Media Kit
Bios
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Alex Budak lives for that magical moment when people realize they have far more power than they ever imagined to shape the world.
He is a faculty member at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and created the core leadership class at Berkeley's School of Public Health. His teaching inspired the campus-wide Berkeley Changemaker program, now spanning 50 classes and 80 faculty. It also inspired student tattoos.
His book, Becoming a Changemaker, is being translated into 27 languages. CNBC named it a top-five nonfiction book about work, and Thinkers50 included him in its Radar Class of management thinkers to watch in 2026.
He previously co-founded StartSomeGood, which has raised more than $12 million to launch and scale new initiatives from urban gardens to mental health startups in more than 50 countries.
Outside of the classroom, he delivers keynotes on leadership, change, and courage from Argentina to the Arctic Circle, speaking at organizations like Accenture, Salesforce, the World Bank, and UNHCR.
Formerly a travel writer, Alex now enjoys the adventures of life with his two young kids, his favorite changemakers. A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, he brings the same loyalty to his work, though he admits one lesson came the hard way: never go budget skydiving.
More at alexbudak.com
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Alex Budak lives for that magical moment when people realize they have far more power than they ever imagined to shape the world.
He is a faculty member at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and the author of Becoming a Changemaker, now being translated into 27 languages.
Before Berkeley, he co-founded StartSomeGood, a platform that has helped changemakers in more than 50 countries raise over $12 million to go from idea to impact.
He has been recognized by Inc. as one of the world’s top 50 leadership experts and named to the Thinkers50 Radar.
A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Alex knows something about loyalty, resilience, and hard lessons, including one learned the hard way: never go budget skydiving.
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“The tools you need to step up, play bigger and increase your impact.” - New York Times Bestselling Author Liz Wiseman
Hailed by CNBC as a “top 5 non-fiction book everyone should be reading about work,” Becoming a Changemaker is a call to action, showing how leading change from where you are can transform your career, community and even the world. Alex Budak, a celebrated UC Berkeley faculty member, distills the essence of successful changemakers in this accessible guide, unveiling the essential mindsets and leadership skills needed to spark change and create impact across roles, sectors, and hierarchies. Through a powerful blend of data-driven insights and diverse, relatable case studies, Budak builds a compelling case, one that frames being a changemaker as an inclusive, aspirational identity for everyone.
Inspired by the lessons and philosophies from Budak’s wildly popular course of the same name, which he created at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Becoming a Changemaker will show you how to:
-Develop your own unique voice as a changemaker, to lead effectively, empathetically, and authentically in any setting.
-Transform setbacks into stepping stones and uncover the art and science of turning failures into powerful catalysts for growth and innovation
-Influence without authority to inspire and mobilize others towards your vision – even when you're not in charge.
-Create a sustainable action plan to turn your aspirations for change into reality with the Changemaker Canvas tool and its tangible, manageable steps.
-Pursue Your Purpose and learn to harness your individual strengths and passions to drive meaningful change from wherever you are, in a way that’s true to who you are.
To begin leading change, you don’t need a fancy title, or a perfectly polished idea. But you do need to start. This book is your first step.
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