The Visible Voices

Joe Saul-Sehy with Wealth Wisdom Unleashed and Finance Unstacked

In todays episode I speak with Jo Saul-Sehy creator and co-host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast and co-author of the personal finance book Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide To Modern Money Management.The Stacking Benjamins Show was called the “Best Personal Finance Podcast” by Kiplinger. Lifehacker listed the show as one of the top 10 of 2021. Joe and the SB team have won five Plutus Awards and the Academy of Podcasters “Best Business Podcast” award (beating well-known shows like The Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This, and Gimlet’s StartUp). 

Markita Morris-Louis and Compass Working Capital’s Impact on Health, Housing, and Equity

In today's episode, I speak with Markita Morris-Louis, the CEO of Compass Working Capital. Markita holds deep expertise in equity and asset building, housing, and healthcare. A proud native of North Philadelphia, raised in subsidized housing, Markita holds degrees from Brown University, New York University School of Law, and studied at the University of Natal in Durban, Republic of South Africa.Compass Working Capital, is a national nonprofit engaging in policy advocacy, direct service, and capacity building to end asset poverty for families with low-incomes and to narrow the racial and gender wealth gaps. Markita's leadership focuses on centering equity in every aspect of Compass’ work, leveraging asset building as a pathway out of poverty, and amplifying the voices of those Compass serves to shift narratives about communities experiencing poverty and financial challenge. 

Susannah Fox is Empowering Patients in her Book: Rebel Health

In today's episode, I speak with Susannah R Fox about her newly released book Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care.  Susannah takes an important look at communities, which make the difference when the medical field ignores their concerns. The read is an exquisite example of  health design thinking and storytelling.  From 2015-2017, Susannah served as the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As CTO,  she created opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation across the Department’s 27 divisions and 80,000+ employees, helping HHS harness the power of data and technology to improve the health and welfare of the nation. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, she served as the Entrepreneur in Residence at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, helping to encourage employees to experiment and catalyze new ways to think about challenges. From 2000-14, she was an Associate Director of the Internet Project at the the Pew Research Center, where she directed the health and technology portfolio. 

Author Amy Diehl on Glass Walls: Shattering Gender Bias Barriers in the Workplace

In today's episode I speak with Amy Diehl PhD. We talk about how to create more equitable workplaces. She is an award-winning information technology leader and gender bias expert. We focus on the book with co-author Leanne M. Dzubinski, PhD   GLASS WALLS: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work.Amy's passion is helping organizations become gender-equitable and giving women tools to understand workplace gender bias and to succeed at work. While a biased workplace may tell a woman that she’s not good enough, that the problems she encounters are her fault, and that she should limit her aspirations, it’s not true. Women are enough and should not take the problems they encounter personally. It’s the workplace culture that must change, not the women

Rhode Island State Pioneer: Congressman Gabe Amo’s Inaugural 100 Days

In today's episode, I speak with RI representative and 1st Congressional Districtman Gabe Amo. The conversation marks a reflective time as it is his first 100 days.According to the Brookings Institute … [Franklin D] Roosevelt’s rhetoric and mastery of the new medium of radio were not what made him the president who is remembered for the first 100 days. It was the breathtaking scope of bold and new actions, both legislative and regulatory, that set the bar so high. Ever since, presidents have been evaluated for their performance in the first 100 daysGabriel Felix Kofi Amo is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. He grew up in Pawtucket RI, is a graduate of Wheaton College where he became both a Marshall Scholar, and a Truman scholar. Before running for Congress, Amo worked in the Biden administration as the deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He has also worked in the Obama administration, on several Democratic political campaigns, and in Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo's administration.

Valerie Jarrett: Shaping Legacies as CEO of The Obama Foundation and Inspiring Memoirist of ”Finding My Voice”

In today's episode I spoke with the Honorable Valerie Jarrett, CEO and board of directors member of the Barack Obama Foundation. We discuss her life, her leadership, and her 2019 memoire "Finding my Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward."She is a Senior Distinguished Fellow at The University of Chicago Law School. She serves as Board Chairman of Civic Nation. Jarrett also serves on the boards of Walgreens Boot Alliance, Inc., Ralph Lauren Corporation, Sweetgreen, Inc., Ariel Investments, The University of Chicago, Sesame Street Workshop and The Economic Club of Chicago. Jarrett also serves on the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women Advisory Board, the Bank of America Enterprise Executive Development Council, and the Microsoft Advisory Council. Ms. Jarrett was the Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009-2017, making her the longest serving senior advisor to a president in history. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sectors. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, the Commissioner of Planning and Development for the city of Chicago, Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and she practiced law for ten years in the private and public sector. She also previously served as the director of numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards including leadership roles as Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees, Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Chair of Chicago Transit Board. Ms. Jarrett has also received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” Award. Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

