Afleveringen

  • Annemarie Shrouder shares her personal journey with identity and discusses her work building inclusive cultures and communities. She and Melissa explore the difference between learning and BEING something (embodying change), the challenges of mixed race identity, creating safe and/or brave spaces, and the importance of representation, belonging and community support.

    Topics Discussed:

    Identity and embodying change Inclusion and belonging in organizations Leadership, empathy and localization Diversity in leadership and overcoming barriers Creating inclusive cultures and speaking up against injustice

    Key Insights:

    Embodying change means living what you learn, not just talking about it Inclusion alone is not enough without addressing oppressive systems Self-care and vulnerability are acts of resistance for historically disadvantaged groups Both safe spaces and brave spaces are needed to have meaningful conversations (and this article by Elise Ahenkorah takes it a step further talking about accountable spaces)

    Annemarie Shrouder – international best-selling author of Being Brown in a Black and White World: Conversations for Leaders on Race, Racism and Belonging - has spent more than 20 years in the field of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) as a facilitator, consultant, and international speaker. An expert in EDI with a Masters in Bias Awareness, Annemarie assists in the creation of healthy workplace communities through her Signature Methodology and Inclusive Leadership Program. Organizations turn to Annemarie when they are looking to build environments where people can learn and are supported, and where they are acknowledged and valued. She also delivers presentations and keynotes, and can be booked for speaking engagements that inspire people to notice more, and raise awareness about the importance of inclusion. Annemarie works with diversity broadly and is passionate about healing the racial divide and supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion.

    To learn more, check out:

    Her website: https://annemarieshrouder.com/Her community for leaders committed to building belonging: https://ediwithheart.wordpress.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemarieshrouder/Her book: https://annemarieshrouder.com/book/

    “Embodying change is the difference between learning something and BEING something.”

    - Annemarie Shrouder

  • In this episode, Melissa Pitotti and Nasra Ismail have a candid conversation about navigating transitions, power dynamics, and the principles of localization in the humanitarian sector. They share personal anecdotes and insights into their professional journeys, discussing the challenges and opportunities they encountered along the way. From experiencing shifts in power dynamics to embracing localization as a personal and professional practice, they delve into the complexities of working in the humanitarian field and the importance of aligning personal values with professional endeavors. Join them as they explore the intersection of personal and professional growth, which could be helpful for anyone navigating career transitions or seeking to create meaningful change in their communities.

    Background

    Nasra Ismail is Alight's newly appointed U.S. Enterprise Executive Director, where she leads a team to build and expand welcoming communities for newcomers to the United States. With a career spanning two decades, Nasra's journey has taken her across the globe, from leading public policy in Washington D.C. to delivering humanitarian aid in East Africa and shaping social justice movement strategy in philanthropy for the past three years. As a first-generation immigrant, Nasra champions interconnected communities founded on principles of equity and inclusion, all working towards a shared future. Nasra has held leadership roles at organizations including the U.S Millennium Challenge Corporation, Care US, Oxfam International, Co-Impact, and GivingTuesday. Her unique blend of experiences in humanitarian, public, and philanthropic sectors all reflect her core values, which were enriched by her personal displacement journey from Somalia.

    In this episode, Melissa and Nasra

    reflect on their professional journeys, highlighting the transitions they've experienced and the lessons learneddiscuss the impact of power dynamics on relationships and professional interactions, sharing personal experiences of navigating shifts in powershare insights into the principles of localization and its significance in empowering local communities to drive change and participate fully in humanitarian effortsexplore the intersection of personal and professional values, emphasizing the importance of aligning one's purpose with their workoffer encouragement and advice for individuals navigating career transitions or seeking to create positive change in their communitiesdiscuss the role of community support and collaboration in fostering personal and professional growth, highlighting the value of mutual aid and solidarity

    Melissa's conclusion

    Community is the #1 thing you need when navigating a values-aligned career transition in the humanitarian sector.

    Resources mentioned

    Nasra Ismail's LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/nasraismailNasra Ismail's X (Twitter) profile: @NAS_ismsNasra is the U.S. Enterprise Executive Director of Alight, and you can learn more about Alight at: https://wearealight.org/ Their previous podcast conversation can be found here: https://changemakingwomen.com/guest-series-embodying-change-4-nasra-ismail-director-of-the-somalia-ngo-consortium/
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  • In this episode Melissa speaks with Joy Kolin, Executive Director and Board President of Giving Joy.

    Joy has 20-years of experience in the field of international development, a career that has taken her to over 60 countries. Throughout her travels, Joy found herself touched by a common trend - the immense ability of women to affect positive change if given the resources and opportunities to do so. In 2018 she established Giving Joy as a way to harness and grow the power and the influence of women-led ventures the world over. Now, women from any country, across any trade or industry, can apply for a one-time grant between $250 to $500 to jump start and/or expand their operations.

    To learn more check out:

    - Giving Joy: https://givingjoygrants.org

    - Email: [email protected]

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • How can we better manage our workload, as per Commitment 8 of the Core Humanitarian Standard?*

    In this episode Melissa speaks with Wouter Smeets, a design-thinker, about how to re-shape our work in a way that gives us energy, rather than drains it. He gives us some good questions to ask ourselves, like: How do we design our morning routine? What makes a break a good break? What task can we do first that will put us on good footing for the rest of the day? What are some life-centric strategies for managing our calendar? He also reveals a free, work-enhancing drug that has zero side effects. And he talks about a ground-breaking process he’s involved with to create a safe space for exchanging ideas that is also a brave space for experimenting with putting these ideas into practice to make our work more life-enriching.

    Wouter Smeets co-founded Prototype You, a community lab for explorers who challenge accepted norms about work, to co-create ways of working where people and organisations thrive. It’s a community lab with workshops, conversations, and experiments to cultivate work that enriches people’s lives. When he’s not working he’s usually visiting the sea, hiking, or running on the athletics track.

    To learn more check out:

    - Wouter on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wouter-smeets/

    - Prototype You at https://www.prototypeyou.nl/community

    - Wouter’s newsletter where he shares gems from the lab here: https://prototypeyou.ck.page/newsletter

    - Wouter’s email is: [email protected]

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

    *Core Humanitarian Standard Commitment 8: Communities and people affected by crisis receive the assistance they require from competent and well-managed staff and volunteers.

  • In this conversation, Melissa speaks with Sabrina Prioli, the author of a memoir called “Rise up, phoenix” and one of the victim/survivors of the 2016 Terrain Compound Attacks in Juba, South Sudan. Sabrina shares her insights into how to better support victim/survivors and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. She also explains the nuances of the words “victim” vs. “survivor” and how to cope when hearing about traumatic incidents like hers.

    *Note: This conversation includes references to rape and may be triggering for some listeners.*

    Sabrina Prioli is currently a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Mental Fitness Coach and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). She is an independent consultant and she supports organisations in raising awareness, prevention and preparation on the issue of sexual abuse, violence and rape. She worked for years as an aid worker and consultant for humanitarian projects. Sabrina helped develop the planning, monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) plans for her own and different partner implementing projects. She has worked as a researcher and PM&E consultant for universities, NGOs and governments in Latin America, Africa and Europe. She has experience and knowledge in the thematic areas of protection, education, economic empowerment and gender equality which allow her to develop the appropriate indicators and PM&E tools. In 2011 she created a foundation “Fundacion Hilo Sagrado”, dedicated to the conservation of culture and tradition of the indigenous peoples of Guajira, in Colombia, to strengthen the identity and social role of women. In 2021, for her civil commitment in favour of women victims of violence and abuse, she won the "Woman Award 2021" and the award “Il Paese delle Donne Award 2021." In 2022 she won solidarity award, “Premio Solidarietà” Premio Nazionale Pratola 2022. Sabrina has a degree in Sociology, a Masters in Project Management for International Organisations, and Certification in Monitoring & Evaluation & Facilitation.

