A Look Into What Drives Changemakers from the First Season of Why Change? The Podcast for a Creative Generation

By: Cobi Krieger

In March 2020, the team at Creative Generation - and a collection of co-conspirators who became the first co-hosts - launched a new podcast: Why Change? The Podcast for a Creative Generation. The goal was to share the stories of changemakers who were having a positive impact on their communities. What we learned, though, was that the stories shared were those of self-actualization, systems disruption, and creativity in action. It was amazing.

As a learning organization, we wanted to focus on what we learned beyond the many stories that were shared. Practically speaking, we wondered:

What were the drivers within those wonderful changemakers we spoke to?

In all, the first season, the podcast hosted 40 weekly episodes featuring 43 guests interviewed by our five co-hosts: Ashraf Hasham, Rachael Jacobs, Jeff M. Poulin, Madeleine McGirk, and Karla Estela Rivera. All guests are active practitioners in the arts and culture education sector, with projects spanning more than twenty countries across all five countries. 

In order to address our guiding question, co-hosts concluded every interview with five recurring questions:

  • Who inspires you?

  • What keeps you motivated?

  • Where are you most grounded? 

  • How do you stay focused? 

  • Why change? 


Following is a survey of the responses gathered during the first season of Why Change? We thought it was particularly powerful to share the commonalities, stand-out responses, and special insights our guests shared with us during each episode to inspire future actions of readers on our blog. 

Who Inspires You?

Podcast guests found inspiration in so many incredible individuals ranging from Buddha and Michelle Obama to their families and colleagues. The most commonly mentioned sources of inspiration are supposedly opposite - ancestors and youth. Ancestors, whether referred to directly as previous generations such as parents or grandparents, or more broadly as elder communities, were second only to youth and children, in a personal context (with many guests directly speaking to how their own children inspire them) or in a professional one (such as students or youth in general).  

One quote exemplified the special inspiration found in moments of arts and cultural education, where one can witness the interaction between an older bestowing knowledge, in this case a dance teacher, and the youth, in the case the guest speaker’s child participating in dance class: 

“I am inspired now by the arts teachers that my own children have when I see what they do. My son was doing dance through COVID-19 and it kept him going and seeing him dance and seeing the teachers teach it's what inspires me.” - Jonathan VanderBrug, episode 31, October 12, 2021

What Keeps You Motivated? 

Interestingly, and perhaps not by coincidence, the most common source of motivation for the speakers on the Why Change? podcast was change itself. Some expressed how grateful they felt to be in a position to drive change and how the opportunity to be a microphone for those who do not have such opportunities motivates them to do their work. Others described more intimate moments in the classroom of seeing technique honed or individual accomplishments being made. Overall, most of our guests shared that seeing change and transformation as a result of their work was a major motivator for them. 

Similarly to the previous question, and not entirely removed from the motivation in change, the youth played a significant role in motivating our speakers. Many of them shared how the unique potential of children and future generations inspires them to invest in them, and in the change that they may generate in their own lives and in society. 

And last but not least, Love - their families, their students, their peers, or as said by DeLashea Strawder in episode 10, May 4, 2021: 

“Love in life exists in the world, and we have a responsibility to find it.”

Where Are You Most Grounded? 

The most common theme for this question was slightly more amorphous but nonetheless clear - many speakers feel most grounded when they are listening to, working in service of, or simply humbled by the consideration of others. In many different words our podcast guests expressed a fundamental connection to self when their work immerses them in the experiences of other individuals or communities: 

“When I am with other people and hearing their stories and being enriched by the richness of their lives and their practice.” 

said co-host Rachael Jacobs in episode 3, March 8, 2021, or as Fié Neo said in episode 6, March 30, 2021

“Listening to people.” 

Two additional themes also emerged - speakers felt at home in their hometowns (where else, right?), and… near water! Shoutout to our pisces, cancers, and scorpios!

How Do You Stay Focused? 

An important question to ask, as all guests represent a multitude of activities and practices within the arts and culture education sector, several consistent answers came up. First, and this may come as a surprise, many of our guests said they are, in fact, not very focused at all! But that being said, they have their ways to get things done. For example Amir Whitaker aka Dr. Knucklehead said on episode 12, May 18, 2021: 

“God, who said I stay focused? … What helped me keep focus is keep[ing] my eyes on the prize… freedom is a practice and hope is a discipline.”

Second were self-management tools such as to-do lists, calendars, and more broadly a clear understanding of the goal and purpose of what they need to focus on now. 

Third, was their art form. Be it music, dance, drawing, speakers shared how taking some time to practice, or just drawing from the skills they acquired as trained artists, has a consistent impact on their ability to remain focused on their work. 

And lastly - down time and good work-life balance. Whether they spend time exercising, going out for a walk, or napping, some of our podcast guests rely on time off work in order to focus on it. 

Why Change? 

As Quenna Lené Barrett said in episode 15 on June 7, 2021: 

“I have two answers. One, why not? The second, because we have to.” 

This succinct response proved to be an accurate summary of what all the Why Change? podcast speakers felt - change is inevitable, it’s the way of nature, it’s all around us. If we have the option of leaning into it and taking agency to enact positive change - why not do that? 

We’d like to thank our guests, co-hosts, and our listeners for a wonderful first season of Why Change? The Podcast for a Creative Generation and wish us all an inspired, motivated, grounded, focused, and change-filled 2022!