NPR/TED Staff

Political commentator Sally Kohn wanted to understand why people hate. She traveled the world tracking down stories of hatred - but along the way, discovered an uncomfortable truth about her own past.

Anand Giridharadas spent two years researching a man who committed a string of hate crimes after 9/11. Along the way, he uncovered a striking story of mercy from an unlikely source: the man's victim.

Pearl Arredondo grew up in East Los Angeles, the daughter of gang members. Education was her ticket out. She says young people need mentors to push them not to be victims of their own circumstances.

Victor Rios had dropped out of high school. But one teacher helped him turn his life around. Today, he's a sociologist who studies youth and the factors that nurture their potential.

Regina Hartley grew up a self-described scrapper, with far fewer opportunities than her peers. Now the VP of Human Resources at UPS, she says she knows the value of candidates who faced adversity.

Malika Whitley was a straight-A student who struggled with homelessness. To cope, she turned to the arts and later founded an organization helping teens in similar situations do the same.

After serving a year in prison, Jeff Smith realized his fellow inmates were just as business savvy as many on the outside. He now works to help inmates harness those skills when they leave prison.

Rather than identify with a country, writer Taiye Selasi chooses to identify with localities — local places and cities where her diverse range of experiences have helped shape her many identities.

Roxane Gay is a writer, a Haitian-American, a bisexual, and a feminist — albeit a self-proclaimed bad one. She says her journey to identify as a feminist has evolved over time.

For Kaustav Dey, fashion can embolden us to express our unique identities. He describes how the clothes we wear can give us freedom to choose how we want to look and how we want to live.

Jackson Bird was born female, but identified as male and transitioned in his twenties. He says compassion can help us become more comfortable talking about issues that affect transgender people.

Janine "the machine" Shepherd was a cross-country skier bound for Olympic greatness, when an accident left her paralyzed. She describes her struggle to redefine her identity beyond being an athlete.

Jaron Lanier says tech giants are battling for our attention to manipulate our behavior. But how did we get here? Lanier offers insights from the Internet's early days and a possible path forward.

Why is it so easy to burn through an hour on YouTube or Facebook? Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci explains how advertisting algorithms have turned our attention into a valuable commodity.

With a never-ending stream of stimulation, we rarely experience boredom. But tech podcast host Manoush Zomorodi says we actually need to feel bored in order to jump-start our creativity.

Designer Tristan Harris says attention is at the core of human experience. He argues that our addiction to technology has the power to threaten our very capacity to think, reason and problem solve.

What exactly is attention, and how can we reclaim it? Neuroscientist Amishi Jha says there's a powerful link between mindfulness, meditation and attention.

What are the qualities of charismatic leaders? Professor of leadership Jochen Menges discusses why charismatic leaders have the power to inspire action — sometimes to a fault.

In 1980, Iceland elected the country's first female president. Halla Tómasdóttir grew up with this image of leadership, and then in 2016 ran for president. She says this is why more women need to run.

Leadership expert Simon Sinek says lasting movements need inspiring leaders. He argues the best leaders are the best followers — they believe they are following a cause bigger than themselves.