Amelia Hruby is a feminist writer, podcaster and producer with a PhD in philosophy. She's the founder of Softer Sounds, a feminist podcast studio for entrepreneurs and creatives. And she’s the host of Off the Grid, a podcast about leaving social media without losing all your clients.

Amelia’s work and podcast has been a help and an inspiration for Julia, who made her own decision to leave social media earlier this year.

In this episode, Amelia Hruby shares her own story of wanting to drive change, challenging structures of power and why she took the decision to leave social media. Julia and Amelia discuss big tech, surveillance capitalism and how to navigate the digital world as a changemaker, who cares deeply about people and planet. They talk about shadowbans and persecution of human rights defenders, and how to organize off of social media.

Amelia leaves us with great advice and support and encourages us to make conscious decisions about how we use digital tools.

Francisca Sequeira is the the founder and president of SOMA (Sufers Proud of African Women), the first surf therapy organization in Africa dedicated exclusively to girls.

Francisca, from Portugal, embarked on a new journey in 2020 during the pandemic. She was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks after losing her job as a flight attendant, and discovered surf therapy—a combination of surfing, mental well-being, and empowerment.

What started as a solo trip of self-discovery turned into a larger movement to support women and girls in the islands of São Tomé and Principe.

SOMA's mission is to reduce the social exclusion of young women in Africa by strengthening their physical and mental well-being and promoting gender equity through surf therapy. The organization’s vision is to create the next generation of independent and self-sustainable women, surfing infinite waves of well-being, opportunities, and equity across Africa.

Over the past four years, SOMA has impacted more than 100 young women, empowering them through surf therapy, academic support, and psychosocial development. With models adaptable to local conditions, SOMA has been expanding into new communities, creating job opportunities and capacity building for local women.

In this episode, Francisca Sequeira shares her story and the remarkable work that SOMA does, grounded in the community it serves. Julia and Francisca talks about social entrepreneurship, creativity and hope - and about what SOMA means for the women, girls and families in São Tomé and Principe.

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE is the Chief Midwife of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). 

Jacqueline has a tremendous career in midwifery clinical practice and leadership. Prior to joining ICM, Jacqueline served as the first Chief Midwifery Officer for the NHS in England and was one of two National Maternity Safety Champions appointed by the Department for Health and Social Care. She was recognised as one of the Health Service Journal’s most influential people in health in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, she was also celebrated as one of the NHS’s 75 most significant nurses and midwives in 2023 and is included in the Nursing Times’ Leaders 2015 list for pioneering and inspirational professionals.

She is a registered nurse and midwife and holds honorary doctorates from Worcester and Winchester Universities in the UK and a visiting Professorship in Midwifery at Kings College London and London South Bank University. She chairs the maternity advisory group for the Health and Race Observatory in England, serves on the Women of the Year management committee, acts as Midwifery Ambassador for the ‘Saying Goodbye’ charity, and holds key roles as Patron for Baby Lifeline and the Caribbean & African Health Network UK.

In this episode, Jacqueline shares some incredible stories from her career in midwifery, including leading national midwifery initiatives during COVID. Julia and Jacqueline talk about the needs of midwives and the status of maternal health worldwide. They discuss inequality and inequity of care and outcomes for women and mothers between regions and within countries - and the need for data in combination with the stories of women’s lived realities. Jacqueline speaks about her work with ICM and the importance of midwifery leadership through the crises we are witnessing in the world today.

Neha Mankani is a community midwife and global health practitioner from Pakistan with a strong focus on reproductive health and rights in crisis situations, emergency response and climate-affected communities. 

Neha is the Humanitarian and Climate Engagement Advisor at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the founder of the Mama Baby Fund; a financial emergency fund for maternal and neonatal healthcare in Pakistan. She has extensive experience in SRHR and maternal and neonatal health clinical practice, programming, and midwifery advocacy both at the local and global levels.

In this episode, Neha shares stories from her work with the coastal communities outside of Karachi, Pakistan and why she stared Mama Baby Fund. As a midwife with the ICM, Julia and Neha talk about how to build resilience in communities affected by the climate crisis and the critical role that midwives have.

Julia’s first job after university was to support emergency maternal health response after the floods in Pakistan in 2010, and as a child she lived a while in Lahore, so this was an episode of particular connection for her.

Learn more: 

Other links mentioned in the episode: 

Her latest film, TO KILL A TIGER, had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. Since then, it’s garnered 29 awards including the Best Documentary Feature, Palm Springs International Film Festival, three Canadian Screen awards and the DGC Allan King Award for Best Documentary Feature, 2023. The film is available on Netflix, and is such a beautiful and vulnerable documentary feature.

"To Kill a Tiger” is a story about Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, who takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, Kiran, the survivor of sexual assault. It is a story of resilience, hope, bravery and a father’s unwavering love for his daughter. 

