"You do not have to be unbreakable to survive your life."

Asia Sharif is a multi-award-winning software engineer, mentor, public speaker and DE&I advocate whose journey has taken her from foster care and a non-traditional route into technology to becoming an influential voice for diversity, resilience and representation.

In this episode of TEDx and Talks, Asia joins hosts Andy Coley and Simran Whitham ahead of taking to the TEDxNorthernQuarter stage in Manchester.

Asia shares how she originally studied law before dropping out of university, moving to London and eventually deciding during lockdown to challenge herself by learning something completely new. Starting with Python and committing time every day to teaching herself to code, she transformed her career and within a year had secured her first software engineering role and won her first award. 

The conversation explores representation in technology, challenging stereotypes and why Asia deliberately chose to become visible in an industry where women of colour remained significantly underrepresented. She talks about wanting other women and girls to see somebody who looked like them succeeding in engineering, and why breaking down society's expectations has become a recurring theme throughout her life. 

Asia then opens up about the experience that would completely reshape her understanding of strength.

Three years ago, she was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. After multiple relapses, gruelling treatment and eventually a stem cell transplant, Asia found herself confronting vulnerability in a way that professional success had never required her to do. She talks about the difficulty of asking for help, the fear of being perceived as weak and why eventually allowing her community to support her became one of the most powerful lessons of her life. 

Asia speaks candidly about the physical and emotional reality of cancer treatment, losing her hair and much of her sense of identity, spending almost a year barely leaving her apartment and ultimately reaching a point during her stem cell transplant when she genuinely feared she might die.

During those darkest moments, one thought kept returning. She prayed simply for the chance to see one more sunrise.

Having made it through, Asia has spent the time since travelling, experiencing the world and appreciating the ordinary moments she once feared she might never experience again. 

The conversation also explores faith, foster care, community, goal setting and the small daily actions Asia believes can help us continue moving forward even when life feels overwhelming.

Her TEDx talk challenges what she calls "the myth of strength", the idea that being strong means putting on a brave face, dealing with everything alone and never asking for help. Instead, Asia argues that vulnerability, community and knowing when to let other people in can be forms of strength in themselves. 

Ultimately, Asia's story is about refusing to allow circumstances, stereotypes or adversity to decide what comes next.

You do not have to be unbreakable to survive your life.

TEDx and Talks is the official podcast of TEDxNorthernQuarter, taking you beyond the red dot to discover more about the people, stories and ideas behind the talks.

Hosted by Andy Coley and Simran Whitham.

Recorded by THE CLUB MCR in Manchester.

TEDxNorthernQuarter returns to Stoller Hall, Manchester on 11 September 2026, bringing together 16 speakers to share ideas worth spreading.

Find out more about TEDxNorthernQuarter:

Website: https://www.tedxnorthernquarter.com/
Podcast: https://podcast.tedxnorthernquarter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedxnorthernquarter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tedxnorthernquarter/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedxnorthernquarter

Connect with Asia Sharif:

Website: https://www.asiasharif.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asia-sharif-60616b150/

Content note: This episode contains candid discussion of cancer, chemotherapy, serious illness, homelessness and difficult personal experiences.

TEDxNorthernQuarter is an independently organised event under license granted by TED.

"Hospitality saved my life."

Matty White has spent more than two decades building a career across radio, television, live events, food, drink and broadcasting, becoming one of the most familiar faces in Manchester along the way.

But the journey to becoming a presenter, broadcaster, DJ and now host of TEDxNorthernQuarter started somewhere very different.

In this episode of TEDx and Talks, Matty joins hosts Andy Coley and Simran Whitham ahead of taking on hosting duties at TEDxNorthernQuarter 2026 in Manchester.

The conversation starts, naturally, with Manchester. Matty shares what he loves about the city, why he believes its friendliness, togetherness and willingness to support people makes it special, and how Manchester helped him build a life when he arrived with very little.

He also talks about authenticity and why, whether he is on the radio, television, social media or standing on a stage, he has always tried to simply be himself. For Matty, audiences can tell when someone is playing a character, and genuine connection comes from allowing people to see the real person underneath.

The conversation explores why some of the most interesting stories do not come from celebrities at all, but from the ordinary people we pass every day. Matty reflects on his years interviewing people across Manchester and why "everyone's got a story" has become such an important part of how he looks at people.

Matty then speaks candidly about experiencing homelessness when he was younger and why supporting efforts to tackle homelessness in Greater Manchester has become deeply personal to him.

He shares how a charity eventually helped him find somewhere to live, how getting a job in hospitality gave him a second chance, and the moment he realised he could begin building something more. From there came college, university, a move to Manchester and eventually an opportunity answering phones at the BBC that opened the door to a broadcasting career.

Matty also looks back further, to childhood memories of radio and exchanging cassette tapes with his grandfather, revealing some of the early experiences that sparked his love of presenting and storytelling.

The conversation turns to ambition, purpose and why Matty still wants more from life despite everything he has already achieved. He talks about learning the craft of live presenting, what being completely present on stage feels like, and offers some characteristically straightforward advice to the TEDxNorthernQuarter speakers.

