In the latest episode of Changemaker Q&A, host Tiyana J invites listeners to dive deeply into a question many aspiring activists and professionals face: “How do I find clarity about my changemaking niche or purpose?”
It’s a question rooted in the drive to make a difference—but one that rarely has a simple answer. In this article, we map out the key reflections from Tiyana J’s conversation, outline actionable steps, and pull in relevant research and frameworks to frame why this topic matters now.
Why a “niche” matters (but not in the way you might expect)
Tiyana J explains that regardless of whether you engage in change‑making as a hobby, job, career or vocation, “having a niche or clear way in which you engage across the social change space” brings focus and intention.
She defines four categories of work:
- Hobby (passion‑driven, unpaid)
- Job (paid work)
- Career (a sequence of roles, possibly with training/credentialing)
- Vocation (calling)
She emphasises that none are inherently more valid than another—and that our niche can sit across any of them.
Research in career development supports the idea that “niche” is less about discovering a rigid slot and more about recognising the intersection of what you care about + what you can do + where you apply it. As one Australian student resource puts it, carving a niche often means combining interests, skills and values in ways that make the work meaningful and aligned with strengths.
Other commentators caution, however, that the traditional advice to “find your niche” can be limiting—pushing people into overly narrow boxes rather than allowing for growth, change and emergence.
Thus Tiyana’s approach: your niche emerges from the knowledge you have, the skills you have, and the context in which you apply those together.
Three Spiral Circles: Why • How • What
A central framework introduced in the episode is drawn from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why. In Tiyana’s rendition, you have three concentric circles: why → how → what.
- Why: Your purpose or mission—the reason you get out of bed for change.
- How: The methods or approaches you use—your strategies, values, or skills in action.
- What: The tangible outputs—the roles you hold, the projects you deliver, the actions you take.
Tiyana encourages starting with why (“what drives me to create change?”) before the how and the what. In her personal case: Why = empowering people to recognise they can make a difference; How = research, storytelling, education; What = academic articles, a podcast, online courses, workshops.
This layered approach helps make your niche less a rigid label and more a framework for ongoing alignment and clarity.
Building your changemaker toolkit: knowledge + skills
Tiyana emphasises two foundational pillars: knowledge and skills.
- Knowledge refers to understanding: the roots of social issues, history, systems thinking, context.
- Skills refer to application: project management, communication, social media, research, advocacy.
She reflects on her own journey: armed with academic knowledge, she found that without pairing it with actionable skills she felt mis‑aligned.
This mirrors what career‑development literature emphasises: the sweet spot is where interests, strengths and applied experience meet. EmployABILITY
So if you’re at the start of your changemaking journey, you might ask yourself:
- What am I genuinely curious about?
- What knowledge do I already have (or want to build)?
- What skills am I comfortable with—or willing to develop?
- How might those combine into a context where I can apply them?
Three factors that shape your niche
Tiyana outlines that your niche is shaped by knowledge, skills, and context. Let’s unpack that:
- Knowledge: What you understand about the world—its issues, patterns, systems.
- Skills: What you can tangibly do—organise, research, communicate, lead.
- Context: The space in which you operate—industry, geography, audience, mode of work.
It’s rarely any one factor alone. For example: you may have deep knowledge in community development, strong skills in digital media, and choose the context of grassroots activism. Your niche might then become “digital storytelling for grassroots change” (just as an illustration).
Tiyana emphasises: don’t feel pressured to nail a one‑line descriptor immediately—it will emerge as you act, reflect and iterate.
Why this matters now
In a world of complex, interconnected challenges—social, economic, environmental, technological—the role of individuals who can navigate change is ever more crucial. Yet many people who wish to make a difference feel stuck: “Which issue do I pick?”, “Do I have to be paid to be valid?”, “What if I don’t know my calling?”
Tiyana’s message stands out because she normalises the ambiguity and the fluidity of a changemaker’s niche. She reassures: it’s fine if you don’t yet have a “calling”, if you engage as a hobby, job or career. What matters is aligning your action with intention, learning, applying and iterating.
Her approach helps mitigate burnout by grounding you in clarity (why) and strategy (how & what), rather than chasing the mythical “perfect” niche from the outset.
Tiyana J is founder of the School of Social Impact and host of the Changemaker Q&A podcast. Her Empowered Agents of Change Toolkit—available free via the School’s Social Impact Foundations training—includes sections on “inner compass”, skill/knowledge audit, and life alignment for change‐makers.
