. Amanda McDonough is a professional speaker known for her motivational life story. For the last 10 years she has been teaching her audiences how to overcome barriers in their own lives and become the hero of their own stories. Amanda has spoken for corporations, government organizations, colleges, the US Airforce, events and schools all over the United States. She speaks about resilience, diversity, inclusion, and motivation. Amanda McDonough is also a professional actress whose resume includes work for Netflix, NBC, ABC, and Freeform. As an author she has published a memoir entitled "Ready to be Heard." Amanda McDonough uses her experiences as Deaf woman to encourage, motivate and elevate her audiences. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx