Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, On The Power of Story
Release Date: 12/03/2025
Vanessa Wakeman & Camaro West do a Communications Pulse Check
The Social Change Diaries
In our final episode for season 6 of the Social Change Diaries Podcast, Communications Strategist and Wakeman Agency CEO, Vanessa Wakeman sits in the interviewee chair, sharing her latest insights. Joined by Camaro West, Executive Director of Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that uses the power of storytelling to advance gender justice, Vanessa dives into how nonprofits can surface narratives to prompt transformative social change. Together, they explore why it is essential to ask the question of who should be telling the story. Touching on funding dynamics, narrative resilience, and the needs...
info_outline
Courtney Lewis from Institute for Nonprofit News, on Redefining Narrative Power
The Social Change Diaries
Listen in for a fantastic conversation on the growing field of nonprofit news and how this model transforms how stories are told, and information is shared in our society. In this episode of the Social Change Diaries podcast, Vanessa is joined by Courtney Lewis, Chief of Growth Programs at the Institute for Nonprofit News, an organization that works with over 500 nonprofit news organizations committed to public service. Together, they discuss why nonprofit newsrooms are different, how they center the stories and information audiences need, and why even conventional newsrooms are having to...
info_outline
Anat Shenker-Osorio, Founder of ASO Communications, on Bringing Narratives to Life
The Social Change Diaries
In our most recent episode, Vanessa dives into how to bring narratives to life, with our guest Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal and Founder of ASO Communications. Their conversation examines how social change communicators can approach language, specifically when it is contested, and how to increase impact for meaningful and transformative change on social issues. See this episode on .
info_outline
Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, On The Power of Story
The Social Change Diaries
The Social Change Diaries podcast does it again—bringing you crucial conversations about what’s driving today’s social change communications landscape. In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, a consultancy that partners with organizations to drive narrative change and civic engagement, especially with, and for, communities of color. Together, they discuss the role of storytelling by nonprofits and why mainstream media is no longer a gatekeeper in our information ecosystems.
info_outline
Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, On Shaping The Narrative
The Social Change Diaries
In this episode of our newly launched Social Change Diaries Podcast, we dive into the question of how social change can use storytelling to change culture through narratives. The discussion features Bridgit Antoinette Evans, CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, in conversation with Vanessa Wakeman, and explores the power of storytelling to tackle deeply held beliefs, language as a medium of cultural production, and navigating narrative oceans.
info_outline
Tracie Powell from The Pivot Fund, on Reimagining Story Power
The Social Change Diaries
In another engaging conversation, we tackle the question: What would narrative ecosystems look like if we could totally redesign who participates in crafting the story? In this important conversation, Vanessa is joined by Tracie Powell, CEO and Founder of The Pivot Fund, which works to shift power through equitable journalism funding by investing in independent community-led news organizations.
info_outline
Dr. Safiya U. Noble, on Algorithms as Storytellers
The Social Change Diaries
Our first episode features the conversation between Vanessa and Dr. Safiya U. Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, as she shares the impact of algorithmic injustice and how it shapes storytelling.
info_outline
NYCLU Executive Director, Donna Lieberman, on Civil Liberties and Our New Normal
The Social Change Diaries
At no point in recent history has civil rights been so loudly at the forefront of everyday life. The tidal wave of shared trauma ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent slew of racially motivated murders presents glaring questions around civil rights and the possible springboard for true systemic change. As an expert in policies, laws and all facets of civil rights, Ms. Lieberman discusses the implications of this time period and the nuances of this complex, powerful moment in human history.
info_outline
Global Press Visionary, Cristi Hegranes, on the Need for Consequence Driven Reporting
The Social Change Diaries
In this episode, Global Press Founder, Cristi Hegranes, shines a powerful light on solutions to institutional, ingrained problems that underly today's news media. She outlines key differences between action driven reporting and its more informative, impactful alternative: consequence driven reporting. Learn why trained local journalists, equipped to provide precise narratives that accurately inform listeners, represent a pathway to truly educating people in a non biased way, about important global issues.
info_outline
Behind the Scenes of Corporate Giving: Insights from Salesforce Philanthropy VP, Becky Ferguson
The Social Change Diaries
How nonprofits can successfully and efficiently secure corporate giving is a more important issue than ever before. This conversation with Becky Ferguson, VP of Global Philanthropy for pioneering powerhouse, Salesforce, provides key insights and concrete information for nonprofits to consider when strategizing, securing and sustaining corporate partnerships.
info_outlineThe Social Change Diaries podcast does it again—bringing you crucial conversations about what’s driving today’s social change communications landscape. In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Amanda Zamora, Founder & Principal of Agencia Media, a consultancy that partners with organizations to drive narrative change and civic engagement, especially with, and for, communities of color. Together, they discuss the role of storytelling by nonprofits and why mainstream media is no longer a gatekeeper in our information ecosystems.