About My MARS mantra: Stories from Changemakers in Disasters and Development
Listen to remarkable stories from changemakers, around the world, who will inspire you to make a better world!
MARS stands for Motivations, Actions, Reflections and Sustainability. In each episode, we ask our guests,
1. What Motivates them to 'A'ct as changemakers?
2. What are their 'R'eflections?
3. How do they prioritise 'S'elfcare to 'S'ustain themselves, or their MARS mantra for a better world?
Subscribe to hear more new stories every alternate Fridays. And ff you want to get involved, please email us at mymarsmantra@gmail.com
Ep 50 Swim and surf your fear away _ Inne Kusumawati with Rumana Kabir
I invite you to listen to the 50th and final episode of My MARS Mantra podcast, where my youngest teacher, Inne Kusumawati from Indonesia, helped me overcome my fear of water and taught me how to swim. After nearly 20 years of trying, I finally succeeded at the age of 36, and I now swim regularly.
Inne is a marine biologist, water polo player, surfer, and swim teacher. She lives on Awera Island in West Sumatra with her family and now runs a surf school with her husband. Inne highlighted the importance of having male family members — support women in living their dreams and in creating a new culture of brave Muslim women.
Indonesia is a highly disaster‑prone country, facing thousands of catastrophic events each year. Inne lives on a tsunami‑prone island and has therefore taught her family and neighbours how to escape during a tsunami. In many countries, such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Indonesia, women account for higher disaster casualties from events like typhoons and tsunamis, often because they do not know how to swim.
I conclude the My MARS Mantra podcast by thanking Inne, a future changemaker and my youngest teacher, for helping me break free from my fear of water.
Host and creator: Rumana Kabir
Co-producer: Zahid Shumon
Promotion and graphics: Ahasan Faisal
Music ASEIS
#Indonesia
#Tsunami
#Disasters
#Early Warning Systems
#Sumatra
#Awera Island
#Swim
#Surf
#Bangldesh
#Disaster preparedness
2 Jan 2026
Ep 49 Reflections on development practice _ Iftekhar Ahmed with Rumana Kabir
Listen to my mentor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed's reflections on development practice. As changemaker architects, how we started with a big dream to make a difference; how we learnt to accept that whatever we have done, is just a tiny step. Looking back over two decades ago the idea of development and low income housing was sidelined from the mainstream of architecture practice. Now due to climate change and overwhelming rise of conflict and political instability worldwide, many professionals are more socially aware and self-critical about their own footprint and impact of their work. Our education systems are also adapting to this changing need and offering many practical and relevant courses around the world. However, the cultural shift on how we perceive ourselves and reflect on our own work, is still very slow. We need to reflect more about this and ask ourselves, ''In the end of the day, who benefitted from our work and have we really made any difference at all?'' Subscribe to @mymarsmantra (https://www.youtube.com/@mymarsmantra) to listen to more stories and inspire yourselves to be a changemaker.Creator and host: Rumana KabirEditor: Zahid ShumonPromotion: Ahsan Faisal and Tasnim LatifMusic @aseis (https://www.youtube.com/@aseis) #mymarsmantra (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mymarsmantra)
#changemakers (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/changemakers) #Bangladesh (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bangladesh) #development (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/development) #reliefwork (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/reliefwork) #disasters (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/disasters)
10 Oct 2025
Ep 48 Cycling for a safe and healthy city _ Ed Clancy with Rumana Kabir
My MARS Mantra Podcast, invites you to listen to changemaker Ed Clancy OBE, a three-time Olympic gold medalist from the United Kingdom, in team cycling.
Ed grew up in Barnsley, a small town in the beautiful South Yorkshire, in England. Ed’s successful career started because of his passion for cycling as a child, receiving opportunities to be trained for the British Olympic team as a teenager and those mentors who encouraged him throughout his life. Ed also emphasises the importance of teamwork, and the sacrifices one need to make to achieve success.
Now Ed is an ambassador for sustainable cities and is designated as an Active Travel Commissioner, by the Mayor or South Yorkshire. In this role, Ed is promoting cycling as an opportunity for all, for good health, wellbeing and a safe travels.
Subscribe to your preferred podcast platform and inspire yourselves by listening to more changemakers stories to come.
Email us at: mymarsmantra@gmail.com if you want to share your stories as a changemaker.
Creator and host: Rumana KabirEditor: Zahid Shumon Promotion: Ahasan Faisal and Tasnim Latif Music: ASEIS
#Cycling (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cycling) #Olympics (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/olympics) #RoadSafety (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/roadsafety) #SustainabileTransport (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sustainabiletransport) #SustainableCities (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/sustainablecities) #ActiveTravelComissioner (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/activetravelcomissioner) #SYMCA (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/southyorkshire) #Barnsley (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/barnsley) #mymarsmantra (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/mymarsmantra) #changemaker (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/changemaker)
Who has been a guest on My MARS mantra: Stories from Changemakers in Disasters and Development
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Sujaul Islam Khan
Dr Rakia Ishra
Farhana Rashid
Mohammad Azaz
Abdul Khalek
Reach and audience
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
64
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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