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The Social Change Diaries
The Social Change Diaries
Author: Vanessa Wakeman at The Wakeman Agency
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The Social Change Diaries (SCD), hosted by Vanessa Wakeman, explores the stories and strategies shaping today's social change sector. Featuring thought leaders, researchers, and disruptors, SCD tackles urgent questions about narrative, communications for social change, and the way language informs our behavior and society – offering timely insights and inspiration for nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, socially responsible executives, and changemakers.
42 Episodes
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In our final episode for season 6 of the Social Change Diaries Podcast, Communications Strategist and Wakeman Agency CEO, Vanessa Wakeman sits in the interviewee chair, sharing her latest insights. Joined by Camaro West, Executive Director of Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that uses the power of storytelling to advance gender justice, Vanessa dives into how nonprofits can surface narratives to prompt transformative social change. Together, they explore why it is essential to ask the question of who should be telling the story. Touching on funding dynamics, narrative resilience, and the needs present in our changing media and information ecosystem, this conversation is sure to get you thinking strategically about communications for your nonprofit in the new year and beyond. See more information about this episode on our website.
Listen in for a fantastic conversation on the growing field of nonprofit news and how this model transforms how stories are told, and information is shared in our society. In this episode of the Social Change Diaries podcast, Vanessa is joined by Courtney Lewis, Chief of Growth Programs at the Institute for Nonprofit News, an organization that works with over 500 nonprofit news organizations committed to public service. Together, they discuss why nonprofit newsrooms are different, how they center the stories and information audiences need, and why even conventional newsrooms are having to grapple with how to engage people on a more human level. More information about this episode on our website
In our most recent episode, Vanessa dives into how to bring narratives to life, with our guest Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal and Founder of ASO Communications. Their conversation examines how social change communicators can approach language, specifically when it is contested, and how to increase impact for meaningful and transformative change on social issues. See this episode on our website.
The Social Change Diaries podcast does it again—bringing you crucial conversations about what's driving today's social change communications landscape. In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, a consultancy that partners with organizations to drive narrative change and civic engagement, especially with, and for, communities of color. Together, they discuss the role of storytelling by nonprofits and why mainstream media is no longer a gatekeeper in our information ecosystems. Visit this episode's page
In this episode of our newly launched Social Change Diaries Podcast, we dive into the question of how social change can use storytelling to change culture through narratives. The discussion features Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, in conversation with Vanessa Wakeman, and explores the power of storytelling to tackle deeply held beliefs, language as a medium of cultural production, and navigating narrative oceans. Read more about this episode and the guest on our website. ↗
In another engaging conversation, we tackle the question: What would narrative ecosystems look like if we could totally redesign who participates in crafting the story? In this important conversation, Vanessa is joined by Tracie Powell, CEO and Founder of The Pivot Fund, which works to shift power through equitable journalism funding by investing in independent community-led news organizations. Read more about this episode and the guest on our website ↗
Our first episode features the conversation between Vanessa and Dr. Safiya U. Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, as she shares the impact of algorithmic injustice and how it shapes storytelling.
At no point in recent history has civil rights been so loudly at the forefront of everyday life, in multiple ways. The tidal wave of shared trauma ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent slew of racially motivated murders presents glaring questions and implications around civil rights and how this moment can be a springboard for true systemic change. As an expert in policies, laws and all facets of civil rights, Ms. Lieberman discusses the implications of this time period, how it relates to other historical moments in civil rights and the myriad of nuances that comprise this complex, but powerful moment in human history.
In this episode, Global Press Founder, Cristi Hegranes, shines a powerful light on solutions to institutional, ingrained problems that underly today's news media. She outlines key differences between action driven reporting and its more informative, impactful alternative: consequence driven reporting. Learn why trained local journalists, equipped to provide precise narratives that accurately inform listeners, represent a pathway to truly educating people in a non biased way, about important global issues.
How nonprofits can successfully and efficiently secure corporate giving is a more important issue than ever before. This conversation with Becky Ferguson, VP of Global Philanthropy for pioneering powerhouse, Salesforce, provides key insights and concrete information for nonprofits to consider when strategizing, securing and sustaining corporate partnerships.
