Side Chat: Podcasting in the Aid Industry with Stephen Ladek of the Terms of Reference Podcast - a podcast by Rowena Luk

In 2019, when I started thinking about doing a podcast on innovation in aid, I looked around to see what else was out there. At the time, one podcast stood out to me for its ability to capture the spirit of innovation in aid. It was the Terms of Reference Podcast, which Stephen Ladek ran from 2014 to 2018. Stephen recorded almost two hundred episodes with aid workers, social entrepreneurs, and other change-makers. His guests included CEO of FHI360 Patrick Fine, USAID's Chief Innovation Officer Alexis Bonnell, the President of Chemonics Bernhard Kowatsch, and the Head of the Innovation Accelerator at World Food Programme Jamey Butcher. As one does, I stalked Stephen relentlessly on the internet until he agreed to be on my show.

In our conversation, Stephen and I talk about what it means to be a podcaster and an entrepreneur in the aid industry. Stephen shares his secret to success over the years. We gripe about how this sector has plenty of policies and policy makers, and how it has platforms for diplomats and executives to speak - but it doesn't have enough space to share the stories and lessons learned of real people working in the trenches. And, of course, we talk about the craft of podcasting, how far we've come, and how much farther we have yet to go. 

This short episode is the second in our experimental 'side chat' format.

To find out more, access the show notes at https://AidEvolved.com 

Let us know what you think of this episode on Twitter (@AidEvolved) or by email (hello@AidEvolved.com)

Further episodes of The Africa Health Ventures Podcast (formerly Aid, Evolved)

Further podcasts by Rowena Luk

Website of Rowena Luk