Facilitating Change: How to create transformative spaces that inspire, empower & drive real change

From Problems to Possibilities: Transforming Leadership and Society with Scott Sherman

In this powerful conversation, our host Mentor Dida sits down with Dr. Scott Sherman, founder of the Transformative Action Institute, to explore what it really takes to lead meaningful change in today’s world. Scott is the co-founder of the Transformative Action Institute, where he trains the next generation of changemakers to tackle the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. He has taught at top universities like UCLA, Yale, and Princeton, and coached businesses that have generated over $15 billion in revenue and impacted 600 million lives worldwide.Scott shares his personal journey - from being frustrated by problem-focused education to creating one of the first leadership institutes dedicated to social innovation and transformative action.
We dive into the three core principles of transformative leadership:
Shine a Light on Injustice: Naming the problem is the first step, but not the last.
Practice Social Aikido: Move beyond “us vs. them” to invite power into partnership.
Paint a Better Vision: Instead of only fighting what’s wrong, show what’s possible.
Scott also introduces the "Positive Five Game," a simple yet profound approach to turning life’s stresses into opportunities for personal transformation and resilience. You’ll hear how his students, including one initially skeptical young leader, went on to create life-saving solutions - and how business leaders, nonprofits, and changemakers can apply these lessons today.
Whether you’re a facilitator, social innovator, or business leader, this episode is packed with actionable insights on how to unlock the genius in the room, build resilience, and cultivate hope in a world that too often feels divided.
Key Links:
Transformative Action Institute: Website
Follow Scott Sherman: LinkedIn

Beyond Purpose: Why Mattering Comes First with Zach Mercurio

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole talks with Zach Mercurio about the critical yet often overlooked concept of mattering, which is the fundamental human need to feel significant to the people around us. The conversation explores how we're experiencing not just a loneliness epidemic or disengagement crisis, but a mattering deficit where people feel unseen, unheard, and undervalued in their daily interactions. Zach shares powerful stories from his work with organizations ranging from airlines to electronics companies, demonstrating how small moments of genuine connection can transform entire workplace cultures.
Throughout their discussion, Zach emphasizes the crucial distinction between having a job that matters and experiencing mattering in your job. He explores how leaders can create cultures where people feel noticed, affirmed, and needed through specific, learnable skills rather than relying on programs or initiatives. The conversation shares some practical approaches for showing people their significance, including the powerful practice of "laddering" that NASA used to help every employee, from physicists to janitors, connect their daily work to putting a person on the moon.
Their conversation concludes with actionable ways for anyone seeking to weave more mattering into their work and communities. Zach reminds us that while we can't control how others treat us, we can commit to showing people how they matter in our everyday interactions, and that our next great leadership act is really in our next interaction.
Show notes:
Learn more about Zach's work and access free resources, including a mattering self-assessment: https://www.zachmercurio.com/mattering
Get a copy of "The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture Where Everyone Thrives"
Check out Zach’s course on mattering skills for leaders: https://www.zachmercurio.com/mattering-class-for-leaders/
 

From Inner Work to Systems Change: Olga Shirobokova on Changemaking & Social Entrepreneurship

What does it really mean to be a changemaker? In this rich and reflective episode, Olga from Ashoka joins Mentor Dida to explore the full arc of changemaking—from the personal to the planetary. Drawing on 13+ years at Ashoka, Olga shares how her understanding of changemaking evolved—from direct service to systems change, and ultimately, to supporting a world where everyone can step into this role.
Olga has been with Ashoka for over 12 years and has held a variety of roles—from building up Ashoka’s office in the Czech Republic to accompanying social entrepreneurs around the world in refining their systems change strategies. In recent years, she has led Ashoka’s knowledge work, focusing on codifying key insights on how systems change happens. Olga has developed several online courses, case studies, and podcast episodes exploring social entrepreneurship, systems thinking, working with government, and mindset shift as a pathway to change. Today, she serves as the Academic Director of Ashoka’s executive education initiative, the Visionary Program, and is a partner in Ashoka’s Globalizer—its flagship accelerator on systems change. Beyond her global work, Olga also leads efforts to improve the waste management system in her home region.
Together, Olga and Mentor unpack what it takes to create the conditions for changemaking—why exposure matters more than explanation, how inner work is foundational to outer impact, and why authentic change begins with being, not just doing. Olga introduces frameworks like the 5Rs of systems change, shares tools for facilitating mindset shift, and reflects on how building trust across sectors is central to durable impact.
Whether you’re an educator, policymaker, parent, or community leader, this episode offers a grounded, hopeful, and practical look at how we might design spaces that ignite changemaking—starting from the inside out.
Resources Mentioned:
Ashoka Systems Change Masterclass
Mindset Shift Online Course
Working with Government Course
Ashoka Systems Change Podcast
Follow Olga on LinkedIn