    Sabrina's website: https://en.sabrinaprioli.com/Sabrina's 2020 memoir "Rise up, phoenix": https://en.sabrinaprioli.com/il-mio-libro

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organisational culture and well-being, see:

    https://www.chsalliance.org/organisational-culture-and-people-management/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • In this episode Melissa speaks with Dr. Aiysha Malik, a mental health specialist at the World Health Organization working for a world that supports, improves, and does not harm mental health. They discuss the WHO guidelines on mental health and work and accompanying WHO-ILO policy brief. What do the guidelines say and what can you do with them?

    Check out the WHO guidelines on mental health at work here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240053052

    And the WHO-ILO mental health at work policy brief here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240057944

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organisational culture and well-being, see:

    https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

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  • Melissa speaks with: Dr. Chinonso Emmanuel Okorie, an MSF doctor living in Rwanda who recently completed a mission in Yemen; Lindis Hurun, the General Director of MSF Norway; and Ryan Rodrick Beiler, a multimedia producer for MSF Norway. They and several colleagues were involved in the production of a video that has made waves in the humanitarian community for its handling of structural racism and patient dignity using a technique called “the duet.” In this podcast interview they talk about why and how the video came to be, the organisational culture changes that were happening behind the scenes, the public reaction to the video, and lessons learned they want to share with other humanitarians.

    Check out the video, “When you picture Doctors without Borders, what do you see?” - here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DFemg94ufU

    Excerpt from the video:

    “This is not about us and them.

    This is not about heroes and victims.

    This is about global solidarity and humanitarian justice.

    Because we are all just human beings, with the same worth and dignity, and the same right to live in safety and health.”

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on power, organisational culture and well-being, see:

    https://www.chsalliance.org/organisational-culture-and-people-management/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • In this episode Melissa Pitotti speaks with Degan Ali, the Executive Director of Adeso, about the story behind the Pledge for Change 2030. They explore the ways in which the process that led to the Pledge was informed by lessons learned from the Charter for Change and the Grand Bargain. They consider the need for brave leaders to have safe spaces to come together on tough issues - and for leaders to be evaluated on metrics of success other than “bigger is better.” They end with reflections on equitable partnerships and accountability mechanisms.

    Degan Ali is Executive Director of the African humanitarian and development organisation Adeso, as well as co-founder of the first Global South civil society network for local and national humanitarian organisations, the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR). She is a Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellow for Social Innovation, and a contributor to the Overseas Development Institute/Humanitarian Policy Group and Global Food Security journal. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Al Jazeera and The Guardian. Degan holds an M.A. in international service from University of Roehampton and a B.A. from Trinity College. She lives in Kenya and works with organisations across the Global North and South.

    To learn more about the Pledge for Change 2030 check out:

    - The Pledge for Change website: https://pledgeforchange2030.org/

    - The launch of the Pledge on the New Humanitarian Podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/event-launch-of-the-pledge-for-change-2030/id1420089508?i=1000584624738

    To learn more about the CHS Revision Process check out: https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/chs-revision

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • In this episode Melissa speaks with Faye Ekong of RavelWorks Africa about common challenges in aid organisations, particularly as they relate to decolonising aid in a “post” COVID world.

    Faye Ekong is the Managing Director of RavelWorks Africa. She has been in Human Resources, Learning & Personal Development for over 10 years. She is an SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), holds a Masters of Science in International Management and a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies and Modern Languages. To learn more, check out:

    - Ravelworks Africa: https://ravel.works/

    - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faye-ekong/?originalSubdomain=ke

    To register for the 21 September 2022 CIGNA event on “Safeguarding & Staff Well-being – What Good Looks Like” visit: https://www.cignaglobal.com/ngo-event?utm_source=Organisational+culture+opt-in&utm_campaign=ca506081f5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_08_08_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cf704f3635-ca506081f5-154076786

    To register for the 27 – 28 September 2022 CHS Exchange, “Towards a more accountable aid system: delivering on our commitments” visit: https://hopin.com/events/chs-exchange-ga-2022

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organisational culture and well-being, see:

    - https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa speaks with Oge Chukwudozie about the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub’s exciting pilot project accompanying 10 local Nigerian organisations as they work to change their organisational cultures. Oge emphasizes the value of cultivating a safe and supportive workplace culture and the importance of leadership “walking the talk.”

    Organisations often issue written policies without addressing the underlying social norms of the organisation that block the full implementation of these policies. A good place to start is for leaders to develop qualities like awareness, self-acceptance, empathy, curiosity in the face of criticism, and a learning mindset in the face of mistakes. Work relationships that are friendly and filled with laughter – rather than tension - can motivate and energise people to do their best work. Leaders who are nice are not necessarily weak. Mental health challenges and burnout are real. You want to ensure your staff are okay.

    Oge Chukwudozie is a safeguarding and protection professional with 18 years’ experience in the aid sector. She has worked with different organisations, including Africare, Christian Aid and Save the Children. Oge has experience in various thematic areas such as education, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and emergency response. She is currently the National Representative for the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub (RSH) Nigeria Hub. Her six-month pilot project is currently providing mentorship to 10 local Nigerian organisations to assess their organizational cultures, create a vision and prioritized action plan for change, track progress in reflection journals, and share learning with peers.

    To learn more, check out:

    - The Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub (RSH) website:

    https://safeguardingsupporthub.org/

    and Nigeria specific page:

    https://nigeria.safeguardingsupporthub.org/

    - Twitter: @SafeguardingRSH

    - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/oge-chinenye-chukwudozie-96164a2b

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organisational culture and well-being, see:

    - https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa speaks with Dr. Gaya Gamhewage about her work in the world’s premier health organisation, the World Health Organisation (WHO), to prevent and response to sexual misconduct.

    They talk about the importance of leaders being vocal, explicit and sincere about their commitment to living the organisation’s values. They also surface a variety of tangible things organisations can do to reduce the exploitation of power, like:

    - admit when there are failures, even though it is uncomfortable

    - give immediate, timely and sustained support to victims and survivors, irrespective of the status of evidence and investigations

    - integrate and emphasize values in vacancy notices, hiring, inductions and trainings

    - ensure hires are screened, briefed, trained and sign a Code of Conduct

    - build confidence in systems for reporting and investigations by resourcing them and showing results (e.g. an open accessible dashboard on the website tracking complaints follow-up, timely investigations, and following through with disciplinary actions);

    - prevent retaliation against those reporting misconduct, even the subtle forms (e.g. letting contracts expire)

    - create psychologically safe spaces to learn and speak up (e.g. upstander trainings as well as facilitating interactions between men and women, professionals and non-professionals, international and national staff)

    - obliging every team across the organisation to select a team objective related to values, and assessing progress at the end of the year.

    Dr. Gaya Gamhewage is a medical doctor and public health expert with three decades of experience in the health sector. She has worked with the World Health Organization for over 20 years, mostly leading institutional capacity-building initiatives for health emergencies, including COVID-19 trainings. Since July 2021, she has been the Director a.i. for Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct. Prior to this, Dr. Gamhewage was Head of Learning & Capacity Development for WHO's Health Emergencies Programme and worked in the Executive Director's Office where she introduced social learning for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Previously she led new areas of work for WHO including in health communications & behavioral change; risk communications & community engagement; and most recently, lifelong learning for health which included the development of the first-ever WHO Global Learning Strategy for Public Health. Dr Gamhewage has worked for national and international NGOs including the Save the Children UK and Norway, and was at the beginning of her career the Director of Community Health for Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan NGO working in more than 15,000 villages. She holds two Masters Degrees in addition to her medical degree - in International Health and in International Policy-Making and Negotiation.


