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How to Get Past the “Messy Middle” of a Big Change | Mary Martin | TED

Did progress on your next big project stall out? Transformation expert Mary Martin refers to this moment as the “messy middle” — the frustrating gap between starting and finishing a goal, when you might lose confidence or give up altogether. Offering three ways to find glimmers of progress when the going gets tough, she explores…

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Did progress on your next big project stall out? Transformation expert Mary Martin refers to this moment as the “messy middle” — the frustrating gap between starting and finishing a goal, when you might lose confidence or give up altogether. Offering three ways to find glimmers of progress when the going gets tough, she explores what to do when you feel stuck. (Recorded at TED@BCG on October 23, 2025)

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

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7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. @MaximumResultInLife

    August 27, 2026 at 11:10 am

    You talked about the “flag” system where anyone could raise a concern and senior leaders would act. How do you prevent this system from being overwhelmed by too many flags or from losing credibility if leaders can’t act on every single one?

    • @jf-jx4ym

      August 27, 2026 at 11:40 am

      Automation can convey right information to right person… Very efficiently

      FOR ONE…

      That would be assuming they actually want to and are capable of doing their job instead of criminal bullshit.. control.. abuse..robbery..or explaining (often against all sense and law and Court rulings) how the system doesn’t work for us.. only them..etc rights destruction.

      Language model based system would probably be able to classify and parse many things better than your average corrupt assistant or their manager or boss.

      Still very illicit profit maxing and other robbery is enabled in modern world.

      Ofc they will vote against it as it threatens them.. even if it’s at the cost of many lives or years worth living for people affected.

      Would have to pamper them like children and offer ready abled easy press this button tools for this end… Without threatening their mighty importance and career… Or Hidden incentives or authoritarian bs.

      Behind anonymous user interface people also get detached from the outcome of their own actions in authority position.. one press of a button is very different if you are constantly the target and dependent on it in harmful way.. than pressing it…

  2. @paddleduck5328

    August 27, 2026 at 1:15 pm

    Ted I love you but why does everything have to be pushing a.i. lately?

    • @siiiomaiiii

      August 27, 2026 at 8:42 pm

      @paddleduck5328 righhhttt! Makes me wanna stop supporting… here for the intelligence not the artificial

  3. @wagwanbennydj6003

    August 27, 2026 at 2:07 pm

    We love you ted we do ❤

  4. @shimmeringchimps3842

    August 27, 2026 at 6:26 pm

    Wow, this lady has cojones talking about factory farmed chicken, AI directing fast food workers, and the personal struggles of corporate overlords and packaging all that controversy as motivational content. 😂

  5. @NearThePyramids

    August 28, 2026 at 1:40 am

    is it me or the talk shifted from “how to handle messy middles” to “how i used AI to transform business” very fast … it felt like one of those “look i can do this … call me” things

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People & Blogs

Why You Need the Growth Mindset of a Weed | Stephen Nobles | TED

Educator Stephen Nobles believes curiosity is the key to unlocking a student’s potential. In conversation with TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, he encourages teachers to see every student through a lens of possibility — and asks what each of us might be missing when we let our assumptions go unchallenged. (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November…

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Educator Stephen Nobles believes curiosity is the key to unlocking a student’s potential. In conversation with TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, he encourages teachers to see every student through a lens of possibility — and asks what each of us might be missing when we let our assumptions go unchallenged. (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November 9, 2025)

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

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TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at

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Sometimes common ground starts with what both sides can’t afford to lose. #TEDTalks

What if the path to peace starts with self-interest? After four decades inside some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, mediator Hiba Qasas has learned that most peacebuilding efforts get it wrong from the start. She makes a provocative case that conciliation shouldn’t begin with empathy — and reveals how leading with shared incentives…

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What if the path to peace starts with self-interest? After four decades inside some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, mediator Hiba Qasas has learned that most peacebuilding efforts get it wrong from the start. She makes a provocative case that conciliation shouldn’t begin with empathy — and reveals how leading with shared incentives brought hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian leaders into active collaboration, even in the midst of war.

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Why the Future is Human … Plus AI | Esther Perel and Sal Khan

As AI reshapes work, school and love, what part of being human can’t a machine take over? In a wide-ranging conversation, psychotherapist Esther Perel and TED’s vision steward Sal Khan provide their unique takes on the answer. From personalized learning and AI companions to “emotional capitalism” and the rituals we create to live with uncertainty,…

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As AI reshapes work, school and love, what part of being human can’t a machine take over? In a wide-ranging conversation, psychotherapist Esther Perel and TED’s vision steward Sal Khan provide their unique takes on the answer. From personalized learning and AI companions to “emotional capitalism” and the rituals we create to live with uncertainty, the two explore if we’re getting better at living or just getting better at optimizing. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.)

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

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TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at

#TED #TEDTalks #AI #Relationships

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