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How to turn moments into momentum | Renee Montgomery

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Inspired by the rising movement against racism in the US, WNBA champion Renee Montgomery made an unexpected decision: she opted out of her dream job. As she says in this stirring talk, she wanted to “make it felt,” and…

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Inspired by the rising movement against racism in the US, WNBA champion Renee Montgomery made an unexpected decision: she opted out of her dream job. As she says in this stirring talk, she wanted to “make it felt,” and that meant turning her attention from the court to the community. But you don’t have to be a basketball star to make it felt; anyone can turn important moments into meaningful momentum. How will you?

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89 Comments

  1. Humee Ayisha

    January 22, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    Girl
    You are the voice 🥰

  2. Sssuper Live

    January 22, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    ok lets gooo!!! Moment in the life for impulse to turn

  3. El Bicho

    January 22, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    Here we go again with the far-left propaganda. Who remembers when TED was about facts?

    • Antonio C

      January 23, 2021 at 12:50 am

      $hit! I don’t remember that fighting against racism was a far left propaganda, I thought it was just pure human being decency. Minorities being killed by the police for things that white people get away with it’s a fact. Wake up from your rainbows and ponies world.

  4. Solitary Reaper

    January 22, 2021 at 9:13 pm

    woke nonsense

  5. Felix Lynch

    January 22, 2021 at 9:14 pm

    BLM isn’t momentum, its called a victim complex.

  6. 61ueSat

    January 22, 2021 at 9:14 pm

    She is very cool! She gives off a nice aura. I saw her for the first time and became a fan of her.

    • James Smith

      January 22, 2021 at 9:23 pm

      Message her now for any kinds of help

  7. James Smith

    January 22, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    Message her for any kinds of help

  8. James Smith

    January 22, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    She once help me

  9. Jason Johnson

    January 22, 2021 at 9:32 pm

    Way to keep your victim hood alive. There was no need to give up any of the good things you were doing in life just to start something new and passionate about. You were that story, now you spread division and support terrorist organisation like blm.

  10. Mrr, Rahat

    January 22, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    Hm

  11. Patriot4TheTree

    January 22, 2021 at 9:47 pm

    When did Ted Talks, turn from inspirational success stories into woeees me, black activist communist nonsense?

    • Siddhartha02

      January 22, 2021 at 9:50 pm

      Long time ago.

  12. Sannidor

    January 22, 2021 at 9:50 pm

    Woke nonsense. You are not oppressed.

    • Tyler Ross

      January 22, 2021 at 11:17 pm

      The war on drugs imprisons millions of nonviolent americans and corporations profit off of prisoners which should be in rehab instead of behind bars.(And all of this comes out of our tax dollars!)

    • Antonio C

      January 23, 2021 at 12:59 am

      Comments like these make me lose faith in the human kind

  13. Le blageur

    January 22, 2021 at 9:54 pm

    Now tell us how to turn momentum into Money

  14. Sandra A QUEEN

    January 22, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    I felt her sentiments💖🎯🙌🏾She’s PHENOMENALLY outstanding 💖💖💖

  15. SayWhat336

    January 22, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    The liberal black female is lost

  16. OberK

    January 22, 2021 at 10:21 pm

    Not what I expected from that title, but I’m ok with it.

  17. latent440

    January 22, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    TED used to be cool. Now its just constant liberal activism.

    • Antonio C

      January 23, 2021 at 12:46 am

      So… Do you consider calling for a change against racism not cool? 🤔 I wonder who raised you

  18. Esel

    January 22, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    Loved the video, but can anyone explain to me what exactly she did? I only understood that she quit basketball, but to do what instead? I’m not a native speaker, would appreciate if someone explained 🙂

    • aliREGGAEE

      January 22, 2021 at 11:10 pm

      She did onlyfans

    • Esel

      January 22, 2021 at 11:13 pm

      @aliREGGAEE so creative of you to think of that one

    • A. S.

      January 23, 2021 at 1:03 am

      she mentioned something about working with youth but itoo think it would have been helpful if she provided more concrete examples of what she did – it’s examples that make taking big steps seem more real and doable and provoke listeners to consider their own possibilities.

  19. Rumford Chimpenstein

    January 22, 2021 at 10:40 pm

    “If we’re all watching the same thing, why aren’t we upset?”

    *_meanwhile… the whole world is upset_*

    • Esel

      January 23, 2021 at 12:52 am

      @Rumford Chimpenstein There we have it. So you’re defending a cause I never attacked against. You want to lecture me about good morals by defending hate crime? I’m out. Go talk to someone else if you seek pity

    • Esel

      January 23, 2021 at 12:53 am

      @zee Please consider that what you’re saying is dangerous. Don’t talk down on people’s experience with racism if you’ve never come close to experiencing it yourself. I can only imagine the reason you’re here writing that comment is because you feel like people are too hard on the poor nazis. Hold yourself accountable first.

