CPH 12 - Bright Colors, