On today’s episode, Ari has a conversation with Dr. Anisha Patel, Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University.

Ari’s chat with Anisha covers several topics, including partnering with local organizations in community-engaged research, understanding every step of the process, from assessment to measuring results, and implementing regional AND national change based on community feedback.

The conversation begins with Anisha sharing her early experiences growing up as the only Indian family in rural North Carolina, feeling welcomed and encouraged by her pediatrician growing up, and how she combined that with an interest in anthropology to help her influence the healthcare system at large for children outside a clinic setting.

Produced by Ari Abraham and Darrick Hays, with artwork by Chris Roettger.

On today’s episode, Ari has a conversation with Dr. Steph Habif, Behavioral Scientist, Health Behavior by Design.

Ari’s chat with Steph covers several topics, including developing a clear understanding to base change around behaviors, grounding people with sets of specific behavioral terms

The conversation begins with Steph sharing her early experiences with the diversity of people and culture growing up in the New York City suburbs, the psychological aspects of being a student athlete, and how she combined it all into a leadership style rooted in empathy and curiosity.

Highlights from the conversation:

• I design for real life, not ideal behavior. I meet people where they are — not where we wish they were — because change only sticks when it fits into daily routines.
• I turn behavioral science into strategy. I apply principles from psychology and behavior design to help people and organizations adopt meaningful, lasting habits.
• I believe simplicity drives action. Complex ideas don’t inspire change — clear, small steps do. I focus on removing friction and making the first step feel easy.
• I build change around emotion, not just logic. People don’t change because of data alone. I design with empathy, creating emotional resonance that motivates behavior.
• I test, learn, and iterate. I treat every behavior change effort like an experiment — learning from what works, adapting quickly, and scaling what resonates.

Produced by Ari Abraham and Darrick Hays, with artwork by Chris Roettger.

In the tenth episode of Humanizing Change, host Bill Keaggy talks with Blair Mann, Vice President of Communications at the Data Quality Campaign (DQC), about using storytelling and data to drive real change in education policy. Blair shares how her upbringing — shaped by a Special Ed teacher and a TV news director — inspired her passion for connecting people to solutions that work and using narrative to move both people and systems.

Highlights from the conversation:

• Turn data into stories: I make complex information relatable by helping people see themselves in the story.
• Prioritize clarity: I focus on making complex ideas accessible to drive understanding and action.
• Meet people where they are: I recognize that personal experiences shape reactions to change.
• Connect systems to humans: I balance understanding structures with seeing the individuals they affect.
• Inspire through empathy: I use stories to spark emotion, which leads to real, lasting change.

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to Humanizing Change to hear more real, thoughtful stories about how people are navigating change and complexity. New episodes drop regularly — and we’d love to have you along for the journey.

Produced by Ari Abraham and Darrick Hays, with artwork by Chris Roettger.