Episodes

  • CPH 46 — My Ancestors Don't Play About Me: A Conversation with Chevelle Davis, MPH

    CPH 46 — My Ancestors Don't Play About Me: A Conversation with Chevelle Davis, MPH
    Mar 3 2026

    In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Chevelle Davis shares what it looks like to tell the truth and stand ten toes down on it — in academia, in policy spaces, and in public health systems that often reward silence over honesty.

    This is a conversation about courage, power, and accountability — about land and responsibility, professionalism and whiteness, data-to-action work, and what becomes possible when we stop window dressing equity and start living it.

    Meet Chevelle Davis, MPH

    Chevelle Davis was born and raised on O'ahu and calls the ahupua'a of Hono'uli'uli home. As the oldest of six in a blended family, she values time spent traveling, sharing 'ono food, watching movies, and making memories with family, friends, and her cat Cleo.

    Grounded in a public health background and a deep commitment to anti-racism and equity, Chevelle works to advance policies that support women and their families across Hawai'i. Her work centers on community-driven, anti-racist, and justice-informed approaches to addressing the social, structural, political, and colonial determinants of health, through research and government affairs.

    Chevelle holds a BA and MPH in Health Policy and is working on her PhD in Public Health from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She is also an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars program, focused on driving systemic change through research, policy, and community partnerships.

    Conversation Highlights

    • "Professionalism" and who it protects — Chevelle names an unpopular truth: professionalism often means "what is acceptable to whiteness," and asking where those norms come from is exactly what disrupts the status quo.
    • Performative land acknowledgements — She talks about why acknowledgements can feel hollow without follow-through, and what kuleana (responsibility) means in a place that's treated like a vacation destination.
    • Data-to-action over paywalled research — As a state-level lobbyist and researcher, Chevelle challenges the cycle of research that confirms what we already know—only to be buried behind journals and written away from the public.
    • Good trouble as a public health practice — From the RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars Program to her own leadership style, she frames courage as honesty, authenticity, and being "the person who says the thing."
    • Authenticity isn't equally safe — Chevelle names how "bring your authentic self" is often a lie in workplaces, because for Black, Brown, and Indigenous women, authenticity can be physically, psychologically, and economically unsafe.

    "To say that with your full chest and to stand ten toes down on that." — Chevelle Davis, MPH

    Stay in Touch

    With Chevelle Davis, MPH
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmadavis-mph-b507ba54/

    With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/

    Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com

    Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6

    Public Health Consulting to Support You

    We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as an organizational skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain.

    If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or through our website.
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    45 mins
  • CPH 45 — Public Health Belongs Here: A Conversation with Angela Bannerman Ankoma, MPH, MSW

    CPH 45 — Public Health Belongs Here: A Conversation with Angela Bannerman Ankoma, MPH, MSW
    Feb 24 2026
    In this episode, Angela Bannerman Ankoma, MPH, MSW shares what it looks like to lead despite fear — in crisis, in community, and in systems that don't always expect public health to be at the table. This is a conversation about courage under pressure, unapologetic advocacy, public health beyond the clinic walls, Black women's leadership, and what it means to build power in historically marginalized communities — even when the headwinds are strong. Meet Angela Bannerman Ankoma, MPH, MSW Angela Bannerman Ankoma, MPH, MSW, is a strategic leader, equity champion, and community builder whose career spans public health, philanthropy, and social impact. She most recently served as Vice President and Executive Director of the Equity Leadership Initiative at the Rhode Island Foundation, where she led a statewide effort to strengthen a cross sector pipeline of leaders of color. Under her leadership, the Foundation invested 8.5 million dollars in ELI and related initiatives, including a three year capacity building program for Black and Brown led nonprofits. Angela is the Founder and Principal of The Bannerman Group, a strategy and equity focused consulting practice that partners with nonprofit organizations, philanthropic institutions, and community leaders to advance inclusive leadership, strengthen governance, and design impact driven strategies aligned with measurable community impact. She previously held senior leadership roles at the United Way of Rhode Island, guiding community investment during the COVID 19 pandemic, and at the Rhode Island Department of Health, where she co directed the Health Equity Institute. Angela holds master's degrees in Social Work and Public Health from Columbia University and is working towards completing an Executive Doctoral Program in Health Leadership at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She serves on multiple boards and advisory committees and is a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity. She is a proud mother of four and co owner of a family retail business. Conversation Highlights Leading while shaking in your boots — Angela reflects on managing Rhode Island's 24-hour 2-1-1 call center during the early days of COVID-19—responding to fear, evolving information, and community crisis while homeschooling four children at the same time.Public health belongs at every table — When a school principal questioned why public health was present in a graduation initiative, Anglea used it as an opening to explain how education, economics, housing, and health are inseparable.Unapologetic about equity — She names her commitment clearly: infant mortality among Black women, graduation rates among marginalized youth, and addressing systemic exclusion must be explicit—not assumed to improve "with the rising tide."Gun violence as a preventable public health issue — Angela speaks candidly about the emotional toll of mass shootings hitting close to home—and the urgency of applying the same public health strategies we've used for seatbelts and smoking to gun violence prevention.Black women leading from the front — Angela names her conviction that Black women must not only have seats at the table but be leading—because when Black women lead, they lead for community, not self. "If you're not scared, your dreams are not big enough" — Angela Bannerman Ankoma Stay in Touch With Angela Bannerman Ankoma, MPH, MSWLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-bannerman-ankoma/ With Dr. Kristi McClamrochLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/ Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6 Public Health Consulting to Support You We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as an organizational skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain. If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or through our website.
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    34 mins
  • CPH 44 — Disability, Dignity, and Disrupting the System: A Conversation with Syreeta Nolan

    CPH 44 — Disability, Dignity, and Disrupting the System: A Conversation with Syreeta Nolan
    Feb 17 2026

    In this episode, Syreeta Nolan shares what it looks like to claim your full identity and build systems that honor every body and mind — even when those systems were never designed for you.

    This is a conversation about disability justice, prevention, and power — and what becomes possible when we stop asking people to fit broken systems and start redesigning systems to fit people.

    You're listening to the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Episode 44.

    Meet Syreeta Nolan

    Syreeta Nolan is a Black Disabled, bisexual, kink-friendly systems thinker and relentless advocate for equity in higher education. She didn't just return to college after a decade away — she returned demanding change and not to be taken for granted.

    Her journey through fibromyalgia and mental health trauma didn't silence her. It lit a fire.

    She co-founded Disabled In Higher Ed to build the space she'd never had: where disabled students could be seen, heard, and equipped to lead. As Principal CEO, she has partnered with institutions, policy leaders, and community organizers to reimagine access from the ground up — centering storytelling, trauma-informed systems, and collective accountability.

    Now, she's in a new season — one where rest is resistance, prevention is power, and healing is a form of design.

    She is in the midst of writing BOOK, a poetic memoir for the soul-centered grievers and radical feelers. And she's developing a national credentialing pathway for BSW-level professionals focused on preventive, relational mental health care.

    She researches mental health prevention and trauma care. She speaks truth in spaces that weren't built for people like her.

    She leads from the grey: between light and shadow, pain and purpose. That's where the real work happens.

    Conversation Highlights

    • Disability as identity, not luggage — Syreeta explains why she claims "disabled" as an identity, not something she "has," and how person-first language can erase lived reality rather than honor it.
    • From broken systems to preventative care — She shares how years of living with severe mental disability led her to design the Mental Health Preventative Care Act — shifting mental health from crisis response to lifelong, upstream support.
    • Turning pain into policy — Syreeta walks us through the moment she left a 1 a.m. voicemail for a U.S. Senator's office… and how it led to a next-day briefing with the Senator's health policy team.
    • Generative AI as disability infrastructure — She reframes ChatGPT not as cheating or replacement, but as "generative, augmentative cognition" — the same kind of access technology as curb cuts or texting.
    • Intersectional courage in hostile systems — As a Black, disabled, bisexual woman in higher education, Syreeta names how ableism shows up even inside equity spaces — and what it takes to stay visible, proud, and politically powerful anyway.

