Welcome to Changemakers Confidential!
Real people. Real stories. Real Change.
Welcome to my first Changemakers Confidential update!
What began as curiosity (what is Substack, anyway?) has become full-on reality in writing my very first Substack update for Changemakers Confidential this morning. I have the good fortune in the work I do (change leadership coaching/consulting) to hear change stories from people in all walks and phases of life. I find their stories to be not only fascinating (they did/said what?), but insightful and instructive to the rest of us, whether they be inspiring tales of hope, resiliency, and courage, or cautionary tales of, frankly, what not to do.
I wanted to find a way to share these change stories with a broader audience, as I believe that there is a very human need to connect and find community when change shows up, often unbidden, at our doorstep. No matter how un-ready we are for its arrival, we can’t turn away. We must figure it out as best we can, using our wits, our grit, and the available tools/resources at our disposal. It is my hope that Changemakers Confidential become one of those resources.
I am most interested in the change stories of the everyday. In what appears to be banal, unworthy of mention, or simply “no big deal,” which, upon deeper listening, a sense of curiosity, and a few well-placed questions, is so not that. If we can allow ourselves that moment to get curious, we start to see ourselves in these stories of courage, chaos, and resilience. I, for one, after almost two years of a pandemic and the virtual delivery of everything from my work, distance learning for my kids, groceries, and mass quantities of laundry detergent, paper towels, granola bars, and wine, long for the real. The unvarnished, the gritty, smelly, rough-around-the-edges real. I don’t care how it looks if it shows up as authentic, and I don’t want it in some perfectly-poised-for-social-media alternate reality. These are the change stories I want to share and elevate on Changemakers Confidential.
For each update, I plan to touch on the following, given or take a tangent or two:
What the change? What happened? What is the nature of the change or what changed?
Why the change? Why did the change happen? What were the circumstances? Are you still in it or have you reached the other side of it?
Who the change? Who was involved? How were you/they impacted? What did you/they see unfold as the change happened?
How the change? What are some examples/details/stories you can share about the change? What did you learn? How did you grow? What would you do differently?
As you read these change stories, please leave a question or comment to continue the storytelling, and share Changemakers Confidential with those you know. Stories are best told and retold until they become a part of us, as something to savor and to share with those we love and care for most.
Thanks for subscribing!
Warmly,
Kristina Ralston
Chief Change Maven, Changemakers Confidential