In her presentation, she discusses setting goals for children and oneself, drawing on the new finding that people are able to alter DNA through their thoughts.

Raether earned her undergraduate degree in occupational therapy from the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology in 1966.

She emphasizes that the answers to current societal problems lie deep within us. Raether draws on the statistic that people are only using 5 percent of their potential, suggesting that we need to access the other 95 percent to ​incur further growth.

Raether takes the audience through an exercise moving the mind from beta to alpha, or the normal state to a meditative state. She asks them to slow their mind and breath to reach this state, later discussing how visualizing breathing in strength or calm would induce that feeling in the person.

She also notes that most children are already operating in the alpha state, or even the theta state, which is more slowed and meditative. Raether recommends that parents encourage this behavior, and empower healthy practices in early childhood.

Watch Raether’s TEDx talk here.