When TED media communications associate Micah Eames came out as trans at work, he quickly realized he'd need to start having tricky conversations with coworkers. Here's his advice for how you can open up about your identity at work, and what your colleagues can do to help. After the talk, Modupe provides tips on what employers can do to foster more supportive environments for their workers.

The world's most valuable tech companies profit from the personal data you generate. So why aren't you getting paid for it? In this eye-opening talk, entrepreneur and technologist Jennifer Zhu Scott makes the case for private data ownership—which would empower you to donate, destroy or sell your data as you see fit—and shows how this growing movement could put power (and cash) back into the hands of people.

Roughly two billion people worldwide don't have access to banks or financial services like credit, insurance and investment. How do we bridge this divide? Former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga sits down with TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers to discuss how innovative public-private partnerships can help bring everyone into the digital economy -- and why we’re not ready for a totally cashless system.

What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your focus, memory, and mood — which can make you better at your job. After the talk, Modupe explains a clever way to trick yourself into getting more exercise.

Athletes train their bodies to run faster, jump higher, throw farther. So why don't they train their minds, too? Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, the highest paid player in the NFL, shares how “neutral thinking” helps him handle high pressure situations, on and off the field. After the talk, Modupe examines how we can use stress to our advantage.

Trust is the foundation for everything we do. So what do we do when it's broken? Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei gives a crash course on the three essential components of trust, and how to build them — a process she put to use during a stint at Uber. Plus, Modupe explains how to apply those principles of trust with Black colleagues and others in the minority.

Digital creator Dylan Marron has racked up millions of views for projects like "Every Single Word" and "Sitting in Bathrooms With Trans People"—but he's found that the flip side of internet success is internet hate. Over time, he developed an unexpected response that actually builds empathy on both sides: calling the people who leave him insensitive comments and asking: "Why did you write that?" After the talk, Modupe recounts her own experience with online hate, and offers her take on how to deal with angry outbursts online or in person.

There is an invisible, on-demand workforce of gig workers who fuel services offered by digital platforms like Google, Amazon, Uber and Microsoft. In this episode, we hear from researcher Mary L. Gray who says this kind of work—possible through the magic of AI and APIs—is becoming more common, and for good reason. It typically offers flexibility for workers and cost savings for businesses. The only problem? We might need to revamp our entire social safety net to support a workforce of free agents.

Rising inequality and growing political instability are the direct result of decades of bad economic theory, says entrepreneur Nick Hanauer. In a visionary talk, he dismantles the mantra that "greed is good"—an idea he describes as not only morally corrosive, but also scientifically wrong—and lays out a new theory of economics powered by reciprocity and cooperation. No lesson this week as we prepare for the new season, but we'll be back again soon.

We’re taking some time off while we prepare for our next season. In the meantime, this bonus episode amplifies an important call to brands who do business in Africa. Emerging markets expert Nomava Zanazo says many international companies underestimate their African customers and make costly assumptions about their diversity, preferences and buying power. Sharing the basics about what companies need to know to succeed on the continent, Zanazo debunks four myths and misunderstandings about Africa and its citizens—and invites businesses from overseas to share in its wealth ... once they've done their research.