    To learn more, check out:

    - WHO Director-General's opening remarks. The role of CSOs in the prevention, detection, and response to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment – 26 April 2022. https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks.-the-role-of-csos-in-the-prevention--detection--and-response-to-sexual-exploitation--abuse--and-harassment---26-april-2022

    - Dotiv the Podcast, Episode 3: A journey from journalism to public health https://dotiv.life/dr-gaya-i-ep-3-a-journey-from-journalism-to-public-health/

    - Twitter: @GayaG

    - LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gamhewage-gaya-36a1677

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organisational culture and well-being, see:

    - https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa speaks with Aseem Prakash and Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken about how governing boards of aid organisations can “govern well.” They discuss the power dynamics present in any group of humans, embracing difference and true diversity, prioritising lived experience, modelling behaviours, and asking smart questions.

    Professor Prakash studies NGOs and nonprofits, and voluntary/private regulation, environmental policy and climate governance. He is a widely published author. He has a B.A. (Hons) in Economics from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi in 1986 and MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 1988. Since 2002, he has served on the faculty of the Department of Political Science at University of Washington, Seattle. He won the European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on Regulatory Governance's 2018 Regulatory Studies Development Award that recognises a senior scholar who has made notable "contributions to the field of regulatory governance." To learn more about Aseem, check out his website: http://aseemprakash.net. He edited a symposium for Regulation & Governance on Dysfunctional Institutions here https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17485991/2016/10/2.

    Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken is an experienced INGO and philanthropic actor-focused consultant, leadership development trainer, and coach, change management expert, author, evaluator, and analyst with strong knowledge of international development, civil society organizations, leadership development, organizational development/organizational change, social development and gender and leadership. Co-author of ‘Between Power and Irrelevance: the Future of Transnational NGOs’, with Hans Peter Schmitz and George Mitchell, and published by Oxford University Press (July 2020). Co-author of several academic articles in peer-reviewed journals; author of many practitioner-oriented reports, blog posts, and essays. Podcast host of ‘NGO Soul+Strategy’. To learn more about Tosca, check out her website: https://5oaksconsulting.org/about-tosca/

    Tosca’s essay on culture as an explainer for INGO scandals: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/npf-2019-0031/html?lang=en Tosca’s essay for the CIVICUS State of Civil Society report related essay (2019): https://www.civicus.org/index.php/re-imagining-democracy/overviews/3371-internal-democracy-within-transnationally-operating-non-governmental-organisations-are-we-as-democratic-as-we-thinkAnd the episode featuring Tosca's and Aseem's conversation on the virtue narrative: https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/037-we-need-to-rethink-the-virtue-narrative/id1498390711?i=1000558519586

    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organisational culture and well-being, see:

    https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show, and to Johannes Plenio for his photo of oak trees on Unsplash.***

  • Accountability has been defined in the latest version of the CHS guidance note as "the process of using power responsibly, taking account of, and being held accountable by, different stakeholders, and primarily those who are affected by the exercise of such power.”

    Dr. Emilia Roig, author of “Why We Matter” explains in this Embodying Change episode that “a lot of people don't see power, and that's a problem. Because if you don't see power, then you cannot tackle power imbalances. What we need to do is to make it visible. And currently power is not visible.”

    In this conversation, Melissa asks Dr. Emilia Roig about how power shows up in our work, her concept of “radical solidarity” and her thoughts on self care.

    Dr. Roig is a renowned social justice leader, author, and expert on intersectionality, diversity, equity, inclusion and non-discrimination. She created the Center for Intersectional Justice (CIJ) and published a book called “Why We Matter.” To learn more about Dr. Roig and her book check out her website at https://www.emiliaroig.com/ and Instagram feed at emiliazenzile.

    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa talks about organisational culture with Umut Dilara Baycili, a child psychologist working for Mavi Kalem. This humanitarian NGO and CHS Alliance member supports women and children in Turkey with a team that includes doctors, psychologists, sociologists and social workers.

    It is not unusual for people working for NGOs like Mavi Kalem to experience stressful and traumatic situations. In addition, local and national NGOs often face an uphill battle in accessing sustainable funding. What can be done to support staff and treat them fairly and equitably (Commitment Eight of the Core Humanitarian Standard)?

