Quests at a Glance
Quests take place on the morning of 2 October, before the main TEDxTinHau Women event. You can purchase a full-day ticket that includes the Morning Quest workshop, lunch and transport to the venue for the main event in the afternoon. Book your Quests ticket HERE.
Under Pressure: What Happens When All Eyes Are On You
Facilitators: Lead facilitator: Ross Eathorne, MSc Sport & Body Psychology
Supported by: Impact Collective – Ziggy Makant, Imogen Short, Kate Wood, Jemma Daley (Instagram, LinkedIn)
Impact Collective – Ziggy Makant, Imogen Short, Kate Wood, Jemma Daley (Instagram, LinkedIn)
Location: AIA Vitality Hub, Hong Kong Observation Wheel, 33 Man Kwong St, Central
Time: 8:45am – Arrival – Workshop: 9am – 1130am
What happens in your body when pressure suddenly hits?
Whether you’re at a race start line, stepping onto a stage, or facing an unexpected question in a meeting, pressure changes you. Your heart rate spikes, your breathing shifts, and your mind either races or freezes entirely.
In this highly interactive Quest, sport psychology and somatic regulation specialist Ross Eathorne (supported by The Impact Collective) will explain your nervous system’s stress responses—fight, flight, overwhelm, or shutdown—and how to effectively manage them.
Instead of just listening, expect to actively move, experiment, and reflect. During the session, you will:
- Practice under mild pressure: Use guided movement, breathing, and grounding exercises to discover what makes you calmer and more energised.
- Regulate your state: Learn practical techniques to manage anxiety and see how physical movement and human connection can shift your mindset.
- Master preparation: Explore how setting useful goals and reducing uncertainty helps you focus purely on what you can control.
- Build a routine: Develop a short, personalised pre-performance routine for the moments that matter.
Whether you’re preparing for a difficult conversation, a job interview, a race, or a future TEDx stage, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of your own pressure response and a toolkit of techniques you’ve already practised.
Book your Quests ticket HERE.
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We spoke to our Quest facilitators about what participants can expect.
Q: What is a common piece of conventional wisdom this Quest is going to flip?
Most people think confidence comes before action — that you need to feel ready before stepping into the spotlight. We’ll turn that idea on its head. Confidence isn’t a prerequisite; it’s often the result of learning how to respond when you feel uncomfortable. Pressure doesn’t mean you’re failing. It usually means you’re doing something that matters.
Q: Why do people need this Quest right now?
The moments that ask the most of us rarely come with much warning. A presentation, a job interview, an unexpected opportunity, a difficult conversation — we can’t choose when they’ll arrive. The sooner we understand how we respond under pressure, the sooner we can stop letting fear make decisions for us.
Q: What is the single biggest “lightbulb moment” you predict participants will have?
That the feeling of pressure isn’t the problem. It’s how we interpret and respond to it. Most people will discover they’re far more capable than they think once they understand what’s happening in their body and learn a few simple techniques to work with it rather than against it.
Q: What is one hands-on activity attendees will actually do?
Participants will take part in a series of short speaking challenges where they’ll step into moments of genuine — but completely safe — pressure. They’ll experience the difference between reacting automatically and responding intentionally.
Q: Complete this sentence: “People will walk into this Quest feeling ______, but they will walk out feeling ______.”
People will walk into this Quest feeling apprehensive, but they will walk out feeling calmer, more capable and far more confident in their ability to handle pressure.
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Book your Quests ticket HERE.
For more information about other Quests see the details on our website HERE.
