A storytelling talk that highlights how everyday uncomfortable, awkward and messy interactions get in the way of progress for social change. This talk is a call to action for EVERYONE to move beyond denial to the commitment of saying yes to the urgent social change issues of our times and how to use the transformative power of our own stories to sustain the journey to change when the going gets tough. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson,PhD, is a multi-award winning scholar-practitioner in human/organization development with research awards and professional recognitions in Canada, United States and United Kingdom. She is an executive leader, consultant and educator in Leadership/Organization Development and Systems Change across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. In addition to a groundbreaking book on Transformation After Trauma: The Power of Resonance, she has also authored peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, is author of Identities & Ancestries, short story collections about global African experiences and Lead Editor of the We Will Lead Africa book series. Yabome continues to research, write and speak on leadership & organization development issues, posttraumatic growth & on honouring diversity and social equality in our locally global world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx