I Want to Change the World

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 living my happily ever after. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’d carried certain beliefs about mys...

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 permission to show up and be seen. As I grew up, I started to take in  how radical it was for...

“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 my journey as an aspiring world changer actually just wanting to solve the problems that I’d seen in my...

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 able to make the trip. At home I certainly don't feel rich. I'"normal" middle-class American. However,...

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”, intellectually curious, well-traveled, etc.) and sometimes that surprises people. Sometimes that surpri...

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 desire to make a difference in the world. I also ask you to reflect on where YOUR desire to create a...

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 with your response to the questions below, hit me up on Instagram @missjanaiashley or send me an at jana...