‘The Power of Purpose’ – 8 November 2014

Mandela. Lincoln. Napoleon. Many great minds have overcome criticism to create something great. Many of us forget what life would have been like if those great minds didn’t follow through with their passion and dream, and many of us forget what life would be like if the same doesn’t continue in the future.

The Purpose of Life has been the topic of so many philosophical debates, that we wanted to shape our event around it. We want those in the audience and speakers to unravel what they feel is purposeful, weather it is growth, empowerment, changing lives of people they may never meet, staying true to intrinsic values or even just fulfilling ones goals. We equally delve into Power and the importance it has in this world across communication, land, energy, the media and travel. How does music and film play such a powerful role in purpose within our lives today? These questioned, pinned against different regions but mainly the community in London, can look into the value that these huge powerful industries plays in shaping our worlds, and how it can play in the future. Most importantly, we explore how these two topics are interlinked.

From our event this November we expect there will be a fantastic array of emotions and thoughts off the back of the event. Some people being able to make direct relation to those they see speak, as well as many being able to gain new insights that’s will significantly change your view on how you now will see the world. We hope the event will bring an opportunity to meet some other unique individuals, for you to meet great moments of pleasure, joy, inspiration and most importantly, the motivation to do something great.

Our Speakers

Susanna Halonen –  
From purpose to passion
What is purpose without passion? What is passion without purpose? In this enthralling talk, Susanna discusses how to make the connection as well as a bit about her personal journey.
Duncan Goose –
The power of one
On a series of truly inspiring talks, Duncan Goose’s search for an African water pump unleashes his passion for creating a whole movement from scratch.
Jessica Weller –
How cancer gave me purpose
Jessica had only just arrived in the UK from New Zealand when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In a deeply emotional talk, she describes her life-changing experience, the challenges she struggled with and how she eventually got back to her happy place. She explains that the prevention of breast cancer is, literally, in our hands.
Rhodri Davies –
Philanthropy and the city — Rediscovering the power of purpose
In a compelling talk, Rhodri shows why individuals and companies in the City of London would benefit from rediscovering a broader sense of purpose. Taking us on a journey through the History of the City of London, from the philanthropists of the 19th century to today’s social enterprises and responsible business initiatives, Rhodri reminds us that the City has been about a lot more than just making money and that it can be again.
Steve Taylor –
The power of purpose
The reason that purpose is crucial to our lives is because it brings us motivation, orientation, resilience and positivity.
Simon Harrop –
Creating promises to delivering great experiences
Simon’s purpose is to inspire real change in the way brands are marketing their products. In this talk, Simon tells the story of what happens when brands focus on the intrinsic, sensory product and service experiences they deliver to consumers and make this consistent with what the brand promises.
Soner Ozenc –
The power of making — a journey throughout time
This inspirational speech brought by TEDxSquareMile is a zeitgeist of the current young adults generation. Behind this talk about making, Ozenc reflects on the drive and motivation that kept him going to create, innovate and overall revolutionise industrial design and its perception.
John Loughton –
My journey from poverty to power
John Loughton’s “My journey from Poverty to Power” is a hugely inspiring talk where John revisits and scrutinises a letter from a 12 year old boy who experiences the pain and hardship of growing up in rough areas of Britain where resources of all kinds are nothing but far from being found.
Damian Smyth –
How you can connect with your purpose
The story of Alfie, a successful man who committed suicide. The story of Jane Tomlinson, an athlete who raised money for charities and fought cancer for 7 years. His story. For Damian, if our purpose may often seem small, like all the working parts in a larger machine, if we are out of sync, the entire system is misaligned. Which is why our purpose is the most important thing we can discover and fulfil.
Maman Charlotte –

Finding purpose & hope — the Congo experience
Amazed by the natural beauty and wealth of the land as well by the natives’ warmth and beauty of spirit, she shares during this talk the purpose that directs her life: saving Congo from the devastation of their natural resources and people in name of the technology revolution. Maman Charlotte finds inspiring how despite all the horror, women still believe, still have hope in the situation changing and bringing them a better future for them and their families.
Arthur Woods –

Work — re-imagined
We spend a vast amount of our time at work. We want a more meaningful work experience and a new way to approach work. But how to bring purpose to work? This is the question Arthur Woods is asking in this witty talk. The future of work is purpose for Arthur Woods. And here is why.
Bumi Thomas –

Free as a bird — only you can find your purpose & tell your story
She believes in freedom of women to express and to dare. Using creativity as her language, she encourage everyone to dream, bring into reality and action what we love and what we do. In this talk she shows how power of purpose is the blue print that gives meaning to our lives, our existence; is that voice, that direction, that we connect with and guide us everywhere.
Lord Dr. Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick, CBE –

The empowerment of purpose
A truly touching story about his family struggling to find basic commodities in the Jamaica of the 70s unleashed Lord Michael Hastings’ desire to not only become purposeful but to help others reach that too. Another of TEDxSquareMile 2014’s great personalities that through his own experiences and learnings contributed to our cause with this spotless talk.
Chris Arnold –

The day that changed my life
He learned from an early age that life is fragile. When he was 16, he was in the middle of the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster where 96 people lost their lives. He completely put him down. But 6 months later, his English teacher cancelled her lessons for a day and spent it working with Chris to build a life plan. And that’s when he understood his purpose.
Lion Heart –

The pursuit of purpose
We are so often and easy to let our believes to become the obstacles to start doing something we want. Since he was a kid, he defined his self-value according to how other people thought about him, which gradually led to his mental depreciation until he realized the self-worthiness and value only comes from the ability to be yourself.
Dwayne Fields –

The power of an idea
Determined to make a change in society and inspire others to choose wisely, Fields headed to an expedition of the North Pole where in between the below-freezing temperatures and dried up astronaut-like food, he realised that the real power of an idea lays in the very moments of making it a reality.
Joel Grainger –

Finding satisfaction in the musical journey
Joel is on stage with a violin and a pedal loop station. A few seconds later, the audience is carried away by a stunning cover of Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me A River. In this beautiful and mesmerizing performance, Joel tells us to strive for excellence and be like that one bus driver we have all come across once who just loves his job and puts a smile on everyone’s face.
Matt Forde –

Why politics is better when it’s lively
He manages to combine infectious enthusiasm with well-informed political opinions and brings the audiences an engaging and entertaining experience. He also mentions the gradually popular trend of comedian getting involved in the discussion of politics, but in the meantime the importance of conveying the message in a more correct and responsible perspective.
Kirsty Hanly –

The magical power of fear
With a background in theatre and television production, Kirsty Hanly dedicates now her time to successfully coach people through letting go of limiting beliefs, negative habits and thought patterns in order to achieve so much more in their lives both personally and professionally. As a cognitive hypnotherapist based in Harley Street, London, Kirsty works with clients from the business, arts and media worlds to open up possibilities to achieve so much more than anyone might once have dreamed to be possible.