I Want to Change the World
by Janai Gilmore
Hi! My name is Janai, and I’m the host of the "I Want to Change the World" podcast.That thought, “I want to change the world”, has been a guiding force behind so many decisions in my career and in my life, in general. But what does it really mean? In this podcast I pick at the questions that continue to follow me as I follow the question, “what does it looks like for me- and for all of us who feel called to the task- to actually change the world?” Tune in to to hear me (and sometimes guests!) share stories, ideas, lessons learned, and unanswered questions from my journey.
Episodes
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Ep 30: Without Politics, We Lose: Beyond Mutual Aid and Nonprofit Do-Gooding w/ Dr. Angel McKissic
“We cannot mutual aid our way to feed feeding almost 400million people in this country. What we need to be clear about is that we can do all of these programs, we can do mutual aid, we can engage in culture, but those things are not politics. And it's really important that we have politics.” –…
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Ep 29: Becoming an Activist w/ Christy McGillivray
Normally on the podcast, listeners hear me interviewingpeople. But in Episode 29, the tables have turned! I had the honor of being interviewed by Christy McGillivray, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians (VNP), a Michigan-based nonpartisan advocacy organization. Even though in our...
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Ep 28: Beyond Philanthropy w/ Michael Gast
In Episode 28, I am excited to share my interview with Michael Gast. Mike has spent 20+ years organizing wealthy people like himself to invest not only their dollars but really their whole selves into creating an economy and social contract that works for everyone. Through the writing and...
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Ep 27: "We Gotta Tell the Truth." w/ Mark Greer
As I’ve contemplated my next career move since returninghome from Ghana, I’ve had to contend with competing thought bubbles floating in my head: “Sign me up to support the revolution!” “Sign me up for financial security!” “Sign me up to drive radical, progressive change in our society!” “Sign me…
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Ep 26: "We Will Win" w/ Amber Hamilton
“We are going to change the world. We will win. It's just not going to happen tomorrow.I may not happen the day after tomorrow — but we will win.” In Episode 26, it is my pleasure to share my interview with Amber Hamilton, President and CEO of the Memphis Music Initiative/ Philanthropy Disruptor/...
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Ep 25: How to Cope with Being Human, Part Two
A LOT has happened since I last started exploring the question“How do we cope with being human?” in my last episode. Chaos and craziness have been unfolding in my country, theUnited States – from the antics of the Trump administration to natural disasters in multiple parts of the country. To say...
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Ep 24: How to Cope with Being Human, Part 1
Before we’re “do-gooders” who want to change the world, we’re human beings. To be a human being means that we have to cope with our own anxieties, insecurities, and disappointments, no matter what’s going on in the world outside of our heads. To be a human being means that we live in a world that...
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Quick Update: Hello from Detroit!
I'm back home! You can sign up for my newsletter at: https://janai-gilmore.ck.page/d54a8f40a1
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Ep 23: The Question of Fulfillment
In episode 23, I welcome you back to the classroom to explore questions which led me to take myself back to "Do Gooder School" in the first place: "Do I want to go back into the nonprofit/social impact space for the next step in my career post-sabbatical?" “Do I need to be a professional do…
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Ep 22: Do Gooder School Orientation
I don't feel like I've already been in Ghana for nine months, but I have! In just three months, it'll be time for me to go home and start my 9 to 5 life again. Last month, I even officially started my job search. I polished my LinkedIn profile, updated my resume. As I mentioned in the last…
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Ep 21: Making Volunteering Sexy w/ Dave Coles
Is it just me or does the world kind of seem like a flaming dumpster fire right now? The list of issues and worthy causes include things in the headlines today like the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to ongoing issues poverty, climate change, homelessness, the loneliness epidemic, and on and on. How...
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Ep 20: Do's and Dont's for Doing Good w/ Dave Coles
Let me start by confessing that I was originally set on calling this episode “Laying Down the ‘White Man’s Burden’”. After all my interview guest, Dave Coles, is a white British man who, as a young, idealistic volunteer, ventured from his home in the UK to make a difference in Africa. Inspired by…
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Ep 19: What I Thought I Knew
Six months into my sabbatical year in Ghana, I've met new people, seen new sights, and had LOTS of new experiences, like getting malaria, going to a leprosarium (as in, a place where doctors treat leprosy) to see a dermatologist, and swimming in the ocean, etc. I've approached many of these new...
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Ep 18: Seeing Opportunity Wherever You Are w/ Kindra Parker
"Every time I look around, I see something that can be done. And it just really excites me that Ghana is so ripe for not only business, but investments, collaboration with with local people." - Kindra Parker, Entrepreneur and Founder/President of MentorHer Ghana. Episode 18 features my fourth...
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Ep 17: I'm a Beginner
It’s now been 4 months since I moved to Ghana for a sabbatical of sorts. But, to be honest, up until a few days ago when my work contract with the organization that I had been working for in the States ended, I’d spent a lot of my time being physically in Ghana but mentally thousands of miles…
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Bonus Mini-Episode: "Connecting to Culture through Literature" w/ Noelle Ojo
At the end of episode 16, "Black. American. In Africa.", I said that I'd be sharing a bonus episode with a few more more gems that came out of my interview with Noelle Ojo, author of The Blaxit Effect: The African-American's Guide to Relocating to Africa and US Foreign Service Officer. This...
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Ep 16: Black. American. In Africa. w/ Noelle Ojo
“I think sometimes it's just as a society, they try to box us in, especially in the United States, you can only be you have to be this to be black. And when you start to expand your world, especially amongst black people, then you don't buy into that as much.” – Noelle Ojo, author of The Blaxit...
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Ep 15: After Two Months in Ghana...
Given that I've now officially been in Ghana for two whole months AND I just applied for my one year residency permit a few days ago, it seems like a good time to pause and reflect on what my major takeaways from my time here have been, so far. What reflections come up for you as you listened to...
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Ep 14: How to *Not* Be a "White Savior" w/ Casey Kempton
“For me, I the way I view the bakery is really important. I view it as like a tool, or a step, which the people use. I picture the bakery as being like one rung on a ladder for them. Whereas I think a savior mentality is more of like, I personally am the ladder. And I think if you keep in mind…
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Ep 13: "Blessed to Be A Blessing" with Eunice Cox
“I have no concept of privilege shame. It’s that I’m blessed. I recognize that I am blessed, and I am blessed for a purpose. And that purpose is to be a blessing to other people. So, my life, if I think about it, is framed by this. [When] I go to Ghana, and I see the poverty around me in my...
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Ep 12: Finding My Place
When people ask me why I wanted to move to Ghana, I usually say that I was going there to rest (in spite of the weighty to do list and the stack of books that I've brought along with me!). I would say I was going there to feel the same lightness and serenity that I'd felt on past trips here to...
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Ep 11: Hello from Accra!
I made it to Ghana! I woke up this morning (March 7, 2023) amazed and in awe to find myself here. In this episode, I share some reflections on the journey that's led me here. I invite you to think about an idea that's been knocking at the door to your heart asking you to partner with it so it…
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Ep 10: How Are We Doing?
Inner transformation work is outer transformation work. Personal development is professional development. Those statements are as true whether you spend your days making widgets or organizing political initiatives around climate change. I started off my career wanting to change the world, but...
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Ep 9: Chasing My Dreams
The theme of this season of my life must be "chasing dreams". I'm podcasting. I'm training to be a coach. I'm preparing to leave the organization I love and where I've spent my career, to date, to rest for a while and then dive into building my business. And in less than a month, I'm heading to...
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Ep 8: Learning How to Feel
For many of my 35 years, I built up the skills and practices of eating my feelings, stuffing down my feelings, lashing out my feelings, scrolling or swiping my feelings, escaping my feelings with my imagination, or busying away my feelings. The idea of feeling my feelings is a relatively new…
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Ep 7: It Starts in Your Head.
Hello from San Juan! This episode may feel like a wild, unpredictable ride! I'm in Puerto Rico for Rachel Rodgers' "ROI: the Millionaire’s Summit" and it's inspired me with quite a few thoughts about my thoughts about being here! In this episode, I talk about how learning to question my thoughts...
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Ep 6: "Wait! The Matrix Is in Me?!" w/ Petra Vega
When I started at my first “real” (read: salaried with benefits) job in the community development field, I just knew I’d made it! I was going to get paid to do what I’d always wanted to do – make Detroit a better place for people like my neighbors and myself. To my 24 (ish) year old mind, I was...
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Ep 5: "How You Gon' Love the World?"
On Wednesday, I’m going to a funeral for someone who was very dear to me. Mrs. Sophia Ellis was my high school German teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in Detroit. Over the 22 years that I knew her, I had the chance to witness her being herself, loving herself, giving herself...
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Ep 4: Change: From the Inside Out
“How we are at the small scale is how we are at the large scale.” “What we practice at a small scale can reverberate to the largest scale.” - Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown (p.52) As I talk about in the very first episode of the podcast, I started off…
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Ep 3: It Don't Always Be Racism
It might surprise you to learn that I was inspired to record this episode because of experiences that I had earlier this year when I traveled to Ghana for vacation (Note: Join the "I Want to Change the World Podcast Community" to see pics and posts from my Ghana trip). I felt privileged to be…
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Ep 2: "How did you make it?"
We live in a “you’re _, therefore you’re supposed to be like _ ”- kind of world. We don’t get to pick the stereotypes or expectations that come along with showing up in the world as ourselves. I show up in the world as myself (i.e., black and from the east side of Detroit, and also “articulate”,...
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Ep 1: I'm from Detroit
Welcome to episode 1! When I asked myself where do I begin, my mind went to Detroit. I’m from Detroit. And that’s where the fire in my belly for challenging injustice started. In this episode I share (at least part of) the story of how my eyes were opened to the reality of inequality and where my...
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I Want to Change the World - Trailer
Welcome to "I Want to Change the World"! In this trailer, I share a little background on who I am and the journey that's led me to create this podcast. As with every episode, I include questions to encourage YOU reflect on your journey as an aspiring world changer. If you want to drop me a line...
About this show
Hi! My name is Janai, and I’m the host of the "I Want to Change the World" podcast.That thought, “I want to change the world”, has been a guiding force behind so many decisions in my career and in my life, in general. But what does it really mean? In this podcast I pick at the questions that continue to follow me as I follow the question, “what does it looks like for me- and for all of us who feel called to the task- to actually change the world?” Tune in to to hear me (and sometimes guests!) share stories, ideas, lessons learned, and unanswered questions from my journey.
Hosted by
Janai Gilmore