Changemaking on unspeakable territory: Interview with Andrew MacLeod

I recently went LIVE with Andrew MacLeod — a former UN official, military officer, politician, and the founder of Hear Their Cries — to explore changemaking in its most confronting terrain:problems that are not just difficult, but socially and psychologically “unspeakable.”This conversation carries a content warning: It addresses abuse, power, rape, and systemic failure in humanitarian contexts.As I metabolize this conversation, I will publish a reflection, please stay tuned.▶️ Watch or listen🎥 Substack (video + audio):https://changemakershandbook.substack.com/about🎧 Spotify / Apple Podcasts:Search Changemakers’ HandbookThe premiseAcross my recent work, I’ve been tracing a distinction:We do not lack solutions.We struggle to scale what works.This conversation complicates that further.Because some problems do not fail to spread due to lack of evidence or coordination.They fail because people do not want to see them.Why this matters for changemakersThis conversation adds something I have not explicitly named before:Some of the hardest problems are not resisted by power alone —they are resisted by our own limits of attention, comfort, and moral tolerance.That changes the work. It means:* awareness is not enough* evidence is not enough* even alignment is not enoughIf you are working on change…This conversation is worth your time if you are grappling with:* why some issues never gain traction* how to work on topics others avoid* the limits of “raising awareness”* how to stay in difficult work over time* what it means to create change without recognitionReferences & further exploration* Hear Their Cries: https://www.hearthercries.org* BBC World of Secrets (Season 12) Searching for Soldier Dad: https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0nds5d9* ABC Four Corners: Sex Tourism – My Father’s Secret: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-04/sex-tourism-my-father-s-secret/104056506* UK Parliamentary Reports on aid sector abuse: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/3401/sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-in-the-aid-sector-inquiry/The question I’m left withWhat happens when the barrier to change is not the system —but what we are willing to see?Thank you to everyone who joined LIVE —and to Andrew for staying in work that most would turn away from.Changemakers’ Handbook is an audience-supported publication focused on professionalizing changemaking in a post-solutions world. Consider subscribing to join future live conversations and to access all posts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit changemakershandbook.substack.com/subscribe