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PODCAST · government

One Billion

by civilla

A behind-the-scenes podcast about how change happens. One Billion features a tiny team with a big ambition: to positively impact one billion people on the planet.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Apr 12, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. 4x11 - Surprise, Surpise

    We entered into this Season determined to find a way to navigate the phase change we're experiencing without losing sight of our mission and our values. After diving deeply into the hearts and minds of every member of the Civilla team we've landed on 3 core elements of our culture that must not...

  2. 4x10 - Pass the mic

    Rachel has guided our audio voyage through two seasons of One Billion. In this episode our host transitions from being the interviewer to being the interviewee. She shares her own story of learning about design thinking, becoming a professional designer, and landing a place on the Civilla team....

  3. 4x9 - Stay Close to the Knitting

    While every member of the Civilla team has left fingerprints on the organization, Civilla would not exist without Michael Brennan. By title, he is our CEO, but his impact extends far beyond the four walls of the studio. His story helps us understand how Civilla grew from a seed of an idea to an...

  4. 4x8 - Believe in Yourself (and Practice)

    Since childhood, Scott put all his eggs in one basket: he was going to be an artist. And no one or nothing could stop him. While today, he's living that dream at Civilla, he'll be the first to tell you the journey was all but direct. In this episode, Scott illustrates how his confidence,...

  5. The 2nd Quasi-Annual Civilla Reunion

    In this interlude, we go behind-the-scenes with 6 individuals who have a unique, but critically important perspective on the phase change we're navigating: over the last 3.5 years, they've each lent their time and talent to Civilla. As a result, they have a deep understanding of our culture....

  6. 4x6 - You Have to Show Up

    What in an organization should stay constant amidst change? What should evolve? This week, we dive into these questions with the one and only: Gaby Dorantes. Since Civilla's early days, Gaby has helped to steward our mission into the world. And while she may describe herself as risk-averse, she...

  7. 4x5 - The Priority

    This week, we dive deep into Rachael's journey of self-discovery. In her interview, she illustrates the power of investing in our whole selves, rather than just the people we are at work. Then, she challenges us to face a growing tension: the tension between our insatiable desire to grow as...

  8. 4x4 - Into the Mind of an Activator

    If you need help jump starting a project, Adam's your guy. However, this phase change is challenging him to think differently about how to leverage this superpower here at Civilla. In this episode we explore both the beauty of Adam's strength as an activator, and its shadows. He leaves us with a...

  9. 4x3 - Learning to Fly

    Meet Sam: a designer, a researcher, a policy maker, a data guru, and a project manager. His role at Civilla has grown exponentially since he joined the team full time. But he'll be the first to tell you that when he came to Civilla, he didn't have many of these skills. So how has he grown so...

  10. 4x2 - Stepping Into Design Leadership

    This week, we hear from Lena Selzer, one of Civilla's founding team members. She walks us into the heart of her journey as the organization's Design Director: the ups, the downs, and the lessons she's learned along the way. She leaves us with a powerful provocation about how to step into the…

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  11. 4x1 - Season 4 Opener

    Here at Civilla, things are changing - quickly. And so, this season we're bringing you right into the heart of that evolution - the fun, the pain, and the fear. Our goal? To determine how to grow our impact without compromising our culture or our belief system. www.civilla.com

  12. Interlude - How Civilla Got it's Name

    In this interlude, we hear from Paul Seibert, the designer who gifted Civilla with it's name. Listen in to hear the story and learn from his process. www.civilla.com

  13. 3x11 - Bring it on home

    This is the season 3 finale! Lena, Adam, and Michael all join in to share their conclusion after 10 podcast episodes about how change actually happens in the world. www.civilla.com

  14. 03x10 - Living Out Conviction

    Meet Leon Stevenson. He'll share the story of how the Mack Avenue Community Church came to be. Learn more about the role of unwavering personal commitment in the pursuit of social justice. www.civilla.com

  15. 03x09 - Leadership is Inhumane

    Meet Lena and Michael, two Civilla teammates with a point of view on our previous podcast episode and guest Amy Kaherl. Tune in to hear their thoughts about giving oneself permission to take care of your own needs as a leader. www.civilla.com

  16. 03x08 - The power right here

    Meet Amy Kaherl. She'll share some of the story of how Detroit Soup came to be and where the journey has taken her. Learn more about the toll change work can take on the individual and at least one strategy for addressing it (it involves a week of solitude in the desert). www.civilla.com

  17. 03x07 - Charge into the next thing

    Meet Michael Arena, the Chief Talent Officer at General Motors. He's spent much of his life passionately exploring how to lead change inside large complex organizations during which he's learned a thing or two. www.civilla.com

  18. 03x06 - Lazy (in a strategic way)

    Meet Bryan Boyer, a true pioneer in the application of design to large government systems. He'll share incredible stories about his experiences traveling the globe and helping launch the esteemed Helsinki Design Lab. This is an episode you won't want to skip. www.civilla.com

  19. 03x05 - Secret Weapon

    Meet Rachael, a Civilla design researcher with a very relevant point of view on our previous guest, LanVy Nguyen. Tune in to hear her reactions to the interview and episode. www.civilla.com

  20. 03x04 - Hungry for change

    Meet LanVy Nguyen - the founder of Fashion4Freedom, a social enterprise that aims to transform establish a sustainable, ethical, supply chain featuring the work of some incredible artisans. Hear her incredible story and learn from her perspective on how change actually happens.

  21. 03x03 - Nothing happens without pain

    Meet Taavi Kotka - the Chief Information Officer of Estonia (the former Soviet nation that borders Russia). Taavi helped lead Estonia's digital transformation to become the world's first e-government. He has an amazing story and a bold perspective on how change happens. www.civilla.com

  22. 03x02 - The Institutional Dilemma

    Listen in as we discuss THE biggest problem in the world. Literally. Institutions are the entities with the greatest impact on our lives that are simultaneously the hardest to change! Fear not: we're going to figure out what the equation for removing friction and restoring humanity across the...

  23. 03x01 - Season 3 Opener

    Meet Rachel. In just 10 weeks she's leaving to bike across the U.S.A. Before leaving she has decided to answer one extremely difficult question: how does change actually happen? She's going to chronicle her adventure from the Civilla podcast studio so you can follow along! Hang onto your hats…

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  24. Judge's Feedback

    In this final interlude from Season 1 we hear the entire Civilla team read the feedback they received from applying to the Macarthur Foundation's 100&Change grant. www.civilla.com

  25. 018 - The Final Week, Part 2 (Day 17 of 17)

    In the eighteenth episode of One Billion we listen as the Independent Sector executive leadership team responds to the user research work their team has conducted. We hear what excited them and what scared them. And then we hear the answer to the question: did the time at Civilla change your…

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  26. 017 - Leading Change

    In this seventeenth episode of One Billion we meet the CEO of Independent Sector Dan Cardinali. He and his team made the choice to send 4 key staff members to Civilla for a month which leaves us asking: Why? As it turns out, he has a fantastic answer. http://www.civilla.com

  27. 016 - The Final Week, Part 1 (Day 14 of 17)

    In this sixteenth episode of One Billion we prepare for the inevitable conclusion of our time with the Independent Sector crew. It turns out that design work is a roller coaster but by constructing an immersive story and painting a bold vision of the future maybe just maybe they'll be able to...

  28. Interlude - The Call In Show

    In this special interlude we field questions from the folks back home. Tune in as the visiting team responds to question after question from the mothership. www.civilla.com

  29. 015 - Uncover The Meaning (Day 10 of 17)

    In this fifteenth episode of One Billion we dive into the topic of design research synthesis. We learn what a difference deep synthesis makes in drawing meaning from your user interviews. The work concludes in a design review where the team gets feedback. The result of this work has started…

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  30. 014 - A New Way of Working (Day 4 of 17)

    In this fourteenth episode, the Independent Sector team conducts its first user interviews and starts working in a new way (it doesn't really feel like work). Life may never be the same. Tune in to learn about the pursuit of a different set of work inputs rooted in human-centered design...

  31. 013 - The First Day (Day 1 of 17)

    Listen to the adventure of four leaders from Washington D.C. as they head to Civilla, a design studio dedicated to changework. Learn about the role of Immersions in readying learners to take on a beginners mindset. Isn't it possible that they are confronting the same types of challenges that are...

  32. 012 - SEASON TWO OPENER - The Preamble

    Welcome to Season Two (in which we learn whether or not our podcast was a one hit wonder)! Tune in to discover why we don't do workshops but will gladly invest four weeks into the personal growth of a small delegation coming to stay with us in Detroit for a month. www.civilla.com

  33. Interlude - You've Been Accepted

    In this interlude, we learn that we've passed the administrative review for the MacArthur 100&Change $100mm Grant. Turns out the Civilla application beat out 1100 other candidates and is now in the bottom 800. www.civilla.com/onebillion

  34. Interlude - Behind The Music

    In this interlude, we wait to hear back on the status of our $100 million grant application to the MacArthur Foundation. In the meantime we discuss the music that was written and recorded for One Billion and unpack what it means for people to bring their whole self to their work....

