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The power of a voice is determined by willingness to stand, not who stands behind it

Ritchelle Drilon
April 29, 2026

The social sector has become remarkably proficient at language. We voice out fluently about impact, prevention, lived experience, trauma-informed practice, and co-design. We develop frameworks, conduct consultations, and generate awareness. But beneath this activity, systems can absorb critique without changing.

Jo Cooper, Founder of The Good Warrior, has spent her career focused on the gap between awareness and action, specifically the moment where people see something is wrong but don’t act. “That shifted my focus from individual events to the underlying dynamics that sustain them,” Cooper explains. “Since then, my work has been centred on one question: how do we shift that moment where people see something is wrong, but don’t act?”

It’s a question with implications far beyond bystander intervention. It speaks to how the social sector itself operates: the gap between narrative and accountability, between participation and action, between the appearance of progress and structural change that actually shifts outcomes.

Q&A with Jo

What inspired you to pursue a career in the social sector?

I was inspired by a pattern rather than a moment. The consistent presence of bystander inaction, and the role it plays in allowing harm to continue across different environments. I saw it firsthand, but also recognised it as something much broader, embedded in culture and often reinforced by systems through silence and process. That shifted my focus from individual events to the underlying dynamics that sustain them. Since then, my work has been centred on one question: how do we shift that moment where people see something is wrong, but don’t act?

What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

The most fulfilling part is witnessing the moment someone moves from silence to action. When they realise that seeing something is not enough, and that their voice has a role to play in what happens next. That shift, from awareness to participation, is where real change begins. Knowing the work can spark that is what makes it meaningful.

What is the most impactful project you have worked on so far?

The most impactful project I’ve worked on began as a legal case and evolved into something much larger. I led the landmark Court of Appeal case Cooper v The Owners – Strata Plan No 58068, which reshaped how by-laws operate across Australia and reinforced the principle that rules must have a rational connection to the legitimate interests of others. But the real impact extended beyond the legal outcome. The case exposed how power operates inside everyday systems, and how silence and process can sustain harmful patterns even when they are challenged.
That work has since become the foundation for my book ‘Toppling Towers of Power’ and ‘The Good Warrior’, which I am now building into a broader body of work across storytelling, live experiences and media. What began as a single case is now evolving into a platform that explores how we shift behaviour at scale, not just outcomes.
The Court of Appeal made it clear that a strata scheme is a liberal democracy, not a majoritarian dictatorship. Even unanimous support cannot justify restrictions on residents where there is no material impact on others. For too long, owners have been told they “sign away” their rights when they enter strata. This case dismantled that assumption and reaffirmed that property rights remain subject to law, not majority preference.
Unlike many cases that take years to influence policy, this decision was legislated within 10 months. The principle did not remain theoretical. It was embedded into law. No institutional backing. No union. No funded campaign. Just one person taking on a system with significantly greater resources.
If it does anything, I hope it reminds others of this: The power of a voice is not determined by who stands behind it…but by the willingness to stand when it matters.

What are the biggest developments you have seen in the social sector so far?

One of the biggest developments I’ve seen in the social sector is the growing gap between language and reality. We’ve become very good at talking about impact, prevention and lived experience, but far less effective at implementing structural change that actually shifts outcomes.
There is a significant amount of energy placed into awareness, frameworks and consultation, often led by people who are adjacent to the problem rather than deeply embedded in it. At the same time, voices with direct lived experience are still navigating barriers to being heard in ways that influence decision-making at scale.
What I’ve observed is that systems can absorb critique without changing, particularly when that critique is channelled into safe, repeatable formats. The next phase, in my view, requires a shift from narrative to accountability, and from participation to action. Because without that, we risk maintaining the appearance of progress while the underlying issues remain unchanged.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our sector nowadays?

The biggest challenge is that the sector can sustain the appearance of progress without consistently delivering structural change. There is strong intent, but the execution often remains within the same systems and frameworks that allowed the issues to emerge in the first place. When that happens, change becomes incremental rather than transformative. If we are serious about outcomes, not just activity, there needs to be a shift in how decisions are made, who is shaping them, and how success is measured.

What emerging technology or trends do you believe will shape the sector’s future?

While AI and data will shape the sector, the more important question is what they amplify. Technology does not change systems on its own. It scales the intent, biases and behaviours already embedded within them. The future of the sector will be shaped by how these tools are used to either reinforce existing power structures or make them more visible and accountable.
At the same time, a shift towards more participatory models, where storytelling, media and technology intersect to move people from awareness into action, I believe will make the biggest shift—the human connection via storytelling and arts. That combination, technology with cultural influence, is where meaningful change becomes possible at scale.

What advice would you give aspiring leaders in this sector?

Be clear about your intent. If what you are seeking is recognition, progression or visibility, this sector will give you opportunities. But that is not the same as creating impact. I have seen too many instances where social impact becomes a pathway for career advancement rather than a commitment to prevention or change.
The work demands more than alignment with a cause. It requires a willingness to prioritise outcomes over personal gain, even when that comes without reward. Because in the end, the sector does not need more voices attached to issues. It needs people prepared to change them.

Tell us more about your organisation. What is something unique about it?

The Good Warrior is not a traditional social impact organisation. It is a cultural platform designed to shift behaviour, not just raise awareness. What makes it unique is its focus on the role of bystanders, not as observers, but as active participants in shaping outcomes. Most approaches focus on supporting individuals after harm has occurred. This work focuses on what happens in the moment before, where silence either allows behaviour to continue or disrupts it.
It brings together storytelling, music and lived experience to create work that people can engage with in a more immediate and human way. The intention is to move beyond information and into participation, building a body of work that can scale across media, live experiences and culture to influence how people respond within the systems they are part of.

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