Social Norms Chat

TransformNorms
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Social Norms Chat is a podcast for practitioners, funders, and changemakers eager to explore how social norms shape behaviors, how they can be shifted to drive meaningful change and how this translates into practice. Hosted by Cäcilia Riederer from TransformNorms this podcast goes through thematic deep dives on topics like mental health, violence, and gender dynamics, we blend research, case studies, and expert insights to uncover what works (and what doesn’t) in fostering deep normative change. With special guests and real-world examples, we provide actionable strategies for those working in policy, advocacy, and community development.

  1. S2E4: Changing Norms from the Inside Out

    DEC 10

    S2E4: Changing Norms from the Inside Out

    Send us a text What can be do inside your organization to help you better drive changes in the outside? In this episode of Social Norms Chat, host Cäcilia, Helene Wolf and Anusha Bharadwaj, Co-Executive Directors at Fair Share of Women Leaders talk about feminist leadership and how internal changes in organizations can drive good change for everyone. Our Recommendation: Feminist Project Management offers tools and insights on every step of the project management cycle and how can you implement feminist practices, collective decision making, and feminist ways to understand monitoring and evaluation. Check out the toolkit "Feminist Leaders for Feminist Goals" and the Feminist Leadership Hub from Fair Share. Anusha's and Helene's Recommendations: Book: Seeing Like a Feminist by Nivedita Menon The Feminist Leadership Project Podcast: Guilty Feminist Podcast: Lead Like a Feminist The 12-week Feminist Leadership Programme, by We Are Feminist Leaders Follow us on LinkedIn - and message us if you have questions, suggestions or comments! Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Helene Wolf and Anusha Bharadwaj Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter

    49 min
  2. S2E3: Tackling Online Gender Base Violence

    NOV 26

    S2E3: Tackling Online Gender Base Violence

    Send us a text What do social and gender norms have to do with online gender-based violence and what can we do to tackle it?  In this episode of Social Norms Chat, host Cäcilia and Chioma Agwuegbo, Executive Director at TechHerNG, talk about how important it is and how to tackle techonology facilitated violence. Our Recommendation: Transforming Social Norms Toolkit This toolkit by TransformNorms is perfect to think about your next social norms intervention, either on your own or as a brainstorming tool with your team. By filling in gaps into a fillable and shareable PDF, you’ll slowly build a theory of change. Check out Kuram: https://kuramng.org/  Chioma's Recommendation: Catching the Tinder Predator Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women Follow us on LinkedIn - and message us if you have questions, suggestions or comments! Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Chioma Agwuegbo Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter

    51 min
  3. S2E2: Entertainment-Education and Behavior Change

    NOV 12

    S2E2: Entertainment-Education and Behavior Change

    Send us a text  How can we use Entertainment to drive behavior? And more importantly, how can we measure this impact?  In this episode of Social Norms Chat, host Cäcilia and Amy Henderson Riley, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Impact at Population Media Center, Education-Entertainment (EE), Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) and monitoring and evaluation.  This conversation highlights different evaluation methods and different ways to foster behavior change through entertainment. Our Recommendation: Participatory Research Toolkit for Social Norms Measurement, by UNICEF This toolkit offers nine participatory tools for qualitatively measuring social norms, emphasizing the importance of engaging participants in sensitive discussions to deepen understanding and inform social and behavioral change interventions. Amy's Research: Narrative Persuasion and Social Norms in Entertainment-Education: Results from a Radio Drama in Mozambique Participatory Methods for Entertainment-Education: Analysis of Best Practices Amy's Recommendation: Papás Por Conveniencia 📖 Use alongside the Transforming Social Norms Toolkit Follow us on LinkedIn - and message us if you have questions, suggestions or comments! Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Amy Henderson Riley Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter

    43 min
  4. S2E1: Laws and Norms: Bridging Policy and Social Change in South Asia

    OCT 29

    S2E1: Laws and Norms: Bridging Policy and Social Change in South Asia

    Send us a text  What comes first—laws or social change?  In this episode of Social Norms Chat, host Cäcilia sits down with Julie Thekkudan, South Asia Consultant for Equality Now in South Asia, to explore the powerful and often complex interplay between social norms, legal reform, and justice systems.  Julie shares her personal journey into women’s rights advocacy, beginning with childhood observations that sparked a lifelong commitment to equality. Together, they unpack how patriarchal norms, biases in law enforcement, and deep-rooted societal attitudes affect survivors of gender-based violence, and how collaborative regional initiatives like Samaj (South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice) are striving to change that.  This conversation shines a light on both the barriers and breakthroughs in advancing gender equality across South Asia, offering inspiration for advocates and policymakers around the world. Our Recommendation: Theory and practice of social norms interventions: eight common pitfalls - Beniamino Cislaghi and Lori Heise The paper highlights eight common pitfalls in social norms interventions, offering guidance on avoiding these challenges to effectively promote health and behavior change in low- and middle-income countries. Julie's Recommendations: Unbelievable – a series exploring the challenges survivors face in seeking justice The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – a thought-provoking look at gender and power 📖 Use alongside the Transforming Social Norms Toolkit Follow us on LinkedIn - and message us if you have questions, suggestions or comments! Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Julie Thekkudan Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter Special thanks to Aakansha Saxena and Bryna Subherwal for their support in making this episode happen.