Designing the Unscripted: A Masterclass in Process Facilitation with Natasha Walker

What if the key to great facilitation isn’t just what happens in the room- but everything you do before you even walk in? In this episode, we dive in with Natasha Walker, a master facilitator who believes preparation is an act of care. With decades of experience leading complex conversations across sectors, Natasha shares why planning every minute matters-and why letting go of the plan matters just as much.
From stakeholder interviews to handwritten flipcharts, Natasha takes us behind the scenes of how she builds trust, alignment, and clarity - especially in messy, high-stakes environments. If you’re working on culture change, sustainability, citizen engagement, or anything that requires people to show up and shift - this episode is full of wisdom.
You’ll learn:
How deep preparation creates space for real improvisation
What questions help clients clarify fuzzy goals
Why skeptical participants are essential - and how to engage them
How Natasha uses AI, Slido, and Mural as part of her toolkit
What makes transformation last after the workshop ends
Whether you’re a new facilitator or a seasoned one, Natasha’s grounded approach reminds us that thoughtful process design is a quiet but powerful force for change.
Links:
Learn more about Natasha Walker

From PolyCrisis to PolyOpportunity: Creating Spaces for Transformative Change with Joel Fariss

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole talks with Joel Fariss of Holon Institute about navigating the complexity of our current moment and creating spaces for transformative community experiences. The conversation explores the poly opportunity - a play on "polycrisis" - which represents the multiple pathways and possibilities emerging during this time of planetary transformation. Joel shares insights from hosting gatherings in Berlin, New York, Tangier, and Istanbul that bring together diverse practitioners, dreamers, and change-makers.
Throughout their discussion, Joel emphasizes the importance of moving beyond the abundance of ideas to actually embodying new ways of being. He explores the tension between urgency and the slower work of cultural transformation, arguing that our culture's mythology of speed and productivity often undermines our capacity for genuine change. The conversation delves into practical approaches for creating gatherings that help people remember who they are, including mystery meetups, dedicated integration spaces, and intentionally unstructured time for emergence and connection.
Their conversation concludes with reflections on scale, decentralization, and the metaphor of spreading spores - trusting that transformative communities will grow organically without centralized control. 
Show notes:
Learn more about the PolyOpportunity series and join the June 2025 gathering in Istanbul: polyopportunity.com
Explore Holon Institute's work: holoninstitute.org

The Evolution of us a Facilitators: What We’ve Learned, Unlearned, and Are Still Figuring Out

In this special episode of Facilitating Change, the full Changemaker Allies team - Mentor Dida, Cole Hoover, and Ali Fraenkel - comes together for a heart-to-heart conversation on their evolution as facilitators. This episode is honest, reflective, and rooted in lived experience.
We explore:
When we first realized we were facilitators - and why that term can be hard to claim
What we’ve learned that changed how we hold space
What we’ve had to unlearn (like needing all the answers or sticking too tightly to the plan)
What still challenges us today - from group selection to post-session integration
The embodied nature of facilitation, and how breath, presence, and movement shape the magic
Whether you’re new to facilitation or have years of experience, this episode invites you to reflect on your own journey. Come for the insights - stay for the laughs, stories, and shared learning among three friends doing this work together.

Facilitating What Wants to Happen: Nicole Taylor on Deep Listening & Presencing

What does it take to create space where real transformation happens? In this episode of Facilitating Change, we sit down with Nicole Taylor - facilitator, leadership coach, and fierce advocate for well-being - who brings a deeply integrative approach to space holding. With roots in yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and somatic experiencing, Nicole shares how she blends nervous system regulation, presence, and sharp facilitation design to support deep change in individuals and groups.
We explore what makes a space truly transformative - from creating the right conditions, to sensing the intelligence of the room, to navigating emergent dynamics with clarity and courage. Nicole speaks candidly about how her own healing journey fuels her fierce commitment to truth, and how facilitators can cultivate the presence needed to guide others through complexity, trauma, and breakthrough.
This conversation is a rich offering for facilitators, educators, coaches, and changemakers who are hungry to go deeper - not just in theory, but in practice.
Topics We Cover:
The lineage and origin of Nicole’s facilitation journey
Self-regulation, co-regulation, and the facilitator’s nervous system
How to create conditions for depth, trust, and transformation
Working with Theory U and sensing the field
Naming truth with love - even when it's uncomfortable
The power of silence, spaciousness, and being changed together
Connect with Nicole:Website: ajoyfulpause.comLinkedIn: Nicole Taylor

