A global community of women changemakers with Be Your Change podcast

Women are at the forefront of inequality, which goes way beyond the salary gap. Be Your Change podcast’s mission is to raise the voices of women changemakers who are participating in creating an inclusive and sustainable world. 

We interview Juliette Bouquerel Roy founder of Be Your Change podcast. She believes that media play a huge role in perpetuating this type of behavior and having women owning at least 50% of the power would help to move the needle and change. Because women play a critical role in improving communities. We speak about how to fix this, starting with the Be Your Change Women Podcast Retreat! Hope you enjoy this really interesting conversation, about women changemakers at the forefront of promoting diversity, investment equity, social justice, environmental justice and more!

Hi Juliette, would love to hear a bit more about your background?

My background is anchored in creativity and diversity. I founded two music marketing boutique agencies, one in Australia and one in France, and had the opportunity to work on incredible projects all around the world. Upon moving to the United States, I worked in the tech industry and online radio platforms and discovered podcasting, which, for me, was a radio revolution. 

And what led you to start Be Your Change podcast?

I realized early on the potential of podcasting and how it would transform the radio industry. I also noticed that not many women were starting an online radio company at that time. Even though it has improved, we still have work to do to bring gender equity to the media and the representation of women’s voices. And that goes from holding power in media platforms to the messages that are shared on mainstream media platforms. 

At the same time, I was surrounded by incredible women who were in the trench to promote diversity, investment equity, social justice, environmental justice. I realized no-one was talking about them, whereas they are actually making an incredible impact. And that’s what led me to create Be Your Change podcast.

What is the mission of your media?

Our mission is to promote the voices of women changemakers who are participating in creating an inclusive and sustainable world. Women are traditionally underrepresented in the media landscape — from ownerships to features — but play a critical role in improving communities. It is upon us to change society and create the world we want to live in. So with the podcast, we are hoping to inspire others to do the same, and realize that we can all do it at our level one step at a time. 

And what’s the type of positive change you are seeking to create?

One of our big areas is talking about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to help listeners understand how they can support these ambitious goals to transform our world by 2030. In the process, we also want to train women in amplifying their impact. Our observation is women need to do a better job of promoting their work to increase their impact. We are here to help and provide a safe space to learn to podcast.

You have some amazing conversations with women leaders. What type of social enterprises do they run?

The women leaders I have interviewed are social entrepreneurs, nonprofits executive directors, and investors pushing boundaries to help resolve the current social and environmental issues we are facing. They are advocating for a more conscious, intentional, and responsible way of living our life. They decided to bring solutions to problems they witnessed like plastic waste, fast fashion, or lack of available fundings for women and minorities. They contribute by creating fair trade jobs and helping lifting people out of extreme poverty. These women are raising awareness of sexual and human trafficking, to the homelessness and mental health crisis. 

These are all critical topics, and we can make a difference without much effort if we educate ourselves about this issue.

Could you share some interesting facts on why women don’t have the same opportunities?

Interestingly enough, we have spoken with women who have created female media platforms or who are at the head of educational programs and accelerators to support the development of women-led businesses.

Women own 85% of the purchasing power in the world and still last year, women and minority-owned businesses received less than 2% of available Venture Capital funding and less than 4% of available loans. Women also get less than 1% of the money from suppliers including government, large corporations, and institutions. 

Wow, this is definitely BIG! It may seem an obvious question, but why is it important to invest more in women?

The most interesting fact is that women tend to reinvest 70% of their income into the community. Therefore, investing in women is a virtuous cycle because you get the triple bottom of the impact. It contributes to end extreme poverty faster, accelerate women’s economic independence and well-being of the community at large. This is why we must change this inequality and shift the money power balance to accelerate social changes. 

Could you share with us what has been some of the most interesting learnings through those conversations? 

That’s an interesting question. The most fascinating to me is that in every episode I learn something new about the unfair treatment women receive; women are literally at the forefront of inequality. I was aware of gender inequality and the salary gap… But I surely didn’t know the numbers about human and sexual trafficking, child labor, the lack of access to loans, and the lack of access to education. 

What do you think could be the solution?

Some of the women need to have access to an accelerator or coaching program to get to the next phase faster. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely process, and I would love to see more efficient programs directed to women. 

Why do you think women are at the forefront of creating social change?

All the women I interviewed care for others, they are purposeful and really want to contribute to this world and make a positive difference. We all know there is more than enough on the planet for everyone’s’ to live a decent living, and women are definitely here to make it happen. 

The global community of women changemakers, when we get together, there is a unique connection because we speak the same language. I find there is a lot of love and kindness in this community, and in a highly divided word, I found that healing experience. To me personally, it brings hope, joy, and makes our journey in life so much more interesting. 

How could we put the global issues you are trying to address in categories & which should be a priority?

For me, the absolute priority is to change the way we consume. This is the easiest and fastest way to have an impact! We can accelerate change exponentially if we start buying fair trade products and women-led companies; if we start paying attention to where we put our money and change our banks. If we stop buying plastic crap and other wasteful products, we will accelerate the transformation of the large corporation towards sustainable product lines. 

On the other hand, I believe women who are in power seats need to become advocates of bringing more women in the suppliers’ chain. But for that, as women, we also have to change our mindset about money and free work. We are the champions of volunteering and working for free or for not much money. 

