Introducing Words2Action, TEDxPasadena’s parent company

In 2006, our Executive Director, Heather Heimerl Brunold, had a dream to help individuals within her school community to learn to articulate their personal truth on behalf of a greater good. She was working as a teacher and school dean at the time, and had no idea that some day, her vision would come to fruition.

Twelve years after her initial idea was hatched, Heather has brought her dream to life with the birth of Words2Action, a non-profit organization that seeks to achieve equality for those with muted voices by transforming intention into tangible action.

Words2Action was also created to serve as the parent company of our annual TEDxPasadena conference. It will capitalize on the TEDxPasadena platform by taking the intention of “ideas worth spreading” one step further by creating tangible social change within Pasadena.

TEDxPasadena Executive Director Heather Heimerl Brunold

“With more schools per capita, access to JPL, NASA, Caltech, the Huntington Library, Idealab, Supplyframe Design Lab, the Armory, USC, Huntington Hospital, and the Pasadena Symphony, to only name a few, we sit in the center of one of the most unique cities in all the world,” Heather said. “Words2Action believes that the convergence of ideas, talent and the incredible capacity of the human spirit, are what make the City of Pasadena exceptionally poised to impact our greater world for the better, and we seek to lead the way in forming a community within communities, where individual entities are stronger together, rather than apart.”

All proceeds raised by Words2Action go toward annual production costs of the TEDxPasadena conference and benefit our scholarship program. Each year, TEDxPasadena sponsors girls ages 13 to 18 from Pasadena and surrounding areas, which enables recipients to attend our annual conferences for free. It also allows them to participate in several mentoring opportunities through Words2Action.

“Through conferences, events, leadership and curriculum development, online learning, coaching, mentoring, ambassadorship and scholarship – throughout the year – we intend to dispel myths between cliques, to cross pollinate ideas, and to diminish the difficulty (and ease the awkwardness) of forming connection between groups so that together, we can work as a united front for change.”