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Everyday Changemakers

Everyday Changemakers

By Dave McManus

Starting something that has a positive impact is incredibly difficult. We don't spend a lot of time focusing on positive change-makers in the media and who they are. This makes the regular person believe that they can't make an impact, but in fact, these changemakers are just like them with one difference: they took action. This podcast aims to inspire that first step to taking action on something you're passionate about and will make the world a better place.
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Using blockchain to make donations more transparent.

Everyday ChangemakersApr 18, 2021

00:00
23:08
Halad To Health: Closing the gap in global health inequality

Halad To Health: Closing the gap in global health inequality

In this episode, I interview founders Eliza Li and Wilh Jacobin of Halad to Health.
Halad to Health is an international NGO closing the gap in global health inequality through delivering accessible health education services. We do this through our affordable GAMSAT Tuition and Biomedicine Exam Revision Services. "Halad" means an offering in the Bisayan language, so we choose to offer the opportunity to good health.
We discuss:

How Eliza and Wilh met and got started
What healthcare is like for Filipinos living below the poverty line
Why prevention is important in healthcare
How students can have a massive impact

Learn more about Halad to Health.
Sign up to future episodes of the podcast.
Jun 14, 202126:44
Up Movement - How socks are helping amputees with prosthetic limbs

Up Movement - How socks are helping amputees with prosthetic limbs

In this episode, I interview Tom Henskens to learn about his Social Enterprise Up Movement.
Up Movement donates 100% of profits (from selling socks) to help build prosthetic limbs in Cambodia. Their mission is to restore the freedom of human mobility for 35 million amputees worldwide that do not have access to proper prosthetic care.
20 pairs of socks = 1 Prosthetic limb. Amazing right? In this episode we cover the following:

Why and How Tom got started
What it's like to be an amputee
How Up Movement is changing peoples lives
Key marketing channels that have been working for Tom

Learn more about Up Movement check them out here.
Subscribe to this podcast for future episodes click here.
Jun 02, 202125:56
Re:coded - On a mission to bridge the worlds digital inequality divide through education
May 16, 202145:32
Nathaniel Diong - unlocking the endless potential of youth!

Nathaniel Diong - unlocking the endless potential of youth!

In this episode, I interview Nathaniel Diong, an award-winning Gen-Z educator & founder of  Future Minds Network (FMN). FMN's mission is to unlock the endless potential of youth, whilst tackling the unemployment crisis.  We talk about a lot here's a few key highlights: What it's like to start something Why getting students involved in entrepreneurship early is vital for learning Different models for learning, and how industries are changing rapidly Sign up for future episodes: https://djmgrowth.com/everydaychangemakers Future minds network: https://www.futuremindsnetwork.org/ I hope you enjoy the episode!
May 02, 202123:28
Using blockchain to make donations more transparent.

Using blockchain to make donations more transparent.

In this episode I interview JonJon Clark and Jason Smythe cofounders of an organization called Wildcards. Wildcards is build using blockchain technology, and helps to create transparency within the charity sector.
About Wildcards: Wiidcards connects global conservation organizations to users. Social, gamified, and transparent giving. You can become the guardian of a wildcard by simply clicking buy on any of the listed wildcards. Wildcards are always for sale since anyone can purchase them at anytime for their current sale price. When someone purchases a wildcard, they are required to immediately set a sale price for that wildcard. This ensures wildcards are always for sale. The technology underneath Wild Cards helps to trace every transaction that happens to each token, making it easy to understand what is being donated and where the money is being used.
In this episode we cover:

Their conservation experience in South Africa
Why transparency is needed within the non profit area
What is Blockchain and why is it important?

I hope you enjoy the episode!
Apr 18, 202123:08
The Orangutan Project.

The Orangutan Project.

In this episode, I interview Leif Cocks the founder of The Orangutan Project. Leif has worked with and campaigned for orangutans for almost 30 years. Leif’s years in the field have earned him respect within the conservation field. He has been a key player in developing conservation plans for orangutans and influencing positive change for orangutan protection and survival.
The Orangutan Project: collaborates with several orangutan conservation projects, as well as providing habitat protection and land acquisition through its own programs to deter wildlife poaching, illegal logging, and land clearing in Indonesia.
We talk about:

Why Orangutan's habitat is being destroyed
Why economically it is bad for local communities
What consumers can do to shop smarter to protect Orangutang habitat

I hope you enjoy listening.
Apr 04, 202127:09
Unbound - a new type of education program solving real world problems.

Unbound - a new type of education program solving real world problems.

In this episode, I speak with Julian O'Shea, the founder of Unbound.
Unbound ​is an Australian social enterprise reshaping the way we do education. They provide practice-based learning programs for entrepreneurs and university students that focus on sustainability, entrepreneurship, and social impact design, both in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.
We cover the following:

Why it's so important to get started with something small and low risk
Why learning by doing is an effective alternative for many young people
How the education landscape has changed due to COVID19

I hope you enjoy listening!
Mar 20, 202122:25
Dr Bree Gorman - Why diversity is important for society and also a companies bottom line.

Dr Bree Gorman - Why diversity is important for society and also a companies bottom line.

Dr Bree Gorman is the founder of Bree Gorman Consulting. A boutique consulting company that focuses on helping organizations become more diverse and inclusive. Dr Gorman has hands-on experience in identifying the barriers to equality that exist in organisations and has a tool kit of actions to draw upon that can work to decrease risk, improve performance and create inclusion.

In this episode we talk about the following:

  • Why diversity is important for organizations
  • How individuals can take action to become allies within organizations
  • The link between profitability and diverse organizations

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Mar 07, 202121:03
Miks Chai - how a chai company is tackling loneliness.

Miks Chai - how a chai company is tackling loneliness.

In this episode, I speak with Mikhara Ramsing aka Miks. Miks is the founder of the social enterprise Miks Chai.
About Miks Chai: Miks, aka Mikhara Ramsing, started brewing her Aaji’s (grandmother's) chai to bring people together to share stories. Hearing the courageous experiences of others and sharing her own story, saved her life. In total she travelled 60,000km in a self-built tiny home to empower people to be conscious of mental health, an act of leadership that saw her nominated for Young Australian of the Year QLD 2019, AFR Top 100 Women of Influence and was awarded a Westpac Social Change Fellowship for her social enterprises focused on building a more inclusive Australia.
We talk about:

How Miks got her eCommerce store up and running in 1 week
Why it's important that the entire supply chain has impact built into it
Why your product must be great in order to succeed
The challenges of competing with larger for-profit companies

I hope you enjoy the episode!
Feb 21, 202119:34
Rusty Benson: How to build a brand that has an impact.

Rusty Benson: How to build a brand that has an impact.

In this episode, I speak with Rusty Benson. Rusty is the cofounder of Raine and Makin, a boutique design agency that works specifically with non-profits and social impact organizations.
They use design to solve real, often complex, human problems.
We talk about the following:

The balance of making money and solving social impact problems
The importance of really understanding the problem you're solving
How to partner with existing organizations to create more impact in the world
+ a lot more

I hope you enjoy the episode!
Feb 07, 202127:32
Dumu Balcony Cafe - how a cafe in Bright, Victoria is providing opportunity.

Dumu Balcony Cafe - how a cafe in Bright, Victoria is providing opportunity.

In this episode, I speak to Rebecca Crawley the co-founder of a social enterprise called Dumu Balcony Cafe.  Dumu Balcony Cafe is located in Bright, Victoria. They employ and train indigenous youth in hospitality, retail, and tourism in an effort to help break generational welfare dependency.

We speak about the following in this episode :

  • Why Dumu Balcony Cafe exists
  • What aboriginal culture is like
  • How she got started and her connection with the aboriginal communities she works with.

I hope you enjoy this episode!

https://www.visitbright.com.au/listing/dumu-balcony-cafe-bright/

https://www.facebook.com/dumubalconycafe/

Jan 25, 202126:34
Ann Pham - Reducing single plastic use by turning banana leaves into plates and cutlery!

Ann Pham - Reducing single plastic use by turning banana leaves into plates and cutlery!

In this interview, I speak to Ann Pham about how she went from seeing a massive problem in the world of single use plastics, and how she took action to get started.

She speaks directly about her experience with the Hacker Exchange - a program where she travelled to San Francisco to learn about startups. It was there she learned about rapid prototyping and getting her product out to the world quickly.

We talk about:

  • How she built her initial prototype (hint: it involves a car)
  • Her journey to finding a manufacturer
  • The problem she's solving by providing single use banana leaf plates

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Jan 04, 202121:46
Dale Wilkinson: Good Gigs. Helping people find their dream jobs while working for a company doing social good.

Dale Wilkinson: Good Gigs. Helping people find their dream jobs while working for a company doing social good.

Learn how an Aussie living in LA built a social impact job site called Good Gigs. Dale Wilkinson built the site himself, having no experience in software development (using Bubble.io).


In this episode we talk about:

  • Dale's personal journey into the social impact space
  • How people can make money and also work in social impact
  • Why it's important for businesses to have a social impact aspect
  • What it's like to build a bootstrapped company from the ground up.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Dec 03, 202032:49
Niv Atar: How voting with your dollar can change the world.

Niv Atar: How voting with your dollar can change the world.

In this episode, I interview Niv Atar. A social entrepreneur who believes that consumers have the opportunity to change the world one purchase at a time.

We discuss:

  • What impact changing your buying habits can have on another person's life
  • How it's been starting a new venture and immigrating from another country
  • How a simple cup of chai can change someone's life!

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Nov 16, 202029:00
Charity Bay. How an entrepreneur from Colombia started a social giving platform in Australia.

Charity Bay. How an entrepreneur from Colombia started a social giving platform in Australia.

Imagine you could sell all your old unwanted items online, and the profits were donated to charity? Well, the time is here. In this episode, I interview Mateo Palacio Gomez to learn more about how he and his co-founder created Charity Bay non-profit.

We cover the following:
-Imposter syndrome and how to deal with it

-What it's like to be an immigrant founding a non for profit

-How cold outreach works and why it's important to be persistent.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Non for profits | Social Enterprise | Social Change | Charitable Giving

Nov 01, 202025:44
Matt Boyd: Founder of Vollie: How skilled professionals can drive change in the social impact space.

Matt Boyd: Founder of Vollie: How skilled professionals can drive change in the social impact space.

Matt Boyd is the founder of Vollie. After volunteering himself for many years, Matt wanted to do more. He saw that non for profits couldn't afford to pay for professional services like designers, marketers or developers. And there were many young people who wanted to volunteer their time, from this insight Vollie was born. In this episode we dive into the following themes:

  • How to prove your idea wrong 
  • What it's like to go from 0 to 1
  • Why volunteering your professional services is great for your career
  • The impact you can have on non for profits
  • How difficult it is to build a sustainable business
Oct 27, 202038:31
Sabrina Paseman: Innovation during COVID 19. Fix The Mask!

Sabrina Paseman: Innovation during COVID 19. Fix The Mask!

In this episode I interview Sabrina Paseman. Sabrina is an ex Apple Design Engineer who learned like many of us at the start of the pandemic, that there was a big  shortage of masks for medical professionals. Using her engineering and design skills she quickly took action. She started to think through ‘Why are N95 masks so effective?’.

From there she prototyped a few designs, put one up on Youtube and after about 500,000+ views later she knew she was onto something.

In this episode we cover:

Learn about how a simple prototype using rubber bands sparked a movement which is set to revolutionize medical masks and many other healthcare products. How Sabrina uses a framework to solve problems and her journey so far.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Oct 14, 202024:38
Chris Raine. Starting Hello Sunday Morning and helping people change their relationship with alcohol

Chris Raine. Starting Hello Sunday Morning and helping people change their relationship with alcohol

In this episode I interview Chris Raine the founder of Hello Sunday Morning.  HSM has helped 100's of thousands of people change their relationship with alcohol.

In this episode we cover:

  • How a simple blog sparked an incredible movement
  • How support and community has been impactful for people to change their relationship with alchohol
  • How the world shapes your ideas when you put them out there.
  • Why it's so important to take care of yourself and that everyone is on their own journey.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Sep 21, 202027:36
Mary Kelly - Designing a better way to eliminate single use coffee cups

Mary Kelly - Designing a better way to eliminate single use coffee cups

In this episode, I interview Mary Kelly. Mary is the founder of an organization called Reusable. Reusably focuses on reducing coffee cup waste by providing a system to use interchangeable ideas.

Mary discusses her entire journey or starting a socially focused enterprise and what it takes to get started.

She covers how to get out and start speaking to customers, how to build a team and what it’s like to have imposter syndrome.

She discusses how it feels like to hear someone say ‘no’ about her idea, and how that helped her move forward. Her team spent a year learning from customers before developing her prototype.

Sep 07, 202025:46
Mark Watt - Founder of Whitelion, Mentoring For at Risk Youth

Mark Watt - Founder of Whitelion, Mentoring For at Risk Youth

In this episode, I interview Mark Watt. Mark is the founder of Whitelion. An organization  supports young people at risk in the Australian community with programs and advocacy.

Mark discusses how it all started while he was working in one of Melbourne’s youth prisons. We also dive deep into why mentoring is such a powerful vehicle for change  for disadvantaged youth, how social enterprise works and why it’s so important to partner with people when starting out.

I was previously a mentor at Whitelion so I am excited to bring this episode into the world!

Sep 06, 202029:34
Nitasha Syed - Promoting Diversity in STEM

Nitasha Syed - Promoting Diversity in STEM

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of interviewing Nitasha Syed. Nitasha is the founder of an organization called Unboxd. Unboxd helps to promote diversity within the STEM area through creative content.

In this episode, we cover Nitasha's journey of getting started, the highs and the lows, and why it's so important to love what you're doing. 

Although Unboxd finished up last year, Nitasha is still continuing to execute on her mission to help increase diversity (especially with women and people of color) within STEM. She is now a mentor for startups in Pakistan.

Aug 14, 202022:52