And why do you think women undervalue themselves so much?

We don’t realize how much value we have, because historically our work was to be at home or to volunteer for communities, which has been taking for granted. To be honest, I don’t think it should be! We definitely should start putting a number on the work done by women in the house and the family. Only by placing a value, it would help to transform mindset around the assumption that it’s ok for women to do free jobs. 

In a few days, you are running a podcasting retreat for women. What is the goal & why should we join it?

When I learned to podcast, I longed for a podcast retreat where I could be with other women to work on my show, receive meaningful feedback, share my fears and get supported by the community. I could not find one. 

When I came up with the idea to create Be Your Change Women Podcast Retreat I found it challenging to find the right location… Until I went to the El Coronado ranch and met the artist Valer Clark! Surrounded by nature, with deers coming in the morning… that’s exactly how I had envisioned it. The house itself has a lot of history and the house is filled with Valer’s art and other exciting things. Also, she’s restored many acres of land, which are some of the topics we will discuss on the retreat. I think it is essential to get educated about this topic because preserving or restoring our environment is one of our priorities. 

You should join us to work on how to amplify your voices and impact. Women are incredible and we need your voice out there and podcasting is a fun and powerful way to achieve this. Podcasting gives you credibility.

Why do you think it is important to promote the wisdom of women & get them more involved in media?

If you look at the stats, they are not great. Women’s Audio Mission is saying than less than 5% of the sound we consume is produced by women. In the U.S, 15 male billionaires own the news network. Less than 7% of women own a TV or broadcast network. I like to say what the world would be like if women were holding 50% of the media. Would we see the same type of questions being asked on TVs by journalists to politicians, for instance, would we be in a media culture so much focused on creating fears and division, and making women perceived as objects of desire. I believe women would have a much more collaborative and holistic approach. 

What worries you the most about the media being led by men?

The impact is massive! The fact that the media we consume is designed from a male-perspective, where you need to have a hero to save the world. There is a savior, but if you think about it, a hero needs community to succeed, and I think this idea of a strong-male who can do it all is very damaging. Basically, this is one of the reasons why the US is in this situation today, where all the system has been designed to praise the hero, that entrepreneur who is becoming a billionaire at any cost. 

With this brainwashing, we forget to look at the bottom line: what was the impact on the community, on the family, on the environment; what was the mental health of that entrepreneur, or what kind of impact has he created to leave a legacy to the world. For me, it is crucial women are included in defining “success” because we are celebrating entrepreneurs who have harassed or sexually abused women. The media play a huge role in perpetuating this type of behavior and I believe having women owning at least 50% of the power would help to move the needle and change the perception of women in the media. 

What is your vision with this Be Your Change Podcast Retreat?

Women need to get better at promoting their work and impact. Firstly, because they can inspire others; secondly, because they need to gain visibility and it’s not always easy doing it all by yourself. My idea with this retreat is to be four days where women can concentrate on themselves without having to attend to the rest of the world. Women don’t have that luxury very much. 

The vision is purely to help women get started or refine their podcasts. Along the way, we provide them with the tools and confidence, they need to get it out to the world.  

What has been the greatest success when it comes to creating a community around Be Your Change?

The greatest success for me has been to find women who are aligned with my values and desire to make the world a better place. They use empathy as a tool of resistance and empower others along the way. I started my career in the music industry, and then in tech. I did not enjoy these environments as they were too male-dominated, self-centered and not enough forward-thinking. The community I am in right now is all about collaboration, supporting each other. It’s much less ego focused and I’m learning heaps about the world and how we can make a difference. 

Is there any advice you’d like to give to businesses that are not yet involved in this wave of being a force for good?

Get on the train now. The world needs you to transform. It makes your journey much more fun and rewarding because it is not only about the money-making aspect, but it is about your legacy, your contribution to the world, to your family and your mental health. 

The second point is the younger generations are craving for meaning and connection. They want to feel useful and therefore think that the 8-hours workdays should have a different purpose than just making the shareholders more productive. If companies don’t transform very quickly to embrace the force for good movement, they are going to have a hard time retaining employees AND customers. In fact, we might see corporations disappear. 

You are based in Los Angeles, California, how does a social entrepreneurial venture look like there? Do you feel there’s a change happening in the city? 

Here entrepreneurship is celebrated and there are many programs and systems in place to help people starting a business. However, the lack of access to capital for women is real. There are not enough accelerators and business coaches for women. 

Said this, I also think there is a substantial support movement towards women in California and the U.S. Would that be enough to change the success ratio? Yes, if men get involved. I believe men are also trapped in the current societal design, and I am not sure they want to play the role they have traditionally played. Ultimately, they also need to raise their voice and say you know this system does not work for them either, the fear that if they take their vacations, it might underserve them. 

There is so much competition between men linked to the sports cultures they grew up in. I found the competition a lonely process and sometimes damaging culture because we should not be willing to win at ANY COSTS.  

Finally, where can we listen to your podcast?

You can listen to our podcast on Spotify, iTunes, and most of the listening platforms or just come and visit our website!

Thank you so much for giving us an opportunity to share our message. We greatly appreciate the work OurGoodBrands is doing and we are excited to have you on our podcast soon and be part of your community.