My year of becoming brave | Diana Kander | TEDxKC

Every birthday, Diana Kander doesn't just get older — she "upgrades." In this warm, funny, and unexpectedly moving talk, Diana shares her yearly ritual of becoming a new version of herself, from refining her stage presence to confronting the human tendency to default to the status quo. This is a story about immigration, motherhood, and the courage to choose who you were meant to be.

When Diana Kander was just 8 years old, she and her family escaped the Soviet Union, entered the United States as refugees, and resettled in Kansas City without money or the ability to speak English. From these humble beginnings, Diana became a Georgetown-educated attorney, a university professor, the founder of 10 companies, a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and government leadership teams, and a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been taught in more than 100 universities and translated into many languages. And her parents would like you to know that her sister is a doctor. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx