Just because something can’t be done doesn’t mean it can’t be experienced.

Joe M. Turner has taught, led, and inspired people in an eclectic career ranging from physics education to musical theatre, and from management consulting to professional magic and mentalism. He contends that the key to being effective in all these endeavors – and many more besides! – is found in the theatrical and magical principle of the willing suspension of disbelief and the openminded wonder that it encourages. In this brief magical interlude – a recording of his live, real time presentation from the virtual TEDx Dupree Park event – Joe makes a fun case for the real-world value of impossible experiences.

A resident of the Atlanta area since 1993, Joe M. Turner is a native Mississippian and a summa cum laude graduate of Mississippi State University where he studied physics, education, and theatre. After a management consulting career he became a full time speaker and corporate entertainer in 2000. His performing and speaking career has taken him to conferences, theatres, and other venues and events on six continents.

Joe presented his talk live during the TEDx Dupree Park virtual event; this video is excerpted from the program's recorded livestream
"Over the last twenty years, Joe M. Turner has shared his magic and mentalism with millions of people in theatres, on television, on cruise ships, at trade shows, and as a keynote speaker at conferences both in the United States and internationally. A former manager in a Big 6 consulting firm, Joe combines his corporate acumen and theatrical talents to help organizations create amazing experiences for their own audiences.

Joe served as the 2015-2016 International President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the largest association in magic with roughly 10,000 members across 88 countries. He has written reviews of magic instructional materials for Genii Magazine since 2001, influencing a generation of magicians with his opinions on good magic and good teaching. He has won several magic awards that you’ve never heard of, but he’s proud of them all the same.

Joe has a B.S. (Summa Cum Laude) in Physics & Chemistry Education from Mississippi State University. He is a member of the National Speakers Association, Mensa, the London Magic Circle, and the Academy of Magical Arts. He and his wife Rosemary have a daughter, Hayley, and a son, Preston. When not engaged in magic, speaking, or family activities, Joe is likely to be at a piano exploring his love of early 20th century standards and showtunes." 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