By Emily Ashman. Emily is a journalist, interviewer, and blog editor for TEDx TinHau Women 2026. She is also host of the TEDx TinHau Women “Where are they now?” Podcast featuring interviews with past speakers. Check out the podcast here.

When I joined the TEDx TinHau Women team, I was excited to be part of an event I’ve long admired. What I didn’t expect was how deeply this experience would reconnect me with why I became a journalist in the first place.

A few weeks ago, I met this year’s speakers in person at their photoshoot. There was a special energy in the room. Everyone present gave their time freely because they truly believe in the TED mission to discover and spread ideas worth sharing. The level of talent, warmth, and commitment became more and more evident with every flash of the camera. The photoshoot alone felt nurturing, purposeful, and inspiring.

And then I started speaking to the speakers.

My first conversation was with Jane Houng. Jane’s daughter Becky was murdered in Lebanon eight years ago. Instead of letting that unimaginable pain define her, she has channelled it into creating Becky’s Button, a foundation dedicated to raising awareness around gender-based violence and protecting other women and girls.

She is one of the strongest, most thoughtful women I’ve ever met. At one point I welled up. At another, she hugged me. I walked away from our interview in awe of her resilience, but also deeply moved by how honest and human she was. She didn’t speak like someone who sees herself as brave or heroic. She spoke like someone who simply decided the only way forward was to turn her pain into purpose.

That conversation set the tone for the entire afternoon.

One after another, our speakers took me into worlds I’ve never thought about. A geologist sharing insights about “deep time.” A water sommelier discussing the simple act of enjoying everyday moments. A scientist working on early cancer detection. A filmmaker and mother duo creating an animated film about neurodivergent children. A woman building AI tools for overwhelmed mothers. An international rugby player who built a clothing brand to reimagine Chinese perceptions of beauty and reclaim power in

being “big.”

What they all had in common was this: they were willing to step into completely UNCHARTED territory — in their work, in their personal lives, and now on the TEDx TinHau Women stage.

Sitting there listening to them, I was reminded of something simple but meaningful. We are all living such different lives, carrying such different experiences, and yet we have this incredible ability to share those worlds with each other. Sometimes our speaker’s views didn’t match mine. Sometimes I was hearing things I had genuinely never considered before. And that friction, that dialogue, that willingness to listen felt like the heart of what it means to be human, building our compassion for each other by openly sharing our stories.

This afternoon reminded me why I first fell in love with journalism. In many ways, it made me feel like a journalism student again, full of curiosity, wonder, and belief in the power of stories to open hearts

and minds.

When I met our speakers my heart and mind were well and truly opened and I can’t wait for you to have the same experience when you here what they have to say on October 2nd at Xiqu Centre.

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