Spark Changemakers

Nikki Giant
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The Spark Changemakers podcast is for everyone who wants to change the world but isn't sure where to start. We’re igniting a changemaker movement, where everyday people like you and me feel inspired and empowered to create positive change. We’re here to give you the tools, insights and inspiration to connect to your Spark – your passion and purpose - so you can be who you came here to be. Each episode we'll be talking to an inspiring changemaker who will share their personal journey of how they found their inner spark and changed themselves, to change the world. Learn more about us at www.TheSparkMovement.com or find us on social media at www.Facebook.com/lightaspark and www.Instagram.com/lightaspark.movement

  1. Biophilic Education: Creating sustainable, ethical and inclusive schools with Rosina Dorelli

    11/14/2025

    Biophilic Education: Creating sustainable, ethical and inclusive schools with Rosina Dorelli

    In this final episode of Season 3, Nikki Giant is joined by Rosina Dorelli, founder of Da Vinci Life Skills CIC and BE Hubs Cambridge, a Biophilic Education (BE) home education learning hub, which offers the Da Vinci curriculum. Rosina shares her inspiring journey from artist to educational innovator, leading a movement toward biophilic education – a new pedagogy that weaves together creativity, sustainability, ethics and a deep connection with nature. The mission of Da Vinci Life Skills is to inspire and empower learners and educators where everyone is valued for their unique talents. They’re creating a new way of delivering the standard UK school curriculum through transdisciplinary project-based learning and a new skills-based assessment framework. Together, Nikki and Rosina discuss: 🌱What biophilic education means and how it nurtures wellbeing 🎨Why creativity is essential to mental health and human thriving 🧠How schools can value every kind of intelligence 💫The future of learning rooted in love, beauty and belonging This is a soulful conversation about what happens when we allow children (and adults) to remember who they really are — creative beings connected to the world around them. Listen on: 🔗 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music Connect with us: 💛Follow The Spark Movement on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn Connect with Rosina Dorelli: Learn more about Da Vinci Life Skills on their website: www.davincilifeskills.comConnect with Da Vinci on InstagramFollow Rosina on LinkedInListen to Ken Robinson’s TED Talk, Do Schools Kill Creativity?Listen to Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on creative flow

    1h 15m
  2. From Roles to Ripples: Deepa Iyer on Ecosystems, Solidarity & Building Movements

    11/07/2025

    From Roles to Ripples: Deepa Iyer on Ecosystems, Solidarity & Building Movements

    In this soulful and practical conversation, Nikki sits down with Deepa Iyer — author of Social Change Now, host of the Solidarity Is This podcast, and Senior Director at the Building Movement Project — to explore how real change happens when we see our work as an ecosystem of interdependent roles. We unpack the 10 roles from Deepa’s framework (Visionaries, Builders, Disruptors, Caregivers, Experimenters, Weavers, Storytellers, Healers, Guides, Frontline Responders) and how teams, networks, and even funders can map their strengths and gaps to move from overwhelm to agency. Deepa shares moving classroom stories from her children’s picture book We Are the Builders and offers grounded guidance for practising solidarity as a verb — including assessing risk, building the “muscle” of action, and creating communities of shared safety and belonging. Listen for: How to use the 10 social change roles to energise your team and avoid burnout/boredom cycles. Practical ways disruptors, builders, experimenters and caregivers work together (and why no single role can “win” alone). A simple mapping exercise to spot role imbalances (e.g., too many builders, not enough storytellers) and gendered patterns of visibility.Why solidarity is iterative and how to take principled risks with your community at your back. Learn more and connect with Deepa Visit Deepa’s solidarity hub: Solidarity Is – https://solidarityis.orgLearn more about the Building Movement Project – https://buildingmovement.orgListen to the Solidarity Is This Podcast - https://www.solidarityis.org/podcast Check out Deepa’s work & books – https://deepaiyer.com

    55 min
  3. Mentoring from the Inside Out: Ricardo Erasmus on Ubuntu & Unlocking Potential

    10/31/2025

    Mentoring from the Inside Out: Ricardo Erasmus on Ubuntu & Unlocking Potential

    In this uplifting episode of The Spark Changemakers Podcast, Nikki sits down with Ricardo Erasmus — transformational life coach, motivational speaker, youth mentor, TEDx speaker, and founder of Paradigm Shift Academy. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, and now based in Wales, Ricardo shares his remarkable journey from the Cape Flats — a community scarred by apartheid — to becoming a global voice for empowerment and purpose. Drawing on his guiding philosophy of Ubuntu — “I am because we are”, Ricardo unpacks what it means to live beyond your environment, the transformative power of mentoring, and why intentional authenticity is the greatest gift we can offer to young people. Together, Nikki and Ricardo explore: 🌍The Ubuntu approach to life, mentoring, and leadership ✨Living beyond your environment and breaking limiting beliefs 💡The role of mentors in unlocking hidden potential 🌱Why belonging, compassion, and authenticity matter more than systems or strategies 🔑How each of us can discover, develop, and share the unique “gift we carry” This is a powerful conversation about purpose, resilience, and showing up for the next generation with love, belief, and authenticity. Connect with Ricardo and learn more: Check out Paradigm Shift Academy's websiteConnect with Ricardo on LinkedIn and InstagramListen to Ricardo's podcast, The Shift Follow Ricardo on Facebook

    59 min
  4. The Power of Relationships: Neil Denton on Connection, Conflict & Change

    10/24/2025

    The Power of Relationships: Neil Denton on Connection, Conflict & Change

    In this heart-opening episode of The Spark Changemakers Podcast, Nikki sits down with Neil Denton - mediator, professor, and co-lead of The Relationships Project - to explore why relationships are not “soft extras,” but the very foundation of healthier, happier, more resilient communities. Neil shares the vision behind The Relationships Project: embedding relationship-centred practice across schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods, and governments. Together, Nikki and Neil reflect on why relationships are “common sense but not common practice,” how bridges between people can be widened and strengthened, and why the stories we tell each other can either divide us or heal us. From supermarket queues to disaster recovery, Neil reveals how simple acts of connection ripple outwards - and why the survival of whole communities can hinge on trust and collaboration. Highlights: 🌱 Why good relationships are both an end in themselves and a means to every goal 🌉 Bridge-building: repairing damaged connections and creating new ones 🧅 The “onion of wisdom” - a simple model for relationship-centred practice 💡 Why young people need relational skills as much as STEM subjects 🌍 The ripple effect of kindness, storytelling, and human connection Resources: 👉Learn more on the Relationships Project website 👉 Explore The Centre for Creative Conversation 👉 Follow The Relationships Project on X and on BlueSky

    50 min
  5. From Dream Machine to Doing the Work: Sash Jayasinghe’s Journey with 4Lanka

    10/17/2025

    From Dream Machine to Doing the Work: Sash Jayasinghe’s Journey with 4Lanka

    In this inspiring conversation, 21-year-old changemaker Sash Jayasinghe shares how a wake-up moment in Sri Lanka sparked a year of intentional action: founding 4Lanka, a social-impact venture to help South Asian young people discover purpose, build confidence, and turn ideas into reality. Sash recalls bringing Simon Squibb’s Dream Machine to the first comprehensive school in Wales — and watching students light up as a two-minute chat turned vague hopes into real, do-able dreams. We also explore discipline as self-trust (yes, including marathon lessons!), the power of working smart as well as hard, and why relatable role models matter — “you can’t be what you can’t see.” Highlights 🎙️The moment Sash chose purpose and service over autopilot. 🎙️Dream Machine in a Welsh school: from “I don’t know” to “here’s my dream.” 🎙️Why creativity, financial literacy, nutrition & purpose belong in the school curriculum. 🎙️Discipline, integrity, and bringing body–mind–spirit to the mission. 🎙️4Lanka’s vision: free programmes, tools and community for South Asian youth. Connect with Sash: 🚀 Follow 4Lanka and Sash on Instagram: @4lankaofficial and @sash.jm 🚀 Connect with Sash on LinkedIn: Sash Jayasinghe 🚀 Read Simon Squibb’s book and learn about the Dream Machine

    46 min
  6. Changing the System from the Inside: Ceri Reed on Parent Voices, Neurodiversity & Building a Culture of Co Production

    10/10/2025

    Changing the System from the Inside: Ceri Reed on Parent Voices, Neurodiversity & Building a Culture of Co Production

