Changemaker Q&A

When most people hear the word hip hop, they picture beats, rhymes, and street style — a genre of music that’s dominated global charts for decades. But as journalist, podcaster, and scholar Manny Faces reminds us, hip hop is far more than a sound. It’s a culture, a worldview, and, crucially, a framework for building […]

In a provocative new episode of Change Maker Q&A, host Tiyana J turns a spotlight on a persistent tension in social change: when massive public mobilisations fail to shift policy quickly, how much is culture to blame — and can culture be the foundation for deeper transformation? The episode begins with a deceptively simple question:

When regenerative garden designer and author Matthieu Mehuys speaks about soil, he does so with a kind of reverence. His journey began on a Belgian family farm where, as a child, he planted radishes and discovered “the magic of a tiny seed becoming something magnificent.” That early fascination grew into a lifelong inquiry into how

When life shifts into overdrive, many of us brace for burnout. But for changemaker and entrepreneur Tiyana J, a recent six-week whirlwind of full-time work, program launches, and leadership responsibilities didn’t end in collapse — it ended with energy to spare. The latest episode of Changemaker Q&A explores how she navigated that period, and offers

What would it look like to rebuild society from scratch — guided not by profit or politics, but by respect, empathy, and gratitude? That’s the question at the heart of The Philosophy, a provocative new book by Melbourne-based author Alex Kain, who joined me on this week’s Changemaker Q&A podcast to explore what he calls

In a world defined by rapid disruption—from climate crises to social inequality—the old models of “progress” are showing their cracks. In this week’s Changemaker Q&A, host and social impact researcher Tiyana J explores why it’s time to move beyond linear models of change—and how a nonlinear approach could help us tackle complex, interconnected challenges more

In a world marked by uncertainty, rapid technological disruption, and shifting social expectations, the question of what makes a great leader has never been more urgent. In the latest episode of Changemaker Q&A, leadership strategist and author Dave Chauhan joined me to explore his distinctive framework for navigating the uncharted waters of leadership — what

In the latest episode of Changemaker Q&A, the conversation turns inward: do we have a problem with our moral imagination? It’s a timely question, given the turbulence of our era. From climate collapse to political polarization, the way we imagine—and fail to imagine—the future shapes the choices we make today. The Three Stories of Our

When we talk about building stronger, more resilient communities, the spotlight often falls on governments, nonprofits, or big corporations with the resources to scale. But as entrepreneur and thought leader Janae Wright reminds us, it’s often the small businesses—the barbershops, cafes, and local service providers—that act as the glue holding communities together. Wright, the founder

In the world of social impact, terms often overlap, blur, or are used interchangeably. One example is the common confusion between “change theory” and “theory of change.” While the two sound nearly identical, they play very different roles in guiding how changemakers design, implement, and evaluate their work. This week’s episode of Changemaker Q&A, produced