top speakers
May 22, 2025

3 Inspirational Videos That Will Change How You Look At Other People

At Lavin, our motivational speakers don’t just settle for feel-good talks or easy sentiment. They’ve spent years (sometimes decades) investing in their communities, and their talks are powerful reminders of the strength of human connection. Below, we’ve put together 3 of our favorite inspirational talks. Ranging from 3 to 22 minutes long, these unforgettable videos will forever change how you see the people around you. Watch them below, and get in touch to book these leading motivational speakers for your event!

He found the cure for “spiritual cancer.”

Bill Strickland was a high school kid in a tough neighborhood when he fell in love with pottery. His love of art—and his belief that everyone deserves beauty in their life—led him to turn a bankrupt community center into one of the most acclaimed social organizations in the world.

In this 22-minute talk, the MacArthur Genius tells the story of how a kid from a rough neighborhood came to redefine the limits of possibility. “The cure for cancer of the human spirit is sunlight and good food and hope,” he says.

Before I die, I want to…

What do you want to do before you die?

That’s the question Candy Chang posed to her neighbors when she turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard and invited people to write on it. Her neighbors’ answers ranged from funny to poignant—and held up an unexpected mirror to the community.

In this 6-minute talk, Candy explains how art can bring communities together, and what her own installation taught her about death, hope, and belonging.

Music is medicine.

At only 19 years old, violinist Vijay Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic and became the youngest person to join a top-tier American orchestra. But when he realized that Skid Row, America’s largest population of unhoused people, was just streets away, he turned his attention to fostering real connection with audiences from our most disadvantaged communities.

In this 3-minute video, Vijay explains how he came to forge a friendship with a man on Skid Row, and how that became a source of healing for both of them.

For more from these leading speakers…

Get in touch with us! We’d love to tell you more about them and help you bring one of them to your event.

He found the cure for "spiritual cancer."

https://youtu.be/8yJRBU8XQfo?si=AEXjjvEAxmK7iDC3 Bill Strickland was a high school kid in a tough neighborhood when he fell in love with pottery. His love of art—and his belief that everyone deserves beauty in their life—led him to turn a bankrupt community center into one of the most acclaimed social organizations in the world. In this 22-minute talk, the MacArthur Genius tells the story of how a kid from a rough neighborhood came to redefine the limits of possibility. "The cure for cancer of the human spirit is sunlight and good food and hope," he says.

Before I die, I want to...

https://youtu.be/uebxlIrosiM?si=IZvzA9P53pszLPig What do you want to do before you die? That's the question Candy Chang posed to her neighbors when she turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard and invited people to write on it. Her neighbors' answers ranged from funny to poignant—and held up an unexpected mirror to the community. In this 6-minute talk, Candy explains how art can bring communities together, and what her own installation taught her about death, hope, and belonging.

Music is medicine.

https://youtu.be/AnPUDIov_Ac?si=NtuT9ie0MjENoVVa At only 19 years old, violinist Vijay Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic and became the youngest person to join a top-tier American orchestra. But when he realized that Skid Row, America's largest population of unhoused people, was just streets away, he turned his attention to fostering real connection with audiences from our most disadvantaged communities. In this 3-minute video, Vijay explains how he came to forge a friendship with a man on Skid Row, and how that became a source of healing for both of them.