Durham, North Carolina, Jan. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shane Lukas, a Brand Storysharing Strategist based in North Carolina, has been selected as a 2026 TEDxNormal speaker. He will present an original talk titled “Why All Our Values Are Making Us Sick,” focused on how cultural expectations—often referred to as “Midwest values” that can create conflict between personal beliefs and lived experience, affecting mental health and well-being.
Shane Lukas
A Great Idea, the creative agency founded and led by Shane Lukas, is issuing this announcement to share his selection as a 2026 TEDxNormal speaker. As the principal of the agency, Lukas represents A Great Idea in speaking engagements, professional forums, and public appearances related to brand storytelling, values-based leadership, and organizational communication.
The talk explores how unspoken social pressures around politeness, endurance, and conformity can lead to inauthenticity when people feel unable to act in alignment with their true values. Lukas examines how this internal conflict can contribute to stress and emotional strain, even when individuals are trying to do what is expected of them.
TEDxNormal continues to prepare future programming that reflects a wide range of perspectives, disciplines, and lived experiences. The organizing team works collaboratively to curate speakers, manage logistics, and deliver events that encourage reflection, discussion, and learning within the community.
About Shane Lukas
Shane Lukas is a Brand Storysharing Strategist based in North Carolina. After decades of award-winning creative communications work for global brands, he now leads A Great Idea, an agency delivering digital and print creative design and content solutions nationwide since 2015 for nonprofit, healthcare, and education partners.
About A Great Idea
A Great Idea is a creative agency founded by Shane Lukas that partners with mission-driven organizations to deliver strategy, design, and storytelling. The agency works with education, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations to create campaigns and communications that activate advocates for meaningful impact.
Shane Lukas A Great Idea connect@agreatidea.com www.agreatidea.com
