TEDxABQ Coming to Albuquerque Rail Yards with “Reframe” Theme Exploring New Perspectives

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –TEDxABQ is back again, this time at the historic Albuquerque Rail Yards on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. The event will bring together creative thinkers, innovators and storytellers for a full day of inspiring talks and immersive experiences centered around this year’s theme, “Reframe.”

Doors will open at 10 a.m., inviting attendees to explore an event designed to challenge assumptions and encourage new ways of thinking through the lenses of Mind, Body and Soul.

“This year’s theme is about recognizing that perspective is fluid and shifting one’s perspective can change everything,” said TEDxABQ Organizer Alex Andrego Adams. “Every conversation and experience throughout the day is designed to encourage attendees to question assumptions, embrace curiosity and leave with a renewed outlook. We’re excited to gather speakers and attendees for this exciting day centered around learning, growing and challenging oneself.”

The 2026 TEDxABQ program will feature 19 speakers from diverse industries and backgrounds, each offering fresh perspectives on topics spanning science, technology, healthcare, education, business, the arts, personal growth and social change. A pop-up stage will host live, informal interviews with speakers and special guests.

Here is the list of speakers’ attendees will hear from:

• Aman Priyadarshi Kumar will discuss the star that shapes life on Earth – the sun – and why we should care about it. He is a second-year astronomy Ph.D. student at New Mexico State University studying the sun’s dynamic atmosphere.
• Angel Garcia, a former gang member who served thirteen years across three prison terms, will offer a reframed view of a criminal record not as a permanent barrier – but as evidence of survival, discipline, strategy and undeveloped leadership.
• Bryce Kennedy, a senior Officer for Space Connectivity at the International Telecommunication Union, will discuss how merchandise can transform a community’s identity and how that connects to the future of space.
• Justin Zebell, a technology speaker exploring how AI and facial recognition are changing how audience experience is measured.
• Terrie Call will discuss reclaiming health as a path to reclaiming identity based on her experience as a veteran, licensed massage therapist, and wellness advocate who has survived addiction, trauma and decades of adversity. She rebuilt her life through sobriety, fitness, nutrition, emotional healing, and psychedelic-assisted personal growth.
• Anastasia Zagrai, a recent graduate of Socorro High School in rural New Mexico and an incoming civil engineering student at MIT. As an engineering researcher, Science Olympiad competitor, and founder of Socorro Sparks, she has worked to create student-led, hands-on STEM experiences for local students. She will speak to focusing on young people teaching young people that STEM is for them now.
• Mary Beth Lindsey will discuss reframing sexual violence as everyone’s responsibility, especially men’s. She is an actor, singer, performer, and community advocate who currently serves as the Education & Prevention Manager for Solace Sexual Assault Services in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Eddie Tafoya, as a Albuquerque Native English professor, author and comedian, will share a personal story to communicate failure as a shared human experience and a source of connection.
• Christina Joymon, an Air Force engineer speaking about advocating for walking beside girls instead of putting boys ahead of them. As Founder and General Partner of XIA Capital, she has spent more than a decade investing in and advising innovative companies, with a focus on artificial intelligence, sustainability and women-led technology ventures. As a strong advocate for women in STEM, she serves on the National Engineering Leadership Advisory Council for ASME’s Women’s Leadership Collective and on the Board of Project Aspire, supporting women’s advancement into leadership.
• Jen McDowell, a healthcare speaker reframing trauma recovery as integration rather than restoration. Today she guides executives and high-performing individuals through profound personal and professional transitions at (re)connect consulting, and hosts the podcast Through the Sh#t. She is an ICF-certified coach, trained mediator, and attorney based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Natasha Schwartzwald, a personal story speaker offering a radical approach to love through appreciation over expectations. Natasha is a lifelong learner whose curiosity has led her through leadership, strategy, process improvement, gardening, entrepreneurship, and countless conversations about what helps people thrive.
• Samantha Schwann, a science and art speaker to discuss exploring the ocean from the desert and reframing ocean exploration. She is an underwater visual artist and explorer working at the intersection between exploration, technology, and conservation. Piloting a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to document biodiversity in the ocean’s low-light, “twilight zone” depths, Schwann investigates rarely-seen habitats which thrive where only a fraction of sunlight remains.
• Jonathan Sakura will speak to how a local gaming shop is building community through gaming. Jon is a small business owner, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has an affinity for video games, cats, and building community through his gaming cafe. Other hobbies include playing music, drawing, and eating his weight in chicken cutlet curry.
• Jaime Campbell will share their personal story, reframing schizophrenia and disability as incomplete labels, not incomplete people. At the age of 19, they began their journey with schizophrenia which led to becoming a Certified Peer Support Worker, CPSW, and to advocate for people with mental illness.
• Saleema Ishq, a psychological thriller author fascinated by the dark corners of the mind most people avoid, will speak about turning self-edited quirks into creative strengths. The only thing she loves more than a well-written plot twist is giving readers the false hope that they’ll stop after “just one more chapter.”
• Elizabeth Garland, a composer, performer, educator, and performance coach, will share her personal story as a way to reframe introversion as a strength for performers. Her work is rooted in the belief that when we trust the guidance of the universe, we don’t overcome our limitations — we transcend them. She lives and creates in New Mexico.
• Dr. David Soul, a healthcare speaker asking what medicine can learn by looking east and asking why. Dr. David Soul is a primary care physician who specializes in true HEALTH-Care by applying the holistic traditional approach with the modern scientific understanding in medicine. 
• Kim Black, a leadership coach, keynote speaker, and international bestselling author. Her work focuses on the habits that leave accomplished women wondering where in the world they went while they were busy becoming who everyone else needed them to be.  She will speak about the “good girl” persona and the radical act of authenticity.
• Dr. Sageline LaBaze, is a healthcare/AI speaker who will discuss using AI to prevent illness before it starts. She is the founder of Solterix Inc. and Solterica AI, where she merges artificial intelligence with preventive health to dismantle systemic barriers before they become diagnoses.

The event will also include experiential exhibits, local vendors and community activations such as pickleball and youth-led Taekwondo lessons for adults. Throughout the venue, attendees will encounter experiential installations inspired by the Reframe theme.

Tickets are available now:

• Standard General Admission: $95
• VIP Admission: $145, which includes access to a dedicated VIP space, premium seating, food, sponsor gifts and an exclusive after-party with the speakers.

For tickets, the complete speaker lineup and additional event information, visit tedxabq.com/.

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