Changemakers’ Handbook with Elena Bondareva

I’m going to say something that may grate on many. And yet, I’m choosing not to soften it. If our primary way of “supporting books” is buying them, we’re practicing a form of literary virtue that feels more powerful than it is. While our purchases directly support publishers and bookstores, they do almost nothing for the reading commons — leaving millions of people without access to the best books...

There is a difference between ending a year and ending a pattern . Before the calendar turns, I plan to burn a few things. Literally. Deliberately. Ritualistically. Surrounded by people who hold meaning to me. Not out of rage — but to honor what once served and no longer does. Because change does not begin with what we add. It begins with what we are willing to leave behind . For those of us who w...

For most of my life, I believed I was fearless. Or rather, I believed I had negotiated some unspoken détente with the universe: If I can keep functioning at the level you demand, you will not ask me to feel what I cannot afford to feel. And for decades, this worked. Or seemed to. I built a business during the Great Financial Crisis. I moved countries eight times, sometimes with only a few weeks’ n...

The night before our LIVE conversation, architect and regenerative practitioner Caroline Pidcock sent me a short text that landed with the weight of a thesis: “We are behaving as if incremental change is good enough.” It was blunt, unsoftened, and in many ways the most honest description of the moment we’re in. Sustainability has, too often, become a story we tell ourselves to feel better, not a p...

When Lindsay Baker (the head of the International Living Future Institute ) and I sat down for this Substack LIVE, we thought we were going to discuss diagnostic frameworks and social movement theory. Instead, a different conversation emerged — one that struck a nerve in both of us and, judging by the chat, many listening live. This post captures the arc of that conversation, but not the whole of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit changemakershandbook.substack.com When we force change, people freeze. When we offer choice, they move. Most change efforts fail not because people don’t care, but because they feel trapped. Transformation succeeds when people feel that their agency is real — when they experience the freedom to act, even within constraints. In my earlie...

What a delightful conversation with Bill Reed , whose name has become synonymous with “regeneration.” * We continually wove between 30,000 feet and the intimacy of our human core. * We explored the process and frameworks that underpin regenerative transformation, whatever your cause or sector. * We identified how our conditioning and social norms may get in the way. * And Bill kindly shared some o...

I have danced since birth. Yet, last month, I danced for the first time in nearly four years. And for the first time in a long time, I remembered what it meant to feel fully alive. As a dancer, I am internationally spoiled. So, in this small town, I wasn’t chasing technical virtuosity or majestic venues. Yet, I was floored by something profound: the possibilities accessible only through connection...

What if the single most powerful tool you have to change the world isn’t data, funding, or strategy — but your own story? The forces we oppose rely unapologetically on the world’s best tools to influence public sentiment and behavior. So why do changemakers hold back? Changemakers working on behalf of social and environmental justice often feel that “branding” efforts undercut the merit of their c...

After 2+ decades of creating transformation across 6 continents, my most common brief is diagnosing why change falls short of expectations or outright fails. I invite you to join me for a mini-series that conducts a “wellness check” on the global green movement! My last post addressed how one can build a movement that changes the world, aka the “holy grail” of all the change/transformation buzz an...

Having just celebrated a year on Substack with this hyperlinked reflection , I have thought long and hard how to start another year. What cornerstone can guide more eye-opening exploration among this growing global community of changemakers? I’ve decided to honor the changemakers who’ve joined this Substack by answering the question: what does it take to build a movement that changes the world?  W...

This week, I celebrate a year on Substack! And what a year it’s been! Whether you’ve known me across my transformational efforts on 6 continents and found yourself on Substack a year ago when I moved my newsletter here OR you we’ve met in the last 12 months, THANK YOU for your attention, support, and everything you do to create a better world. You are the reason I do what I do. I’ve had a pretty c...

Wow, we covered a lot! Blair Palese is a delight to talk to… and with nearly 4 decades of changemaking around the world, a treasure trove of both reflection and practical ideas! Thank you Anna Vatuone , Michelle Malanca Frey , Brynly , Lynn symon , Ricky Sutton , Juan Rovalo , Tathra Street , and all others for tuning into our FIRST (hopefully, of many) live video, and for your patience with a bit...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit changemakershandbook.substack.com If you want to make a meaningful difference in the world but think that “exit planning” doesn’t apply to you, you’re wrong, and this series is for you. In earlier posts , I challenged us to think of all our changemaking efforts as temporary. That if they endure, it is because they’ve had several lifetim...

Whether you’re gearing up for Independence Day, Muharram, Bastile Day, Calgary Stampede, Gion Matsuri, or xmas in July, this season is defined by the food we share. As was the case 6 months ago, when I drafted this post for another bundle of holidays, unable to finish it because it felt too exposing. Unlike anything else, food is both intimate and a rite of passage. It brings us in or casts us out...

Is it worth it? How can I argue for the support I need? Are the promised benefits of this effort being realized? Those seeking to make a meaningful difference in this world ask variations of these questions of ourselves as we invest our talent, time, and relationships into causes we believe in, and we ask them on multi-million-dollar initiatives for which we raise — and report on — capital. The bo...

This update is for you if you’re committed to making a meaningful difference in the world! My PhD research has identified building blocks of transformation as well as four other groups of key insights that will make all the difference in your vital work of remaking this world for the better. So, read on! It’s time to break with the past Historically, our impact as changemakers has been haphazard....

I have dedicated my life to professionalizing changemaking. What does that mean? What does it look like when we succeed and changemakers and their work get their due? Let me share how I see that enticing future. My PhD research aims to identify the building blocks of transformation. One of them is offering a compelling glimpse of the future made possible through transformation. Let me illustrate i...

It may be. As might be PTSD. Grief definitely is. Those compelled to make a meaningful difference in the world (a new psychological profile I call “changemakers” ) experience sorrow our society isn’t equipped to support. This may fuel self-doubt, isolation, and depression. Given that changemakers are the world’s most precious resource, I remain committed to helping us understand (incl. through my...

This video post was triggered by the White House visit by President Zelensky of Ukraine last Friday. I reflect on today’s dynamics across geopolitics that have been snagging on memories of growing up in the imploding Soviet Union; memories that feel as foundational as bone marrow. Today, millions of people around the world are once again forced to choose between survival — their own or of those wh...

“What is it that you do, exactly?” is as familiar to me as sunshine. As “What’s that accent?” and the eyebrow raised while its owner determines the right combination of curiosity, admiration, and distrust my unusual person warrants.  Hosting a gathering of seasoned change-makers at our San Francisco home on July 11 offered an opportunity to connect the dots in a recording. Growing up in the trauma...