What does real community‑centered health equity look like, and what does it take to sustain it? In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, host Jerail Fennell sits down with two powerful leaders in community health: Dr. Atiya Abdelmalik and ReGina Newkirk Rucci.

Together, they unpack the lived experiences, grassroots strategies, and relationship‑building that fuel their work across the country. From disrupting harmful systems to investing in local leadership, Dr. A and ReGina share what it truly means to listen to communities, partner with them, and build solutions that last. Drawing from their work with the Center for Thriving Communities, they discuss:

• Why lived experience is essential to leadership
• How grassroots organizations are transforming health outcomes
• The importance of listening before acting What funders and institutions must do differently
• Why hope, collective care, and community power still drive the movement
• How real relationships — not extractive engagement — create lasting change

Dr. A also reflects on her book, A Life Worth Saving, and the belief that every life and every community deserves to thrive. A must‑hear conversation for anyone working in health equity, community engagement, philanthropy, public health, or systems change.

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How do we protect and advance health equity in a rapidly changing political and legal landscape?

In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, host Christin Zollicoffer sits down with Dr. Giridhar Mallya — family physician, policy leader, and Senior Policy Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — to explore the future of health and racial equity work.

Dr. Mallya shares how his family’s immigrant story shaped his belief in the power of policy, and why funders must stay committed to equity even as restrictive laws and legal challenges grow across the country. He breaks down what organizations can do to stay mission‑aligned, legally sound, and resilient.

In this episode, Dr. Mallya discusses:

• Why health equity remains a core priority for major funders
• How philanthropy is supporting legal defense strategies
• Practical ways organizations can navigate legal uncertainty
• Why equity should be integrated — not hidden — in health initiatives
• Lessons from states like Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama
• How personal experience and clinical practice shape Dr. Mallya’s approach

A powerful conversation for funders, practitioners, and community leaders working to advance equity in challenging times.

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What does it take to rise after life tells you “you can’t”? In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, we sit down with Grace Moore—Financial Empowerment Specialist, Founder, Speaker, and 2025 Movement Is Life Health Summit Speaker—whose journey is a powerful testament to resilience, faith, and the transformative force of mindset.

At just 17, Grace was told she would never walk again. After waking from a nap with her left leg paralyzed, she faced a defining crossroads: accept limitation or choose possibility. She chose movement—of the body, the mind, and the spirit. Today, Grace speaks from the lens of the patient, sharing what it looks like to keep moving forward while living with daily pain. Her message is simple but profound: we can choose to be “up and able” rather than “down and defeated.”

Grace also brings her expertise in financial wellness to the conversation, highlighting how financial empowerment—especially for seniors—directly connects to health equity, stability, and community well‑being. She breaks down the barriers people face, the myths that hold them back, and the power of language to either uplift or limit our lives.

In this episode, Grace opens up about:

• Her journey from paralysis to purpose

• How mindset can shift the trajectory of your life

• Why financial empowerment is a health equity issue

• The importance of speaking life into yourself and others

• Her upcoming journal, Graceful Movement, and how it helps readers embrace pain with compassion and courage

Grace’s story is a reminder that movement isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, mental, and deeply personal. Her voice is one of hope, empowerment, and unwavering belief in what’s possible.

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What does it really take for women to break free from burnout and reclaim their health, confidence, and power? In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, we sit down with fitness entrepreneur and wellness leader Tyneka Pack, Founder & CEO of IMPACKT Fitness, to explore how movement can transform not just bodies, but entire careers and communities.

Tyneka shares how her own journey through exhaustion and imbalance fueled her mission to help women lead with strength, clarity, and sustainability. From dismantling fitness myths to building workplace cultures that actually support well‑being, she breaks down what true wellness looks like—beyond the gym and beyond the highlight reel.

She also reflects on the systemic barriers that shape women’s health, the importance of accessible wellness spaces, and why taking imperfect action is the key to lasting change.

Plus:

• Upcoming events you won’t want to miss
• How organizations can champion health equity
• Why more women are finally prioritizing their health and wealth

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Mental health is an important part of our overall health, but many people confront barriers that keep them from accessing the mental health care they need.

A program in Boston aims to address mental health disparities by disrupting traditional health care models. The Boston Emergency Services Team, or BEST, is led by Dr. David Henderson, chief of psychiatry at Boston Medical Center.

BEST brings together mental health providers, community resources, law enforcement, and the judicial system to deliver care to people in need of mental health services.

Henderson says bringing mental health providers alongside police responding to calls for service for mental health needs has helped reduce the number of people with mental illness ending up in jails and prisons.

“The criminal justice system has, by default, become one of the largest mental health systems … around the country as well,” Henderson says. “People with mental illness are in jails and prisons, at a percentage that they really should not be.”

In a conversation that first published in 2024, Henderson speaks with Movement Is Life’s Hadiya Green about what it takes to ensure people in need of mental health services get the help they need, why it’s important to train providers to recognize unconscious biases, and what it means to provide trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.

When it comes to addressing health disparities, it’s critically important that healthcare providers and researchers take a proactive approach to building trust with the communities we aim to serve.

As founding director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UC Davis, Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola has decades of experience with this approach.

“It is possible to overcome the barriers of access to care if we can change our paradigm,” he says. “

In this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Aguilar speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Zachary Lum about his work, which focuses on health disparities, mental health in underserved populations, community-engaged research and Latino health.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

In the late-1980s, Father Gregory Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence in his community during the so-called Decade of Death that peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992 in Los Angeles.

In the face of criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration, Father Boyle and community members adopted what was a radical approach – at the time – to treat gang members as human beings. In 1988, they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.

Father Greg Boyle spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason for an episode that was originally published in 2020.

There’s no single fix to closing gaps in health care outcomes, says Dr. Maureen Bell, physician director of community impact at Vituity, where she leads efforts to identify and eliminate health disparities.

“There are multiple things that we have to work on,” Bell says, including increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce and educating providers on strategies for providing equitable care and considering the “whole patient.”

Bell spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Joyce Knestrick about how systemic bias, lack of representation, and community barriers shape the care patients receive.

She said inequities persist because too often, health systems focus narrowly on medical interventions while overlooking social factors — such as affordability, access, transportation, and the environments in which people live.

The 2025 Movement Is Life Annual Summit will take place on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Registration is now open. Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts