FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cassidie Carmen Bates Delivers TEDx Talk on Grief, Purpose, and the Power of Lived Expertise at TEDxDuke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Duke researcher and grief support specialist highlighted the need for grief-informed support and systems.
DURHAM, N.C. — March 17, 2026 — Cassidie Carmen Bates delivered her TEDxDuke talk, “Grief, Purpose, and the Power of Lived Expertise,” on March 1, 2026, highlighting the concept of lived expertise advocacy – where one’s unique subject matter expertise is developed through their lived experiences. Cassidie demonstrated how this is crucial for effective public policies, especially in grief-related work, and how she’s developed award-winning models that have been adopted nationwide on lived expertise advocacy.
A graduate researcher on grief and bereavement leave policies at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy and a certified grief support specialist, Bates used the talk to examine how lived experience can inform stronger public policy, more humane systems, and deeper public understanding of grief.
Her work was shaped by personal loss. After the sudden passing of her father, John, Cassidie served as the sole executor of his estate at age 25. That experience exposed how little infrastructure existed to support grieving workers. In response, she’s turned her grief journey into an advocacy focus centered on helping executors through one of the most difficult and least understood parts of loss.
In her TEDx talk, Cassidie explored how grief and lived expertise can become catalysts for meaningful change.Before graduate school, Bates spent more than five years in nonprofit leadership within the Feeding America network, where she developed and implemented award-winning legislative advocacy models nationwide. She is an alumna of the University of California, Berkeley, and a former PPIA Fellow at the Goldman School of Public Policy.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At TEDx events, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small-group setting. While TED provides general guidance for the TEDx program, each TEDx event is independently organized.
TEDxDuke draws together some of Duke University’s and Durham’s most curious, creative, and progressive thinkers for intellectual discussion and community connection. Entirely student-run, the event serves as a platform for unique stories, valuable perspectives, positive dialogue, and unexpected connections that inspire momentum.
Event Details
Speaker: Cassidie Carmen Bates
Talk: Grief, Purpose, and the Power of Lived Expertise
Event: TEDxDuke
Date: March 1, 2026
About Cassidie Carmen Bates
Cassidie Carmen Bates is a graduate researcher on grief and bereavement leave at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, TEDx speaker, and a certified grief support specialist. Her work explores how bereavement policies are strengthened when informed by the lived expertise of grievers, and in combination with subject-matter data. With nearly a decade of public policy experience, she transitioned into grief policy following the sudden passing of her dad, John. At 25, Cassidie served as the sole executor of her dad’s estate, an experience that demonstrated how little infrastructure exists to support grieving workers. Before graduate school, Cassidie spent over five years in nonprofit leadership within the Feeding America network, developing and implementing award-winning legislative advocacy models nationwide. Cassidie is an alumna of the University of California, Berkeley, in Legal Studies and a former Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow at the Goldman School of Public Policy. She’ll be graduating in May 2026 with her MPP from Duke Sanford.
Contact Cassidie:
Cassidie is available for media, conference, and other grief and policy related engagements. Booking details at cassidiecarmen.com
You can follow her grief and policy work at:@cassidie.carmen.bates on Instagram and @cassidie.carmen.ba on TikTok and on LinkedIn
About TEDxDuke
TEDxDuke is an independently organized TEDx event inspired by the TED mission of sharing ideas worth spreading. The student-run program brings together speakers and attendees from across Duke University and Durham for conversation, connection, and intellectual exchange.
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