TED Talks that every woman should watch

It's the weekend! Before you dive back into your favourite shows, take a moment to learn from inspiring women who shattered glass ceilings. Whether you're seeking career guidance, a job change, or work-life balance, these TED Talks offer fresh perspectives and practical advice to illuminate your path.

1) Three lessons on success from an Arab businesswoman-Leila Hoteit

Leila Hoteit is a Partner and Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She is based in Dubai and leads the Education and Human Capital Development work in the Middle East. In this talk, she shares that professional women in Arab juggle more responsibilities than their male colleagues and they face more cultural rigidity than Western women. Tracing her career as an engineer, advocate, and mother in Abu Dhabi, Hoteit shares three lessons to thrive in the modern world. Based on her experience and interaction, she shares the success stories of stories of Arab women and what those stories teach us about tenacity, competition, priorities, and progress.

2) Know your worth and then ask for it- Casey Brown

Ever felt inadequate or been plagued with self-doubt at work, then you’re not alone. This feeling is commonly termed as Impostor syndrome. While both men and women suffer from this syndrome, it is found that this syndrome is prevalent among women. As part of the ongoing debate of gender equality at work, impostor syndrome is often raised as a factor of incongruities in wages and promotions between male and female employees.

Casey Brown shares stories and learnings that can help women professionals to communicate their worth better at work and get paid for your excellence and not being a woman.

3) My year of saying yes to everything- Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She is best known as the showrunner. With the huge success of television series like Scandal and Grey's Anatomy, Rhimes has become one of Hollywood’s most powerful icons. 

She shares that she loves to work and said, "When I am hard at work, when I am deep in it, there is no other feeling.” She has a name for this feeling: The hum. She explains ‘hum’ as a drug, music, and God's whisper in her ear.  She told the audience what happened when she lost her ‘hum’ i.e. her passion for the job. She shares, 'Inside me was silence.', but how saying 'yes' to everything has made the hum come back.” From saying yes she learned that the real home is 'confidence and peace, and love.'

4) Can we all ‘have it all’- Anne-Marie Slaughter

Anne-Marie Slaughter is a Public policy thinker and was the first female Director of Policy Planning for the US Department of State. She made news with her article, "Why women still can't have it all” by dismantling the notion that women who fail to “have it all” lack the ambition to do so. In this video, she argues that the way most leadership jobs are structured, regardless of gender, upholds mindless devotion to work above family life or other passions. In this talk, she explains why shifts in work culture, public policy, and social norms can lead to more equality for both women and men.

5. Why we have too few women leaders - Sheryl Sandberg

In this insightful TED Talk, Sheryl Sandberg explores why fewer women than men reach the highest levels in their careers and shares three impactful strategies for women aspiring to break into the C-suite.

6. The power of vulnerability - Brené Brown