    • Rumford Chimpenstein

      January 23, 2021 at 1:00 am

      @Esel So you choose not to hear my voice now? It sounds like you choose war. You need a mirror because Zee is clearly not the dangerous one here, you are.

    • Rumford Chimpenstein

      January 23, 2021 at 1:01 am

      @zee Thank you. That was very well said. I hope one day we can all stop fighting and focus on what we have in common.

    • zee

      January 23, 2021 at 1:07 am

      @Esel im not saying to like racist LOL. people are racist, because how they where raised, or a bad event. You don’t punished a drug addict for doing drugs why punish a racist for what they can’t control. Punish an extream racist for killing someone not every racist for thinking. Im not white people have been racist towards me. Guess what. Because I treated them with respect. They aren’t racists anymore. I have single handedly, done more to fix racism then all of blm…

  20. Dan Jackson

    January 22, 2021 at 10:51 pm

    Oh no.. not another person desperately seeking victimhood😆🙈

  21. my31and37

    January 22, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    Remember when TED talks were about people actually accomplishing great things in science and technology, instead of just complaining?

    • chas ames

      January 23, 2021 at 12:37 am

      I have to keep pointing this out…
      YOU ARE COMPLAINING!

    • phyllis miller

      January 23, 2021 at 12:50 am

      I agree tho

    • Antonio C

      January 23, 2021 at 12:54 am

      If you complain about racism the same way you complain about this YouTube channel changing their topic on their videos this world will be a better world.

  22. Arthur Jericho

    January 22, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    The rich stay rich by spending like the poor and investing without stopping then the poor stay poor by spending like the rich yet not investing like the rich

    • Alessio Rastani

      January 23, 2021 at 12:48 am

      My first investment with Mr hilton  gave me profit of over $24,000 Us dollars and ever since then he has never failed to deliver and I can even say he’s the most sincere broker I have known

    • Dustin TheWind

      January 23, 2021 at 12:50 am

      @The Wolf Of The Wall street the real brokers dont post comments on YouTube… piss off already

    • Antonio C

      January 23, 2021 at 12:57 am

      That sounds like an opening speech at a pyramid scheme meeting. 🤔🤔

    • Martins ClareB

      January 23, 2021 at 1:03 am

      Yes I’m a living testimony of Mr hilton, Mr hilton has changed my financial status for the best. All thanks to my aunty who introduced him to me

    • Woodie Clever

      January 23, 2021 at 1:17 am

      Mr hilton  is obviously the best, I invested $3,000 and he made profit of $28,000 for me just in 15days

  23. chas ames

    January 23, 2021 at 12:36 am

    The extent of my sports interest is two Storm shirts.
    But lucky for the cause that you went to this.

  24. userOne1Uno

    January 23, 2021 at 10:23 am

    It is very much a shame to realise the obligatory quotas TED has set for itself. This talk – like several others in the past few months – is just dreadful dogmatic babble, of very low quality and value. I suppose it meets the “main criterion” though…

  25. anepileptic epileptic

    January 23, 2021 at 10:46 am

    A black guy died.
    So I opted out of basketball?
    Here is a sentence that rhymes.
    What?

  26. Sonali Gunasekara

    January 23, 2021 at 11:16 am

    Great inspiration, but what I personally believe is that to make a change, we do not need to opt out what we love to do. We can be the change and make the change while living within our dreams

  27. Google Account

    January 23, 2021 at 11:21 am

    I felt it

  28. fatalmystic

    January 23, 2021 at 11:37 am

    Great! Now it’s time to talk about patriarchy, capitalism and property. Because there’s the root of our foul racist, sexist, classist system.

    • aceyage

      January 23, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      Bullshit. Capitalism is the cure for all of these issues.

  29. Ron Mitchell

    January 23, 2021 at 11:50 am

    Apartheid sucks and 75million voting to bring it on harder sucks more. To fix it, you have own it!

  30. ꧁Artist꧂

    January 23, 2021 at 12:26 pm

    Love from Afganistan 💜👋💜

  31. Big Dee

    January 23, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    LAZY

  32. Tiavor Kuroma

    January 23, 2021 at 3:18 pm

    propaganda and lies
    giving op your career because a violent drug addict died while arresting, is just stupid.

    • Joshua B.

      January 23, 2021 at 3:58 pm

      Drugs was injected into George Floyd’s system after he was murdered an when was he violent? He ben serving people for years in Texas helping youth then he move up to MN to do the same thing. He advocated for gun violence to stop an to have more community support for people.

  33. Golibjon Sanokulov

    January 23, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    hello

  34. Erika Mants

    January 23, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    Sad that this ended so quickly! Truly motivating but I also think that I could do both my dream job and fight all the injustices at the same time! (haha being a diplo student is awesome!) Thanks for the pep talk sending love!

  35. RED THREAD

    January 23, 2021 at 6:02 pm

    Conservatives physicians Psycologist, Counselors Dentists Nursing Homes Funeral Homes.. you have 80 mil yhat are willing to trust only you with our care. Nurse Ratchets want us erased…

  36. Naomi Brockwell

    January 23, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    Turn your moments to money

    • Kendrick Carlson

      January 23, 2021 at 9:53 pm

      @Karl Thang available w..h…s…a..p…p ☝️☝️☝️

    • Crypto Boss

      January 23, 2021 at 9:54 pm

      In order to make profits in stock or crypto markets, one need to have a good strategy and proper knowledge of how the holders manipulate the market.

    • Prashant Karan

      January 23, 2021 at 9:57 pm

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    • F4X

      January 23, 2021 at 10:00 pm

      The reason for having a a trading strategy and an expert is to remove the possibility of making emotional and irrational decisions.

    • F4X

      January 23, 2021 at 10:00 pm

      Thanks guys for the recommendations.

    • Firex Jae

      January 25, 2021 at 12:25 pm

      pffffffff

  37. Lesley Ruth

    January 23, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    Turn your moments to money

  38. Dre Holmes Da Songwriter

    January 23, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    Thank you for your willingness to serve! You are AMAZING!!! We feel you!!!

  39. Stimpy Whizzleteeth

    January 23, 2021 at 9:59 pm

    YAWN

  40. Hayden Perry

    January 24, 2021 at 12:50 am

    Imagine if black people took over law enforcement like they did basketball.

    • Olivia Benson

      January 24, 2021 at 1:35 am

      I deposited $500 in Bitcoin myself and allowed mrs kimberly trade for me and I got my payout of $5500 🙏🙏

    • Olivia Benson

      January 24, 2021 at 1:35 am

      Contact her at What’Sapp 🙏🙏

    • Olivia Benson

      January 24, 2021 at 1:36 am

      +1 2 3 9 4 2 0 1 0 6 1
      From Florida USA okay🙏🙏

  41. The Werst

    January 24, 2021 at 3:07 am

    I’m pretty sure thats what those trumpers were doin. “Makin it felt”… Truth cant be just one sided my friends…peace!

  42. Anjay Lu

    January 24, 2021 at 5:49 am

    hiii there is a Russian citizen who is currently famous in Indonesia, he is named Dayana

  43. astera 0

    January 24, 2021 at 8:21 am

    Please caption kurdish please 😭

  44. yvs 666

    January 24, 2021 at 9:01 am

    congrats. u now have a ted talk. instead of having an actual successful career. all because people got frustrated staying at home during lockdown and decided to protest an issue that has been around for longer than u have been alive.

  45. LarkAscending

    January 24, 2021 at 9:08 am

    There’s no “Strive Toward Freedom” about any of this so called Black Equality political activism that this talk associates with.

    No privilege to be seen here! – I can choose to leave my job without fear of destitution at any time I like – particularly when I need to take the moral high ground after my people across the country have lost it and put themselves in the moral and ethical gutter by encouraging and then burning , looting and ransacking thousands of other peoples’ workplaces.
    Its a firmly established understanding of civilised thought in foundational ethics that for the ends to be justified the means also have to be justified- A case in this persons cause that fails the test.

  46. Anthony Galli

    January 24, 2021 at 10:10 am

    Quitting your job during a pandemic without any plan doesn’t sound like the wisest advice. You’re also 34 years old, which is the average age for WNBA/NBA retirement so you didn’t so much “opt-out” as retire to then leverage the WNBA platform to spread a message about “opting-out” of it, i.e. what you call “positive change.”

  47. Vikram Singh

    January 24, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    💪👈

  48. The Edge

    January 24, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Hmu we can start a real truth news channel hmu the sooner the better

  49. Urjjo Bandyopadhyay

    January 25, 2021 at 1:37 pm

    Black chick..Why am I not surprised she cries more than she works? If only she could school her community to work harder and try to integrate instead of segregating themselves on their culture their way of life their beauty standards

  50. Motivation

    January 25, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam

  51. KittenJoe

    January 25, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    Fingers crossed as I send this to my elderly conservative catholic dad.

  52. Long Tall

    January 25, 2021 at 11:07 pm

    Congratulations you achieved literally nothing because things have not changed in any way. Keep it up

    • Ruben de Hosson

      January 28, 2021 at 9:23 am

      Way to be optimistic, caveman.

  53. Ineptias Bais

    January 26, 2021 at 4:41 am

    So boondocks wasn’t a meme it be happening

  54. DE'CAMROHN MATHIS

    January 28, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    im only here for a school assignment and got sum much more very inspiring

  55. Sunil Kumar

    January 31, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    I’m happy that you opted out.

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