In Brief

Brené Brown plans a Netflix special, and more TED news

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The TED community is busy as ever! Below, a few highlights.

Brené Brown special planned for Netflix. As she announced on Instagram, vulnerability expert Dr. Brené Brown has partnered with Netflix for a one-hour special: The Call to Courage. In the show, Dr. Brown will explain how to embrace vulnerability as a source of power and choose “courage over comfort in a culture defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty.” According to Oprah Magazine, Dr. Brown will also share lessons and feedback from her hugely popular 2010 TEDx Talk, The power of vulnerability. The special was filmed in front of a live audience at UCLA, and will premiere on Netflix on April 19. (Watch Dr. Brown’s 2012 TED Talk on shame.)

A new headscarf collection from Halima Aden. In collaboration with Turkish clothing brand Modansia, model and activist Halima Aden will launch a new collection of hijabs at the 2019 Istanbul Modest Fashion Week in April. This collection marks Aden’s first foray into fashion design following her groundbreaking modeling career and humanitarian work. “I’m focused on the next generation. I want to one day see a hijabi at the Met Gala. I want to see a hijabi being a lead actress,” she said in a profile with Paper. “Think of all the many firsts that are still out there. What can I do to encourage girls to dream big, to bring it home?” (Watch Aden’s TED Talk.)

Helping to train better child welfare workers. Social scientist Jessica Pryce will join the newly established National Child Welfare Workforce Institute’s advisory board, in addition to her role as the director of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. As a member of the national board, Pryce will help design curriculum to better train child welfare professionals. As Pryce said in a statement: “Serving on the advisory board will be a wonderful opportunity to engage with other leaders from around the country while being at the forefront of workforce innovation.” (Watch Pryce’s TED Talk.)

UK Royal Mint debuts Stephen Hawking–inspired coin. The physicist Stephen Hawking has been honored on a new commemorative 50-pence coin in the United Kingdom. Designed by Edwina Ellis, the coin was inspired by Hawking’s significant discoveries researching black holes; the face features Hawking’s name, a minimalist rendering of a black hole and the Bekenstein–Hawking equation, Hawking’s famed theorem that describes the entropy of a black hole. The coin will not be circulated in public currency; it is available for purchase on the UK Royal Mint website. Hawking passed away at 76 years old in 2018. (Watch Hawking’s TED Talk.)

Esther Perel named Vivid Ideas Festival Game Changer. Psychotherapist and relationship guru Esther Perel will give a keynote speech on modern love and the digital age at the Vivid Ideas Festival in Sydney, Australia, in June 2019. Festivalgoers can expect to gain some insight into “modern love, lust, our desire for connection and delicate matters of the heart” from Perel’s unique experience and perspective. The annual festival, which spans nearly three weeks, celebrates the intersection of art, technology and commerce; built around an extravagant light show, the festival boasts concerts, workshops and lectures. (Watch Perel’s TED Talk.)

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