Thank you
for being
in the room.
On September 19, Issaquah came together for its first TEDx.
Eight speakers. One shared experience. A room full of people willing to look again, think differently, and connect around ideas.
And we’re just getting started.
Roots
& Rise
Every visible thing has an invisible half.
Behind every idea, achievement, movement, and moment are the people, places, experiences, and influences that made it possible.
Roots & Rise celebrates both: what we see, and what made it possible.
2026 Speakers
Eight people brought eight very different ideas to the TEDxIssaquah stage.
We count the calories in our food.
What aren’t we counting?
Aaron Verzosa · Chef & culinary historian
We spend billions trying to live longer.
But have we forgotten what we’re living longer for?
Kristen Coffield · Author & purposeful-aging advocate
A town lost its local newspaper.
In the digital age, does that even matter?
Adam Pinsky · Co-founder & publisher
We’ve gotten incredibly good at understanding life in pieces.
What might we be missing?
Martha Carlin · Citizen scientist & entrepreneur
With technology advancing,
how can we protect ourselves?
Anthony Oren · Cybersecurity strategist
You can win at everything and still feel behind.
How is that possible?
Ruchika T. Malhotra · Author & inclusion strategist
Sometimes it takes a teenager to question what everyone else accepts.
What are the rest of us not seeing?
Krishiv Goswami · Inventor & accessibility advocate
Not every idea belongs in words.
What happens when an idea is experienced instead?
Cheryl Yamamoto · Mindfulness & yoga practitioner
The ideas are coming.
The talks are being edited and prepared for TED. We’ll let you know when they’re live so you can revisit the ideas that stayed with you and share them with someone else.
The official event photos are coming too. Were you there with a camera? Add your own photos, no account needed.
Be First to See the Talks →Get Involved
Our first TEDxIssaquah happened because people in this community decided it was worth building. The next one will too.
Founding partners
Thank you to the organizations that helped make the first TEDxIssaquah possible.
Want to be part of the next one?
Become a Partner →The people behind TEDxIssaquah
Meet the volunteers who built Issaquah’s first TEDx and are helping shape what comes next.
Meet the Team →Stay curious.
Get the 2026 talks when they go live and be the first to hear what’s next for TEDxIssaquah.