    Dilara gives examples of leadership recognizing and tapping into staff members’ inherent skills, prioritizing learning and skills development, non-hierarchical communication infused with empathic understanding, ritualised conversations about organisational culture, annual exchanges of personalised feedback, a pragmatic handling of mistakes, and a realistic setting of targets.

    To learn more about Mavi Kalem and Umut Dilara Baycili, check out:

    · Twitter: @Mavi Kalem

    · İnstagram: @mavikalemdernegi

    · Youtube: Mavi Kalem https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuxxdEqGpST00mS-5l-IVYA)

    · Web Site: https://www.mavikalem.org/

    · Mavi Kalem’s E-mail: [email protected]

    · Umut Dilara Baycılı’s E-mail: [email protected]


    To learn more about the CHS Alliance work on organizational culture and well-being, see:

    - https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa speaks with Dr. Liza Jachens, an occupational health psychologist, lecturer and research associate who has partnered with six major humanitarian organisations looking at their staff’s experience of work-related stress and its effects on their mental health.

    Humanitarian work carries a “high emotional load” often exposed to trauma. Dr. Jachens has found that humanitarians are two to three times more likely to develop a mental illness (like anxiety, depression and PTSD) than the general population. This phenomenon is often more related to organisational stressors than to operational stressors. Experiences vary according to location, gender, professional status, and role – but everyone is affected in their own way.


    Dr. Jachens has noticed a reluctance of aid organsiations to share their mental health outcomes publicly, but she has also has seen the benefits when peers come together to compare notes, as many are facing common challenges endemic to the sector. Learning Mental Health First Aid is one way to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and practice having conversations with struggling colleagues. Some stress caused by organisational stressors can be addressed through the better design and management of the workload, including through techniques like job crafting. Ultimately, everyone should prioritise their own mental health and contribute to positive workplace environments.

    To learn more, check out:

    - Dr. Jachens’ publications at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Liza-Jachens

    - Mental Health First Aid resources at https://www.imogenwall.co.uk/training-courses and https://www.ensa.swiss/en/

    - Information on job crafting at https://hbr.org/2020/03/what-job-crafting-looks-like

    - The CHS Alliance Initiative to Cultivate Caring Compassionate Aid Organisations: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Shawna Wakefield, Kristen Zimmerman and Rufaro Gwarada tell the story of Root. Rise. Pollinate! - informed by their previous experiences in aid and development. They share learning from their ongoing experiment to shift culture through connecting inner and outer transformation. They discuss practicing new ways of being and doing the work, counter-balancing harmful systems, accountability, responsibility and relationship, decision-making, inter-generational dialogue and much, much more.

    Rufaro Gwarada is committed to gender justice, migrant rights, African-led solutions for Africans, and utilizing art and cultural expression as conduits for healing, liberation, and joy. Rufaro practices Zen Buddhism and grounds all she does in unhu/ubuntu – the understanding and way of life in which collective and individual well-being and thriving are one and the same. She co-founded ThriveAfrica.us and Wakanda Dream Lab and is a core-team member of Root. Rise. Pollinate!. Rufaro writes fiction investigating gender, power, and familial dynamics inspired by her homeland, Zimbabwe, is a Move to End Violence Movement Maker, and a Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Citizenship Fellow.

    Shawna Wakefield is a facilitator, consultant and women's rights advocate with 25 years of experience advancing gender, racial and economic justice internationally and in the U.S. She accompanies leaders and their social justice and movement building organizations in feminist leadership and building organisational cultures that embody care, justice, equity and inclusion. She is a practitioner of Buddhism, trauma-informed yoga and somatics, with training in respectful confrontation. She is a co-founder Root.Rise.Pollinate!, Associate with Gender at Work, and was formerly Senior Gender Justice Lead at Oxfam International. Shawna is committed to the healing, well-being and freedom of gender justice, Black, Indigenous and POC activists around the world.

    Kristen Zimmerman is committed to a world rooted in our fundamental interdependence and collective thriving. She is an artist-storyteller, coach, strategist, and facilitator with 30 years’ experience integrating embodied and creative practice into movement building, community and social transformation work. She is the co-founder of Root. Rise. Pollinate! Movement Strategy Center, Youth In Focus, and Community LORE and she helped to design and launch projects including the Transitions Ini tiative, Move to End Violence, and Decolonize Race. She is a practitioner of Zen Buddhism and is currently working on a graphic novel that explores themes of home, belonging and cultivating family.

    To learn more, check out:

    Their website: https://www.rootrisepollinate.us/Their blogs: https://medium.com/@rootrisepollinate Reimagining Resilience: supporting feminist women to lead development with transformative practice ://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13552074.2020.1717198?journalCode=cgde20 Email them at [email protected]

    Read about the CHS Alliance Initiative to Cultivate Caring Compassionate Aid Organizations here: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa and Brian Stout of Building Belonging discuss how transformation happens – for individuals, groups, societies and the planet. This includes inviting others to co-create compelling visions, holding space in containers with maximal diversity, stepping into our power and agency, and embodying the change we want with accountability, compassion, grace and challenge.

    Brian Stout is the source for the emergent collaborative that has become Building Belonging. Drawn to mediation and social justice, he worked for anti-genocide civics organization Facing History and Ourselves in Boston. He pursued an MA in International Relations & Conflict Management at Johns Hopkins SAIS, before joining the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he focused on conflict management and mitigation in East Africa, and the Middle East during the Arab Spring. After a detail to help launch the USAID Mission in Myanmar in 2012/2013, he joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle. As the social movements he’d been looking for began to emerge (Occupy, the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock) he left in 2016 to explore the many tributaries that would ultimately become the source for Building Belonging.


    To learn more, check out:

    Building Belonging

    website: https://www.buildingbelonging.us/medium: https://medium.com/@buildingbelonging YouTube channel with conversations on transformation: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRrui9FZqM43NPfB5TFp0Ag

    Thought leaders mentioned in this episode:

    Mia Mingus’ on accountability: https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/dreaming-accountability-dreaming-a-returning-to-ourselves-and-each-other/Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy http://adriennemareebrown.net/tag/emergent-strategy/ Donella Meadow’s work on finding places to intervene in a system: https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/ Shanelle Matthews on storytelling and persuasion for social good https://helloshanelle.com/ Brené Brown’s podcast episode on feedback: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-barrett-guillen-on-the-hardest-feedback-ive-ever-received-part-1-of-2/ AnaLouise Keating on Post-Oppositional Politics of Change https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=78atf8nh9780252037849 Teju Cole on the White-Savior Industrial Complex: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/ Conflict Transformation and Belonging: https://medium.com/building-belonging/reflections-conflict-transformation-belonging-7ffabcd6d0c9 Brian Stout’s newsletter: https://citizenstout.substack.com/

    Check out the CHS Alliance Initiative to Cultivate Caring Compassionate Aid Organizations at https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • This episode is dedicated to humanitarians around the world on World Humanitarian Day.

    Melissa and Torrey Peace of Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast do a podcast exchange about people-centred leadership.

    In this conversation they cover:

    The importance of empowering the people closest to the problem, as they know best how to solve those problems. This relates to high performing teams as well as to the localisation conversation.Three common limiting beliefs that hold leaders back and what to do about them: “Leaders always have to be available.” Actually, leaders are more effective when they – and their teams – schedule and protect regular, uninterrupted time for focused work.“Leaders have to have all the answers.” On the contrary, no leader has all the answers. A coaching approach that supports individuals in solving their own problems can bring profound results to management relationships as well as partnerships. “Setting boundaries is selfish.” In reality, saying “no” when someone asks you to do something that doesn’t work for you or the organisation can protect the quality of work. It is okay to say no!Topics that are currently in demand in the aid sector from Torrey’s vantage point as a coach, podcast host, teacher and blogger:Time management Well-beingHow to set boundariesHow to be more inclusiveDecolonising aid and nationalising positionsCreating cultures in which people and partners feel comfortable speaking up. Ask for feedback and take action on that feedback. We don’t have to call it feedback, as the word itself can be triggering, but consider methods from compassionate communication to connect and improve.Make the organisation's values come alive by being clear on what they are and what they look like in action and revisiting them often.

