The Ripple Map
Hosted by Yassaman Nouri
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About The Ripple Map
The Ripple Map is a storytelling-driven podcast built on a simple truth: we're interconnected—and everything we do creates ripples.
Our thoughts, words, choices, and actions travel farther than we realize, shaping lives and systems beyond our immediate view. With that power comes responsibility—and the opportunity to create change, one ripple at a time.
At the heart of this work is an ancient idea that feels more urgent than ever today:
"The sons of Adam are limbs of each other, Having been created of one essence. When the calamity of time affects one limb The other limbs cannot remain at rest. If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others, You are unworthy to be called by the name of a Human." — Sa'adi
The Problem We're Tackling
Why do massive social, environmental, and economic problems persist despite billions spent? Too often, the public gets either polished PR or hopeless doom. Meanwhile, innovators using technology to tackle root causes don't get the visibility, support, or resources they deserve.
We don't do PR, and we don't do despair.
What We Do
Each episode brings you into honest conversation with builders creating real change—founders, researchers, grassroots innovators, and policymakers working on systemic challenges. We ask guests to show us the data, walk us through the proof, and be honest about what's hard. We explore failures alongside successes and dig into tradeoffs.
We examine every challenge through a multi-stakeholder lens, asking: Who benefits? Who pays? Who is excluded? Who decides?
What You'll Walk Away With
Better questions matter more than easy answers. That philosophy shapes every episode—we don't just give you solutions, we help you discover your own path forward.
Through evidence-based storytelling and critical questions, you'll understand:
What's really driving the problem beneath the headlines
Why some solutions fall short—and how they sometimes create unintended harm
Which approaches are creating better outcomes, especially those addressing root causes
How to think in nuance, not simplistic "good vs. bad" labels
Your path forward: Concrete actions to create positive ripples today, plus questions worth pursuing that fit your unique circumstances, skills, and connections. Real change starts with better questions and immediate action—both tailored to you.
This isn't just about learning what others are doing "out there." By examining the ripples others create through their work, we invite you to reflect on your own ripple map—the impact of your own thoughts, words, and actions. We help you develop questions worth exploring based on your unique context, because your ripple map is uniquely yours.
Join Us
For listeners: Subscribe to join a community of thoughtful people who care about evidence, nuance, and action. Share your input: nominate guests, submit problems you want us to explore, or share your own ripple map journey.
For potential guests: If you're a builder creating evidence-based solutions and you're willing to have honest conversations about what's working, what's hard, and what you've learned—we'd love to hear from you. This is a space for depth, not soundbites.
My father taught me that before you can help, you have to understand.
I grew up in Iran during conflict—war, government tensions, neighbors struggling to survive. I kept asking my father: How can we help? Why is this happening?
He never gave me easy answers. Instead, he taught me to ask better questions.
When I wanted to give money to people experiencing homelessness, he told me about a man who had been a skilled tailor but was paralyzed from the waist down. Instead of giving money, my father bought him a wheelchair and sewing machine, offered him workspace, and a path: use it daily, sell what you make, buy it through installments. Real help isn't about what makes us feel good—it's about understanding problems deeply enough to address root causes.
That lesson stayed with me. When we moved to Vancouver at 13, my questions didn't stop. I studied finance and math, worked across sectors, always wondering: Am I actually helping?
The turning point came when a nonprofit asked me to decide which grant applications should get funding. Looking at those pages, I felt like a fraud. I told them I couldn't do it. They fired me.
That rejection pushed me toward field experience. Malawi was my first international development role—learning what helps versus what looks good in reports.
Over nearly two decades, I've worked at the intersection of technology, banking, and social impact across seven countries and every type of legal structure. Here's what I've learned: the legal entity is irrelevant. We all create ripples whether we realize it or not. We all have responsibility.
I've watched solutions work brilliantly in one context, then fail when copy-pasted elsewhere. Cultural context matters. Missing voices matter. Good intentions mean nothing without deep understanding.
After all this, one truth remains: we all create ripples—so we might as well understand our impact and improve it, one ripple at a time.
I'm not here as an expert. I'm here as an inquisitive person working to improve my own ripples, and I bring the same approach my father taught me: helping you develop questions worth pursuing, tailored to your own circumstances and connections, because your ripple map is uniquely yours. I connect dots across cultures and sectors, and I'm looking for others to join me on this journey of ripple improvement.
My father taught me to understand before helping. Join me as we learn to do the same—one conversation at a time.