The Social Change Diaries

Vanessa Wakeman at The Wakeman Agency
  • 5.0 (7)
  • NON-PROFIT
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

The Social Change Diaries (SCD), hosted by Vanessa Wakeman, explores the stories and strategies shaping today's social change sector. Featuring thought leaders, researchers, and disruptors, SCD tackles urgent questions about narrative, communications for social change, and the way language informs our behavior and society – offering timely insights and inspiration for nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, socially responsible executives, and changemakers.

  1. 12/19/2025

    Vanessa Wakeman & Camaro West do a Communications Pulse Check

    In our final episode for season 6 of the Social Change Diaries Podcast, Communications Strategist and Wakeman Agency CEO, Vanessa Wakeman sits in the interviewee chair, sharing her latest insights. Joined by Camaro West, Executive Director of Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that uses the power of storytelling to advance gender justice, Vanessa dives into how nonprofits can surface narratives to prompt transformative social change. Together, they explore why it is essential to ask the question of who should be telling the story. Touching on funding dynamics, narrative resilience, and the needs present in our changing media and information ecosystem, this conversation is sure to get you thinking strategically about communications for your nonprofit in the new year and beyond.  See more information about this episode on our website.

    44 min

  2. 12/19/2025

    Courtney Lewis from Institute for Nonprofit News, on Redefining Narrative Power

    Listen in for a fantastic conversation on the growing field of nonprofit news and how this model transforms how stories are told, and information is shared in our society. In this episode of the Social Change Diaries podcast, Vanessa is joined by Courtney Lewis, Chief of Growth Programs at the Institute for Nonprofit News, an organization that works with over 500 nonprofit news organizations committed to public service. Together, they discuss why nonprofit newsrooms are different, how they center the stories and information audiences need, and why even conventional newsrooms are having to grapple with how to engage people on a more human level.   More information about this episode on our website

    36 min

  3. 12/10/2025

    Anat Shenker-Osorio, Founder of ASO Communications, on Bringing Narratives to Life

    In our most recent episode, Vanessa dives into how to bring narratives to life, with our guest Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal and Founder of ASO Communications. Their conversation examines how social change communicators can approach language, specifically when it is contested, and how to increase impact for meaningful and transformative change on social issues. See this episode on our website.

    35 min

  4. 12/03/2025

    Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, On The Power of Story

    The Social Change Diaries podcast does it again—bringing you crucial conversations about what's driving today's social change communications landscape. In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, a consultancy that partners with organizations to drive narrative change and civic engagement, especially with, and for, communities of color. Together, they discuss the role of storytelling by nonprofits and why mainstream media is no longer a gatekeeper in our information ecosystems. Visit this episode's page

    42 min

  5. 11/12/2025

    Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, On Shaping The Narrative

    In this episode of our newly launched Social Change Diaries Podcast, we dive into the question of how social change can use storytelling to change culture through narratives. The discussion features Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, in conversation with Vanessa Wakeman, and explores the power of storytelling to tackle deeply held beliefs, language as a medium of cultural production, and navigating narrative oceans. Read more about this episode and the guest on our website. ↗

    44 min

  6. 11/07/2025

    Tracie Powell from The Pivot Fund, on Reimagining Story Power

    In another engaging conversation, we tackle the question: What would narrative ecosystems look like if we could totally redesign who participates in crafting the story? In this important conversation, Vanessa is joined by Tracie Powell, CEO and Founder of The Pivot Fund, which works to shift power through equitable journalism funding by investing in independent community-led news organizations. Read more about this episode and the guest on our website ↗

    54 min

  7. 10/30/2025

    Dr. Safiya U. Noble, on Algorithms as Storytellers

    Our first episode features the conversation between Vanessa and Dr. Safiya U. Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, as she shares the impact of algorithmic injustice and how it shapes storytelling.

    52 min

  8. 09/17/2020

    NYCLU Executive Director, Donna Lieberman, on Civil Liberties and Our New Normal

    At no point in recent history has civil rights been so loudly at the forefront of everyday life, in multiple ways. The tidal wave of shared trauma ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent slew of racially motivated murders presents glaring questions  and implications around civil rights and how this moment can be a springboard for true systemic change. As an expert in policies, laws and all facets of civil rights, Ms. Lieberman discusses the implications of this time period, how it relates to other historical moments in civil rights and the myriad of nuances that comprise this complex, but powerful moment in human history.

    41 min
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5
out of 5
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About

The Social Change Diaries (SCD), hosted by Vanessa Wakeman, explores the stories and strategies shaping today's social change sector. Featuring thought leaders, researchers, and disruptors, SCD tackles urgent questions about narrative, communications for social change, and the way language informs our behavior and society – offering timely insights and inspiration for nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, socially responsible executives, and changemakers.

Information

  • Creator
    Vanessa Wakeman at The Wakeman Agency
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Wakeman Agency
  • Show Website
    The Social Change Diaries