What If Instead? Podcast

Alejandro Juárez Crawford, Miriam Plavin-Masterman, ITSPmagazine, Srijan Banik
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A podcast co-hosted by Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman. A show about everyday people reimagining the way things work—and tackling the obstacles they face. We explore adventures in democratizing innovation—how the chance to try one’s hand at something new affects people and even organizations, what “powers” they discover and what challenges they face along the way. We dig into access: what determines who gets the chance to try and disrupt the way things work? We examine obstacles in specific industries and communities, and go deep with people working to break through them. We look closely at the role of tech—how it can equip or disempower people to build experiments of their own—and society: what leads us to accept a role as consumers of the way things work, and what it means to discover our powers to ask in practice, “What if instead?” Producer of the What If Instead? Podcast: Srijan Banik

  1. JUL 29

    The Energy Transition: Not if, but When | Susan Hunt Stevens

    Key Takeaways/Calls to Action: For Individuals: Actively experiment in your career to find genuine fulfillment. Consciously manage your "personal overhead" to maximize your agility and options. Consider how your time, talent, and resources can be directed toward solving pressing global challenges.For Innovators & Entrepreneurs: Beyond celebrating disruption, take full accountability for the "second-order effects" and broader societal impacts of your innovations.For Society & Policy Leaders: Proactively implement "hospice care" strategies to support individuals and communities affected by systemic transitions. Structure incentives and "bounties" to accelerate vital innovations, outcompeting entrenched, inferior old systems. Critically, understand that the energy transition is an inevitable "when," and global leadership will fall to those who embrace and invest in this future now.Suggested Resources CIBO Technologies – Scaling regenerative incentivesXPRIZE (for Carbon Removal) – Innovation through competitionSpark Global – Climate innovation with a systems lens

    45 min

  2. JUL 10

    Beyond “Just Change Your Perspective” | Sage Brody

    Suggested Reading & Listeninghttps://www.rhythmofregulation.com/polyvagal-theoryhttps://leveninstitute.com/who-we-are/

    46 min

  3. JUN 22

    Who Am I to Do This? (And Why I Did Anyway) | Dan Lee

    Suggested Reading & ListeningDan Lee's Congressional Campaign YURA HealthRun For SomethingThe Arena PAC

    39 min

  4. JUN 4

    Diseconomies of Scale | Michael Shuman

    Key Concepts & Themes: Pre-Copernican Economics: The central metaphor for the outdated, pre-Copernican economic models that insist on globalization and scale above all else, despite evidence that localized systems are often more resilient and competitive.The "Scale" Fallacy: The conversation challenges the common wisdom that to "scale" a business means to make it as big as possible. Instead, Moose argues for finding the right scale for the right mission.Investment Crowdfunding: A revolutionary shift in securities law that now allows everyday people to invest small amounts of money in the local businesses they love, historically a prohibitively expensive process. In just eight years, it has directed $2 billion to 7,000 companies.The Service Economy: The observation that modern economies have flipped from being goods-dominant to service-dominant (70% of expenditures). This inherently favors local, relationship-based businesses over distant corporations.Comparative Advantage Re-examined: The hosts and Shuman break down David Ricardo's foundational economic theory, pointing out its critical flaws in a world where capital, but not labor, is mobile.BIMBY ("Begin In My Backyard"): A positive reframing of the NIMBY concept, suggesting that global change and innovation are most powerful when they start with local action and problem-solving.Suggested Reading & ListeningPut Your Money Where Your Life Is – Michael H. ShumanThe Local Economy Solution – Michael H. ShumanThe Main Street JournalCommunity Economics at Post Carbon InstituteMichael Shuman’s Blog

    52 min

  5. MAY 12

    What If Philanthropy Got It Right? Robert Osborne on What if Instead?

    Our guest, Robert Osborne, principal of The Osborne Group, brings 25 years of experience working with nonprofits and funders. Together, we explore: Why most philanthropic money never reaches grassroots, community-led organizationsHow donor-advised funds and endowments lock away billions while urgent needs go unmetThe limits of “charity” and the need to center justice insteadWhether measuring impact helps or distracts from real changeAnd yes… how toile curtains and a fictional band called The Goody Two-Shoes Subversives tie it all togetherFrom critique to creativity, we imagine what a more democratic, community-centered, and accountable philanthropic system could look like — and what would need to shift to make it real.  Editorial Producer: Kyriaki (Claire) Lampidou Producer: Srijan Banik

    37 min

  6. MAR 27

    Unlocking Potential Through Experiential Learning | A Conversation with Tomás Mora Selva & Huang Wei-Jou | What If Instead? Podcast with Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman

    Guests:  Tomás Mora Selva, Cofounder, Youth BCN and Youth HUB; Head of Experiential Learning, RebelBase; Cofounder, Democratizing Innovation Institute; and Board Member, I.D.E.A Huang Wei-Jou, Student, Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University Hosts:  Alejandro Juárez Crawford On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/alejandro-juarez-crawford Miriam Plavin-Masterman On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/miriam-plavin-masterman ______________________ Episode Introduction Tomás Mora Selva and Huang Wei-Jou share their insights on how non-formal education fosters creativity, collaboration, and personal growth. Tomás and Wei-Jou’s discussion explores the dynamics of experiential learning, mentorship, and the impact of cultural differences in education.The guests highlight the importance of enabling students to take ownership of their learning and the transformative power of project-based experiences. Join us and learn more about the challenges and rewards of working in diverse teams and the potential for scaling these educational approaches globally. ______________________ Resources Greenies: https://app.rebelbase.co/project/3611 Repurpose (BRACU): https://app.rebelbase.co/project/4371 Youth BCN: https://youthbcn.com/, https://www.instagram.com/youthbcn_official/?hl=es Youth HUB: https://youthhubnet.com/ ______________________ Episode Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ For more podcast stories from What If Instead? Podcast with Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman, visit: https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/alejandro-juarez-crawford and https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/miriam-plavin-masterman

    1h 15m

  7. MAR 13

    We Have The Skills, We Need The Connection | A Conversation with Ari Luis Halos & Charnylle T. Antiporda | What If Instead? Podcast with Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman

    Guests:  Ari Luis Halos, Assistant Professor, University of the Philippines Open University On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-luis-halos-897b2113/ Charnylle T. Antiporda, Founder of Juan Lift Hosts:  Alejandro Juárez Crawford On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/alejandro-juarez-crawford Miriam Plavin-Masterman On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/miriam-plavin-masterman ______________________ Episode Introduction In this new What if Instead? conversation, Professor Ari Luis Halos is joined by his former student Charnylle T. Antiporda, now founder of Juan Lift. Ari and Nylle explore the transformative power of connecting diverse talents to create meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities (PWDs). They highlight Juan Lift’s mission to empower PWDs by offering remote work opportunities, emphasizing the importance of bridging the gap between those with valuable skillsets and those in need of their expertise. Join us for an insightful conversation on how we can foster more connections and unlock hidden potential for individuals with often-overlooked abilities. ______________________ Resources Juan Lift - Rebel Base: https://app.rebelbase.co/project/3993 Hope Across Borders: https://hopeacrossborders.org/ ______________________ Episode Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ For more podcast stories from What If Instead? Podcast with Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman, visit: https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/alejandro-juarez-crawford and https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/miriam-plavin-masterman

    57 min

  8. FEB 27

    Mentorship & Collaboration: The Alignment That Changes The World | A Conversation with Evelina Van Mensel and Martin Nedev | What If Instead? Podcast with Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman

    Guests:  Evelina Van Mensel On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evavanmensel Martin Nedev, CEO of Enthela On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/enthela Hosts:  Alejandro Juárez Crawford On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/alejandro-juarez-crawford Miriam Plavin-Masterman On ITSPmagazine  👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/miriam-plavin-masterman ______________________ Episode Introduction In this episode of What If Instead?, Professor Evelina Van Mensel is joined by her former student Martin Nedev, now CEO of Enthela. What kind of collaboration, they ask, enables people to create solutions that address pressing problems around them? When asked about Enthela’s award-winning endeavor to keep more nitrogen in the soil using bacteria, Nedev argues that he’s doing this now only because of a window Van Mensel helped open for him. The two explain how this window opened up possibilities not only for him, but also for innovators around the world taking on the toughest problems human beings face. Strikingly, they focus less on their own endeavors than on what it takes to open that window for more of us. What starts as an inquiry into how to collaborate with people from other professional backgrounds, quickly opens up into a vital conversation relevant to people anywhere who want to tackle the crises around them.  Tune in to discover how intentional collaboration can lead to unexpected yet transformative outcomes, and shift  who  gets to shape the future. ______________________ Resources Effectuation: https://effectuation.org/ Melodies for Palestine - RebelBase: https://app.rebelbase.co/project/3614 ______________________ Episode Sponsors Are you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel? 👉 https://www.itspmagazine.com/sponsor-the-itspmagazine-podcast-network ______________________ For more podcast stories from What If Instead? Podcast with Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman, visit: https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/alejandro-juarez-crawford and https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/miriam-plavin-masterman

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

A podcast co-hosted by Alejandro Juárez Crawford and Miriam Plavin-Masterman. A show about everyday people reimagining the way things work—and tackling the obstacles they face. We explore adventures in democratizing innovation—how the chance to try one’s hand at something new affects people and even organizations, what “powers” they discover and what challenges they face along the way. We dig into access: what determines who gets the chance to try and disrupt the way things work? We examine obstacles in specific industries and communities, and go deep with people working to break through them. We look closely at the role of tech—how it can equip or disempower people to build experiments of their own—and society: what leads us to accept a role as consumers of the way things work, and what it means to discover our powers to ask in practice, “What if instead?” Producer of the What If Instead? Podcast: Srijan Banik

Information

  • Creator
    Alejandro Juárez Crawford, Miriam Plavin-Masterman, ITSPmagazine, Srijan Banik
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2015 - 2024 ITSPmagazine
  • Show Website
    What If Instead? Podcast