Change Happens in Relationship with Sophie Otiende

Sophie Otiende believes the most radical thing her parents did was raise children they chose to have, with intention and love. That foundation—being fully accepted at home—shaped everything: her approach to activism, her refusal to be married to ideas, her conviction that healing happens through community, not institutions.In this conversation, Sophie unpacks what it means to teach from lived experience, why she doesn't believe in scaling organizations, and how real change happens in relationship rather than through debates. We discuss the power of being believed without question, why flexibility matters more than confidence in your ideas, and what it looks like to design systems that trust people's capacity for good rather than assume their capacity for harm.From poetry to policy, from survivor leadership to gentle parenting, this is a conversation about reclaiming joy in the work and remembering that community.Sophie can be found at: https://www.sophieotiende.com/