Medical Bills and Moral Dilemmas: Luke Messac Explores ’Your Money or Your Life’ in American Healthcare

In today's episode I speak with Luke Messac MD PhD, historian and author of Your Money or Your Life: Debt Collection in American Medicine.In his clinical work, Luke is an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. His research focuses on the history and political economy of health care.  His first book, No More to Spend (Oxford University Press, 2020), is a history of medical neglect and exploitation in Malawi. Today's discussion focuses on the history of medical debt collection in the United States. This book, titled Your Money or Your Life was published in 2023. It tells the story of how the collection of medical debt in the United States has transformed over the last several decades, and the impact this is having on Americans’ lives.

Smile Wellness: Insights from Natalia Chalmers, CMS Chief Dental Officer

In today's episode I speak with Natalia Chalmers DDS MHSc PhD. We discuss the important or oral and dental health and the intersection with social determinants of health. Natalia is the first-ever Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In her role, Dr. Chalmers has been advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to care for the whole person, a key to reducing health disparities and advancing health equity. Natalia is a  board-certified pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate who brings more than 20 years of clinical, research, industry, and regulatory experience to CMS. She previously served as a Dental Officer at the US Food and Drug Administration. In the spring of 2022, CMS conducted the Oral Health Human-Centered Design Customer Engagement to understand barriers to oral health care access for Medicaid or dual (Medicare-Medicaid) eligible children and adults. As a product of the research, they co-created the “Barriers to Oral Health” illustration with external customers to represent the end-user perspective and highlight the most prominent obstacles individuals’ face as they seek to access or provide oral health care.

Pioneering Paths: Khama Ennis and Thea James Unveil the Triumphs and Challenges of Black Women in Medicine in ”Faces of Medicine’ Documentary”

In today's episode I speak with Drs. Khama Ennis and Thea James. We focus our discussion on the docuseries Khama created Faces of Medicine. This is a 4 part participatory documentary series centering on the path of Black female physicians in the United States. Thea is a participant in the documentary. She is a nationally and internationally renowned emergency medicine physician at Boston Medical Center.Khama Ennis MD MPH is is the Creative Visionary and Founder of Faces of Medicine. She is also a practicing  physician, speaker, writer, health equity advocate and experienced healthcare leader. Dr. Ennis opened a private practice, Intentional Health, in 2023 focused on Integrative Health and Lifestyle Medicine for patients throughout Massachusetts. She previously served as President of the Medical Staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Prior to that she was Chief of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director for the Emergency Department. Her essays have been featured in the Washington Post and Parents Magazine. A talk she gave on antiracism in medicine is one of three selected by the Board of Registration in Medicine to educate physicians in the state of Massachusetts on implicit bias.Thea James MD is Vice President of Mission, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of the Health Equity Accelerator Boston Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program at BMC. She is a founding member of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (the HAVI). In 2011 she was appointed to Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence. As Vice President of Mission Dr. James works with caregivers throughout BMC. Additionally she has primary responsibility for coordinating and maximizing BMC’s relationships and strategic alliances with a wide range of local, state and national organizations including community agencies, housing advocates, foundations, and multisector industries that partner with BMC to meet the full spectrum of patients’ needs. The goal is to foster innovative, upstream, and effective new models of care that are rooted in racial equity and economic mobility. This approach is essential for patients and communities to thrive.

Navigating Challenges, Shaping Solutions: A Conversation with RI State Senator Jonathon Acosta on Politics, Poverty, and Healthcare

In today's episode I speak with Rhode Island State Senator Jonathon Acosta. We talk about his path into office and his political voice. We cover the stigma of poverty, social determinants of health, and why he calls himself a public facing academic.Jonathon Acosta is a Democrat representing District 16 (Central Falls, Pawtucket) in the Rhode Island Senate. He attended Brown University where he earned his bachelors degree in Political Science (Theory) and Ethnic Studies, and Master's Degrees in Urban Education Policy and Sociology. He previously worked as a middle school math teacher and wrestling coach in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Central Falls before becoming a school administrator.In 2015, Sen. Acosta received recognition from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2016, he received the Latino Public Radio Community Champion Award.