Approaches to life: Improvise, pivot or plan

TED Radio Hour

NPR

Science, Society & Culture, Social Sciences, Technology

4.4 • 21.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Big life decisions are never easy. Should you follow a plan? Make a hard pivot? Improvise as you go? This hour, TED speakers who’ve made extreme life choices and their advice for getting unstuck. Guests include comedian and musician Reggie Watts, biomedical researcher Sonia Vallabh and conservationist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins.

Original broadcast date: October 18, 2024

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the TED Radio Hour.
0:04.4	Each week, groundbreaking TED Talks.
0:06.8	Our job now is to dream big.
0:08.2	Delivered at TED conferences.
0:09.9	To bring about the future we want to see.
0:12.0	Around the world.
0:12.9	To understand who we are.
0:14.8	From those talks, we bring you speakers and ideas that will surprise you.
0:20.0	You just don't know what you're going to find.
0:21.9	Challenge you.
0:22.7	We truly have to ask ourselves, like, why is it noteworthy?
0:25.1	And even change you.
0:26.3	I literally feel like I'm a different person.
0:28.4	Yes.
0:29.4	Do you feel that way?
0:31.2	Ideas worth spreading.
0:33.4	From Ted and NPR.
0:38.1	I'm Minoosh Zummerody, and this is Reggie Watts.
0:43.2	Now, because this is looping, it gives me time to think about what I want to do next.
0:46.8	Standing on the TED stage, armed with an assortment of audio equipment, Reggie beepboxes.
0:55.5	Layering and looping his voice.
0:57.5	Now maybe I'd like to subdivide.
	...

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