Finally, Matty reflects on failure, resilience and legacy. Having failed far more times than he believes he has succeeded, his message is simple: if you are not prepared to fail, you cannot win.

And when asked what legacy he ultimately wants to leave, his answer has little to do with television, radio, Manchester or his career.

He simply wants his children to remember having a good dad.

TEDx and Talks is the official podcast of TEDxNorthernQuarter, taking you beyond the red dot to discover more about the people, stories and ideas behind the talks.

Hosted by Andy Coley and Simran Whitham.

Recorded by THE CLUB MCR in Manchester.

TEDxNorthernQuarter returns to Stoller Hall, Manchester on 11 September 2026, bringing together 16 speakers to share ideas worth spreading.

Find out more about TEDxNorthernQuarter:

Website: https://www.tedxnorthernquarter.com/
Podcast: https://podcast.tedxnorthernquarter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedxnorthernquarter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tedxnorthernquarter/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedxnorthernquarter

Connect with Matty White:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattyfwhite/

Content note: This episode contains strong language and candid discussion of homelessness and difficult personal experiences.

TEDxNorthernQuarter is an independently organised event under license granted by TED.

For ten years, Scott Thomas says he lost himself.

Known to millions from Love Island, Scott has since built a career as an entrepreneur, podcaster and motivational speaker, but behind the public profile was a period in which he says he became disconnected from the person he really was.

In this episode of TEDx and Talks, Scott joins hosts Andy Coley and Simran Whitham ahead of taking to the TEDxNorthernQuarter stage in Manchester.

Scott speaks openly about his years in nightlife, drinking, drugs and chasing a version of success that looked right from the outside but did not feel aligned on the inside. He shares the turning point that made him realise something had to change, and why rebuilding his life was not about becoming somebody new, but about reconnecting with who he had always been.

The conversation explores identity, self-belief, sobriety, family, friendship and personal transformation, including why the people closest to us can sometimes struggle when we change, and the "lonely chapter" that can happen when you no longer fit into your old life but have not yet found your new community.

Scott also talks candidly about modern masculinity, emotional openness and why he believes men do not have to choose between being driven and being vulnerable.

The conversation then goes behind the scenes of his TEDx journey, from months of coaching and rewrites to the work required to turn a deeply personal idea into a fifteen-minute TEDx talk.

Ultimately, Scott describes reaching a place where his work, relationships and ambitions finally feel aligned, and finding a purpose centred on helping other people reconnect with their own potential.

TEDx and Talks is the official podcast of TEDxNorthernQuarter, taking you beyond the red dot to discover more about the people, stories and ideas behind the talks.

Hosted by Andy Coley and Simran Whitham.

Recorded by THE CLUB MCR in Manchester.

TEDxNorthernQuarter returns to Stoller Hall, Manchester on 11 September 2026, bringing together 16 speakers to share ideas worth spreading.

Find out more about TEDxNorthernQuarter:

Website: https://www.tedxnorthernquarter.com/
Podcast: https://podcast.tedxnorthernquarter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedxnorthernquarter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tedxnorthernquarter/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedxnorthernquarter

Connect with Scott Thomas:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scott.thomas/
Website: https://www.scottthomas.co.uk/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scott.thomas

Content note: This episode contains strong language and candid discussion of alcohol, recreational drug use and gambling.

TEDxNorthernQuarter is an independently organised event under license granted by TED.

What happens when the conversation continues beyond the TEDx stage??

In the first episode of TEDxNorthernQuarter: TEDx and Talks, co-organisers Andy Coley and Simran Whitham introduce the vision behind the new podcast series and explore why Manchester is the perfect place to bring it to life.

Recorded at THE CLUB MCR, Andy and Simran discuss Manchester’s distinctive personality, its creative communities and its history of producing innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, academics and people with ideas capable of changing the world.

They also explore why TEDx should be about more than a single 15-minute talk. While the stage gives speakers an opportunity to share a powerful idea, the podcast creates space to understand the person behind it: what shaped them, what motivates them and where their ideas could lead next.

You’ll hear why the series will feature not only TEDx speakers, but also coaches, organisers, supporters, industry leaders, creatives and members of the wider community. The aim is to make more ideas accessible, encourage thoughtful and civil conversation, and give a platform to remarkable people whose voices may not always be the loudest.

Andy and Simran also reveal how podcasting will become part of the wider TEDxNorthernQuarter experience, including conversations recorded around the event and opportunities to capture the experiences of speakers and audience members.

TEDxNorthernQuarter: TEDx and Talks brings you thought-provoking conversations that go beyond the red dot, uncovering the ideas, stories and experiences shaping our future.

🎤 Hosted by TEDxNorthernQuarter
🎙️ Produced in partnership with THE CLUB MCR
📍 Recorded in Manchester, United Kingdom

Subscribe for new episodes and exclusive conversations with inspiring voices from the TEDx community and beyond.

Follow TEDxNorthernQuarter:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TEDxNorthernQuarter
💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/tedxnorthernquarter/
🌐 Website: https://TEDxNorthernQuarter.com

TEDxNorthernQuarter is an independently organised TEDx event.