Easing the Journey of Becoming: Dustin Liu on Facilitation, Purpose, and System Sensing

In this deep and energizing episode, Mentor Dida sits down with Dustin Liu - facilitator, educator, and the Senior Associate Director at NYU Stern’s Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing - for a conversation that spans the art, science, and spirit of facilitation.
Together we explore what it means to “ease the journey of becoming,” how to create conditions for human growth, and why great facilitation starts with setting intention - not controlling outcomes. Dustin shares insights from years of guiding learning communities, designing transformative experiences, and helping organizations move toward more generous, humane ways of working.
We talk about the importance of norms, naming the unspoken, the role of the ego in group dynamics, and what it means to “listen louder than you speak.” Drawing from his background in systems-change, adult development, and life design, Dustin also shares what it takes to lead in a way that’s grounded in purpose, curiosity, and joy.
If you’ve ever wondered how to create truly transformative spaces, disrupt power dynamics with care, or lead from a place of humility and presence, this episode is for you.
About Dustin LiuDustin Liu is the Senior Associate Director at the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing, where he helps design programs that bridge research and practice on purpose-driven leadership. A former Fulbright Scholar and educator at institutions like Stanford’s d.school and Harvard Extension School, Dustin is a certified life design facilitator, systems-change practitioner, and lifelong learner - currently diving into the world of death doulas.
He’s worked with Ashoka, the University of Chicago, and schools and organizations around the world to help individuals and teams reimagine what’s possible.
Links Mentioned
Connect with Dustin on LinkedIn
Learn more about the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing
Find out more about the Facilitating Change podcast at changemakerallies.com/podcast

The Soil of Leadership: Wisdom for Leaders Navigating Challenging Times with Dr. Britt Yamamoto

In this episode of Facilitating Change, Cole talks with Dr. Britt Yamamoto about his book "The Soil of Leadership” and meaningful ways to support social impact leaders right now. A large part of the conversation centers around the core metaphor from the book about “growing soil”. Britt compares conventional farmers who focus on growing plants (short-term, visible results) versus sustainable farmers who prioritize growing soil (long-term, beneath-the-surface conditions). He applies this metaphor to leadership, arguing that effective leadership requires cultivating the deeper conditions that allow teams and organizations to thrive rather than just focusing on immediate, visible outcomes. Throughout the conversation, Britt discusses the compelling resonance of this farming metaphor across cultures, the importance of understanding organizational "seasons", including periods of rest and renewal, and the value of reflection and relationship-building as essential leadership practices. Their conversation ends with some wisdom for leaders navigating challenging times, emphasizing the importance of connection, remembering one's purpose, prioritizing wellbeing, and maintaining hope.
 
Show notes: 
 
Grab a copy of the Soil of Leadership: https://amplifypublishinggroup.com/product/nonfiction/business-and-finance/leadership-and-management/the-soil-of-leadership/
 
Learn more about Britt's organization Perennial: https://www.perennial.org/about/

The Art & Science of Facilitation: How to Design & Facilitate Sessions That Matter with Jenny Sauer-Klein

In this conversation, we dive deep with Jenny Sauer-Klein - a master of designing experiences that don’t just tick a box, but truly move people. Jenny has worked with companies like Airbnb, Google, and Genentech to bring their cultures to life, and she's the founder of The Culture Conference, where leaders come together to build workplaces that actually feel human.We talk about the real difference between experience design and facilitation, and what it takes to balance structure and spontaneity when you're holding a group. Jenny shares her powerful "Primary Shift" framework, the importance of psychological safety, and how connection isn’t just nice to have - it's the foundation for real transformation.
If you lead groups, design learning spaces, or just care about helping people grow - this episode is full of hard-won lessons and practical tools that can help you create something deeper.
Resources Mentioned:
The Primary Shift
Culture Conference
Facilitation Finesse Course (use code Changemaker20 for 20% off)