David Epstein
Award-Winning Author | The Science of Athletic Performance
David Epstein is a Disruptive Innovation speaker who has appeared at 3 events including TED and TEDxManchester 2020, most recently in 2025.
About
David Epstein is the bestselling author of 'The Sports Gene', which explores the genetic and environmental factors that influence athletic ability. A former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, Epstein's work has been praised for its nuanced approach to the complex science behind human potential. His talks draw on cutting-edge research to explain what separates top performers from the rest, offering audiences science-backed insights for achieving excellence in any field.
Talks3
The best way to become good at something might surprise you
Are we building skills the wrong way? Explore how having a wide range of experience can be better than early specialization. -- There’s a common idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become great at something. From an early age, we are encouraged to choose our path, focus specifically, and start racking up those hours. But, what if these head starts aren’t helping us the way we think they do? What if there’s a better way to excel? David Epstein shares how a different approach could set us up for greater success. Directed by Avi Ofer. This is an animated adaptation of a TEDx Talk given by David Epstein. You can watch the talk in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6lBtiQZSho Education is the ultimate idea worth spreading. That’s why we’ve launched InnovaTED - a program that helps educators develop their brightest ideas and share them with the world. Learn more: https://ed.ted.com/edtalks Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram ---------------------------------------------- Keep Learning ---------------------------------------------- View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-best-way-to-become-good-at-something-might-surprise-you-david-epstein Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-best-way-to-become-good-at-something-might-surprise-you-david-epstein/digdeeper Animator's website: https://aviofer.com ---------------------------------------------- Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Niccolò Frassetto, Mana
| Event | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TED | 2025 | 🇨🇦Vancouver, Canada |
| TEDxManchester 2020 | 2020 | 🇬🇧Manchester, United Kingdom |
| TED 2014 | 2014 | 🇨🇦Vancouver, Canada |
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| Speaker | Shared events | Where they appeared together |
|---|---|---|
| Pico IyerTravel writer & author of The Art of Stillness | 15 books on travel, belonging, and finding home | 2 | TED 2014, TED 2025View shared history → |
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