    In this inspiring conversation, Nikki speaks with Ceri Reed, founder of Parents Voices in Wales, a not‑for‑profit organisation championing the voices of parents, carers and young people with lived experience of neurodiversity and/or poor mental health. Ceri shares her deeply personal journey into advocacy, the importance of early intervention, and why centring relationships and co‑production is the key to transforming systems. From challenging outdated approaches to education, to embedding therapeutic parenting principles, Ceri offers a blueprint for working collaboratively with policymakers, schools and services — without losing sight of the child at the heart of it all. Whether you’re a parent, educator, policymaker or changemaker, this episode will leave you with hope, practical insights and a renewed belief that systemic change is possible when we lead with empathy, trust and courage. Listen to hear about: 💬 Why parent voices matter in shaping policy 💬 Building trust between families, schools & services 💬 Co‑production as a culture shift — not a meeting 💬 The power of therapeutic parenting Connect with Ceri and Parents Voices in Wales: Visit the Parents Voices in Wales websiteFollow Parents Voices in Wales on Facebook and InstagramConnect with Ceri on LinkedInLearn more about the NEST framework in Wales

    56 min
  7. Play with Purpose: Reimagining Childhood through Creativity, Community & Care with Joanne Baldock

    10/03/2025

    Play with Purpose: Reimagining Childhood through Creativity, Community & Care with Joanne Baldock

    In the latest episode of The Spark Changemakers Podcast, Nikki speaks with Joanne Baldock, founder of Heol Chwarae Rôl – Role Play Lane, a vibrant community hub in South Wales using imaginative play to support children, families, and young people with additional needs. From her roots in teaching to creating an inclusive, joyful space where learning happens through real-world role play, Joanne shares how her passion for creativity, community, and compassion sparked the creation of a social enterprise that’s so much more than just a play centre. Together, Nikki and Joanne explore: The transformative power of play in early childhood developmentWhy imaginative environments grounded in real life are vital for building communication and life skillsHow Role Play Lane supports family wellbeing, neurodivergent children, and community connectionThe challenges of funding, burnout, and being a changemaker in today’s world and why being wired differently might just be a superpower This is an inspiring listen for educators, parents, and anyone dreaming of a more human, heart-centred way of raising the next generation. Connect with Joanne: Learn more about Heol Chwarae Rol - Role Play Lane on their websiteFollow Role Play Lane on Facebook Connect with Joanne on LinkedIn Don't forget to check out Season 1 and 2 of The Spark Changemakers Podcast here.

    59 min
  8. Leading with Heart: How One School in New Zealand is Transforming Education Through Presence, Equity and Joy

    09/26/2025

    Leading with Heart: How One School in New Zealand is Transforming Education Through Presence, Equity and Joy

    In this powerful episode of The Spark Changemakers Podcast, Nikki sits down with Shannon McDougall, the principal of Tokoiti School in South Otago, New Zealand — a small rural school with a mighty vision. Shannon shares how he's turned his lifelong passion for equity, wellbeing and creativity into a living, breathing culture of authenticity and connection. From making education completely free for every child, to developing Te Noho Tahi — a holistic wellbeing model that centres human presence over performance — Shannon’s leadership is a masterclass in conscious education. He opens up about how his school has embedded daily rituals that uplift staff and students, how AI is being harnessed to create more space for human connection, and why relationship is at the heart of all true transformation. This is more than a conversation about schools — it’s about humanity, belonging, and what becomes possible when we lead from who we are, not just what we do. ✨ Topics include: Making education truly free and accessiblePutting teacher wellbeing first (and meaning it)The Te Noho Tahi wellbeing model and “space for listening”AI as a time-saving gift for relational practiceBuilding a whole-school culture of presence, equity and love 🔗 Connect with Shannon: Learn more about Tokoiti School: https://tokoiti.school.nz/Explore Te Noho Tahi, Shannon's relationship and wellbeing framework hereDive deeper into Shannon's philosophy over on his blog: https://tenohotahi.substack.com/

    1h 7m
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About

The Spark Changemakers podcast is for everyone who wants to change the world but isn't sure where to start. We’re igniting a changemaker movement, where everyday people like you and me feel inspired and empowered to create positive change. We’re here to give you the tools, insights and inspiration to connect to your Spark – your passion and purpose - so you can be who you came here to be. Each episode we'll be talking to an inspiring changemaker who will share their personal journey of how they found their inner spark and changed themselves, to change the world. Learn more about us at www.TheSparkMovement.com or find us on social media at www.Facebook.com/lightaspark and www.Instagram.com/lightaspark.movement

Information

  • Creator
    Nikki Giant
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Nikki Giant
  • Show Website
    Spark Changemakers