TED Talks Daily A practical guide to taking control of your life | Cate Hall
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Aug 14, 2025 
Cate Hall, a former Supreme Court attorney and top-ranked poker player, shares her inspiring journey from addiction to leading a multibillion-dollar foundation. She discusses how personal agency, rather than intelligence, is key to a meaningful life. Hall emphasizes the importance of resilience and embracing rejection as essential skills. With tactical wisdom, she offers practical strategies for discovering hidden opportunities for fulfillment, showing that even those feeling trapped can take control of their lives.
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From Addiction To Leadership
- Cate Hall describes being a prisoner of addiction who spent days buying and using drugs until she passed out.
- She contrasts that trapped life with her current role as CEO of a multibillion-dollar foundation and a happy marriage.
Agency Over Intelligence
- Hall defines personal agency as the capacity to see and act on the degrees of freedom you actually have.
- She argues agency matters more for a meaningful life than intelligence or hustle, especially as machines take over tasks.
The Gift Of Desperation
- Hall calls desperation a mother of agency because it creates a willingness to do whatever it takes to change.
- She says the "gift of desperation" made her fearless, hungry, and willing to say yes to every connection.