For Nisha, the film grew out of a long career of addressing various human rights issues, notably violence against women in India. In 2015, she won the Amnesty International media award for Canadian journalism after making a short film about the Delhi bus gang rape for Global News. Her previous films have also won several awards from Tribeca Film Festival and many many more - and in 2024, Pahuja was invited to be a Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In this episode, Julia speaks with Nisha about To Kill a Tiger and the global #StandWithHer campaign. Nisha shares her own story and journey of determination and resilience as a filmmaker and gives us insight into the process of making this film. She also shares what's come next for Kiran and Ranjit. 

Learn more: 

Julia Wiklander is the host of Hey Changemaker!, the founder of the global feminist media platform, Girls' Globe, and a communications strategist for changemakers and organizations. 

In this episode, Julia Wiklander shares the 21 reasons why she is leaving social media. From surveillance capitalism to her creative process - she speaks about all the issues that she's had with these platforms and what made her make the decision to leave. 

After years of being in a bad relationship with social media, Julia Wiklander, founder of Girls' Globe, has decided that she's leaving. For some, this may be an easy decision, but as someone working with digital communications and media, it’s not as straightforward. Social media has been an important part of her work with digital commmunications for over a decade.

It’s through social media that Julia was able to begin building Girls’ Globe – making connections that wouldn’t have been possible without it. And she has tried to please the algorithm, with everything from cringey lipsync videos to the 5-second Reels. Still, over the past 8 years, social media has become a bigger headache than it’s provided value in her life and work. 

You can also read through her reasons and dive deeper into the links and resources she talks about here.

Links mentioned in the episode: 

What are the impacts of the Trump administration's attack on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)? And can consumers really make a difference through boycotts? Is DEI the new woke? Is solidarity political? These are just some of the questions that are discussed in this episode of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast. 

Asad and Julia speak about diversity, equity and inclusion and its status and role in 2025. They discuss what Trump's attack on DEI means for organizations, companies and individuals - not only in the US, but also in Europe and the rest of the world. Asad shares how The Unmistakables do their work and how their Inside Out Inclusion model works. Asad shares his insights and opinions on the boycott and on citizens ability to keep pushing for policies that are grounded in diversity, equity and inclusion.

This episode also digs into the language we use when talking about diversity, equity and inclusion. Asad and Julia discuss things like “economic growth” as an indicator for success, and about the connotations of the word "solidarity". 

Asad Dhunna shares his own story that brought him to working with DEI and founding The Unmistakables. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

In this episode, Julia Wiklander walks you through all the things she is committing to this year to support changemakers. 

With over a decade of experience working with digital communications and strategic storytelling, Julia is offering personalized and group support to activists, advocates, entrepreneurs, communicators and teams. 

Julia is also dedicated to amplify changemakers through the growing Girls' Globe community. The global feminist media platform reaches hundreds and thousands of readers from every single country of the world. 

In these times, when big tech is increasingly hostile environments, independent platforms like Girls' Globe matter more than ever. Learn more about our membership opportunities here. 

As the host of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast, Julia is dedicated to continue to bring you inspiring conversations and informative episodes to guide you to make a greater impact with your work, build resilience and keep showing up for the impact you want to create in the world. 

Giovanna Lauro is the Deputy CEO of Equimundo. She has over two decades of experience working to advance gender equality and prevent gender-based violence. Her work centers on reshaping gender norms, particularly by challenging harmful notions of masculinity.

Before joining Equimundo, Giovanna served as Associate Director of the Women and Population Programme at the United Nations Foundation, where she coordinated efforts and investments to advance the rights of adolescent girls worldwide. Her career also includes research on diversity, race, and ethnicity at the London School of Economics, alongside a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Oxford. At Oxford, she explored policies aimed at the prevention of harmful traditional practices across several European countries.

In this episode, Giovanna shares her own journey as a feminist activist, coming from quite a conservative and patriarchal society in Italy. Julia speaks to her about how much the world has changed since she began her career and about the important work of reframing masculinity and gender norms.

Giovanna shares her insights into what a Trump Presidency will mean for gender equality and we discuss the impact on young men. We talk about big tech and the macho-broligarchs - and what we can all do to help shift the narratives around masculinity.

Giovanna shares her advice for young activists and seasoned ones too. 

This is an episode to help make sense of what we're witnessing in the world today, and the power structures at play. 

Learn more about Equimundo here.

Julia mentions free resources on digital communications and strategic storytelling in the episode. Get them here.

Episode 66. Julia Wiklander dives into the struggle of maintaining confidence in uncertain times - something she has been working on herself. With global setbacks in gender equality, human rights, and activism, many changemakers feel drained and question their impact.

Julia shares her personal experiences and practical ways to bounce back when self-doubt creeps in. Prioritize yourself. Build community, celebrate small wins, and do what fuels you.

Confidence will take hits, and resilience is necessary if we want to build a better world.