Unleashing Social Change

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Government
**Unleashing Social Change**

Each episode we interview a badass social change leader and learn the ins and outs of what they’re doing to make the world a better place. This podcast will help you feel optimistic that we can make a difference and give you practical tips about how to go about doing so in a big way.

Latest Episodes:

Introduction to Season 2 Guests Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

Introduction to Season 2 Guests

11: Angele Davenport – Grounding your Work in Racial and Social Justice Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

Many foundations and nonprofits aspire to address racial and social equity issues but few are able to navigate this complex challenge gracefully. Sometimes it gets so fraught that organizations are tempted to put band-aid (not really) solutions in place or they get so scared that they pull back from genuinely engaging in the healing and transformation work that is required to do this well. We speak from experience and we know this work is really hard.

Today's guest, Angele Davenport, is an equity consultant based in Denver, who we met at the Skid Row School. In this episode, Becky and Angele talk about a real-life example that took place at a recent Skid Row School and Angeles shares her perspective on what wisdom can be learned even when it's hard.

Consider this episode some private consulting for you and your organization to help yourself and your community in approaching race and social justice from "your lane."

Show Highlights:

How do we change the world as anti-racists
How to address systems of oppression by tapping into your own unique genius
Why "tolerance" is not a helpful concept
The upward spiral of growth over time
The essential need for empathy and patience
How to help others flourish by unpacking situations and helping them reflect
Why blame and criticism just keeps the cycle going
How self-care and self-awareness play a part in helping others
How to not have learning be at the expense of the people of color in the room
Learning from past experiences using Becky's own process with Angele about a particular incident that occurred at a Skid Row School
Making conscious choices to create a more equitable culture
The importance of being open to feedback
What gives Angele hope

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

Contact Angele:

Email: angeledavenport@gmail.com

10: The Opposite of Founder's Syndrome: What an Awesome Succession Plan Looks Like with Ellen Moir and Desmond Blackburn of the New Teacher Center Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

Transitioning from the founder to a new CEO is by far one of the most difficult transitions an organization can face. It's incredibly rare to hear of that going well but we found an example of two people who did that with tremendous grace and skill. In today's episode, we will hear from Ellen Moir, the founder and former CEO of the New Teacher Center and the CEO that followed her, Desmond Blackburn.

The New Teacher Center works with districts to help retain you guessed it...new teachers. They're in 27 states and over 400 school districts. Not only did Ellen pass along the baton of leadership to Desmond, but more importantly, she also passed along all of her key relationships. If you're a founder and thinking about retiring or a new CEO following in the footsteps of a founder, this episode is for you.

Show Highlights:

How New Teacher Center grew from an idea hatched at Ellen's kitchen table to a successful nationally known non-profit
Why talented and passionate new teachers often quit in the month of October and how Ellen created a support to prevent these losses
What prevented Desmond from being one of those teachers who resign in October during his first year of teaching
When and how Ellen realized it was time to retire
What Ellen took from the conflicting advice she read about how to plan for a succession process
The recommended time frame for a successful transition and announcement of retirement
How ego and self need to be put aside for mission and legacy for both founding CEO and new CEO in the transition process
How Desmond knew that NTC would be the next path for him
Being conscious of your greatest fears and greatest hopes
The process of building out a transition from one CEO to another
The importance of relationships in passing off the baton
What Ellen's interface with the organization looks like now
The responsibilities that have to be held as a successor
Taking advantage of the relationships established by the predecessor

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

https://newteachercenter.org

09: Dan Heath - A Primer on Behavior Change Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

This week we are joined by bestselling author Dan Heath. Dan and his brother Chip wrote SWITCH, a book Dr. Kate Hurley referenced many times in last week's episode so we thought we'd get his thoughts about what made Kate's Million Cats Campaign so successful.

In this interview, Becky and Dan discuss the brilliance of Kate's campaign to prevent unnecessary euthanization of cats and how she creatively applied the principles of behavior change from SWITCH to catalyze massive change. (get it..."cat"-alyze?) Rapid transformation is possible when you direct the rider, motivate the elephant and shape the path! Tune in to learn more about how to do this yourself.

Show Highlights:

A three-minute summary of Switch and Dan's theory of how scale happens
All change is ultimately behavior change. The importance of getting clear on exactly whose behavior needs to change to make this happen?
Dynamics of behavior change. Why giving people the correct information is insufficient.
The three steps to behavior change: 1) Direct the Rider 2) Motivate the Elephant 3) Shape the Path.
Diagnosing change efforts: Do you have a rider, elephant or path problem?
Get curious about the bright spots
Get proximate to the problem
Shrink the Change. How to make it easier for people to get into the change.
The coalition of the willing. Unleash the motivation already there.
Why so many non-profits have it backward and how we can move forward!

