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

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Changemaker 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.

Policy often gets talked about as the way social change happens because it’s formal, visible, and easy to point to—but it’s really just one piece of a much bigger picture. This episode offers a practical, down-to-earth introduction to what policy actually is, where it comes from, and how it tends to move through the Australian policy system in ways that are far more messy and iterative than the textbooks suggest. Using ideas like policy windows, “bottom drawer” proposals, and punctuated equilibrium, the conversation unpacks why big reforms can seem to come out of nowhere, even though years of advocacy, research, and behind-the-scenes work have usually been happening long before. Along the way, it walks through who’s involved—from public servants and ministers to media, researchers, and communities—and shows how different policy tools, like laws, funding, regulations, strategies, and partnerships, turn shared priorities into real-world action.

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests 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.

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Social change is driven by strong values, moral clarity, and a deep commitment to justice—yet it rarely unfolds under ideal conditions. This episode explores one of the most uncomfortable but unavoidable realities of changemaking: trade-offs. Drawing on examples from activism, politics, development, and systems thinking, the conversation unpacks why trade-offs are not signs of compromise or failure, but structural features of working within complex, constrained systems. The discussion reframes trade-offs as strategic choices shaped by power, resources, institutions, and time, and examines how changemakers can navigate them deliberately without abandoning purpose or values. By grounding the idea of trade-offs in both lived practice and theoretical frameworks, the episode offers listeners tools to make clearer, more ethical decisions when no option is perfect.

📰 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 ⁠@humanitarianchangemakers⁠

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Changemaker 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.

After more than a decade in corporate law, Serena reached a crossroads that forced her to question everything she thought success was meant to look like. A single offhand question—“Do you know what’s ahead if you stay on this path?”—sparked a journey from burnout and identity loss to reinvention, courage and quiet leadership. In this conversation, Serena explores what it means to thrive as an introvert in an extroverted world, how to protect your energy in noisy environments, and why deep thinking, active listening and genuine presence are underrated leadership superpowers. Together we unpack the myths of “faking it till you make it,” the trap of perfectionism, and the art of finding balance between visibility and authenticity. This is a conversation for anyone who’s ever felt like they were on the treadmill of achievement—and is ready to step off and rediscover what fulfilment truly means.

About Our Guest: Serena Low is a trauma-informed coach for introverts, host of The Quiet Warrior Podcast, and has been an introvert all her life. She supports quiet achievers to grow into Quiet Warriors and achieve professional visibility without having to act extroverted.

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Business often gets talked about as if it sits neatly in the “economic” box, separate from ethics, power, and social responsibility. In reality, business has always been part of everyday social life, shaped by politics, culture, and shared ideas about what is acceptable or fair—and shaping those things in return. This episode looks at business as just one of several ways change happens, tracing how it has evolved from pre-industrial moral economies, through industrial capitalism, to today’s neoliberal context. Along the way, it unpacks the real limits of what business can achieve under capitalism, while also explaining why businesses are so often asked to step in when governments are constrained by politics, budgets, or slow institutions. The conversation then explores two common models of purpose-driven business—B Corporations and social enterprises—drawing a clear distinction between businesses that aim to be good in how they operate and those that exist specifically to do good through their core purpose. Rather than presenting business as a silver bullet, the episode encourages a more honest and practical conversation about when business can genuinely contribute to social and environmental change, and where its role is inherently limited.

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Reverend Erika Ferguson’s life and work stand as a testament to courage, compassion, and conviction. As the founder of the Tubman Travel Project, she helps women in restrictive states across the United States safely access reproductive healthcare—transforming journeys of fear into experiences of care, connection, and community. In this powerful conversation, Erika shares how her faith, grounded in service and liberation, guides her work in reproductive justice; what it truly takes to accompany women across borders; and why risk, spirituality, and radical compassion are inseparable in the fight for freedom.

About Our Guest: Rev. Erika Ferguson is the founder of the Tubman Travel Project, which has helped hundreds of Texans travel for abortion care in New Mexico. For over five years, she has built pathways of freedom where systems tried to close doors, proving that no permission is needed to move, choose, and live fully. https://tubmantravel.org/

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.

Values are often treated as decorative statements—nice words on a website or a slide in an induction pack—but for changemakers, they are far more than that. This episode explores why values are foundational to ethical, effective, and sustainable social change, shaping not only what work is undertaken but how decisions are made, relationships are formed, and power is exercised. Drawing on real-world examples and the core values of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network, the conversation unpacks how values function as a living compass in conditions of uncertainty, helping individuals and organisations move from good intentions to coherent action, aligned strategy, and a culture built on trust, dignity, and care.

📰 Read the accompanying article for this podcast episode here.

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of Tiyana J & guests and are not reflective of all members of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network.