Live events are often remembered for what happens on stage. The headline act. The keynote. The moment the crowd lifts. Yet the deeper story of events sits elsewhere: in the invisible labour of people who build temporary cities under pressure, coordinate thousands of moving parts, improvise through failure, and hold responsibility for safety, reputation, and […]
One of the most disorienting parts of starting a PhD in social change is realising that the words everyone seems to use do not always mean the same thing. Theory of change. Change theory. Explanatory theory. Research philosophy. Ontology. Epistemology. Methodology. It can quickly feel like you have walked into a conversation that began years
Some of the most consequential social innovations do not begin with a grand plan. They begin with a question that refuses to go away. In a recent Changemaker Q&A conversation, entrepreneur Neli Kools traced the pathway that led her to co-found Intimate Queen—a plant-based wellness lingerie brand built around an insight that is simultaneously intimate,
Communication is frequently treated as a “soft skill”. In practice, it is a core infrastructure for social change. Campaign strategy, coalition-building, community partnership, workplace leadership, and intimate relationships all rise or fall on whether people can listen well, speak with clarity, navigate conflict, and repair ruptures when they inevitably occur. This episode with Eri Kardos—founder
Turning 30 feels both arbitrary and deeply symbolic. It’s just a number, yet it carries weight. It marks the end of a decade that shaped who I am — not just professionally, but personally, intellectually and emotionally. My twenties were not linear or perfectly planned. They were experimental, messy, ambitious and often uncertain. But they
Turning 30: Lessons from a Decade of Changemaking Read More »
This episode with Nicky Billou is not a technical discussion about marketing funnels or productivity hacks. Instead, it centres the relationship between freedom and enterprise, the psychological barriers that quietly limit impact, and the ethical reframing of “sales” as a form of service that enables good work to be sustained rather than perpetually under-resourced. Freedom
In the social impact space, busyness is often worn like a badge of honour. More workshops. More campaigns. More posts. More meetings. More activity. But what if the real question isn’t “How can we do more?” What if it’s “Where is the leverage?” Leveraging change is about increasing your impact while reducing unnecessary effort. It’s
Do Less, Create More: Leveraging Change in a Busy World Read More »
Across the social impact sector, many initiatives begin in the same way: with deep care for an issue, a strong ethical commitment, and a desire to make a tangible difference. Grassroots organisations, community groups, and early-stage nonprofits are often founded by people who are motivated by lived experience or moral urgency rather than formal training
From Passion to Traction: Why Changemakers Need Brand, Story, and Strategy Read More »
When people talk about social change, the spotlight often lands on activism, campaigning, social entrepreneurship, or policy reform. These approaches are visible. They feel structural. They promise transformation at scale. But there’s another approach to impact that doesn’t always get the same recognition: social work. Too often, social work is framed as “just service delivery”
Social Work and Systems Change: Why Care Is Not “Less Than” in the Impact Ecosystem Read More »
Public debate about foreign assistance often treats “aid” as a single line item. Practitioners know it is not. It is a dense delivery ecosystem—built from government policy, appropriations, contracts and grants, supply chains, local institutions, and the everyday labour of people on the ground (often described as “implementers”). When that ecosystem is abruptly paused or
