Be the Change Podcast

The first episode of Be the Change Podcast was released on June 2, 2020, and this episode marks six years since that first episode.

I've spent six years asking my guests: "Lots of young people want to make change but might not know where to get started. What is your advice for those people who might be listening?"

So, I devoted this anniversary episode to answering that question myself.

Thank you so much to my family, friends, guests, and listeners because, without all of you, there is no way Be the Change Podcast would still be around six years later. Keep being the change you wish to see in the world!

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Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

This episode features Anita Okunde, Michael-Akolade Ayodeji, Zander Moricz, and Kahlil Greene.

On 14 May 2026, Zander Moricz, founder and executive director of SEE Alliance, and Kahlil Greene, also known as the Gen Z Historian, debated at The Oxford Union, where I recorded a live interview with them.

The debate was sponsored by VoxPop, which is an app that teaches young people about politics, as well as encouraging them to get involved in politics. I also interviewed Anita Okunde and Michael-Akolade Ayodeji, who are the co-founders of the app to learn more about their work.

To learn more about VoxPop, visit: https://www.voxpopco.org/

To get connected with Anita Okunde, find her on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

To get connected with Michael-Akolade Ayodeji, find him on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

To get connected with Zander Moricz, find him on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

To get connected with Kahlil Greene, find him on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

For Dyar Hussain, changemaking doesn't fit neatly into one box, and neither does he.

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, Lily Mott talks with Dyar Hussain, Director of Education and Knowledge Exchange at YouthTheGap and host of Be the Change Media Network podcast Legacies Lost & Found, about the path from growing up curious about identity and power to building an alternative education hub rooted in critical thought and community.

Dyar shares how his youth work in Brighton shaped his belief in equitable access to education, what his new podcast is trying to give young changemakers space to tell their stories while situating them in a wider structural context, and how recent community organizing at Ridley Road has reminded him what real, collective power feels like.

His advice for anyone wanting to get started: incorporate your creativity into your work in whatever way feels true to you because it's the thing that will keep you going when the work gets tough.

As Dyar's story shows, staying connected to what you love isn't a distraction from changemaking; it's often what sustains it.

Legacies Lost & Found launched on Be the Change Media Network on March 24, 2026, so you can listen now via wherever you get your podcasts.

To get connected with Dyar, find him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

To learn more about YouthTheGap, you can listen to Episode 270 of Be the Change Podcast featuring Kaia-Allen Bevan or visit: https://youththegap.uk.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

Ahead of the UK's local elections, it's a crucial time to ask one very important question: why does voting actually matter?

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, recorded ahead of the UK's May 7th, 2026 elections, Lily Mott talks with Cosima Wiltshire, an advocate and researcher building bridges between youth, tech, and politics, about her journey from a 12-year-old campaigning for online safety to now working with Parliament, the UN, and organizations like Shout Out UK and FlippGen to get young people's voices into the room.

Cosima shares how being one of the only young people in policy conversations pushed her to help build FlippGen's peer-led approach to digital wellbeing and online safety, why local elections often have a bigger day-to-day impact on people's lives than general elections, and why she believes young people's lack of "traditional" experience is actually an asset in decision-making spaces, not a barrier.

As Cosima shares in this episode, voting isn't the only way to create change, but it remains one of the simplest, highest-impact ways to be heard, so if you're eligible, don't sit this one out.

To get connected with Cosima, find her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

To learn more about Shout Out UK, visit: https://www.shoutoutuk.org.

To learn more about FlippGen, visit: https://www.flippgen.com/.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

Who says graphic design and social change don't belong in the same sentence?

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, Lily Mott talks with Olivia Krawczyk, founder of OneKind Creative, an award-winning design studio bridging graphic design and social impact, about building a career that feels true to her talents, her passions, and her values.

Olivia shares how a school volunteering trip to Uganda turned into years of designing for a period poverty organization, why she believes there's a gap in the industry between charities with in-house design teams and small nonprofits that can't afford design at all, and the surprising, little-known link between digital work and environmental impact, from website carbon footprints to ink choices. She also discusses period poverty in the UK, particularly why it remains a stigmatized and misunderstood issue even today.

Her advice for young people who feel like they don't fit the mold for changemaking: don't box yourself in. There's always a way to make a positive impact through your work, whatever industry you're coming from.

To get connected with Olivia, find her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

To learn more about OneKind Creative, visit: https://www.onekindcreative.co.uk.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

What does it take to stay motivated in a field where the work feels endless and the need never stops?

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, Lily Mott talks with Nika Stastny, a PhD student in Global Health and host of Be the Change Media Network podcast Global Health Talks: On the Brighter Side, about her path from studying biology to now researching pediatric diagnostic devices for low- and middle-income countries.

Nika shares how an internship in the Caribbean unexpectedly set her on a path toward global health, why she launched her podcast to spotlight the "unsung heroes" working alongside her, and the idea from her supervisor that has stuck with her most: that health sits at the bottom of the pyramid, underpinning everything else people need to flourish.

Her advice for young people wanting to make change: connect with others and don't be afraid to speak your mind because more people will cheer you on than you expect.

As Nika's story shows, even in a field full of heavy realities, there's real strength in choosing to look on the brighter side.

Global Health Talks: On the Brighter Side launched on Be the Change Media Network on April 21, 2026, so you can listen now via wherever you get your podcasts.

To get connected with Nika, find her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

For more updates on Global Health Talks: On the Brighter Side, follow the podcast on Instagram.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Ahead of the UK's April 20th voter registration deadline, one question sits at the heart of this episode: what happens when people who call a country home still can't vote in it?

In this episode of Be the Change Podcast, Lily Mott talks with Dany Shibu and Dani Onyewuenyi, spokespeople for the Migrant Democracy Project, about their campaign for residency-based voting rights across the UK, and their own experiences of being disenfranchised despite growing up and studying in the country.

Dany and Dani share the personal moments that shaped their activism from being turned away at a polling station because of nationality to fearing for personal safety during the race riots in the UK. They also explain why they're campaigning for a uniform, residency-based approach to voting rights, similar to the model already in place in Scotland, so that migrants across all four UK nations have a voice in decisions that affect their daily lives.

Their advice for young people wanting to get involved: don't wait for the "flashy" opportunities. Email people, join local groups, or simply start talking about the issues that matter to you.

As Dany and Dani put it, if you have the right to vote, use it, not just for yourself, but for everyone who doesn't have that right at all.

The deadline to register is 11:59pm on 20 April 2026, in order to vote in local government elections across the UK, Scottish Parliament elections, Senedd Cymru elections, and mayoral elections in England on 7 May 2026.

To learn more and get involved with Migrant Democracy Project's work, you can visit their website or connect with them on LinkedIn or on Instagram.

To get connected with Dany Shibu, find him on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

To get connected with Dani Onyewuenyi, find her on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

Change comes when we take up space. This special episode takes you inside Anthropy 2026, a gathering of leaders and organizations working toward a more united future for the United Kingdom.

Recorded live from the Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project in Cornwall, this episode features clips from conversations with Anthropy's Emerging Leaders, who are all between the ages of 18 and 30.

The format may be a little different from the typical Be the Change Podcast episode, but these conversations from Anthropy are powerful, personal, and joyful. Plus, how many podcast episodes have you listened to that were recorded in a rainforest? That right there is enough of a reason to listen!

To learn more about Anthropy and the Emerging Leaders Program, visit their website: https://anthropy.uk/

Below is the list of guests in the order they appeared in this episode. By clicking their names, you'll be directed to their LinkedIn accounts to learn more about their work and connect with them:

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Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and this special episode features a conversation with the following members of Be the Change Media Network:

Throughout this episode, we discuss our thoughts on this year's World Autism Awareness Day theme (Autism and Humanity - Every Life Has Value), how we can better support people with autism in our lives, and advice for young people who might want to get started with campaigning and making change.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the Change Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the Change Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the Change Media Network.

Change comes through creativity and community. Rameen Bajwa and Mahnoor Rehan are part of the team developing Daak Chithi, which is a global youth organization that is bringing back the age-old, golden tradition of letter writing and adding a modern twist.

To get connected with Rameen and Mahnoor, find them on Instagram at @meenanator and @smearedwithcrimson.

To learn more about Daak Chithi, visit: https://daakchithi.org.

Please leave a rating, share a comment, and subscribe!

Follow Be the change. Media Network on Instagram: @bethechangemedianetwork.

Follow Be the change. Podcast on Instagram: @bethechangepodcast.

If you have any questions, please email Lily Mott at [email protected].

Opinions shared by the guests and hosts of this show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Be the change. Media Network.