    "My disabilities are not something I carry like luggage. I am a disabled woman — that is my identity."— Syreeta Nolan

    Stay in Touch

    With Syreeta Nolan:

    Email: syreeta_nolan@brown.edu

    Request the MHPCA one-pager, share feedback, or connect about disability justice, mental health prevention, and policy advocacy.

    With Dr. Kristi McClamroch:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/

    Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com

    Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6

    Public Health Consulting to Support You

    We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as an organizational skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain.

    If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or through our website.
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    51 mins
  • CPH 43 — Confidence, Contracts, and Claiming Your Worth: A Conversation with Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST

    CPH 43 — Confidence, Contracts, and Claiming Your Worth: A Conversation with Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST
    Feb 10 2026
    In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST—founder and CEO of Jenkins Public Health Consulting, course and program strategist, and public health entrepreneur—shares how courage looks in real life: moving away from home, building a business from her expertise, and learning to name her value without apology. Brittaney also breaks down what it takes to protect your work in contract negotiations, treat confidence as a skill you can build, and lead with strong boundaries as a mother and a leader. You're listening to the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Episode 43. Meet Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST Brittaney Jenkins is a nationally Certified Health Education Specialist®️, public health practitioner, speaker, and career coach with over 15 years of experience in healthcare and public health. Inspired by a legacy of community service from her adoption and lived experiences that introduced her to philanthropy and fundraising, Brittaney founded Jenkins Public Health Consulting®️ in 2018. Based in Alabama and serving clients globally, Jenkins Public Health Consulting is a woman- and minority-owned firm helping non-profit and for-profit organizations attract consistent funding by deploying highly effective programs, effective strategic partners and rebuilding trust with community to improve access to resources and health outcomes. Brittaney specializes in chronic disease and injury prevention initiatives and self management programs with an emphasis on health equity and disparities. Recognized for her contributions to public health and healthcare, Brittaney has won and managed over $12 million in local, state and federal funding, designed and implemented national level health initiatives, and been awarded as "Rising Star" by the Alabama State Black Chamber of Commerce, featured by Marquis Who's Who for Excellence in Public Health, and served in community-focused leadership roles including Chair of the Smoke Free Indy Coalition and Co Chair of the Toxicology Board at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Jenkins Public Health Consulting also has workforce development resources that help individuals around the globe land high pay and fulfilling jobs in health care or public health. Conversation Highlights Hesitation vs. fear — Brittaney reframes what stops leaders: often it's not fear, it's hesitation and a need for clarity about alignment and purpose.Leaving home as a courageous leap — She shares what it took to move away from a big family system, trust her adulthood, and choose a life that fit (including the weather!).Charging for expertise (especially coming from nonprofit) — She names the mindset shift from "nonprofit = free" to "nonprofit is still a business," and why paid expertise is part of sustainable impact.Protecting intellectual property in contracts — She breaks down the courage it takes to negotiate—so organizations don't extract your frameworks and methods "at no cost."Motherhood, boundaries, and invisible risk — She talks about the courage of childcare decisions when your child has serious food allergies—and the leadership it takes to educate and set standards (like EpiPen readiness). "You're not cocky. You're confident." — Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST Stay in Touch With Brittaney Jenkins: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittaneyrjenkins/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jphcllc/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jenkinspublichealth With Dr. Kristi McClamroch: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/ Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6 Public Health Consulting to Support You We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as an organizational skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain. If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or through our website.
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    33 mins
  • CPH 42 — Strong Boundaries and Women's Health in the Soft Life Era: A Conversation with Dr. Zupenda Davis

    CPH 42 — Strong Boundaries and Women's Health in the Soft Life Era: A Conversation with Dr. Zupenda Davis
    Feb 3 2026

    In this episode, Dr. Zupenda Davis shares what it looks like to choose yourself — in your work, your relationships, and your health. From setting boundaries that protect her peace to speaking openly about women's health and menopause, Dr. Davis brings a vision of public health that centers the whole person.

    This is a conversation about courage, freedom, and what becomes possible when women stop shrinking and start naming what they need.

    Meet Dr. Zupenda Davis

    Dr. Zupenda Davis is the Assistant Vice President of Student Health and Wellness at Stockton University, where she has strategic and operational oversight of four areas: Student Health Services, Health Outreach, Promotion and Education (HOPE), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and the Learning Access Program (LAP).

    With over 25 years of experience in public health, she has worked across nonprofit, academic, research, and local government settings. Dr. Davis holds a DrPH from Drexel University, an MPH from UMDNJ School of Public Health, and a BS in Public Health from Rutgers University. She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES).

    Dr. Davis is a Board Member of AVANZAR and an Advisory Board Member of Our View. She is also a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Kappa Pi Sigma (Atlantic County Alumnae) Chapter.

    Conversation Highlights

    • Visionary + Whole-Person Health — Dr. Davis introduces herself as "a visionary at heart," rooted in mental health, physical health, and equity, with a commitment to creating spaces where people can say the hard things out loud — and feel less alone.
    • Courage to Start — and Sunset — a Business — She shares how she turned her natural gift for event planning into an eight-year business (Shining Moments Event Planning), and why it took real courage to close it when the demands began to threaten rest, joy, and leadership presence.
    • COVID Leadership Under Misinformation — From her role in local government public health, she reflects on navigating confusion, distrust, and political interference — and why effective public health depends not just on the message, but the messenger.
    • Naming Emotional Abuse + Turning Pain into Advocacy — Dr. Davis speaks about leaving an emotionally abusive relationship and becoming a domestic violence advocate, supporting survivors through police, hospital, and court systems with compassion and clarity.
    • Choosing Child-Free + Claiming Full Womanhood — She names the lifelong courage of deciding not to have children, rejecting the idea that womanhood requires motherhood, and pushing back on workplace assumptions about availability and worth.

    "Deciding to be child-free doesn't make me any less of a woman." — Dr. Zupenda Davis

    Stay in Touch

    With Dr. Zupenda Davis:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzdavis/

    With Dr. Kristi McClamroch:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/

    Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com

    Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6

    Public Health Consulting to Support You

    We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as an organizational skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain.

    If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or through our website.
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • CPH 41 — Pull Up a Chair: A Conversation with Indya Hairston

    CPH 41 — Pull Up a Chair: A Conversation with Indya Hairston
    Jan 27 2026
    In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Indya Hairston—Johns Hopkins DrPH student, founder of Community Speaks Consulting, and advocate for Black women's reproductive and maternal health—shares how courage defined her pivotal year of 2023. She talks about moving across the country for a fresh start, applying to only one doctoral program because it aligned with her purpose, quitting a stable nonprofit job to launch her consulting firm without guaranteed income, and choosing faith over fear at every step. Indya reflects on taking up space as a Black woman in environments where her voice isn't always welcomed, the responsibility and exhaustion that can come with speaking when others cannot, and how looking back at her own life has become evidence of her courage. She also shares a bold vision for public health where communities lead, the table keeps expanding across sectors, and academia is disrupted so the next generation of Black women can more easily see themselves in the work. Meet Indya Hairston, MPH Indya Hairston is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Community Speaks Consulting (CSC). She has over a decade of experience in community-based research, evaluation and community-building work. Through a Black Feminist lens and a Reproductive Justice framework, her work amplifies the voices of marginalized communities focusing on health disparities that disproportionately impact Black and Brown women. With a background in Psychology and a Masters of Public Health, she is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health within the Women's Reproductive Health concentration. As a Black-woman led consulting firm, CSC serves as a vital link between communities and various service providers, envisioning a future where organizations are well-informed about community needs. CSC facilitates meaningful connections with communities through community-based research, evaluation, and coalition building services. Indya's extensive experience in building community relationships contributes to the organization's commitment to achieving equitable outcomes. Through her leadership, CSC strives to create a future where everyone's needs are not only heard but actively addressed. Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast Conversation Highlights The Courageous Triple Pivot — Indya shares how 2023 became a defining year marked by three simultaneous leaps: moving from Atlanta to Austin for a fresh start, applying to only one doctoral program at Johns Hopkins because it aligned with her purpose, and quitting her nonprofit job to launch Community Speaks Consulting without guaranteed income.Scholar Identity and Lifelong Learning — She embraces the word scholar as a core part of who she is, reflecting on how her drive to learn and grow shapes both her academic journey and her work amplifying Black women's experiences in public health.Taking Up Space as a Black Woman — Indya speaks candidly about navigating predominantly white institutions where her voice isn't always welcomed, carrying the burden of being the one expected to speak, and leaning on her father's words—"closed mouths don't get fed"—as permission to claim space anyway.Community as the True Experts — She lays out a powerful vision for public health grounded in community-led solutions, insisting that engagement must move beyond listening to real action and that every sector—from construction to healthcare to policy—has a role at the public health table.Disrupting Academia from the Inside — Indya explains why she told Hopkins she wants to disrupt academia and how she hopes to use her future faculty role to open doors and reshape pathways for Black women entering public health research and leadership. "I remind myself that I can take up space — and that it is my right to do so."— Indya Hairston, MPH Stay In Touch With Indya Hairston: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/indya-k-hairston/ Instagram - @CommunitySpeaksConsulting TikTok - @Indya2DRPH With Dr. Kristi McClamroch: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/ Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates - http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6 **Remember to Like the Episode, Subscribe, and Leave a Review!** Public Health Consulting To Support You We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as a leadership skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain. If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or on our website!
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    40 mins
  • CPH 40 — Purpose, Possibility, and Black Men's Health: A Conversation with Dr. Krista Mincey

