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 [Life](/life)

 /  05 October 2018  

#  10 TED Talks To Watch Before You’re 30  


Turning 30 is a significant moment in every woman’s life, and nowhere near as scary as the films and TV shows of our younger years made out (we’re looking at you, Friends). In 2018, we’re embracing the monumental milestone – and most importantly, all the wisdom and perspective it brings. But if you need a little help on your path to ‘proper’ adulthood, these ten TED talks – by ten inspirational women – might have the guidance you’ve been looking for…  


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 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/GBDZo0MSOUP6aBIPSD8DAUL5yYI=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fwhy-30-not-new-20.jpg?itok=DEdtSRYr)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Why 30 Is Not The New 20**](https://www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20), *Meg Jay*

Clinical psychologist Meg Jay has a bold message for twentysomethings: contrary to popular belief, your 20s are not a throwaway decade. She gives three major pieces of advice for those who’ve yet to turn 30 – including how to re-claim your adulthood, why you should treat your decisions as a serious business and how one small change in course can have an enormous effect on your life.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://​www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/Hdnr5WaOvTcE4aBL3Hayu9hB5qI=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fhow-stop-swiping-christina-wallace.jpg?itok=1JTyS8Ay)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**How To Stop Swiping &amp; Find Your Person On Dating Apps**](https://www.ted.com/talks/christina_wallace_how_to_stop_swiping_and_find_your_person_on_dating_apps), *Christina Wallace*

Let's face it, online dating can suck. So many potential people, so much time wasted – is it even worth it? Podcaster and entrepreneur Christina Wallace thinks so, as long as you do it right. In a funny, practical talk, Wallace shares how she used her MBA skillset to invent a ‘zero date’ approach and get off swipe-based apps – and how you can, too.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/christina_wallace_how_to_stop_swiping_and_find_your_person_on_dating_apps).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/AS8VkJ_fThB51T2AVFdsX0lkU40=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fembrace-near-win-sarah-lewis.jpg?itok=Oq9bMRNM)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Embrace The Near Win**](https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_lewis_embrace_the_near_win), *Sarah Lewis*

At her first museum job, art historian Sarah Lewis noticed something important about an artist she was studying: not every artwork was a total masterpiece. Here, she considers the role of the near win in our own lives – while it can feel impossible to keep pushing forward in the face of failure, it could actually be what pushes us forward.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_lewis_embrace_the_near_win).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/EIaHTTgmgKdPKU1dRD7B55apM1o=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fwhy-some-us-dont-have-one-true-calling.jpg?itok=724AwZ6m)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Why Some Of Us Don’t Have One True Calling**](https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_lewis_embrace_the_near_win), *Emilie Wapnick*

No idea what you want to do when you ‘grow up’? You could be what career coach Emilie Wapnick calls a ‘multipotentiality’ – a person who has the potential for a whole host of interests and jobs over the course of their careers. If you’re feeling stuck at work right now, it might be time to think about other interests and skills you might have.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_lewis_embrace_the_near_win).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/MfJgj3lZzhA0xHh5F99Nv0CSDYA=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fhow-stop-screwing-yourself-over.jpg?itok=hvzVOj7J)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over**](https://www.ted.com/talks/mel_robbins_how_to_stop_screwing_yourself_over), *Mel Robbins* 

How do you get on the road to happiness? It could be as simple as not hitting your snooze button anymore – life coach Mel Robbins thinks that the amount of effort needed to leave your warm bed is the same required to shake up your life. In this humorous and provocative talk, she makes a case for turning your brain off autopilot and demolishing your comfort zones.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/mel_robbins_how_to_stop_screwing_yourself_over).

 

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/wjxJAmT-2JoOx4YYhCjW3z9OZRc=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Froxane-gay-confessions-bad-feminist.jpg?itok=2kmwuLJb)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Confessions Of A Bad Feminist**](https://www.ted.com/talks/roxane_gay_confessions_of_a_bad_feminist), *Roxanne Gay* 

When writer Roxane Gay dubbed herself a "bad feminist" she was making a joke, acknowledging that she couldn't possibly live up to the demands for perfection from the feminist movement. But she realized that the joke rang hollow. In a thoughtful and provocative talk, she asks us to fully embrace feminism – and make the small choices that, en masse, might lead to actual change.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/roxane_gay_confessions_of_a_bad_feminist).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/7vSI5liZHnrDvvN-aBtOxu_O9ZM=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fhow-make-hard-choices-ruth-chang.jpg?itok=jRafUbnC)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**How To Make Hard Choices**](https://www.ted.com/talks/ruth_chang_how_to_make_hard_choices), *Ruth Chang* 

Philosophy professor Ruth Chang has some advice that could, quite literally, change your life. Big questions – which career should I pursue? Should we break up, or get married? Where should I live? – require us to make big decisions. But they don’t have to be agonizingly difficult – turns out, we’re thinking of them in the wrong way. All we need is a new framework in which to perceive them.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/ruth_chang_how_to_make_hard_choices).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/W5eu4ng4AvSEC_4mdTXLDtp2w8s=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fsuccess-failure-and-drive-keep-creating-elizabeth-gilbert.jpg?itok=5D_F7X07)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Success, Failure &amp; The Drive To Keep Creating**](https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_success_failure_and_the_drive_to_keep_creating), *Elizabeth Gilbert* 

Elizabeth Gilbert was once a self-professed “unpublished diner waitress," devastated by rejection letters. And yet, in the wake of the success of her novel *Eat, Pray, Love* she found herself identifying strongly with her former self. With beautiful insight, the author reflects on why success can be as disorienting as failure and offers a simple way to carry on, regardless.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_success_failure_and_the_drive_to_keep_creating).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/xySAw7ZcFYDKvwuxbchprPBsons=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Ffalling-love-easy-part.jpg?itok=USgdp6SM)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Falling In Love Is The Easy Part**](https://www.ted.com/talks/mandy_len_catron_falling_in_love_is_the_easy_part), *Mandy Len Catron*

Did you know you can fall in love with anyone just by asking them 36 questions? Author Mandy Len Catron tried this experiment, and after it worked she wrote a viral article about it. But was it real love? Did it last? And what's the difference between falling in love and *staying* in love? A must-watch for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of what makes relationships work.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/mandy_len_catron_falling_in_love_is_the_easy_part).

 

 

 

 ![](https://media.sheerluxe.com/O-kfJ8JXRsSAxz5VKDbSXcHIgQM=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2018%2F10%2Fnever-ever-give.jpg?itok=wFlKJlc9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## [**Never, Ever Give Up**](https://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_never_ever_give_up), *Diana Nya*

In the pitch-black of night, stung by jellyfish, choking on salt water, singing to herself, hallucinating… record-setting long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad just kept on swimming. And that's how she finally achieved her lifetime goal as an athlete: an extreme 100-mile swim from Cuba to Florida – at age 64. This is her deeply motivational story.  
  
Watch the talk [here](http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_never_ever_give_up).

 

 

 

 

  

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