Changemaker Q&A

Resilience isn’t about pretending things don’t hurt — it’s about learning how to keep moving when they do. Michael shares how his journey from growing up in Miami to serving in the Air Force shaped his mindset, and why anime storytelling became the most powerful tool he’s found for growth and leadership. The conversation explores how narrative can cut through our defences, why “behaviours over feelings” matters when you’re trying to change your life, and how setbacks can become fuel rather than proof you’ve failed. Michael also unpacks what real support networks look like — not hundreds of contacts, but a few “root” people who keep you grounded — and offers approachable anime recommendations for anyone curious to learn through story.About Our Guest: Michael Yearby is a US Air Force Master Sergeant currently based in South Korea, and the creator of The Anime Mindset — a storytelling-driven approach to personal and professional growth. Raised in Miami, Michael joined the military at 17 and has served across multiple international postings and deployments. He’s also built a strong academic path, earning qualifications in business and organisational management and preparing for doctoral study. Through his writing and content, Michael uses anime hero narratives to teach resilience, discipline, and identity rebuilding in a way that’s practical, honest, and accessible.📰 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@humanitarianchangemakers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Tiyana on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tiyanaj⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Grassroots changemakers are often driven by purpose first—then quickly discover that impact also requires skills in branding, communication, storytelling, and digital strategy. In this conversation, Daniel (founder of The Good Growth Company) shares a practical roadmap for building trust and visibility without trying to do everything at once: starting with audience clarity, choosing formats that people will actually engage with, and using simple metrics that reflect quality rather than vanity numbers. We also explore why design and brand strategy shape credibility more than many organisations realise, how to tell ethical stories that move people from awareness to action, and where AI can support fundraising and campaigns—without losing the distinctive voice that makes your work worth backing.About Our Guest: Daniel Francavilla is a brand strategist, educator, and nonprofit founder working at the intersection of social impact and market impact, with over fifteen years’ experience helping purpose-led initiatives translate mission into traction. He founded a youth-run charity at seventeen, later bootstrapped and exited a creative agency, and now advises nonprofits, startups, and consumer brands through The Good Growth Company and DanielDoes.co, while also supporting youth-led social innovation through ACCESS and operating Maker Matcha as a direct-to-consumer testing ground for the strategies he teaches. Alongside his advisory work, Daniel teaches at OCAD University and delivers keynote presentations at events including Startup Canada Tour, the International Fundraising Summit, and SocialNext, focusing on clarity, trust, and sustainable growth for changemakers.📰 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@humanitarianchangemakers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Tiyana on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tiyanaj⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Foreign aid is often reduced to slogans—either dismissed as wasteful or romanticised as simple charity—yet the reality is far more complex, political, and consequential. Drawing on a decades-long career that took him from private law practice into senior work across USAID and the broader development sector, Clifford offers an insider account of what international assistance looks like on the ground: the times it created whole industries and transformed communities, the moments it collided with corruption and backlash, and the ethical tensions of trying to support human rights while respecting sovereignty. The conversation also unpacks the scale and shock of USAID’s dismantling in early 2025, what that means for implementers and local partners, and why the costs are not only bureaucratic but deeply human—measured in disrupted systems, lost capacity, and lives put at risk.About Our Guest: Clifford Brown left a successful career as a partner in a Beverly Hills commercial law firm to pursue what became a 27-year career in international foreign aid, serving first as a legal advisor and later as a senior manager. Through extensive work with USAID across contexts marked by civil unrest—including Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Kyrgyzstan, and Guinea—he brings rare first-hand insight into the ethical, legal, and bureaucratic complexities of aid practice, from governance dilemmas to agricultural transition and program design. His reflections frame foreign aid as an expression of collective moral responsibility, warning that the sudden dismantling of USAID will have long-lasting global consequences.📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.Social Change 101 ⁠FREE course & The Changemaker In You ebook⁠.Follow HCN on Instagram ⁠@humanitarianchangemakers⁠Follow Tiyana on Instagram: ⁠@tiyanaj⁠Changemaker Q&A is a Humanitarian Changemakers Network podcast. Ask a question via Spotify, or head to ⁠humanitarianchangemakers.net/podcast⁠. If your question is answered, you’ll receive some Changemaker Co goodies on us!The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Iran has been experiencing renewed waves of protest and strikes alongside intensifying repression, including a widely reported escalation in executions. This conversation explores what people inside the country are demanding, how resistance is being organised over time, and why many advocates argue there is a “third option” beyond either foreign military intervention or accommodation of authoritarian rule. It also centres women’s leadership as a practical and strategic force—examining how plans, legitimacy, international advocacy, and collective discipline shape the prospects for democratic change, and what lessons this holds for changemakers working in difficult, high-stakes contexts elsewhere.About Our Guest: Zolal Habibi is an Iranian human rights activist and a leading international advocate for justice, democracy, and women’s rights in Iran. She serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), where she works to advance global support for a free, secular, and democratic Iranian republic. With more than two decades of sustained activism, her work has focused on amplifying the voices of political prisoners, dissidents, and civil society actors inside Iran, through engagement with international institutions, human rights forums, and global media. Her commitment to this work is deeply personal, shaped by the killing of her father—a prominent Iranian writer and political dissident—during the 1988 massacre, an event that solidified her lifelong resolve to challenge impunity and state violence. Zolal’s advocacy has contributed to concrete outcomes, including international recognition of the 1988 massacre as a crime against humanity and the successful relocation of thousands of at-risk dissidents, demonstrating the capacity of sustained, principled advocacy to translate moral claims into tangible protection and change. Learn more: ncr-iran.org📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.💬 If you find this podcast valuable, it would really help us out to leave a rating & review wherever you're listening.Social Change 101 ⁠FREE course & The Changemaker In You ebook⁠.Follow HCN on Instagram ⁠@humanitarianchangemakers⁠Follow Tiyana on Instagram: ⁠@tiyanaj⁠Changemaker Q&A is a Humanitarian Changemakers Network podcast. Ask a question via Spotify, or head to ⁠humanitarianchangemakers.net/podcast⁠. If your question is answered, you’ll receive some Changemaker Co goodies on us!The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

As loneliness rises to epidemic levels across the world, many are asking: how can we rebuild the connections that make life meaningful? This episode explores the future of friendship through the lens of Friending, a new app designed to encourage genuine, face-to-face relationships. Founder Gabor shares his journey from Europe to North America and how personal experience of isolation led him to design a platform that blends technology with humanity. We explore why making friends becomes harder after our 20s, how remote work and social media have reshaped community life, and why proximity, shared interests, and safety are vital for sustaining friendships.About Our Guest: Gabor is the founder and CEO of Friending, a technology platform designed to help people form real, meaningful friendships in an increasingly disconnected world. Originally from Hungary, he has lived and worked across the UK, Canada, Spain, and the United States — experiences that shaped his deep understanding of how modern life, mobility, and technology impact our ability to connect.📰 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@humanitarianchangemakers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Tiyana on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tiyanaj⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.