The Lie of Control
What happens to resilience when the one thing we lean on, control, is taken away? At thirty-five, historian Kate Bowler was living the life she had worked for…
What is health for?
When A.J. Jacobs set out to become the healthiest person alive, he expected to learn about nutrition, exercise, sleep, and longevity. Instead, his experiment uncovered a deeper question:…
Breaking Free from Habit Loops: How Curiosity Helps the Brain Learn
What if breaking a habit is less about willpower and more about curiosity? In this episode of TEDMED Now, we revisit psychiatrist and neuroscientist Judson Brewer’s TEDMED Talk…
Under Pressure: Training the Brain for Resilience
Performance is often treated as a fixed measure of ability. But under pressure, something more complex is happening. In this episode of TEDMED Now, Kelly Thomas revisits Sian…
Never, Ever Give Up: The Power of the Human Spirit
What does it take to keep going when the odds say stop? In this episode, we explore the remarkable journey of endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, who spent decades…
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Meet Your Host
Kelly Thomas, PhD is Director of Scientific Content at TEDMED, where she curates and translates breakthrough ideas at the intersection of science, medicine, and human potential. Her work focuses on making complex research clear, accurate, and meaningful — connecting rigorous evidence to the realities of everyday life.
With a background spanning biomedical engineering, structural biology, oncology, and the biology of the stem-cell niche in acute myeloid leukemia, Kelly has written across formats ranging from peer-reviewed research and grant proposals to health and wellness journalism. Throughout her career, she has been driven by a central question: how do we translate the best of science into longer, healthier, more meaningful lives?
At TEDMED, she leads the development of conversations and experiences designed to surface nuance, challenge assumptions, and make emerging science accessible without oversimplifying it. As one of the hosts of TEDMED Conversations, she explores topics including resilience, mental health, technology’s impact on youth, and the future of care.
A lifelong athlete and high-performance competitor, Kelly brings a particular interest in the neuroscience of resilience and behavior change — and how science can inform the way we live, train, recover, and grow.