We kick off our 5th season with Rohit Talwar, the CEO of Fast Future, a UK based research and insights business that specializes in the fields of futures and foresight. In this dialogue, Rohit and Vanessa discuss the implications of the groundbreaking events that have occurred in the first half of 2020. In Rohit's words: "This has been quite a good rehearsal for how we prepare better for the future. Whether it's climate change, collapse of financial markets, radical breakthroughs in science and technology- we should now be more open to those things and more willing to think the unthinkable...Hopefully we broaden our lens, and start moving from talking about people being in positions of power to owning the fact that they're in positions of responsibility, walking the corridors of responsibility, and their real job is to exercise that responsibility to create a fairer, more inclusive, and more sustainable world for all."
Another must listen to episode from our Celebrity and Influencers season. For nonprofits looking to elevate their impact through communications and messaging, The Social Change Diaries provides a peek behind the curtain. In this episode, GLAAD's Chief Communications Officer, Rich Ferraro, shares "aha moments" and first hand experiences, including how GLAAD has evolved with the changing media landscape- partnering with today's influencers driving change, in a way that allows the org to indirectly mold the news cycle itself.
Today's episode was recorded live at the 2019 Hispanics in Philanthropy conference in Washington D.C. In this dialogue, VICE Media's, Paola Ramos, shares unusual insights that elevate our conversations this season about celebrity and influencers. She asserts that the true influencers making an impact are everyday people. This perspective helps us consider where the opportunity is for nonprofits to create the essential emotional connection with their audience, one by one, in order to propel change. How can organizations tell their stories in a way that highlights how much power there is in the individual. What would that outcome look like?
At the helm of Color Of Change, the largest online racial justice organization in the country, Rashad Robinson's reach and influence is undeniable. In this episode of the Social Change Diaries, Rashad reveals the core structure that makes Color Of Change so powerful. He talks about leading the successful campaign against credit companies who accepted money from hate groups- an effort that catalyzed everyday citizens into a powerful group of 1.4 million activists- and what celebrity and influence means from his vantage point
When considering how to leverage celebrity voices to impact social causes, it's important to understand the landscape and culture of for profit companies and how best to approach them about the artists they represent. This episode features a key leader in today's music industry, Jacqueline Saturn, President of Caroline Music Distribution. Jacqueline shares insights that shed light on how nonprofits can open dialogues with companies for partnerships with artists who are passionate about speaking out on behalf of specific causes.
To understand the true meaning of #FollowBlackWomen, tune into this interview with Higher Heights Co-Founder, Kimberly Peeler-Allen. Kimberly shares the roadmap of how she and her co-founder built a movement that yields power and influence in the political realm. This interview provides a step-by-step guide to help nonprofits engage audiences in creating change. The organization's ability to amplify the voices of black women offers a powerful example of what is possible for organizations who can create an emotional connection to their audience that catapults them into action.
Vanessa thought it would be fitting to launch the new season on Celebrity and Influence, with Ingrid Newkirk, the President and Founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Long before she was doing work in the social change sector, Vanessa marveled at how influential PETA was and how effective their communications and marketing were. Over the years, PETA's influence has grown substantially. In this dialogue, Ms. Newkirk sheds light on the ways in which PETA has managed to stay true to its founding principles, while also evolving and becoming increasingly relevant in the midst of a dramatically a changing cultural landscape.
Serial Entrepreneur and PR legend, Patrice Tanaka, knows how to achieve the most impactful leadership style possible. In our final episode of our Leadership season, she shares how defining her life purpose and pursuing it with courage not only influenced the evolution of her leadership style, but how it's essential for all of us in order to become the best leaders possible in our work and lives overall.
In 2010, The American Bar Association named Janelle Orsi a Legal Rebel, for being an attorney who is remaking the legal profession through the power of innovation. We agree- Janelle is a rebel with a cause, transforming the way we think about leadership in this shifting economy. From participatory leadership to salary transparency, Janelle is leading by example to expand our definition of leadership. In this episode, Janelle shares examples of how her organization's leadership practices create opportunities for every level of staff to be engaged in contributing to the organization.
With the urgency and focus of a woman on a mission to save the planet, Elizabeth Yeampierre leads UPROSE with a fierce commitment to a "leaderful" leadership model, that distributes power to all. With an emphasis on intergenerational and intersectional leadership, Elizabeth has rewritten the rules of power and placed it in the hands of the most marginalized groups. In this interview, Elizabeth talks about her experiences as a leader and how her organization is shaping conversations and actions in the climate justice fight.



