This winter, I was approached by TEDxMileHigh about speaking at the upcoming TEDxYouth@MileHigh event. Over the next couple months, I worked with the event’s curators, Jeremy Duhon and Jason Dlig, to put together a speech and performance that would encourage people to rethink and revisit their childhood roots in playful movement. I wanted to share something that not only educated and inspired people with Parkour, but also made Parkour feel intimate and accessible to anyone.

To do this, I enlisted the help of my teammates and a few of my students from APEX Movement Denver. Joining me at the event for a mid-speech performance would be APEX Movement pro team members Amos Rendao, Jake Smith, and Erica Madrid as well as youth team members Aidan Lieb, Elijah Muller, and Ollie Neben. Since the event was geared toward youth, we wanted to show some of our best athletes of all ages. Additionally, I asked my students, Autumn Goodridge and her two kids, Malachi and Fidelity, to put on another demo toward the end of my talk. I chose the Goodridges because they are perfect examples of people who have overcome life’s obstacles and setbacks, demonstrating that Parkour can be used to help heal the body and mind. The final product turned out great and was well received by an extremely enthusiastic audience. To see the full speech and performance, check out the video below: