Founded by Caroline B. Geraghty, a pediatric nurse of over a decade, Raising The Barkada is a growing resource for multicultural, multigenerational families seeking evidence-based, practical guidance for real life. We’re currently inviting expert contributors—educators, clinicians, researchers, and caregivers—to submit short, actionable pieces that support families navigating everyday challenges. What we’re looking for: • Articles (500–800 words) • Clear, practical, evidence-based insights • Author name + one-line bio • Website or point of contact • Optional backlink to your work We also welcome personal reflections on motherhood and family life—honest, thoughtful, and sometimes funny stories about what it really means to build a village while raising kids. Explore more and submit here: https://raisingthebarkada.com/contribute 📩 Send pitches, articles, or stories to: caroline@thegeraghtygroup.com We look forward to reading your work and building this village together.

We had a blast for our 2nd Semifinalist Meetup for TEDxThirdWard!

Good luck to all the Cohort 3 semi-finalists, you have worked so hard to get to this point! Excited to share that my Cohort 2 TEDxThirdWardTalk went live today! Hope you get to experience that too. Here's the link to my talk, sharing how my journey as a mom of autistic children going through divorce and advocating for their needs led me to find my strength and purpose. Would love to read your comments on the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/BW6RWN-k65s?si=d4GO7rLKzjZKB7GQ

Cohort 3 semi-finalists here on final submission night 😬. Over the next 72 hours(ish), we will find out if we’re selected. I love having access to all the comments from the all the previous applicants…it’s been more inspiring than some of you will ever know. 🙏🏽

After receiving 786 applications to speak at TEDxThirdWard 2026 (June 14th in Houston), our team has officially selected this year’s 155 Semifinalists. HERE'S THE LINK: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q4-1AFI1i1tgZr4yXxv8AVM12hLOrJkgTfuKSD3bUO4/edit?usp=sharing All applicants received an email today, Monday, March 2nd at 5:00 PM Central Standard Time notifying you of your status. Check your spam. Here are a few interesting facts about this year’s semifinalist pool: • ~22% have previously attended a TEDxThirdWard event • ~8% have given a TEDx talk before • ~59% are based in Texas • ~41% are based outside of Texas • Representation from 15+ U.S. states • International semifinalists from 2+ countries Over 91% of this year’s semifinalists would be first-time TEDx speakers. Thank you again to everyone who applied.