In this inspiring episode, Ashley D. Freeman sits down with Esther Lucero, President and CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board, for a powerful conversation about Indigenous health, cultural healing, leadership, and the strength of community.

Esther shares the history of the Native aunties who turned displacement into a movement for health and justice, and how their legacy continues to shape the work today. She explores the power of combining traditional Indigenous medicine with modern healthcare, data, and policy to create meaningful change.

The conversation also takes us inside the intentionality behind the Thunderbird Treatment Center, an innovative space where healing is centered on culture, family, ceremony, and love. Esther shares why the organization calls patients “relatives,” why keeping families together is essential to healing, and how reconnecting people with their cultural identity can help address generations of trauma.

This episode is a moving reminder that real change happens when communities honor their strengths, learn from those who came before them, and come together to create a healthier future for generations to come.

What if the most important place for health education isn't the hospital—but the places where people already feel safe?

In this inspiring conversation, community health nurse and breast cancer survivor Valarie Worthy shares lessons from more than four decades of caring for patients beyond the clinic walls. From home health visits to church-based health initiatives, she explains how trust, relationships, and cultural understanding can transform healthcare outcomes.

We explore why safe spaces matter, how faith communities have long served as trusted centers for health and healing, and why meeting people where they are leads to better conversations and better care. Valarie also shares how her own breast cancer journey inspired her to bridge the gap between healthcare systems and the communities they serve through creativity, education, and compassion.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, community leader, caregiver, or someone passionate about health equity, this episode is a powerful reminder that lasting change begins with trust, genuine connection, and meeting people where they are.

• (00:00:03) - The secret to building a community
• (00:00:31) - Community-based health care
• (00:06:45) - Community Health in the Church
• (00:09:51) - Black Churches: A Safe Haven
• (00:13:12) - Health and Work in the Church
• (00:17:07) - Cancer Edutainment
• (00:20:02) - Building a Community Outreach
• (00:26:26) - What Keeps You Committed to the Work?

What happens when a doctor stops practicing for the system and starts practicing for the people?

In this heartfelt conversation, Ashley D. Freeman sits down with Dr. Aisha Harris, a family physician and proud Flint, Michigan native, to explore what it means to be a community doctor. From returning home to serve the city that raised her, to building a membership-based practice centered on trust, time, and genuine relationships, Dr. Harris shares how healthcare changes when patients are treated like people instead of numbers.

Together, they dive into the realities impacting communities every day: chronic stress, mental health, food insecurity, kidney disease, healthcare accessibility, and the growing disconnect between policy and patient care. Dr. Harris also offers an inspiring perspective for healthcare providers navigating burnout and restrictive systems, encouraging them to take ownership of their careers, think creatively, and build paths that allow them to care for patients more intentionally.

This episode is a reminder that medicine is bigger than clinic walls. It’s about connection, advocacy, education, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered in their health journey.

Whether you’re a provider, patient, caregiver, or someone passionate about the future of healthcare, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about what care can look like.

• (00:00:03) - Patient Advocate Foundation in Action
• (00:02:02) - Flint Community Doctor on Returning home to Serve the Community
• (00:07:41) - In the Elevator With Your Doctor
• (00:09:10) - The challenges facing patients and their health
• (00:12:19) - Keynote: How to manage kidney disease
• (00:14:12) - How to Energize Your Patients
• (00:18:07) - What Inspired You to Start Your Own Practice
• (00:20:24) - The challenges of the healthcare system
• (00:23:44) - What Keeps You Motivated to Work in Medicine?
• (00:26:46) - How to Get Out of Your Stifled Workpace
• (00:29:08) - Advocates in Action: More Doctors in the Future

In this episode, Dr. Kristi Kirschner, a physician, educator, and leader in disability-inclusive healthcare, whose career began the same year as the Americans with Disabilities Act became law shares that even more than 30 years later, the promise of that moment still feels unfulfilled. Healthcare continues to lag behind other systems in accessibility and widespread ableism prevents patients from receiving the care they deserve.

Dr. Kirschner shares a bold vision for change rooted in education, partnership, and reimagining the role of healthcare itself. From training the next generation of clinicians to building a lifespan disability clinic which elevates the voices of people with lived experience, this episode explores what it takes to move from compliance to true inclusion. The University of Illinois Health Lifespan Disability Clinic, offers comprehensive, disability-inclusive primary care for both children and adults with a wide range of physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, including complex, multifaceted conditions.

