Changemaker Q&A is a podcast for grassroots changemakers—activists, students, volunteers, social workers, entrepreneurs, sustainability advocates, and anyone working to make a difference. In each episode, host Dr. Tiyana J answers real questions from the community or interviews inspiring guests who share their stories, lessons, and practical strategies for creating social and environmental impact. With a mix of honesty, warmth, and actionable insights, the show equips listeners with the tools and encouragement they need to keep moving forward on their changemaking journey.
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
Human rights are often described as the basic freedoms and protections we have simply because we are human. It sounds straightforward. But once you scratch the surface, the idea raises a series of complex questions: Where do these rights come from? Are they moral truths, legal constructs, or political agreements? Who enforces them? And what
What Are Human Rights — and Why Do They Matter for Changemakers? Read More »
Across Iran, renewed uprisings have unfolded amid deepening economic crisis, intensifying repression, and a marked escalation in executions. What has drawn sustained international attention, however, is not only the scale of protest, but its persistence, coordination, and clarity of purpose over time. As explored in a recent episode of Changemaker Q&A, these dynamics offer important
When Freedom Is Organised: Lessons from Iran for Changemakers Everywhere Read More »
When people talk about social change, policy is often the first thing that comes to mind. Laws are passed. Programs are funded. Strategies are announced. These moments feel concrete and decisive, which makes policy an attractive focal point for anyone trying to improve society. Yet policy is not synonymous with change. It is one pathway
Policy and Change: Why It Matters—and Why It’s Never the Whole Story Read More »
A recent Changing Times podcast conversation examined a problem increasingly described in public health and social policy as a “loneliness” or “social connection” crisis: the erosion of everyday, face-to-face relationships and the difficulty many adults report in forming and sustaining friendships after early adulthood. In the episode, the guest, Gabor, positioned repeated relocation and work-driven
