Have you ever taken something personally—like a small change at work or a minor inconvenience—and found yourself spiraling into frustration? You’re not alone. In this thought-provoking talk, Heath Butler explores the universal human drive of self-preservation and how it shapes our behavior, decisions, and interactions with others.
Drawing on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, psychological insights, and personal anecdotes (including a surprising coffee crisis), Butler illustrates how our instinct to protect ourselves can lead to misunderstandings and disconnection. But when we learn to balance our needs with those of others and consider the context of a situation, we can transform frustration into empathy and foster better relationships.
With practical tools, including Virginia Satir’s coping stances model, this talk offers a roadmap for navigating life’s challenges with greater self-awareness and compassion—for yourself and those around you. Heath Butler is a creative communicator with a passion for improving people and process. His combined experience in Marketing, People Operations, Process Improvement and Change Management has led to impactful contributions to Listerhill Credit Union’s culture of excellence. Heath helps employees adopt key objectives through memorable communication methods, collaboration, and integration. A Prosci Certified Change Practitioner and now 2 time TEDx speaker, Heath has spent the past 9 years at Listerhill Credit Union, currently serving as Director of Change Management.
A UNA alumni with a degree in Communications, Heath previously worked in radio, music, and public speaking. His time in music and speaking allowed him to travel the United States and into other parts of the world. He resides in Muscle Shoals with his wonderful family and two dogs. 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