In her Talk, Mariann Aalda shares the guiding principle she has utilized throughout her life, which she now applies to getting older. Her hope is that at the end of it, you’ll be saying to yourself: “I’ll have what she’s having.” Chicago native and Southern Illinois University alumna, Mariann Aalda was one of the first African-American daytime soap opera heroines as attorney DiDi Bannister on Edge of Night. Her acting career included roles on Sunset Beach, First & 10, Guiding Light, The Royal Family and Designing Women. She also hosted USA’s Designs for Living.
Aalda was recognized by the Los Angeles Department of Children’s Services and the California State Assembly for her work with disadvantaged youth. After “aging out” of Hollywood, AARP named her an Age Disruptor for her career reinvention as a hypnotherapist turned standup comic and performance artist. In her personal life, she’s been a wife, ex-wife, mom, step-mom, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, nana, caretaker daughter and a uterine cancer survivor. She’s every woman. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx