Narratives of Purpose

Join me for the Season Five Finale of Narratives of Purpose where we are celebrating our Three Year Anniversary of powerful conversations with our wonderful guests who are making waves in their industries and communities.

In our podcast series, we have shone a spotlight on innovation, sustainability, global health, technology, entrepreneurship and skill development - just to name a few. The fascinating thing about all of the conversations with our guests, is that the action is happening in real-time. Which not only provides an active perspective, but has also led us to invite our previous guests back onto the show to discuss their progress and give a behind-the-scenes look into their journeys.

Tune into this episode to celebrate an exciting three years of Narratives of Purpose and many more to come.

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In today’s episode, I have a fascinating conversation with Ira Guha who is the founder of Asan. Asan is a social venture with a mission to eradicate period poverty, which prevents women and girls across the world from participating in essential daily activities (Including going to school and work).

In our conversation, we talk about the impact of period poverty and how Asan cup’s accessibility has the ability to impact the lives and empower the women who use them. We also discuss the seemingly taboo subject of women’s health, especially relating to periods, and how the social shifts we have made towards sustainability globally have made an impact on the future of menstrual products.

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Join me for today’s episode where I will be catching up with Rhiana Spring, the founder and executive director of Spring ACT. Spring ACT is an organisation connecting human rights and technology to empower people to take action and eliminate global social injustices.

In this episode I will be welcoming back another previous guest of Narratives of Purpose, Bart De Witte, to hear more about his journey of making medical AI accessible.

Bart is the founder of the Hippo AI Foundation, which is designed to develop medical AI for the common good by liberating all future medical knowledge by making it open to everyone.

Today I am welcoming back my very first guest of Narratives of Purpose - Pauline Koelbl, founder of ShEquity. ShEquity is a Catalyst Fund that provides smart investments for innovative and impactful African female entrepreneurs.

Join me in this conversation where Pauline talks about the growth and impact of ShEquity since we first spoke in 2020.

Listen to today's episode to hear how the journey of ShEquity has evolved since our last conversation.

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Join me for a conversation with Alma Moya Losada who is the founder and CEO of Aequaland, an award winning edtech startup. I previously spoke to Alma back in 2021, and since then her business (and lessons) have come a long way.

The core focus of Aequaland is to build educational experiences whilst combining digital game play and physical activities. An interesting way to keep students engaged.

Listen to today’s episode to hear the difference that two years has made for this tech startup company.

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In this episode I will be welcoming back a previous guest of Narratives of Purpose to hear more about this Ed Tech entrepreneur's journey since our initial NOP conversation back in 2022.

In today’s episode, we are continuing our “episode swap” series with an episode from Genet Gimja, the host of Spend, Donate, Invest. This podcast is at the intersection of social justice and personal finance and shares thought-provoking perspectives and ideas on how we might spend, invest and donate our money in alignment with our values.

Genet Gimja shares her overview of the six categories of decisions that founders should make in order to focus on building a more socially responsible organisation whether it is a start-up or a well seasoned business.

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Welcome back to a very special series of Narratives of Purpose. We will be doing things a little differently this pre-season in order to showcase even more unique stories of changemakers of people who are contributing to make a difference in society.

Our goal is simple: To amplify social impact by sharing individual journeys of ordinary people who are making extraordinary impact within their communities and around the world.

This episode features the Creativity Found podcast which is hosted by Claire Waite Brown. Her podcast and community are centred around connecting adults who want to find a creative outlet with the artists and crafters who can help them tap into their creativity. In this interview, she speaks with Harriet and Ella who are ex-prison officers whose journey within the criminal justice system has led them back into their true passion of theatre whilst raising awareness within the community and supporting families and individuals who are affected by the system.

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Aujourd'hui, nous concluons nos épisodes bonus du mois de mai. Les épisodes d'interviews complètes en version originale de notre mini-série sur les systèmes alimentaires durables.

Notre troisième et dernier épisode présente le restaurant Refettorio à Genève avec deux de ses collaborateurs : Charlotte Hennessy et Patrick Dupuis. Le Refettorio réunit la gastronomie et l’action humanitaire en promouvant l’inclusion sociale, en favorisant l’accès à une alimentation équilibrée aux personnes en situation de précarité, et en luttant contre le gaspillage alimentaire. Charlotte et Patrick parlent des activités du restaurant, mais aussi des défis présents depuis l'ouverture en Janvier 2022. Ils partagent également leurs définitions d'une alimentation durable ainsi que leurs conseils pour que chacune et chacun d'entre nous puisse y contribuer au quotidien.

Nous poursuivons avec nos épisodes bonus du mois de mai. Ces épisodes sont les interviews complètes en version originale de notre mini-série sur les systèmes alimentaires durables.

Aujourd'hui, notre deuxième épisode présente Alles Gut! Gemüse Kebab, le premier kebab durable de Genève, avec ses cofondateurs Romain Oeggerli et Yohann Pellaux. À la tête de leur restaurant éco-responsable et socialement engagé, Romain et Yohann ont pour ambition de révolutionner la gastronomie fast-food. Dans cette discussion, ils parlent de leur parcours entrepreneurial, ils partagent leurs définitions d'une alimentation durable ainsi que leurs conseils pour que chacune et chacun d'entre nous puisse y contribuer au quotidien, et bien plus encore.

Wir haben Bonus Folgen diesen Monat für euch im Podcast! Diese Folgen sind vollständige Interviews in Originalsprache aus unserer kurzen Serie über nachhaltige Ernährung Systeme.

Der erste Gast ist Bastiaan Frich, der Mitbegründer von Urban Agriculture Basel (UAB). Dieses Netzwerk fördert Organisationen und Projekte in der Region Basel, die sich für einen biologischen und ganzheitlichen Lebensmittelkreislauf einsetzen. Bastiaan erzählt über die Aktivitäten von UAB, die Erfolge und Herausforderungen seit der Gründung in 2010. Er teilt seine Definition einer nachhaltigen Ernährung sowie seine Empfehlungen für den Alltag damit jede und jeder von uns beitragen kann, und vieles mehr.

As we wrap up this exciting and very unique season of Narratives of Purpose, we wanted to shine a spotlight on what made this season so special. It was unlike any other season we have hosted and we’re grateful to you listeners for joining us on this journey. 

In this episode, enjoy a snippet of unheard content as well as a summary of what has led us here today.

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Join us for the final part of our Exploring Sustainable Food Systems episode which shines a spotlight on Networks and Community Builders.

This time we look at how our guests have found alternative ways to approach sustainability and provide solutions that reach into the wider community and their local networks.

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Welcome to Part Two of our conversation focused on Exploring Sustainable Food Systems around the world.

In this episode, we are bringing a whole new meaning to the term “super-grain”. Taking you back to the ancient grains of West Africa that were once labelled ‘lost crops’ and bringing these nutrient-dense, delicious foods back into our food system.

Join us as we discover how ancient grains could be the key to a sustainable food system, a sustainable planet and better health for all of us.

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In today’s episode, we are doing something different. This is Part One of our conversation focused on Exploring Sustainable Food Systems around the world.

You will hear from multiple voices that represent who we like to call, ‘Food Waste Warriors’ in their field, and it’s sure to give you a fresh and exciting perspective on how to make small changes that create a powerful impact for our future.

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Welcome to a fresh new perspective for the Narratives of Purpose Podcast. In today’s episode, I invite you to our short three-part series on Exploring Sustainable Food Systems that will conclude this season of the podcast.

Over the following three episodes you will be hearing from multiple voices that represent who I like to call, ‘agents of change’ in their field, and for this series we will be shining a spotlight on the sustainable food movement.

This episode is an introduction to what is to come as we wrap up this powerful and thought-provoking season.

In today’s episode I speak with Dr. Ernest Darkoh and Dr. John Sargent, the founding partners of BroadReach Group. Their company is a global social enterprise that seeks to transform how health work is carried out and support communities and developing countries through health equity.

They speak in detail about the lifelong benefits of choosing prevention over cure and how technology and partnerships will inevitably shape the future of global health.

Tune into this thought-provoking conversation to gain a new perspective on the future of health and inspiration for how to live a better quality life.

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Join me for today’s conversation where I will be speaking with Jo Bacallo, the founder of SEEDS (Schools for Environment Education, Development and Sustainability). Jo believes in the right for every young person in remote communities to access information about environment education, and learn how to live sustainably. 

From growing up in the Philippines as a student journalist who did not accept the reality of injustice, Jo became a water storyteller to bring the voices of the outsiders, the ones left behind, on stages around the world. She encourages young founders of grassroots organisations to pursue their activities in water and climate education because, even though the work is difficult, it will have a tremendous impact in the future.

Enjoy the conversation!

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Welcome back to Part Two of our Get To Know Our Host episode where we are shining the spotlight on the one and only Claire Murigande.

Claire is given the role of the guest and takes her spot in the hot seat whilst our previous guest, Lucy Antrobus hosts this episode.

This time we find out some of the biggest challenges in building a podcast platform like Narratives of Purpose, the things that Claire has learned along the way and some of the anchors she turns to when seeking inspiration.

We would also like to take this time to thank you, dear listener, for supporting this podcast and tuning into these incredible stories of The Narratives of Purpose.

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Join us for a very special twist in today’s episode - our Narratives of Purpose host, Claire is given the role of the guest and takes her spot in the hot seat whilst our previous guest, Lucy Antrobus hosts this episode.

This is an opportunity for you to learn about the creation of Narratives of Purpose and how Claire’s background and passion has led her to interviewing leaders and changemakers across the globe.

Tune in for part one of this Get To Know Our Host episode to get inspired and gain an understanding of what brings this podcast to life.

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In my conversation today, my two guests are Gayatri Muthukrishnan and Sanjana Roa who are co-founders of Miyara, which is a digital community hub that provides support, resources and services for women who are experiencing perimenopausal and menopausal changes and are seeking direction and support with how to adjust and improve their health.

In this episode, Sanjana and Gayatri share their professional and personal experiences with women's health at the midlife stages and their thoughts on how this taboo topic is rarely spoken about - even though it’s a life change that every woman will experience.

Let’s dive into this topic.

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Join me for today’s conversation where I will be speaking with Bart De Witte, a leading expert in digital transformation for healthcare in Europe and founder and CEO of the Hippo AI Foundation. As our world moves into the digital area, it’s the perfect time for this episode to provide you with insight, understanding and knowledge of how medical artificial intelligence can impact our ever changing world for the better.

At a young age, Bart was inspired and empowered by technology, and at the age of 18 wrote a school paper that predicted the impact of technology on the African continent and beyond. This conversation will give you a powerful insight on how working together and utilising artificial intelligence through open technologies, in the healthcare sector, can shape our world into a more equal place for our future and many generations to come.

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In today’s discussion I speak with Elana Margulies Snyderman, who is co-founder of Phyt Cares, a non profit organisation based in New York City and Puerto Rico that focuses on supporting youth from underserved communities. 

Phyt Cares is designed to help youth with physical fitness and health as well as leadership skills, respect, self respect, and also help them overcome the challenges they face in life as they transition into new chapters.

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Welcome to the first episode of Season 4 of Narratives of Purpose. We will be kick-starting this season with my first guest, Emmanuel Trinity Nsaabanye, also known as Trinity Heavenz who is the founder of Era 92 Creative. 

In today’s conversation, we will be discussing how Trinity is on a mission to create 10,000 jobs for young Africans by 2030 and the impact that his passion for upskilling the next generation will have in future. 

From growing up in the slums to being given an opportunity to not only change his life, but to change the lives of many young Africans, Trinity is creating a pathway of opportunity for many generations to come.

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Join us for our last conversation of the season with Petronela Sandulache, tech-entrepreneur and multi-passionate woman who is the founder of Cordifio Health.

Cordifio Health is a digital health start-up focused on supporting women with their heart health through education, empowerment and patient advocacy. Petronela’s personal journey demonstrated the need for change in this area, and it is her mission to globally raise awareness in order to make women’s hearts beat longer.

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Join me today for my conversation with Rhiana Spring, human rights advocate and founder of Spring ACT. Today Rhiana shares her personal story of becoming a tech entrepreneur and the innovation behind her passion for helping vulnerable women experiencing abuse through new technology methods. Her digital chatbot, Sophia, is paving the way for innovation, human rights and justice across the world. Listen to today’s episode to find out more. 

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In our conversation today, my guest Ana Paula Tediosi shares the impact and the story behind her ‘side hustle’ as the founder of Birdhaus, which during the pandemic transitioned from a female co-working space to a writing and publishing community for women.

Ana wears many hats, including a mother of two, a pharmacist of education, an entrepreneur and an author. Her passion is to show women like her that it is possible to tap into all of your strengths in order to live out your life’s mission and your professional life without compromise.

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Join me today for my conversation with Kashish Aggarwal, who is a Global Shapers Community Curator which is a network of young people driving dialogue, action and change. Kashish developed a passion for helping and educating young people from marginalised backgrounds from a very young age and that passion has developed into her contributing to making a global wave in supporting those who do not have privileged access to education.

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In today’s discussion, we continue the theme of inclusion with our next guest Emmanuelle Werner Gillioz, the founder and director of Yojoa. Yojoa is a nonprofit organisation that empowers young people with a migrant background to become autonomous and productive members of society. The mission is to bridge the gap between organisations and talented young people from diverse backgrounds in order to provide more opportunities and strengthen the company.

Listen to our conversation to hear the benefits of a diverse workforce from both angles.

Show Notes:

Join me in today’s conversation with Eleni Janis, she is the managing partner and CIO of Equivico which is a female owned investment firm in New York. In our discussion, Eleni shares her thoughts and experiences around inequality and how the power of our curiosity and questions can make a difference in how systems are implemented over time.

She has a personal passion for big change and believes that the best way to create equality is to increase access to capital, improve education and health care outcomes. Through the mission of Equivico Eleni and the organisation have helped to create a bridge between investors and small businesses who are in need of financial capital without bias.

Join me for my discussion with Piera Marongiu as we switch gears from education, and shine a light on our new episode theme of inclusion. Piera is the founder of Integrate Include Engage which focuses on supporting organisations to identify where their blind spots are when it comes to inclusivity.

Piera has both a personal and professional understanding of the value and importance of inclusivity, especially in the healthcare industry and is an advocate for change in this area.

Tune into this episode to hear how our biases can actually help us to better understand where change needs to be made.

In this episode, I talk with Ismail Eleburuike about the importance of bringing technology to schools across the African continent to better connect students, teachers and parents using his educational platform, School Try.

He shares the impact that this innovative platform has had, and the vision for the future when we lean into utilising technology to better support those moving through the educational system.

Listen to this episode to find out how Ismail sees the future of education and technology merging together across Africa and beyond.

Join me for the first episode of April and my discussion with Gunjan Aggarwal, co-founder of Learn With Leaders. Learn With Leaders is an educational platform designed to bring quality education to high school students around the world through networking and A La Carte education styles.

Gunjan is an advocate for Artificial Intelligence and the benefits of using AI to improve the quality and diversity of learning. In this episode we talk about how Learn With Leaders is challenging the boundaries of traditional education with the support of a number of prestigious institutions around the world.

In today’s discussion I speak with Mamobo Ogoro, who is a Social psychologist, Social Entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of Gorm Media - an impact focused digital media company based in Ireland. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mamobo identified that the subject she heavily researched in her studies was rising to the surface in media on a scale that she had never experienced before. Seeing a clear need for conversations and cultural exchanges around social issues with diverse perspectives, she started on this journey to shine a light on individuals with stories of their experiences to tell. Tune in to hear more about how this has evolved since the very beginning.

In this episode, I speak with Till Kraemer, who is a mathematician turned social entrepreneur, and is the co-founder general manager of the organisation ICE (Inter Cultural Education) based in Hong Kong. Till has a fascinating love of the world and intercultural exchanges, and he approaches all aspects of life with a curious eye. This approach is embedded in the foundation of the ICE organisation and in our discussion, Till shares a number of stories of the impact that these kinds of exchanges have not only had on him, but also the students and members of the community.

Welcome to season three of the podcast. Throughout this series, we will continue to shine a light on the changemakers who are having an incredible impact on the world whilst finding innovative ways to build a better future. In this first episode of the season, my guest is Akim Tejan Cole, founder of Maayee Fashion and advocate for fashion activism.

In this discussion Akim talks about his personal experience seeking asylum from Sierra Leone and facing a culture shock in Switzerland as he adjusted to his new life, and how that inspired him to create a way to bridge the gap between individuals from different backgrounds.Tune into his story here.

Introducing the third season of the Narratives of Purpose podcast. In this new season, I continue to share unique stories of global changemakers and trailblazers, passionate people who are making a meaningful impact in the world. My journey in the next episodes will bring me from Hong Kong to New York via India, Sweden, Ireland and Switzerland. The conversations with my guests will be centered around education, dialogue and understanding, inclusion and equity, but also empowerment.

Welcome to season three of the podcast! Glad that you tuned in, and you are following the Narratives of Purpose in amplifying social impact.

It is the Season two finale of our show. This last episode features Geneva-based, comic artist and painter Jean-Philippe (JP) Kalonji. JP is also an editorial illustrator for the Swiss newspaper Le Temps. In this discussion, he shares the role artists and culture play in social change, plus the importance for him to use his twenty years experience to be part of change makers creating social impact. Likewise, JP talks about his role as artistic director with the NGO Civitas Maxima, an organisation that seeks to empower victims of war crimes in their quest for justice, and the way his drawings contribute to people's stories of healing. Listen to his story.

