I invite you to listen to the 50th and final episode of My MARS Mantra podcast, where my youngest teacher, Inne Kusumawati from Indonesia, helped me overcome my fear of water and taught me how to swim. After nearly 20 years of trying, I finally succeeded at the age of 36, and I now swim regularly.

Inne is a marine biologist, water polo player, surfer, and swim teacher. She lives on Awera Island in West Sumatra with her family and now runs a surf school with her husband. Inne highlighted the importance of having male family members — support women in living their dreams and in creating a new culture of brave Muslim women.

Indonesia is a highly disaster‑prone country, facing thousands of catastrophic events each year. Inne lives on a tsunami‑prone island and has therefore taught her family and neighbours how to escape during a tsunami. In many countries, such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Indonesia, women account for higher disaster casualties from events like typhoons and tsunamis, often because they do not know how to swim.

I conclude the My MARS Mantra podcast by thanking Inne, a future changemaker and my youngest teacher, for helping me break free from my fear of water.

Host and creator: Rumana Kabir

Co-producer: Zahid Shumon

Promotion and graphics: Ahasan Faisal

Music ASEIS

#Indonesia

#Tsunami

#Disasters

#Early Warning Systems

#Sumatra

#Awera Island

#Swim

#Surf

#Bangldesh

#Disaster preparedness

Listen to my mentor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed's reflections on development practice. As changemaker architects, how we started with a big dream to make a difference; how we learnt to accept that whatever we have done, is just a tiny step. Looking back over two decades ago the idea of development and low income housing was sidelined from the mainstream of architecture practice. Now due to climate change and overwhelming rise of conflict and political instability worldwide, many professionals are more socially aware and self-critical about their own footprint and impact of their work. Our education systems are also adapting to this changing need and offering many practical and relevant courses around the world. However, the cultural shift on how we perceive ourselves and reflect on our own work, is still very slow. We need to reflect more about this and ask ourselves, ''In the end of the day, who benefitted from our work and have we really made any difference at all?'' Subscribe to ‪@mymarsmantra‬ to listen to more stories and inspire yourselves to be a changemaker.Creator and host: Rumana KabirEditor: Zahid ShumonPromotion: Ahsan Faisal and Tasnim LatifMusic ‪@aseis‬ #mymarsmantra

#changemakers #Bangladesh #development #reliefwork #disasters

My MARS Mantra Podcast, invites you to listen to changemaker Ed Clancy OBE, a three-time Olympic gold medalist from the United Kingdom, in team cycling.

Ed grew up in Barnsley, a small town in the beautiful South Yorkshire, in England. Ed’s successful career started because of his passion for cycling as a child, receiving opportunities to be trained for the British Olympic team as a teenager and those mentors who encouraged him throughout his life. Ed also emphasises the importance of teamwork, and the sacrifices one need to make to achieve success.

Now Ed is an ambassador for sustainable cities and is designated as an Active Travel Commissioner, by the Mayor or South Yorkshire. In this role, Ed is promoting cycling as an opportunity for all, for good health, wellbeing and a safe travels.

Subscribe to your preferred podcast platform and inspire yourselves by listening to more changemakers stories to come.

Email us at: ⁠mymarsmantra@gmail.com⁠ if you want to share your stories as a changemaker.

Creator and host: Rumana KabirEditor: Zahid Shumon Promotion: Ahasan Faisal and Tasnim Latif Music: ASEIS

#Cycling #Olympics #RoadSafety #SustainabileTransport #SustainableCities #ActiveTravelComissioner #SYMCA #Barnsley #mymarsmantra #changemaker