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

Contact Dan:

https://heathbrothers.com

Resources mentioned:

https://vimeo.com/192803079

08: How Two Veterinarians Launched a Movement That Has Saved Over 2 Million Cats from Unnecessary Euthanization with Dr. Kate Hurley Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

Are there aspects of your job that break your heart and drain your soul? Veterinarian Kate Hurley remembers feeling that way. Nobody becomes a vet to euthanize animals, but that's exactly what used to happen in shelters across the country. Dr. Kate Hurley, founder the entire field of Public Health in Veterinary Medicine, is our guest and in this episode, she will tell us about how she was willing to question all her assumptions about her own profession. Then she'll also walk us play-by-play through the key moments of what became the Million Cat Challenge – a successful campaign to prevent the unnecessary euthanization of over one million cats in North America.

Join us next week when we'll de-brief this episode with Dan Heath and look at how she masterfully applied the principles from the book that he wrote with his brother, Chip, SWITCH.

Show Highlights:

How to discover new solutions to old problems
The vulnerability that comes with acknowledging there's room for progress
Taking inspiration from other sectors and sources of wisdom
How to tap into motivation to spark change
The power of committing to a bold, quantifiable aim
Letting go of things you can't control
Working effectively within oppressive systems

Update: In July, 2019, the Million Cat Challenge passed the 2,000,000 lives saved mark.

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

https://www.millioncatchallenge.org

https://www.sheltermedicine.com

Switch by Dan Heath

07: Using Equitable Classroom Practices to Reach All Students with Karen Ahn Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

This week many as many families prepare to go back to school, we thought we'd shine a spotlight on some of the best teacher training work that's going on in the US and why it matters for all of us that teachers are well prepared to support all their students.

Today's guest, Karen Ahn, is the Director of Partnerships for TeachingWorks. TeachingWorks partners with teacher training programs throughout the state of Michigan to make sure teachers learn 19 concrete behavior-based skills necessary to support all students in learning and growing. In this episode, we will talk candidly about race, whiteness, and colonization and TeachingWorks is doing to create more liberatory classrooms for everyone.

To learn more about the work TeachingWorks is doing to instill equitable practices into classrooms join Becky Margiotta in this interview.

Show Highlights:

What constitutes liberatory practices versus reinforcing the status quo
The importance of respecting students' names and learning to listen to them
How white culture has shaped our thinking and approach to education
Expressing concerns to teachers to create a better experience for students
Taking steps to counteract harmful ideas and practices that show up in schools
The process of colonization at school and defying those societal standards
Making practice-based approaches the standardized training process
The current state of development for implementing these practices
Modeling a safe learning environment
Bringing awareness to what challenges teachers face
Putting pressure on the system in the right ways to protect your children

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/Habits-of-WhitenessTerrance-MacMullan/1117465426?ean=9780253002884

Contact Karen:

ahnka@umich.edu

http://www.teachingworks.org

06: Creating Inclusive Classrooms By Leveraging Diverse Strengths with Anne Eidelman Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

Teachers have a profound influence over their students' lives and through that the future of our society. Imagine how hard it is to nurture and develop each students' unique strengths and potential in a classroom of twenty-plus kids. No small task and a lot to ask of one teacher.

Today's guest, Anne Eidelman, is the CEO of Blue Engine. Blue Engine is an organization focused on building teams of teachers who create inclusive classrooms that cater to students' potential. Anne has led Blue Engine through significant organizational change and shares candidly what she's learned along the way. To learn more about Blue Engine's groundbreaking impact and Anne's courageous leadership, tune into this episode of Unleashing Social Change with our host, Becky Margiotta.

Show Highlights:

Teaming together teachers and embedding teacher apprentices
Incorporating ratios that support learning
Structural changes that change classroom conditions and unlock potential
Supporting people in creating a trusting space
What drew Anne to Blue Engine and how she got involved
The importance of thanking your teachers
Recognizing a need for change and how to implement that change
Using daily differentiation data from students to understand their needs
Navigating a new leadership position and taking an innovative approach
Differentiating your approach talking to different funders
The trajectory of Blue Engine for the next few years
Effective spread and scale methods
Creating a video playbook to share practices with others
Embedding practices into training techniques before teachers get to a classroom
Building confidence and getting feedback

Links:

Contact Anne:

https://blueengine.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ

http://www.billionsinstitute.com/manywaystomany/

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

05: Using Conversations to Bridge Any Divide with Cheryl Graeve Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

Racial, political, and generational division are not new concepts. We've been faced with the repercussions of division for as long as the human race has existed, but is it possible to bridge those divides?

Today's guest, Cheryl Graeve, works hand-in-hand with the National Institute for Civil Discourse to actively encourage others to participate in creating a more respectful and understanding space by initiating conversation.

Cheryl talks about the platforms in which they use to connect individuals and the process of integrating listening and dialogue skills. Join Becky Margiotta in this interview to hear more about how we can all learn to peacefully celebrate each others' differences.

Show Highlights:

Creating a community of people with differences and spreading cultural awareness
The need for reviving civility and respect on a large scale and how you go about tackling that issue
Listening to issues and collectively taking action
Mending racial and political divides with peaceful intervention
The vitality of maintaining respect
Evaluating situations without labeling right or wrong
Leaning into curiosity without judgment
The art of genuine listening and building our dialogue muscle
Building bridges of understanding and recognizing fear
Using safety as an opportunity to be present
Creating relationships on a foundation of respect despite differences
Establishing change in broken circumstances
The blueprints for the institute reaching more people
Recognizing the causal connection outside of our tangible proximity
The challenges with a lack of resources and time
Having different platforms for people to practice intervention
Dealing with generational and family division
Creating a more joyful human experience

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

https://nicd.arizona.edu

Text Platform to practice group conversation:

Text Civility to 89900

Check out Mack McCarter's speech here across racial divides:

https://ncoc.org/news/conference-videos-relive-its-your-democracy/

Here's a short StoryCorps piece for some conversations -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91QbjZYSG10

Take the 7 Day Civility Challenge https://www.revivecivility.org/7-day-civility-challenge

04: Creating Inclusion Where It's Least Likely to be Found with Nina Simon, Founder of Of, By, For All Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

This episode's guest, Nina Simon, Founder of Of/By/For All, knows that what looks like a "welcome" sign for some people can be a "keep out" sign for others, especially in civic and cultural spaces (think libraries, theaters, parks, & museums). Nina and her colleagues at Of/By/For All are turning cultural elitism upside down by changing the representation of stakeholders in cultural institutions and working with the people who have been most excluded to address systemic barriers and make real changes together.

Nina Simon is deeply committed to the principles of inclusion and is working with hundreds of civic and cultural organizations worldwide. In this episode, you will find inspiration and practical pointers for making your organization and programs more equitable and inclusive, too. We hope you'll get a lot of of this episode where our host, Becky Margiotta, interviews Nina.

Show Highlights:

Creating all-inclusive spaces for communities
Utilizing parks to connect people
The importance of integrating culturally relevant elements
Making institutional changes to create a sense of belonging for everyone
Looking for invisible "keep out" signs that others may see
What participatory design looks like and the community process
Taking advantage of crises and making large-scale change
Tools and concrete practices to become more of, by, and for your community
Courses focusing on making inclusion something you do instead of something you talk about
Providing a framework to amplify an organization's ability to achieve success
Integrating digital media and using technology to reach people
Socializing practices and getting organizations involved
Self-assessing organizations to evaluate how representative they are of the community
Inviting people to share what they have to contribute and engaging new people
Breaking free from oppressive spaces and getting outside of our comfort zone
Navigating personal insecurities and using our humanity to make space for others
How to create firm connections and acknowledge when others are whitewashing
Counterbalancing between using the right language and taking action
How to address the harm that organizations cause communities
Establishing clear expectations across the board

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

Contact Nina:

https://www.ofbyforall.org

The Participatory Museum

The Art of Relevance

Follow Nina on Twitter

03: Improving the Learning Experience for Teachers and Students Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

Finding unique and effective ways to get students involved and excited about their education is more important than ever. Today Mari and Michelle, co-directors of the Deeper Learning Hub and the Deeper Learning Hub's Share Your Learning campaign, discuss their tactics for spreading educational awareness and designing experiences for students to grow. Both are faculty members at the Graduate School of Education and are strategically working to improve the overall learning experience for teachers and students. To hear more about their work and the amazing campaigns they're organizing, tune into this episode of Unleashing Social Change with Becky Margiotta.

Show Highlights:

What the deeper learning hub is
What a student led conference looks like and preparing students to take responsibility for their learning
Examples of good exhibitions of learning
Providing students with opportunities to share their learning with others
Integrating projects into daily work to motivate students to learn content
The differences between an exhibition of learning and a presentation of learning
What the sharing learning campaign entails and creating a community
Reaching rural schools and helping them utilize their resources
How to effectively spread change and assigning roles
Strategically working with others and finding joy in your roles

Links:

Get $100 off Impact with Integrity

https://www.shareyourlearning.org

http://www.deeper-learning.org

Books Mentioned:

Leaders of Their Own Learning:

https://eleducation.org/resources/leaders-of-their-own-learning