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Changemaker Q&A
By Humanitarian Changemakers NetworkSociety & Culture
Changemaker Q&A episodes
- 48. Do We Have a Problem with Our Moral Imagination?
I recently asked our community which 'story of our time' they believed in, and I was surprised by the responses. It got me thinking, do we have a moral imagination problem? Moral imagination is the ability to envision alternatives to the world as it currently exists. Drawing on Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects and her “three stories of our time”—business as usual, the great unravelling, and the great turning—we reflect on how people locate themselves within these narratives, what that means for changemaking, and why so many feel stuck between despair and hope. We unpack how cultivating moral imagination can open the door to more just, ecological, and regenerative futures, and why strengthening our social change literacy is a crucial step in moving from story two to story three.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
28 min - 47. Building Better Communities Through Small Business: The 3C Framework with Janneh K Wright
Have you ever wondered how small business can build stronger communities? In this episode, we sit down with Janneh Wright, founder and CEO of Primus Business Management, to explore how small businesses can create meaningful social impact while staying financially sustainable. Janneh shares his journey from immigrating to the United States to building a 23-year-old back-office management firm supporting small businesses and nonprofits. We discuss the unique challenges entrepreneurs face, the essential “Three Cs” – compliance, culture, and consistency – and how these principles can help businesses thrive. Janneh also offers practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, insights on balancing work and life, and his perspective on the future of small business in an AI-driven world.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
32 min - 46. Change Theory VS Theory of Change: Foundations for Effective Social Impact
This episode explores the essential but often misunderstood distinction between Change Theory and Theory of Change. Change Theory offers general, research-informed explanations of how change occurs, drawing on decades of scholarship from psychology, sociology, organisational studies, economics, and environmental science. Theory of Change, on the other hand, is a context-specific framework that sets out the causal pathways, assumptions, and milestones through which a particular initiative aims to achieve its intended outcomes. We examine how these two concepts intersect, outline the different types of change theories—descriptive, predictive, and explanatory—and explain why grounding a Theory of Change in robust theoretical foundations is critical for designing, evaluating, and refining effective interventions.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
32 min - 45. From Wounded Soldiers to Global Communities: Jeff Hardy on Caring for Peace
In this episode, I speak with Jeff Hardy, founder of Care for Peace, whose life journey has taken him from serving as a U.S. Coast Guard Hospital Corpsman during the Vietnam War to building health and community development centres in Myanmar. Jeff shares how the simple act of caregiving revealed to him a profound relationship between care and peace, and how this insight has grown into a philosophy, a foundation, and a call for what he terms the “Second Human Evolution.” Together, we discuss grassroots development, the importance of process in shaping change, and how peace can be cultivated in the everyday act of caring for one another.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
37 min - 44. From Individual Visions to Concrete Utopia: Collective Imagination for Systems Change
In this episode, we explore the power of shared vision in driving systems change—shifting from reactive responses to proactive, values-aligned transformation. Drawing on real-world applications of the VISION Framework developed during my PhD, I discuss how changemaking is less about fixing what’s broken and more about working together to realise what could be. When we co-create visions that reflect the hopes of all involved, we move beyond abstract ideals toward a ‘concrete utopia’—a shared future in which everyone sees their values and aspirations reflected.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
28 min - 43. Michael J. Dorfman on Independent Thinking, Information Control, & Wellness
In this thought-provoking conversation, investigative author and wellness advocate Michael J. Dorfman reflects on more than five decades of critical inquiry into systems of power—from the Vietnam War and Big Tobacco to vaccine mandates and digital censorship. Now in his 80s, Dorfman shares insights into the role of independent thinking in an era of algorithmic control, the importance of whole-food plant-based living for personal and collective health, and the philosophical distinction between belief and knowledge. A wide-ranging discussion that challenges the mainstream and invites listeners to reclaim their agency in both thought and action.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
43 min - 42. Systems Thinking in Action: Addressing Australia’s Complex Social and Environmental Challenges
In this episode, we explore the critical role of systems thinking in understanding and responding to some of Australia’s most pressing issues: youth crime, the housing crisis, bushfires, and mental health. These challenges are characterised by intricate interdependencies across social, economic, and environmental domains, defying simplistic solutions. Drawing on recent research and policy analysis, we discuss how systems thinking reveals the underlying feedback loops and interconnected factors that conventional approaches often overlook. Through these case studies, listeners will gain insight into why integrated, multi-sectoral strategies are essential for creating effective, sustainable outcomes in complex policy environments.
Register for the Systems Thinking workshop here.
Enrol in the Systems Thinking Course here.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
33 min - 41. Staying Human in Divided Times: Scott Grace on the Healing Power of Creativity
What happens when a stand-up comedian, spiritual teacher, and musician turns his attention to the fractures in our political and emotional landscapes? In this moving and poetic episode, Scott Grace—also known as the Spiritual Dr. Seuss—joins us to explore how humour, creativity, and compassion can help us navigate increasingly polarised times.
From rhymed wisdom and political poetry to musical improvisation and intergenerational reflection, Scott shares insights from his newest passion project Going Beyond Red and Blue: Staying Human in Divided Times. Together, we explore how grief, curiosity, and light-heartedness can become tools for collective healing.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
46 min - 40. The Great Turning and the Work That Reconnects: Honouring Joanna Macy’s Legacy
In this episode, we honour the late Joanna Macy by exploring her influential body of work, The Work That Reconnects—a framework that weaves together deep ecology, systems thinking, spirituality, and social change. We delve into the three dominant cultural narratives she identified, the four-part spiral that guides transformative practice, and the five vows that support ongoing commitment to the Great Turning. This episode invites changemakers to reflect on grief, gratitude, and the role of collective consciousness in shaping a just and life-sustaining future.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
30 min - 39. Breath, Burnout, and Rebuilding: Holistic Health with Francesca Bleckner
In this deeply reflective episode from the HCN archives, we speak with holistic health coach Francesca Bleckner about the invisible foundations of wellbeing in an age of burnout, disconnection, and digital overload. Drawing on her decades-long journey through fitness, fatigue, and transformation, Francesca shares how breathwork, spirituality, and a return to simplicity can unlock vitality and presence in even the busiest lives. For social changemakers, activists, and anyone seeking to show up more powerfully for others without sacrificing themselves—this conversation is an essential reset. From redefining health to decoding the early warning signs of burnout, this is about healing at the roots, not just managing the symptoms.
📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.
Join the Changemaker Q&A Community & ASK YOUR QUESTIONS HERE
💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.
Social Impact Foundations FREE Training Bundle
Follow HCN on Instagram @humanitarianchangemakers
Follow Tiyana on Instagram: @tiyanaj
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.
33 min
About Changemaker Q&A
From the publisher's feed
Changemaker Q&A is a podcast for grassroots changemakers—activists, students, volunteers, entrepreneurs, social workers, advocates, and anyone striving for impact. Host Dr Tiyana J answers real…
community questions and interviews inspiring guests who share stories, lessons, and practical strategies for driving change. Produced by the Humanitarian Changemakers Network and brought to you by the School of Social Impact, the show offers insights and encouragement for every step of your changemaking journey.