  35. 011 - Submit

    This is One Billion's final full episode in Season One. We reflect on the experience of starting a podcast, assembling a $100 million idea, and share out our actual application. A major thank you to all who have contributed their voice to our podcast. Wait, just wait, till you see what we have in...

  36. 010 - Your Video Pitch

    This is the tenth episode of the podcast: One Billion. In it we share out each step of our effort to create a short video pitch as part of our MacArthur 100&Change application. www.civilla.com/onebillion

  37. Interlude - 1 Billion Is Not 100 Million

    In this interlude we share out where the name One Billion came from...cuz people have been asking. www.civilla.com/onebillion

  38. 009 - What's It Cost?

    This is the ninth episode of the podcast: One Billion. We hear from Mr. Ken Whipple, former CEO of Ford Europe, Former CEO of Consumers Energy, and Board Chair of Civilla. He tells stories of meeting President Truman, drinks with Margaret Thatcher, $150 Billion loans, and why it is that he…

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  39. Interlude - Ken's 3 Things

    When we sat down with Civilla's Board Chair Mr. Ken Whipple we didn't expect to learn his 3 ingredient recipe for success. Now we'd like to share that with the world. - Integrity: if you don't want your mom to read about it in the paper, don't do it. - Intensity: what would I have to do to really...

  40. 008 - What's the problem? Part 3

    This is the eighth episode of the podcast: One Billion. We look at the challenge of providing public benefits through a third perspective: the caseworker. And so the story barrels on forward... www.civilla.com/onebillion

  41. Interlude - Green Light!

    We've got some good news - the pilot for Civilla's marquee initiative Project re:Form gets early funding! www.civilla.com/onebillion

  42. 007 - Can You Do It?

    This is the seventh episode of the podcast: One Billion (StartUp for Social Innovation), a behind-the-scenes look at how change happens. In it we discuss tiny teams on the fringe who are able to make the impossible happen. Greg Gorshman from Ad Hoc tells his teams' story uprighting healthcare.gov...

  43. 006 - What's The Evidence?

    This is the sixth episode of the podcast: One Billion. We work our way through questions related to evidence of effectiveness, risk mitigation, and evaluation in our pursuit to poke the universe.

  44. Interlude - How was Civilla named?

    In this first Interlude Michael Brennan shares out where the name 'Civilla' came from. http://www.civilla.com/onebillion

  45. 005 - What's The Problem? Part 2

    This is the fifth episode of the podcast: One Billion. In it we work to frame up the challenge of providing high quality public benefits through the lens of Tim Becker, Chief Deputy Directory of MDHHS. It's a behind the scenes peek into the challenge of leading a complex government agency....

  46. 004 - Whats the problem? (One Billion)

    This is the fourth episode of the podcast: One Billion. We frame the problem we are trying to solve by meeting Dr. LaTina Denson, an amazing woman who had to engage the public benefit system after having a life-changing stroke. www.civilla.com/onebillion

  47. 003 - Your Team (One Billion)

    This is the third episode of the podcast: One Billion. We try to assemble our team for an idea that doesn't yet exist by making 3 phone calls. Couldn't get through to Michelle Obama. www.civilla.com/onebillion

  48. 002 - Executive Summary (One Billion)

    This is the second episode of One Billion. In the show we start to develop the executive summary for an idea that doesn't quite exist yet. www.civilla.com/onebillion

  49. 001 - Pilot Episode (One Billion)

    This is the first episode of the podcast: One Billion. In the show we meet the entrepreneurs who founded Civilla (a center for social innovation based in Detroit) as they set out on a journey of raising $100mm www.civilla.com/onebillion

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

A behind-the-scenes podcast about how change happens. One Billion features a tiny team with a big ambition: to positively impact one billion people on the planet.

HOSTED BY

civilla

Produced by Adam Selzer

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does One Billion have?

One Billion currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is One Billion about?

A behind-the-scenes podcast about how change happens. One Billion features a tiny team with a big ambition: to positively impact one billion people on the planet.

How often does One Billion release new episodes?

One Billion has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to One Billion?

You can listen to One Billion on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts One Billion?

One Billion is created and hosted by civilla.
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