One year ago, as the rest of the world moved into lazy summer mode, we TEDxPeachtree volunteers began gearing up for our November 2012 event. Today, I take us back one year in time to see the topics that captivated audiences while we were working behind the scenes, preparing for what would become our most successful event to date.

When you’re Lynda Gratton of TEDxLondonBusinessSchool, you don’t get summers off! Gratton gave an impassioned TEDx Talk on How to Get Ready for the Future, Now. She began with a narrative of a trip she took to Africa with her then 12-year-old son, where a Maasai warrior in full regalia with spear in hand showed them his people’s territory and explained its traditions…then his cell phone went off. Gratton’s talk centers on being prepared during this modern and transformative era we live in.

Another talk with ideas worth spreading took place at TEDxGrandRapids in June 2012. Against a backdrop of different faiths offering conflicting views, Rev. Michael Dowd spoke on Why We Struggle Now, staking his position that “scientific, historic, and cross-cultural evidence [serves as] modern-day scripture.” He talked about the addictions modern man has to substances that weren’t even around hundreds of years ago, and contends once you understand how the brain works, the answers fall into place.

In addition to numerous TEDx videos posted last June, we can find a few from TED itself. One, in particular, caught my eye, Marco Tempest‘s story of Nikola Tesla. I’d heard Tesla’s name mentioned, knew he had something to do with electricity, but didn’t know his whole story. Tesla discovered the alternating current, and died penniless. Denied his rightful place in history books, Tempest uses an elaborate pop-up book to tell this genius’s story.

Summertime is a time to kick back, but not for TEDxPeachtree volunteers–because we’re getting ready for our next event! This means crafting blog posts, connecting with sponsors, evaluating speaker nominations and making sure the community is well informed about the event. Multiply the amount of effort by the number of TEDx events held annually, and you’ll get a feel for how this has become an international movement. Last month alone, 221 TEDx events took place globally. An article from Forbes last year gives some perspective as well. Impressive. And that was one year ago. We’ve grown since.

Forget a lazy summer. Take the time to view some videos. They’re addictive. They’re fun. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself. Check out some TED videos. Or, let us whet your appetite with past TEDxPeachtree talks from 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009. Either way, save the date: TEDxPeachtree 2013 will be held on November 8 at the historic Buckhead Theater in Atlanta, and it’s not to be missed.

Wendy Kalman attended the 2009 TEDxPeachtree event and became hooked, volunteering each year ever since. By day, she works as a Proposal Manager, and by night, her alter ego as involved parent, engaged volunteer, music lover, and Facebook addict emerges.

The American dream. What does it mean to you? What is your American dream? I am living my American dream and continue to strive for the best of what America has to offer me, a new citizen. I came to America as a foreign student to pursue a college education. Before coming to America, there was curiosity of what this faraway land might be like. The only view I had was through popular American T.V. shows I watched growing up in Malaysia. The real America is not quite like the T.V. America, but I believe we make it how we want to view it. I discovered this land of opportunities, freedom, value and equality. I wanted to be a part of it and worked for it.

2011 TEDxPeachtree presenter and social media strategist Ekaterina Walter’s words about her journey from Russia to America truly resonated with me because she created her path in America by “breaking through the barriers” of life challenges, seeking the opportunities here that she may not have gotten in her birth country and proving to be a valuable citizen of this great country. She inspires us to take a look at ourselves and re-evaluate our lives because in America it is easy to be complacent and not realize we can be better.

I learned more about Ekaterina Walter via her blog Building Social Bridges. Besides being a social media maven and leading Intel in this arena for eight years, she also is an accomplished writer. Ekaterina Walter’s recently published Think Like Zuck – The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO is on the Wall Street Journal’s Bestseller list. I will be adding it to my summer reading list. Recent exciting news is of Ekaterina Walter’s move from Intel to Branderati as reported by newsle. She is now Branderati’s CMO and partner, paving the way to the next level in social media marketing as we enter the “Age of Advocacy.” This is the term she uses to explain, on Branderati’s blog, how social media marketing is evolving into brand advocacy and influencer marketing.

