In her engaging TEDx talk, “Let’s Make It Awkward,” Deborah Liu invites us to embrace discomfort as a catalyst for personal growth and innovation. Drawing on her experiences in the tech industry, she highlights the importance of confronting awkward situations rather than avoiding them. Liu argues that these moments, often laden with vulnerability, can lead to profound insights and deeper connections.
She shares personal anecdotes that illustrate how awkwardness can spark creativity and foster resilience. By reframing our perception of discomfort, Liu encourages the audience to step outside their comfort zones, suggesting that true progress lies in navigating the uncertainties of life. With humor and authenticity, she challenges viewers to lean into the awkwardness, assuring them that it is a powerful teaching tool. Ultimately, Liu’s message is clear: embracing the uncomfortable can unlock a world of possibilities, driving both individual and collective growth. Tune in to discover how a little awkwardness can lead to big breakthroughs!
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Author Video Description
We’ve all been told not to “make it awkward.” But what if it is that moment of awkwardness that sparks change? In this talk, Deb Liu shares how a lifetime of being dismissed and underestimated taught her that speaking up, even when it feels uncomfortable, rewrites the story of who gets to lead.
With humor and honesty, she challenges us to reclaim those moments of discomfort and turn them into power. The next time you’re edged out or overlooked, don’t shrink. Step forward. Make it awkward.
Website: www.debliu.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborahliu
Instagram: instagram.com/debliu_
Threads: threads.net/debliu_
Substack: debliu.substack.com #TEDxSanDiego #TEDx #Women #awkward #Communication #Business Deb Liu is a seasoned tech executive, author, and advocate for women in leadership. Most recently President and CEO of Ancestry, she previously spent over a decade at Meta, where she created Facebook Marketplace and led Facebook Pay, the mobile ad network, and the games business. She also held product leadership roles at PayPal and eBay. Deb serves on the boards of Intuit and Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering and is a seed investor and advisor to startups. She is the founder of Women in Product, a nonprofit with 30,000+ members, and a member of the Committee of 100 and Gold House’s A100 list of impactful Asian Americans. Deb holds a BSE from Duke and an MBA from Stanford. She is the author of Take Back Your Power: 10 New Rules for Women at Work and shares weekly insights in her newsletter, Perspectives. She lives in California with her husband and three children. www.debliu.com This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere — celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED’s format and rules.
Video “Let's Make It Awkward | Deborah Liu | TEDxSan Diego Studio” was uploaded on 09/25/2025 to Youtube Channel TEDx Talks