    42 min
  5. S1E10: Funding Girls’ Rights: Rethinking Power and Impact

    AUG 5

    S1E10: Funding Girls’ Rights: Rethinking Power and Impact

    Send us a text  What happens when funders truly trust communities—and build long-term, flexible support around their leadership? In Episode 10 of Social Norms Chat, Cäcilia Riederer speaks with Jama Jack, Senior Communications Officer at Girls First Fund, about rethinking philanthropy and power in the fight for gender justice. From her early activism (at Lend a Hand Society) in the Gambia to her current work supporting community-based organizations to end child marriage, Jama shares how movements grow, how funding can help or hinder progress, and why self-care is critical to sustainable change. This episode explores, among other things, how funders can support deep social norms change by reimagining their own roles. Recommended or mentioned in this episode: - Black Sisters, Speak Out (1996) - International Children's Broadcasting Day Follow Jama Jack on LinkedIn. 📖 Use alongside the Transforming Social Norms Toolkit Follow us on LinkedIn - and message us if you have questions, suggestions or comments! Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Jama Jack Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter

    52 min
  6. S1E9: Changing Norms Through Storytelling

    JUL 22

    S1E9: Changing Norms Through Storytelling

    Send us a text  In this episode of Social Norms Chat, Cäcilia speaks with Georgia Arnold, former Executive Director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and founder of the GA-Agency. Georgia has spent decades using the power of storytelling to challenge social norms, particularly around HIV, gender, and sexuality. She shares how groundbreaking shows like Shuga—MTV’s scripted drama tackling topics from HIV prevention to gender-based violence—have not only entertained millions across Africa but measurably shifted behaviors and perceptions.  At its heart, this episode is a reminder that storytelling isn’t just about representation—it’s about shifting mindsets and shaping futures. 🔗 Georgia’s Mentions: Meeting Mandela MTV Shuga Mashariki The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Adolescence on Netflix 📖 Use alongside the Transforming Social Norms Toolkit Follow us on LinkedIn - and message us if you have questions, suggestions or comments! Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Georgia Arnold Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter

    41 min
  7. S1E8: Transforming Mental Health Norms in Kenya

    JUL 8

    S1E8: Transforming Mental Health Norms in Kenya

    Send us a text  In this episode of Social Norms Chat, Cäcilia sits down with Amisa Rashid, founder of the Nivishe Foundation, a grassroots organization working to make mental health care accessible, dignified, and culturally sensitive in Kenya—particularly for marginalized communities. Amisa shares the powerful story behind Nivishe’s founding, rooted in her personal experiences growing up in the Nubian community in Kibra. She discusses how lack of identification documents and systemic marginalization compound mental health challenges, and how Nivishe has stepped in to fill critical gaps through community-based, inclusive support. We explore the impact of the Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship, which decentralizes mental health advocacy by training young leaders to address issues within their own communities, using culturally relevant approaches. Amisa explains how social norms—especially religious interpretations of mental health—have shaped access to care, and how Nivishe strategically works in communities to shift perceptions and reduce stigma. From launching Kenya’s first youth-focused mental health comic book to preparing the first mental health policy brief for Nairobi County, Amisa discusses Nivishe's multi-layered approach to driving long-term change. Amisa reminds us that changing social norms takes time—and deep love for the work. It’s not about quick wins, but sustained impact over generations. 🔗 Amisa's Recommendations Amisa Rashid on LinkedInSocial Norms Chat📖 Use alongside the Transforming Social Norms Toolkit Follow us on LinkedIn Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer Special guest: Amisa Rashid Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich Editor: Tabusum Akter

    39 min
  8. S1E7: Engaging Adolescents for Change in India

    JUN 24

    S1E7: Engaging Adolescents for Change in India

    Send us a text  How can we engage adolescents in conversations about gender, power, and social change—and support them in becoming agents of change in their communities? In Episode 7 of Social Norms Chat, Cäcilia Riederer speaks with Nayana Chowdhury, CEO of Breakthrough India, about how the organization has built large-scale programs to shift harmful gender norms among adolescents. Drawing from Breakthrough’s flagship initiative Taaron Ki Toli, Nayana shares lessons from working with youth, communities, and schools across India to create long-term, norm-shifting change. Whether you're working on youth engagement, gender justice, or community-led programming, this conversation offers inspiration and practical ideas for doing the work sustainably—and with heart. 📖 Use alongside the Transforming Social Norms Toolkit Program mentioned: Taaron Ki Toli – Breakthrough India Follow Nayana on LinkedIn Read more about Nayana’s journey as a TransformNorms Fellow Recommended by Nayana 🎥 Stree (2018): Watch the trailer 📱 Man Who Has It All – Satirical Facebook Page 🎧 Keeping It Feminist, a podcast by Breakthrough Trust Executive producer and host: Cäcilia Riederer  Special guest: Nayana Chowdhury  Producer and writer: Dora Ehrlich  Editor: Tabusum Akter

    41 min
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About

Social Norms Chat is a podcast for practitioners, funders, and changemakers eager to explore how social norms shape behaviors, how they can be shifted to drive meaningful change and how this translates into practice. Hosted by Cäcilia Riederer from TransformNorms this podcast goes through thematic deep dives on topics like mental health, violence, and gender dynamics, we blend research, case studies, and expert insights to uncover what works (and what doesn’t) in fostering deep normative change. With special guests and real-world examples, we provide actionable strategies for those working in policy, advocacy, and community development.

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  • Creator
    TransformNorms
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Social Norms Chat
  • Show Website
    Social Norms Chat