    CPH 40 — Purpose, Possibility, and Black Men's Health: A Conversation with Dr. Krista Mincey
    Jan 20 2026
    In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Dr. Krista Mincey—public health professor, researcher on Black men's health, and daughter and granddaughter of first-generation college students and rural Southern farmers—shares how courage has shaped both her life and her work. She talks about picking up and moving across states alone to say yes to opportunities that scared her, walking away from relationships that didn't honor her worth even when it meant letting go of deeply held dreams, and learning when to stay quiet to survive a system and when to use her voice to protect those coming behind her. Dr. Mincey also reflects on the inherited values that live in her—education, persistence, and pride in where she comes from—and why her vision for public health includes Black men at the center, public health woven into every sector, and a world where everyone understands that health is shaped far beyond the walls of a clinic. Meet Dr. Krista Mincey Dr. Krista D. Mincey is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Public Health Education and Training at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Public Health. She is a proud rural Georgia native whose upbringing centers her and the work that she does. She started her academic career at an HBCU in New Orleans and then moved back to Georgia to teach medical students and prepare doctoral students in rural health. Her research focuses on the social and cultural factors that influence health behaviors and health outcomes of college attending Black men. She is passionate about training and developing students so they can be successful personally, professionally, and academically. Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast Conversation Highlights Coming From "Good Stock" — Dr. Mincey shares how her grandparents' and parents' stories—farming in the segregated rural South, domestic work up North, and first-generation HBCU journeys—shaped her belief that "it's in me because I come from it" and made a doctorate even imaginable.Taking Jobs She Wasn't Sure She Wanted — She talks about moving to New Orleans with three weeks' notice after a grant-funded opportunity reappeared, arriving in a city where she knew no one, and how repeatedly starting over alone has been one of the most courageous (and exhausting) patterns in her professional life.Saying No When the World Says "This Might Be Your Last Chance" — Dr. Mincey reflects on ending a relationship that seemed to offer the possibility of marriage and children, and what it took to choose her own worth over fear of "this might be your last opportunity."Finding and Using Her Voice in Academic Spaces — From being the youngest in her doctoral cohort and feeling dismissed, to saying "no" when colleagues tried to erase public health from a department name, she explains how getting the letters behind her name changed how she spoke up—for herself, for students, and for those not in the room.Reimagining Public Health Education and Practice — Dr. Mincey lays out a vision where public health is integrated everywhere: in high schools, community colleges, law, journalism, teaching, and policy—and where Black men's health, implementation, and real community experience are centered rather than treated as afterthoughts. "I don't need you to like me, but you do need to respect who I am and what I bring to the table—so that you'll respect the next person who comes to the table after me."— Dr. Krista Mincey Stay In Touch With Dr. Krista Mincey: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/krista-mincey-81b4431b/ Email: krista.mincey@gmail.com Instagram - @drkristamincey With Dr. Kristi McClamroch: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/ Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates - http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6 **Remember to Like the Episode, Subscribe, and Leave a Review!** Public Health Consulting To Support You We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as a leadership skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain. If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or on our website!
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    55 mins
  • CPH 39 — Finding Your Happy and Your Health: A Conversation with Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN

    CPH 39 — Finding Your Happy and Your Health: A Conversation with Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN
    Jan 13 2026
    In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN—registered dietitian, co-founder of Eat Well Exchange, and unapologetic foodie—shares how courage has shaped her path from youngest child to first in her family to leave home for college, and from secure government job to full-time nonprofit founder. She talks about building Eat Well Exchange to teach communities how to eat healthy with cultural foods that feel like home, and what it took to trust herself enough to "let the boats get close" and finally make the leap. Ashley also reflects on what it means to be a Black dietitian in a field that's only 2.7% Black, how she navigates being "the only one" in professional spaces without feeling responsible for representing everyone, and why she's choosing generational health, joy, and authenticity over rigid ideas of professionalism. She shares a vision for public health where communities lead the work, culture is centered—not erased—and women's leadership and wellbeing are seen as essential to everyone's health. Meet Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN is an experienced Registered Dietitian and community advocate with over a decade of experience in nutrition and public health. She is the Co-Founder and Program Director of EatWell Exchange, Inc., where she leads culture-centered nutrition initiatives rooted in equity, access, and community voice. Ashley has a strong track record of working in low-income communities and facilitating DEI-informed training that centers lived experience and cultural relevance. She is also a skilled business development professional, bridging mission-driven work with sustainable organizational growth. Her work is grounded in the belief that nutrition is most effective when it honors culture, context, and community. Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast Conversation Highlights Becoming the First to Leave Home — Ashley shares how, as the youngest child, she became the first in her family to go away to college—leaving Miami for Florida State—and how stepping outside her comfort zone helped her discover who she is beyond family roles and expectations.Leaping from "Good Job" to Purpose-Driven Nonprofit — She describes working 10 years in a secure government position, building Eat Well Exchange on the side, and the courage it took to finally leave her job, trust her belief that "things will work out," and go all in on her nonprofit.Cultural Foods, Home, and Health — Ashley explains how Eat Well Exchange teaches communities to eat healthy with the foods that feel like home—oxtail, goat, barbecue, chow chow, and more—and why honoring culture makes healthy changes more joyful, sustainable, and respectful.Representing a Group Without Being "The Representative" — As one of the few Black dietitians in the room, Ashley talks about fielding constant questions from colleagues, the pressure of being "the only one," and the power of saying, "These are my foods and experiences—talk to more people to get the rest of the puzzle."A Vision for Generational Health and Joy — Looking ahead, she names her vision for community-led public health, more women in leadership, and a world where walking trails, grocery stores, dietitians, and joy-filled movement are accessible—and where "find your happy" sits right alongside "eat your vegetables" as a public health priority. "Choosing happiness over this to-do list that's staring at me—that's courageous."— Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN Stay In Touch With Ashley Carter, MS, RD, LDN: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyvnutrition/ Website: https://www.atlasccn.com/ Instagram - @EatWellExchange Instagram - @AshleyVNutrition Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@eatwellexchange Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/EatWellExchange With Dr. Kristi McClamroch: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/ Website: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com Subscribe to Weekly Courageous Public Health Podcast Updates - http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6 **Remember to Like the Episode, Subscribe, and Leave a Review!** Public Health Consulting To Support You We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design workshops and facilitated sessions that help women leaders recognize, strengthen, and intentionally use courage as a leadership skill — especially in times of uncertainty, burnout, and systems under strain. If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we'd love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn or on our website!
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    35 mins