s School of Nursing in 1990 and has built a diverse career across Operating Theatres, Intensive Care and Cardiology in Australia and London. With a strong interest in health education, primary prevention and early detection, she spent eight years with Roche, managing Oncology and Haematology in Tasmania and gaining deep insight into clinical trials, cancer research and emerging targeted and immunotherapies. Following the loss of her mother to metastatic melanoma in 2004, Di became a passionate advocate for skin cancer awareness. She joined Cancer Council Tasmania in 2009 in health promotion and served on several national committees. In 2014 she founded Skin Cancer Tasmania (formerly Melanoma Tasmania) and helped establish Tasmania’s first private multidisciplinary meeting for melanoma patients. She later held senior advocacy and leadership roles with Melanoma Institute Australia and is now working to reestablish Skin Cancer Tasmania in 2026.

• Dwayne Good

  Dwayne Good, a proud Bundjalung man, is a respected leader in the Australian travel industry and the founder and owner of InTravel Group, Australia’s only 100% Indigenous-owned corporate travel agency. After building a successful career with one of Australia’s largest travel companies, Dwayne established InTravel Group to address a gap in the market for more personalised, accountable travel management services. His vision was to create a travel company that combines commercial excellence with meaningful social impact. Passionate about creating pathways for First Nations people, Dwayne has actively contributed to several Indigenous business and economic development initiatives, serving on boards and advisory groups focused on strengthening Indigenous enterprise and leadership across Australia. Through his work, Dwayne continues to advocate for stronger representation of First Nations people in the travel industry.

• Rebecca Chabot

  With over 25 years of experience in wellness and a PhD in science, Dr. Rebecca Chabot bridges the gap between scientific research and real-world application. Dr. Chabot specialises in motivating individuals, organisations and teams to understand the science behind wellness, empowering them with tools to strengthen connections, rebuild confidence, cultivate a growth mindset, and elevate performance. Through evidence-based strategies, Dr. Chabot supports organisations around the globe to foster resilience, adaptability, and sustained success, creating measurable improvements in stress management, performance, and workplace culture. Her engaging delivery style combines humour, authenticity, and research credibility, making complex neuroscience not just understandable but genuinely compelling. Dr. Chabot's offerings provide science-backed wellness that cuts through misinformation and guides you towards sustained health and peak performance.

• Swee-Hoon Chuah

  Swee-Hoon Chuah is a Professor of Behavioural Economics and Director of the Tasmanian Behavioural Lab at the University of Tasmania. Her work explores how cultural and social identity, norms, and a sense of belonging shape the choices people make in everyday life. She works at the intersection of research and practice, advising governments and international organisations on issues such as youth employment, multicultural inclusion, maternal health, and gambling regulation. Her work has informed national policy in Australia and community-level initiatives in Southeast Asia. At the heart of her work is a simple question: how can policies better reflect the way people actually live, think, and relate to one another? Swee-Hoon is particularly interested in how behavioural insights can be applied in culturally sensitive ways to support inclusion and participation. Through her work, she aims to make behavioural science practical, grounded, and meaningful in the real world.

• Thiago Alves

  Thiago is a social entrepreneur dedicated to transforming the experience of newcomers to Tasmania from one of isolation to one of belonging. As the Co-Founder of Guess My Accent, he is building a vibrant ecosystem where multicultural individuals - from international students to skilled migrants to connect, grow, and thrive. Driven by a mission to combat professional and social isolation, Thiago's work with GMA facilitates monthly language exchanges and networking events that serve as vital catalysts for connection. His commitment to community wellbeing extends beyond cultural integration; he is a passionate advocate for mental health, actively fundraising for suicide prevention through Albie House. Thiago believes that every accent carries a story worth celebrating. Through his journey of sharing stories and inspiring change, Thiago invites us all to see our diverse backgrounds as our greatest collective strength.

• Tristan McLindon

  For fifteen years, Tristan McLindon had a perfectly respectable career in marketing, studying and applying exactly how brands steal your attention, hold it, and sell it back to you. Then, this year, he did the sensible thing and walked away from all that to mess with people's minds and attention. And so far it’s working. Tristan has rocketed onto the scene as one of the country's leading magicians and mentalists, landing a spot on The Morning Show, appearing in news.com.au, a feature in the New York Post and selling out his run at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He's become a sought-after entertainer for corporate events, a keynote and TEDx speaker, bringing the same mind-bending skills to boardrooms and stages across the country. But, it’s not just tricks. Tristan is on a mission to mess with your attention in a world where it's being stolen every single day, and he's using everything he learned in comms and marketing to pull it off.