    With twelve years experience as a leader in international development Torrey facilitates rising and established leaders in the aid world to achieve optimal fulfillment in life and work through creative solutions that align with their organization’s values as well as their own. Torrey coaches leaders and shares learning through her blog, through a podcast, and through a digital course to teach supervisors in international development how they can coach their teams.

    To learn more, check out:

    - Aid for Aid Workers: https://www.aidforaidworkers.com/

    - Write to her at [email protected]

    - Check out these Aid for Aid Workers Leadership Podcast episodes:

    How to Measure Trust with Partners and CommunitiesIs Your Leadership Style Preventing Community Engagement?A Case Study on Nationalizing Staff Positions and Lessons LearnedStop Being Inconsistent and Start Aligning Your Values to Your Actions in Aid WorkThe Leader’s Role in Promoting Well-being in Humanitarian Work

    - The CHS Alliance Initiative to Cultivate Caring Compassionate Aid Organizations: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. Thanks to ICVA for collaborating in this joint project engaging leaders. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa talks with Paula Ramírez of Breathe International.

    In their conversation they cover:

    Her journey from focusing on peacebuilding for nations to peacebuilding from within.The political aspect of being mindful and awareThe body as a source of learningHow to be a living example of mindfulness in the workplaceThe irony that humanitarian work usually doesn’t make space to get to know each other as humans Examples and benefits of leaders and emergency responders introducing awareness into their work

    Paula believes in the pivotal importance of promoting self-care for humanitarian actors. Studying anthropology and experiencing an auto-immune illness, she started to be curious about ways in which human beings can build peace from within, and how resilience and healing could be inspired and guided through the body. Paula has been co-directing RESPIRA since 2013, working closely with teachers and survivors of torture, GBV and landmines in Colombia, South Sudan and Bangladesh. She is an MBSR-Teacher from the UCSD Center for Mindfulness and Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)-Facilitator from the Trauma Center.

    To learn more, check out:

    Breathe International at https://breathe.international/Respira en Colombia: https://respira.co/ The CHS Alliance Initiative to Cultivate Caring Compassionate Aid Organisations: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. Thanks to ICVA for collaborating in this joint project engaging leaders. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

  • Melissa talks with Hope Chigudu, reflecting back on the 20-21 May Global Gathering entitled “Living our values: Care, culture and power in aid organisations” held by the CHS Alliance.

    In their conversation they cover:

    The connections between power, culture and careThe importance of leadership, of using language that people can understand in different contexts, of raising awareness about power in our spacesThe value of rituals, for individuals and communitiesThe idea of accountability: In a world of external accountability and upward accountability, how are we accountable to ourselves?Ideas for how to follow-up the Global Gathering in a way that takes into consideration enthusiasm and energy

    Hope Chigudu is feminist activist and a gender, organisational and development practitioner. In her earlier days in the women’s movement, she co-founded the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network. She later used her skills in governance and management to serve as Chair of the Board of Urgent Action Fund-Africa and prior to this as chair of the Global Fund for Women. Hope is an internationally renowned consultant with experience in "healing" organisations, governance and creative monitoring and evaluation. She co-authored with Rudo Chigudu “Strategies for Building Organisations with a Soul.”


    To learn more, check out:

    10 session recordings from the Global Gathering on the CHS Alliance YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh1w1Ldo3QjUh7q_coN5ifrnUZqlop8cI“Strategies for Building an Organisation with a Soul” by Hope Chigudu and Rudo Chigudu, edited by Jessica Horn, published by the African Institute for Integrated Responses to VAWG and HIV/AIDS (AIR): http://airforafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Strategies-for-Building-an-Organisation-with-Soul-WEB.pdf The CHS Alliance Initiative to Cultivate Caring Compassionate Aid Organizations: https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/cultivating-caring-compassionate-aid-organisations/

    ***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. Thanks to ICVA for collaborating in this joint project engaging leaders. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***