The Three Words That Saved My Life | Blake Mycoskie | TED

On paper, Blake Mycoskie is a glowing success story: he founded TOMS Shoes, building a global brand that has given away more than 100 million pairs of shoes to children in need. Yet despite his success, his struggle with depression nearly cost him his life. In this personal talk, he explores the all-too-common shame that keeps people suffering in silence — and shares his new mission to spread the simple yet powerful message that each of us is inherently enough. (Note: This talk includes discussion of suicide and depression.) (Recorded at TED2026 on April 17, 2026) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit https://TED.com for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/blakemycoskie https://youtu.be/tBfHI8sNWVU TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #TEDTalks #MentalHealth