TEDx Anchorage 2023 Speaker

“Why you should embrace chaos on vacation” - TEDx Anchorage

Thor Challgren is a travel industry veteran and former newspaper travel columnist. As a speaker and author, he is passionate about encouraging travelers to connect more deeply to their destinations and the people they meet, to expand the boundaries of what they think is possible in life. He has traveled the world and explored countless sights, resorts, and ships. He is the author of “Best Vacation Ever: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Renew, Recharge and Reconnect.” While he can appreciate a good piña colada at a swim-up bar, his work is inspired by the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “People wish to be settled; only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.”

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My TEDx Journey and Insights

EP 061: How is a TEDx talk different from a TED talk, and why is your passion for the talk’s subject so critical? I cover that and more in this 1st episode. RT: 7:41
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EP 062: TED talks are “ideas worth sharing,” but how do you distill your entire talk down to one simple phrase?That’s what I cover in this show. RT: 5:48
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EP 063: How long is a TED talk, and how long does it take to prepare for one? (Hint: my journey was six months) Those are the topics of this episode. RT: 8:10
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I spoke at TEDx Anchorage 2023

From the time I first applied to be a speaker in August 2022, until the day of the talk in February 2023, I wrote dozens of drafts of the speech and rehearsed countless times — well, not exactly countless … I did count actually.

I practiced the final version of my talk over 200 times before I delivered it on February 18, 2023.

I documented my process and insights in my daily podcast. The six-part series below recounts my TEDx journey.

EP 064: Why do you need a passion for your subject? Because giving a TEDx talk is work. A lot. Today, I talk about everything I did to prepare. RT: 7:39
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EP 066: What was my experience like the DAY OF the event, and exactly how many times did I practice before taking the stage? That and more here. RT: 12:45
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EP 065: How do you get a TEDx talk? In this episode, I share my process for researching, applying to, and landing my talk at TEDx Anchorage 2023. RT: 11:14
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TEDx Anchorage 2023

The first five speakers celebrate being done

Thor with fellow speaker Meghan Riordan Jarvis

Enjoying a park south of Anchorage airport