Your topic is called ‘Snow Leopards Stopped me Doomscrolling’, can you describe this in more detail and share a bit about what you will be covering in your talk?

My talk centres on the importance of refocussing on what matters. The digital world has made it so easy to become distracted and lose touch with our hobbies and passions. However, rather than using the lens of generic digital wellness, the talk takes a more personal reflective angle. I show that the way I disconnected from the digital sphere was reconnecting with the things that are most important me.

What has made you so passionate about this topic? How does it relate to you or your background?

All my life I have struggled to stay focused. I used to have hobbies that helped me to concentrate, but the omnipresence of social media has made my once safe spaces equally filled with distraction. However, technology is not the focus of the story, instead it is a vehicle that helps me realise the issue and enables the ability for change. I wanted to highlight a more personal story that humanises the issue of digital overuse to make it more relatable to the audience.

What do you think people will gain from listening to your talk?

I hope that people will come to value their time more. It’s become so easy to become distracted by everything going on that we often lose sight on the things that matter the most. I really hope that by listening to my talk more people re-engage with passions they may have let fall to the wayside.

How has your TEDxAberdeen journey been so far? Is there anything you’ve learned that you didn’t expect, or any highlights?

The journey to the red dot has been an amazing experience. For me it is really challenged my creative process and forced me to examine what is truly important to the core of the story (ironic given the nature of my talk). It has gone through so many changes throughout the process that its current form is completely unrecognisable from when I first pitched it. It has shown me that being surrounded by incredibly talented people, like those in the cohort, help make an idea flourish and grow. It’s amazing to find a group of people who are all equally passionate about your success as well as their own. This experience has further cemented to me the importance of collaboration in any creative project.

What does being part of TEDxAberdeen 2026 mean to you?

Being part of TEDx Aberdeen 2026 has proved, beyond the shadow of doubt, a fact about myself that I’ve known for a long time, that I am my own worst critic. The feedback and support I’ve had through this process has made more of a difference to me than I could’ve possibly realised. The fact that I get the opportunity to stand on the red dot and show everything I’ve learned is a privilege and an honour that I will carry with me for the rest of my life