Ekaterina Walter’s American dream is alive as she continues to make her mark in social media and inspire others, like me, along the way.

Pek Suan Yew-Wyland is a TED/TEDxPeachtree newbie and excited to be a part of the team!

The goal of TEDxPeachtree is to inspire speakers and guests to embrace the spirit of collaboration over its less attractive counterpart: competition. Josh Elder exemplifies our mission to curate a community where serendipity is less of a circuitous happening and more of a nurtured event. Josh and his life since his talk in 2009 embodies the type of collaboration that can happen when compassionate, thoughtful people enter a space, share their insight, leave feeling inspired, and continue to grow the seeds of thought that were planted during the series.

Josh first became a part of TEDxPeachtree’s storied list of speakers when he spoke about a topic near and dear to his own heart, as well as those of a number of Atlantans who flock to DragonCon each year: comic books. In his talk, Josh paints a picture of how comic books helped him sketch out the story of his life, from first words read to the establishment of Reading with Pictures, his Chicago-based non-profit organization that aims to use comic-based textbooks to encourage literacy and expose students to the arts.

“Everything I’ve done professionally with Reading With Pictures in the years since presenting at TEDxPeachtree had its genesis in that presentation,” Josh told us recently of his 2009 talk. “It was the first time I ever created a statement of purpose for the organization that was designed to be shared with the world at large rather than internally amongst the comic-book faithful. That’s the day I became a comics evangelist, and the thesis I developed for TEDx – that comics can be more engaging, more efficient and more effective classroom tools than many traditional materials – is the core of everything I’ve done since.”

Our last check-in with Josh was in April 2012 as a part of our Where Are They Now blog series. As of last April, Josh was on a steady ascent as a giving force in the comic-lovers world. This reputation has continued to grow since last April thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, the official incorporation of his non-profit as a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization, and the recent press release around The Graphic Textbook, the book that has been in the making for years.

“We’ve signed with Lorenz Educational Press, a respected educational publisher, to bring The Graphic Textbook to a global audience. We’re currently looking for investors and technology partners to help us go beyond the single book we funded on Kickstarter, and instead roll out an entire line of books on an annual basis.” With all of that good under his belt, we’re very happy that Josh has made some valuable connections through his experience at TEDxPeachtree that are still valuable 4 years later.

Over the course of the day he gave that fateful talk, Josh made lots of connections, one of which has grown into a committed friendship. He met Robert Becker in 2009, “and that began a working relationship and a friendship that has persisted to this day,” Josh said of Robert. Camaraderie has extended to further thought leadership for Josh in the Chicago area. “Thanks to Bob, I’ll be presenting at the Serious Play conference in August on using comics in the gamespace as visualization and informational tools,” Josh told Al Meyers, TEDxPeachtree’s founder and “one of the finest sounding boards for new ideas” Josh has ever known.

Josh is excited to present his ideas around the implementation of an idea that is still rooted in that initial TEDxPeachtree talk given four years ago. When asked to give a few teasers for his talk, Josh told us that “it’s the same thesis, just applied to video game cutscenes. And we may be unveiling a few proof-of-concept pieces at the Serious Play as well.” If you’re lucky enough to make it to Serious Play, we know you’ll see innovative work by one of our favorite TEDxPeachtree speakers.

Josh will always look back on his TEDx experience fondly. “The presentations themselves have stuck with me as well,” Josh said. “The innovation, the willingness to challenge prevailing orthodoxies and the passion to live one’s dreams… Those impressed me then and inspire me now.”

We definitely consider this, in his own words, “another Peachtree victory!”

Katie Grills is a marketing professional and resident of Atlanta’s Historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. When she isn’t playing catch with her dog, Katie likes to hone her culinary abilities, read short fiction, and explore the intricacies and oddities of Atlanta’s neighborhoods.