What does it take to create visionary social change? If we want to see a future that is more humane, more equitable, more healthy, more loving, more compassionate – what does it take to create that?
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Welcome to Creating the Future’s podcast, where those are the questions our guests will explore. Those guests come from all walks of life - historians and community organizers, social scientists and movement leaders, people working inside the system and outside the system.
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In each episode, host Hildy Gottlieb asks her guests one simple-but-not-so-simple question: What actually creates change?
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Our goal for this podcast is the goal of changemakers around the world: To help you create a world that is equitable, kind, healthy, and joyful - a world that works for all of us.
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This podcast is a program of Creating the Future, a global nonprofit where our tagline says it all: Change the Questions, Change the World. http://creatingthefuture.org (http://creatingthefuture.org)
Episode #21: Creating Change via Stories of Solidarity
Episode #21 in which Phillipe Copeland talks about the stories we tell about how social change happens – and what happens when we change those stories from magical “chosen” heroes to the reality of what happens when we join together in solidarity to make a difference.
Dr. Phillipe Copeland is a Clinical Associate Professor at Boston University. A public scholar, educator, trainer, facilitator, and consultant, he is host of the “From Issues to Action” podcast. Dr. Copeland’s areas of expertise include antiracist education and practice, justice through narratives, horror, oppression and resistance, stress and trauma and health equity. Dr. Copeland’s work has been featured in The Daily Beast, The Boston Globe, and The Hill as well as numerous news, podcast, radio and television interviews. To learn more visit https://www.phillipecopeland.com/ (https://www.phillipecopeland.com/).
27 Feb 2026
Episode #20: Creating Change by Listening to Women
Episode #20 in which Renee Wittemyer shows us that listening to women is key to creating transformational community change.
In this conversation, Hildy Gottlieb and Renee Wittemyer explore the intersection of social justice, philanthropy, and women's empowerment. Renee shares her journey from working in East Africa to her current role at Pivotal, where she focuses on expanding women's power and influence. They discuss the importance of listening to lived experiences, the role of technology in addressing poverty, and the significance of caregiving in economic empowerment. The conversation emphasizes the need for partnerships and innovative solutions in the workplace to support women and drive systemic change.
Dr. Renee Wittemyer is the Vice President, Program Strategy at Pivotal. In her role, Renee leads Pivotal’ s Program Strategy team and is accountable for Pivotal’ s philanthropic work focused on accelerating women’s power and influence and supporting the wellbeing of people. This includes overseeing strategy teams focused on Adolescent Mental Health, Women’s Political Power, Women in Tech Innovation, Centering Women and Girls of Color and Caregiving and functions such as Advocacy and Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships. She previously worked at Intel in numerous positions, including as the Director of Strategy and Research and the Director of Social Innovation. Renee also worked as a social scientist in Microsoft Research Labs in India and has done extensive fieldwork in East Africa. For her work on gender and technology, Renee was awarded the “GemTech Global Achiever Award” by UN Women. She holds a PhD focused on development studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in public Affairs from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs.
3 Nov 2025
Episode #19: Creating Change by Aligning Actions with Vision and Values
Dana Kawaoka-Chen, Co-Executive Director of Justice Funders, discusses aligning social justice actions with community vision and values to advance a thriving and just world in this interview.
Who has been a guest on Creating the Future
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Dana Kawaoka-Chen
Jackie Bradley
Madeline DeMarco
Debra Jacobs
May Miller-Dawkins
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5.0 / 5
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Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100
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