Discover how Ali Katel turned personal climate concerns into PGL—a groundbreaking platform that helps cities become more sustainable and livable through digital twin technology.

From witnessing his hometown in Iran transform into a desert due to poor planning, Ali channeled that pain into purpose. His company now helps urban planners across Toronto, New York, and Boston design spaces that actually work for people—predicting wind patterns, heat comfort, and energy use before breaking ground.

This Contours episode reveals the practical tools and mindset shifts that social entrepreneurs need to scale environmental solutions. Learn how Ali overcame technical pitch failures, built strategic partnerships, and created technology that turns weeks of climate analysis into hours of actionable insights.

Key insights for changemakers:

• How to translate complex technical solutions into business value
• Building resilience through collaborative problem-solving
• Turning regulatory requirements into market opportunities
• The power of "caring more" about urban design choices

Perfect for social entrepreneurs, public servants, and corporate innovators working on sustainability challenges at scale.

Visit www.pathfinders.social for Ali Katel's full story and more stories like it.

Discover how Julia Wagemann transformed a single tweet into Women+ in Geospatial, a thriving global community of 5,500 women and non-binary professionals across 149 countries, reshaping an entire industry.

From her unconventional path as a diving instructor on the Great Barrier Reef to co-founding both W+G and Thrive Geo, Julia shows how accumulated frustration can become the catalyst for collective action. Learn how one moment of vulnerability—asking "Is anyone interested in a group for women in geospatial?"—uncovered massive unmet demand and sparked international collaboration.

This Contours episode reveals the strategic framework behind building sustainable communities from scratch. Discover how Julia navigated the transition from grassroots movement to formal nonprofit, overcame volunteer burnout, and created self-sustaining mentorship programs that turn inspiration into lasting professional growth.

Key insights for changemakers:

• How to transform individual frustration into collective empowerment
• Building volunteer-driven organizations that scale beyond founders
• Creating mentorship frameworks that generate long-term impact
• Strategic pivots from democratic ideals to operational effectiveness

Perfect for social entrepreneurs, public servants, and corporate innovators working to build inclusive professional communities and drive systemic change.

Visit www.pathfinders.social for Julia Wagemann's full story and more stories like it.

Jamie Christensen transforms geographic technology from complex mapping software into powerful tools for human connection and community empowerment. Moving beyond the "Google Maps on steroids" explanation, he reveals how GIS taps into two fundamental human drives: curiosity for exploration and empathy for understanding our relationships to each other and our environment.

Through his two businesses, Jamie demonstrates practical applications that create lasting impact. Working with NGOs, he uses physical maps and community input to uncover hidden local knowledge, like discovering a beloved quarry that changed an entire conservation strategy. With local governments, he builds citizen-friendly tools that make crucial data accessible, recognizing that sometimes people just need answers, not complex visualizations.

Jamie's approach emphasizes that as GIS tools become more accessible through AI and simplified interfaces, the real opportunity lies in human-centered applications. His wildfire evacuation app, built in 30 minutes during BC's crisis, exemplifies how lower technical barriers enable rapid community service.

For changemakers seeking to leverage location-based insights, Jamie's wisdom centers on empathy-first design, community engagement, and the understanding that meaningful change happens through individual connections and local action, not just technological capability.

Visit www.pathfinders.social for Jamie Christensen's full story and more stories like it.