TEDxUofT Mississauga hosts annual conference at Maja Prentice Theatre
The event featured eight inspirational and accomplished speakers who discussed topics including organizational psychology, unleashing one’s potential, and Roman stoicism.
On January 25, TEDxUofT Mississauga hosted its annual conference at the Maja Prentice Theatre in Mississauga. This year’s conference was called SHIFTED, with its central theme being “Change.”
The event featured eight speakers from different backgrounds and careers who all took the stage to discuss their journeys and experiences. The program commenced with a small technical glitch and a wave of laughter, which, accompanied by the hosts’ corny humour, created a warm atmosphere conducive to listening and learning.
Martin DeSouza, a successful entrepreneur in the personal development industry, began his presentation by speaking about himself and his twin brother. He said, “I was the dreamer with the big ideas, and my brother was the protector, our rock, keeping us safe.”
As they grew up, Martin’s brother became riddled with self-doubt. While Martin believed in their career in entrepreneurship and taking a chance, his brother feared failure. One day, Martin’s brother told Marin to move on without him– that Martin should chase his dreams without being held back. Martin let his brother go so he could move on.
Then, DeSouza revealed a monumental twist: he never had a twin brother. Rather, his brother was a metaphor for all the limiting beliefs that held him back. DeSouza describes limiting beliefs as the stories we tell ourselves– that voice in the back of your head that tells you that you can’t do it.
These beliefs are “rooted in our biology, not our psychology,” DeSouza explained. Our body uses fear to protect us and to stop us from making bad decisions. However, that same instinct limits us from pursuing better goals.
DeSouza then articulated a three-step framework to remove one’s limiting beliefs: disconnect, rewire, and reinforce.
Disconnect refers to determining exactly what is holding you back. DeSouza explained that he once thought he feared failure when he feared abandonment. It’s important to treat the root cause of our limiting beliefs rather than the symptoms. Rewire asks you to rewire your brain: focus on “trust over fear.” DeSouza explained we need to trust in that small voice in our heads that tells us to make the most of those chances the universe gives us to change
DeSouza noted that the final step is to keep encouraging that voice again and again. You need to reinforce your new beliefs with repeated and consistent action.
The next speaker after DeSouza was Sabrina Baldini, a sex educator and coach, who spoke about the third sexual revolution. Baldini explained that the first revolution occurred in the 1920s when women started to fight for reproductive rights. The second revolution occurred in the 1960s to 70s, when protests were held for gay rights.
Given that there were 40 years in between each revolution, Sabrina argues we are long overdue for the next revolution—the revolution of romance. While there is a large focus on perfect sex between perfect partners, in recent years, that line of thinking has changed.
Baldini reveals that on Pornhub, the second most searched term in 2021 was romance. In 2022, the most searched term was reality. In 2024, the most searched term was demure, the second most searched term was wife, and the third most searched term was coworker.
“We are so starved for human connection that we are romanticizing our everyday lives,” Baldini explained. “We are romanticizing our therapists, we are romanticizing our coworkers, we are romanticizing our neighbours and our friends because that is where romance lives. Because that is where romance lives– not in our screens– but in our everyday human connections.”
What people are looking for today isn’t perfection but authentic human relationships. Our sexual preferences are the best indication of that. As Baldini said, “Sex is a unique representation of our humanity.”
Other speakers at the event included Chukwunonso Nwabufo, a translational pharmacologist; Keisha Lerum, a Roman history and anthropology student; Leo Chan, chief innovation igniter and coach; Rafael Chiuzi, organizational psychologist; Sirio Berati, creative entrepreneur and artificial intelligence innovator; and Victoria Gracie, a student researcher, fashion model, author, and body image expert.
Features Editor (Volume 51); Associate Features Editor (Volume 50) — Madhav is a third year student completing a double major in mathematics and computer science, and a minor in professional writing. Everyone in UTM has a unique story that makes them special and deserves to be told. As the Features Editor, Madhav wants to narrate these types of stories with creative and descriptive writing. In his off-time, Madhav loves watching anime, reading manga or fantasy novels and listening to music.