THE STORY BEHIND THE SHOW

In the fall of 2020, I was 19 years old, the entire world was shut down, the COVID-19 pandemic raged on with no end in sight, and I had no friends at all, other than a couple kids that I'd met at a Fridays for Future climate strike right before the lockdowns began in March. But I wanted to meet and connect with other young people who shared my passion for making change. I knew that so many incredible people in my generation were taking over social media, starting nonprofit organizations, giving speeches, writing books, speaking truth to power, and creating solutions to social problems. We were the generation of change. When my parents suggested that I start a podcast where I interviewed other young changemakers, I thought that was a great idea!

Over the month of October 2020, my parents and I came up with a name, logo, and format for the podcast. I sent out emails to invite some people whom I hoped to interview on the show. I recorded my first episode, an interview with Gen Z social impact filmmaker Ella Fields, midway through October. And on November 1, 2020, the first episode of Generation Change with Leo Finelli dropped on all podcast platforms. The response to this first episode, from those who heard it, was even more positive than I had hoped. Just two weeks later, I had gotten another guest interested in coming on the pod, and I was recording my interview with her on Zoom.

Since then, I've continued to release new episodes of Generation Change on the first day of every month. Over the last 6+ years, I've interviewed and gotten to know more than 70 Gen Z advocates, artists, organizers, and changemakers. It is a true honor to use my podcast platform to amplify their voices and stories. My podcast guests have become my friends, my show has reached an international audience, and I have no plans to end my podcast anytime soon!

GENERATION CHANGE IRL

I love meeting my podcast guests in person even more than I love interviewing them!