We recently connected with Amanda “Kazzy” Cryer and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda “Kazzy”, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
One recent example relates to a group of young sports entrepreneurs who built a social media app for soccer fans. At first, they kept saying “We love talking about soccer and sharing our knowledge about it. We want to give people more ways to talk about soccer.” They truly love this sport, and I could see their passion. I took them through a few steps and utilized the tools I have been using for more than a decade with entrepreneurs from all backgrounds and industries. As we delved deeper into their core motives, they also became present to what type of change they wanted to create in the world. They began to see how their venture could be a powerful connector and unifier, in addition to being a place to share their knowledge of the sport. Now they say: “We love soccer and believe it’s a way to create dignity for all and unite people globally.” That’s a meaningful shift from creating a soccer app just to talk about soccer. They now have an app that is rooted in values of community, passion and dignity for all. Their vision is to unite humanity globally through the love of soccer. We are also now looking at the possibility of connecting with ‘Football for the Goals’, a United Nations initiative that provides a platform for the global football community to engage with and advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is a very small sample of the work my colleagues and I do. I experience a profound sense of fulfillment when I contribute to others. As a social impact influencer and entrepreneur, I root my messaging in universal values of conscious reciprocity, dignity, unity, compassion and peace. If a prospective client is not grounded in universal values yet, I will work with them to find their unique connection – What do they stand for? What positive changes do they want to make in the world? What problems do they want to solve in their community, city, country and globally?
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
As a documentary film maker and social impact professional, I work with every day citizens who are emerging change makers, as well as organizations and social impact entrepreneurs to maximize their impact and influence. My personal mission is to unite humanity and to create an ecocentric world. I grew up living in different cities, and as a young adult spent quite a bit of time in different countries in both the eastern and western hemispheres. Even as a child I felt connected to the human zeitgeist on a global level. A couple of decades ago, when I was still a waitress and production assistant, I noticed that conversations were becoming increasingly divisive, especially in the media. It made me feel uneasy and I wanted to do something about it. Everything I do relates to creating narratives that transcend polarization, as well as creating safe spaces where people can come together from diverse backgrounds, to co-create regenerative and restorative conversations. Currently, I am creating a podcast on YouTube (and will live stream on LinkedIn as well), where guests from around the world will be invited to share their stories. I am committed to ending the division and polarization on our planet, as well as the stigma around mental health and ensuring that everyone who shows up for that live stream, feels comfortable to share their experiences with the world. It’s important for me to use my platforms to elevate voices and make sure that people know they are supported and not alone. I am also an animal advocate and choose to live a plant based lifestyle because of the current animal agriculture industry practices and regulations.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
About 6 years ago, I was struck with a debilitating illness. My mind got very foggy and my limbs slowly lost mobility. I became unemployed and for almost 4 years, my life was an odyssey of being bed ridden, seeing multiple doctors and specialists and requiring in home care. Thanks to a plant-based diet, yoga, and meditation, I’ve regained most of my mental clarity mobility and I am no longer in a wheelchair. However, with the exception of being diagnosed (and misdiagnosed) with things like MS, Lyme Disease, TBIs, Epstein Barr Virus, Endometriosis, a brain tumor (acoustic neuroma), and focal seizures, I have been given no effective treatment plan to fully recover yet. In the face of uncertainty in how much time I have left, as well as the tremendous mental toll the often-debilitating symptoms have had on me psychologically, I had to find a way to survive. And a way to generate joy on a daily basis… a way to be happy. The online world gave me a place to make ends meet as an influencer, while also pursuing my purpose – empowering others with the tools to create lasting change and then elevating their causes to the world. My business partner, Mel Wymore, and I created Big Change Makers to do just that – empower change makers to make a BIG change. Social media is powerful. It can be both unifying and divisive. I am committed to being a unifying, compassionate presence and voice on every platform I use.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
At Big Change Makers, we have a specific goal to empower 1000 change makers and catalysts for change by 2030, each committed to co-creating society to be inclusive, abundant, and fair for 1000 generations and beyond. We’re in the business of co-creating and empowering change makers who become impactful leaders – who want to create more leaders – grounded in universal values. We are not interested in creating more followers. So many of the giant problems we face — war, poverty, climate change — actually stem from the narrow context in which we view our lives. We rarely consider how each of our actions ripple outward to the rest of the world. I want to change our default world view from “how can I succeed beyond my wildest dreams” to “how can my success support the success of everyone.” Adopting that mindset at scale would be a real game changer.
Contact Info:
- Website: BigChangeMakers.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/amandakazzycryer?igshid=ZmZhODViOGI=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandakazzycryer/
Image Credits
BTS photos (Myles Coney) Headshot (Dwayne Boyd) BTS photos (Amanda Cryer)