This new episode features South Carolina-based, transformation activist Drisana (Dru) McDaniel. Dru is a co-founder of the Transformative Teaching Collective, a worker-owned cooperative which promotes social justice education. She designs and facilitates customized workshops that awaken and enable intergroup dialogue to advance Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this conversion, Dru also talks about her approach centred around contemplation and spirituality to facilitate dialogue on social issues, through her consulting practice for Cultural Transformation ‘The Alchemy of Now’. Listen to her story.

This new episode features Olawale Ajose. He is managing partner at Market Access Africa, a health care consulting firm based in Geneva, Switzerland, focusing on sub-saharan Africa. In this discussion, Wale talks about his journey in Global Health, supporting low and middle income countries. He also shares how his firm helps companies, organizations in the public sector and private sector, as well as his personal view on the future of healthcare on the African continent. Listen to his story.

This new episode features Ndeye Makalou. She is a drug development, clinical operations, and global supply chain leader in the Biopharma industry. In today’s conversation, Ndeye shares her passion for market access and developing health care systems in emerging markets rooted in her personal journey. She also talks about her endeavour to challenge the status quo, and develop solutions, while working at Roche pharmaceutical company, that enhanced access to medicine for breast cancer patients with impact in Sub-Saharan Africa. Listen to her story.  

This final episode of the September Inclusion series features Oghenewaire Jennifer Nikoro, a legal practitioner and disability advocate based in Lagos, Nigeria. Jennifer is the founder of Life Beyond Disability Foundation, which advocates for equal rights and social inclusion for persons with disability in Africa. In today’s interview, she shares her journey and her vision of empowering lives beyond disability. Listen to her story.

This third episode of the September Inclusion series features Thibault Trancart, based in Geneva (Switzerland) and founder of No Blink. With No Blink, Thibault offers services such as conferences and workshops, with the aim to raise awareness plus take off the negative perception of visual impairment, but also inspire people to use their struggles as a force to move forward. In this discussion, he shares his journey of becoming blind as an early teenager, then moving to Canada for his university studies, and later training as a ski athlete to compete in the 2018 winter paralympics. Listen to his story.

Please note that the recording conditions were not optimal. In spite of our best efforts, there is still some residual background noise and we hope this will not affect your listening experience. Thank you for your kind understanding.

The second episode of the September Inclusion series features special needs advocate, writer, and TEDx curator, Eraina Ferguson. She is the founder of My Good Life, an organisation that enables families of children with special needs to live their best life despite their circumstances. Eraina authored a memoir in 2020, likewise titled My Good Life. In this conversation, she shares her journey raising a daughter with special needs but also empowering other parents. Listen to her story.

This first episode of the September Inclusion series features Vivian Acquah. She is an inclusive Workplace Wellness Advocate, founder of Viva la Vive and the Amplify DEI Summit, also the host of Let’s Humanize the Workplace podcast. Vivian advises managers on how to keep their team members engaged, energized, and safe in a sustainable manner, by making topics related to workplace wellness & diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) accessible to everyone. In today’s conversation, Vivian shares her mission to provide people with the right tools, at the right time, to embrace inclusive changes; but also to motivate people to think consciously and inspire them to take action. Listen to her story.

This final episode of the Tech For Good August series features Anie Akpe, founder of African Women in Technology (AWIT). Her organisation is dedicated to providing opportunities and a safe space for women to grow and lead in the tech space, by hosting events in countries across Africa. In this discussion, Anie talks about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on AWIT conference series. She also shares how learning about technology, understanding its efficiency and exchanging experiences drives business success - “technology makes you have to think outside of the box”. Listen to her story.

The third episode of the Tech for Good August podcast series features Mary Carbajal, CEO and founder of B1OS, a company committed to provide secure and efficient access to health information allowing for real-time sharing of data with anyone, anywhere. Mary talks about leveraging technology to create groundbreaking innovation in healthcare. She also addresses the issue of medical transparency for people to be able to share their individual health information with doctors or even family members. Likewise, Mary shares the importance of taking care of yourself for overall wellbeing, especially through this COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to her story

The second episode of the Tech for Good August podcast series features Jade Li, CEO and founder of Katapult, an EdTech startup based in Mauritius which provides Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) holiday camps for children. In today's discussion, Jade shares her passion to create games-based learning experiences, and her vision to empower the next generation of changemakers with relevant skills to challenge the status quo, but also build their creative confidence. Listen to her story.