Listen to witness the power of reframing because disability is not a limitation, it is a lens for innovation, creativity, and a more humane, interconnected world. This is a conversation about dignity, design, and the future of care, and why getting it right matters for all of us.

Learn more about the UI Health Lifespan Disability Clinic https://hospital.uillinois.edu/primary-and-specialty-care/disability-inclusive-care

Explore their website to access their resources: https://adih.uic.edu/

• (00:00:03) - Coming soon: Disability in the World
• (00:00:48) - Advocates in Action: Equity and Inclusion in Healthcare
• (00:07:11) - The role of health professionals with disabilities
• (00:16:18) - The Disability Inclusive Health Care
• (00:24:39) - Living with Disabilities in 2026
• (00:34:29) - Advocates in Action: Week 3

In this episode, Dr. Ann Cheney shares about Unidas por Salud, a community–academic partnership made up of community members, students, and academics working together to advance health equity in underserved communities. This women-led group is transforming care in the Eastern Coachella Valley, where environmental hazards and structural inequity are reducing the quality of health outcomes.

Through community-based participatory research, student-led clinics, culturally rooted care, and innovative programs like a medical Spanish curriculum and ancestral nutrition initiatives, this team reveals what happens when research is done in partnership with communities, not on them.

We also explore the hard decisions behind ethical leadership, what it means to walk away from funding when trust is compromised, how to share power authentically, and why being an “outsider” requires humility, accountability, and invitation. In the face of policy shifts, fear-driven public health crises, and real-time community needs, you’ll hear a moving example of what responsive care looks like when systems fall short.

Listen to this conversation about hope found in students who carry the mission forward, in communities who open their doors, and in a model of care that refuses to leave anyone behind.

Explore their website to learn more about their work: https://www.unidasporsalud.com

• (00:00:03) - Advocates in Action: When Equity and Inclusion in Health
• (00:01:35) - Community based participatory research in the Coachella Valley
• (00:12:32) - The BLAMOS Clinic in the Coachella Valley
• (00:15:00) - Mentees of the Medical Student Program
• (00:17:23) - The role of shared leadership in science
• (00:24:48) - Advocates in Action: The Coachella Valley Free Clinic

Dr. Philip M. Alberti joins host Ashley D. Freeman to explore how we can “hold the line” and defend equity in healthcare—while challenging the false narrative that some communities must lose for others to thrive. Drawing from his recent Milbank Quarterly article “Health Equity Benefits All Communities—Including White Ones,” Dr. Alberti unpacks how language, measurement, storytelling, and belonging can help reframe health equity as a universal good. He shares practical ways to bridge divides, build cross-racial coalitions, and strengthen our collective “civic muscle” to drive long-term change from the ground up. With honesty, insight, and hope, Dr. Alberti reminds us that health equity is not a zero-sum game—it’s about creating fair and just opportunities for everyone, and it begins with listening, empathy, and local action. This episode will leave you inspired to see yourself as part of the movement for health justice.

Ever wonder why “equity” can mean so many different things—and why getting it right matters so much? In this episode, we dive into the power of defining equity clearly and why the words we use shape real-world solutions in health and social systems. Listen as Reginald Tucker-Seeley breaks down how organizations can align their values with actions, build consensus, and use storytelling to bring data and disparities to life in ways everyone can understand. We also explore the challenges we still face, from deeply rooted systemic disparities to limited funding, and why making lasting change takes both patience and persistence. Whether you’re new to health equity or have been working in the space for years, this conversation offers practical insights and inspiring reminders of how clarity, reflection, and intention can move us closer to fairness for all.

Learn more about Health Equity Strategies & Solutions

What happens when passion meets purpose in the face of injustice?

When the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep cracks in our healthcare system, Dr. LaShyra “Lash” Nolen didn’t wait for someone else to fix them—she stepped up. As vaccine rollouts began, she saw firsthand how the needs of marginalized communities were being ignored. In response, she launched the We Got Us Project—a revolutionary health justice initiative designed to bridge the divide between medicine and the people it serves.

In this powerful episode, Dr. Nolen shares the origin story of We Got Us, a grassroots coalition committed to combating racism in our communities through increasing access to equitable healthcare, community-centered health education, and direct healing. Listen to hear how the power of audacity—passed down from her mother and grandmother has fueled every step of her journey. Tune in to hear how one woman’s determination is transforming communities, rebuilding trust, and changing the face of public health.

This season is brought to you as a collaboration between Patient Advocate Foundation and Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, a project made possible in part by support from the Danaher Foundation.

Check Out the We Got Us Project.