In this episode of Storytelling for Social Impact, Ravinol Chambers sits down with Sana Kapadia, Chief Catalyst at Heading For Change and an investor working at the intersection of finance, gender and climate, for a conversation that goes far deeper than impact as a concept.

They talk about what happens when you stop treating these issues as separate. Because gender, climate, inequality and finance - they’re not different conversations. They’re the same system, seen from different angles. And if we don’t start thinking that way, we’ll keep solving symptoms instead of causes.

One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is around measurement.

In impact, we often default to numbers, how many people reached, how much capital deployed. But Sana makes the case that without lived experience, those numbers can be misleading. Real impact isn’t just what we can count. It’s what actually changes in people’s lives.

The conversation also goes somewhere more uncomfortable. What does this mean for us personally? It’s easy to talk about systems, capital, and change at a distance. It’s harder to ask: what is enough for me? What am I willing to change? Because until that question is faced honestly, progress will always be limited.

There’s no shortage of solutions. Across the world, people are already building better models, more local, more inclusive, more connected. The challenge isn’t imagination. It’s whether we’re willing to shift how we think, measure and act before the cost of inaction becomes too high.

This is a conversation about impact, yes.

But more than that, it’s a conversation about responsibility and how the story needs to change to inspire us to take up that responsibility.

00:00 Welcome

02:02 Sana's Journey Into Impact

03:10 Intersectionality in Finance

05:28 Rethinking Luxury and Enough

08:08 SDGs Gender and Climate

11:08 Measuring Impact Better

16:12 Gender Climate Fund Examples

21:35 Unintended Consequences and Norms

23:52 Storytelling Campaigns That Work

27:46 Beyond the Bubble

28:22 Humour in Impact

30:17 Perfection and Burnout

31:37 Reporting Overload

34:49 Rethinking Risk Returns

38:18 Local Evidence and Nuance

41:13 Fixing the Plumbing

44:22 Cost of Inaction

45:56 Everyday Power to Act

48:43 Reconnect with Nature

53:55 Solutions and Storytelling

55:51 Final Reflections and Thanks

• Heading for Change | Accelerating proven climate and biodiversity solutions with women as agents of change
• Sana on Linkedin
• Ravinol on Linkedin
• Purpose Driven Storytelling Agency & Video Production Company

In this episode of Storytelling for Social Impact, Ravinol Chambers speaks with Zahid Torres-Rahman OBE, co-founder of Business Fights Poverty, about a simple but powerful idea: the most effective way for organisations to contribute to social progress is often by doing what they already do best.

Zahid has spent decades working at the intersection of business, development and social impact. Through Business Fights Poverty, he has helped connect thousands of leaders across companies, NGOs and institutions who are trying to tackle complex global problems together.

What emerges from this conversation is a refreshing perspective on impact.

Not a model driven by grand statements or corporate slogans.

But one grounded in collaboration, humility and practical action.

Ravinol and Zahid explore why the biggest barriers to solving social problems are rarely technical. More often, they are about relationships, trust and the ability to connect people across sectors who would not normally sit at the same table.

They also discuss the role storytelling plays in this process. Stories help us see the human dimension behind abstract challenges. They help organisations communicate purpose in ways that feel real rather than performative. And they help leaders recognise where their work intersects with something larger than themselves.

Some of the themes explored in this episode include:

• Why business has a unique role to play in addressing social and environmental challenges

• The idea that impact often comes from doing what you already do well, not trying to become something new

• Why collaboration between businesses, NGOs and governments is essential, but often difficult

• The importance of human relationships and trust in driving meaningful change

• How storytelling can bring clarity, alignment and shared purpose to complex issues

At its heart, this conversation is about a shift in mindset.

Moving away from the idea that solving global problems belongs to one sector alone. And towards a recognition that real progress happens when people bring their different strengths together.

As Zahid reflects in the episode, the goal is not perfection. It is progress, built through collaboration and grounded in the belief that each organisation can contribute something meaningful when it leans into what it does best.

Whether you work in business, social impact, communications or leadership, this conversation offers thoughtful insights into how purpose, partnership and storytelling can come together to drive change.

00:00 Reconnecting After Covid

00:59 Human First Collaboration

03:40 Origin of Business Fights Poverty

05:00 From Finance to Impact

06:08 Do What You Do Best

08:16 B Corp and Mainstreaming Impact

12:49 Beyond Jargon to Kindness

14:13 Recapturing the Narrative

18:24 Stories With Agency

23:21 Comms That Cuts Through

31:56 Kindness and AI

34:10 Kindness Builds Trust

34:53 Self Acceptance And Growth

38:26 Come As Yourself

39:52 Choosing SDG 17 - Partnerships

42:50 Five Bridges To 2045

45:27 Peer Circles And Bridge Builders

50:22 Human-Centred Solutions

55:57 Trust Through Honest Storytelling

59:06 Campaigns That Cut Through

01:02:52 Unlearning Gender Norms

01:05:48 Where To Find Business Fights Poverty

• Ravinol on Linkedin
• Purpose Driven Storytelling Agency & Video Production Company
• Zahid on Linkedin
• Collaborating for Social Impact - Business Fights Poverty

In this episode, host Ravinol Chambers engages in a compelling discussion with Rafia Qureshi, who shares her journey from venture capital to social impact investing.

They reminisce about their shared history and delve into the dynamics of philanthropy, innovative finance, and gender equality in the context of global challenges. Rafia shares her passion for gender equality rooted in her personal experiences in Pakistan.

The conversation underscores the transformative potential of storytelling in shifting perceptions of risk, bridging capital silos, and catalysing systemic change.

Key themes include the necessity of collaborative capital, the importance of redefining risk in philanthropy, and the role of narratives in making complex issues relatable and investible.

00:00 Introduction and Reconnecting

00:39 Journey into Social Impact

02:16 The Shift to Corporate Philanthropy

05:16 Personal Connection to Gender Equality

07:52 Global Upbringing and Career Path

10:15 The Power of Storytelling in Philanthropy

15:09 Women in Social Impact and Climate Change

20:44 Rewriting Narratives in Global Finance

27:45 The Evolution of Philanthropy

28:27 The Power of Storytelling in Investment

29:08 Water Equity: A Success Story

29:58 Show and Tell: Building Trust

33:17 The Role of Narratives in Unlocking Capital

41:28 Embracing Failure in the Social Sector

48:30 The Importance of Storytelling Across Organisations

52:17 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections

• Lebec - Mainstreaming Innovative Finance
• Rafia's Linkedin profile
• Be Inspired Films - Purpose Driven Video Production Agency
• Ravinol's Linkedin profile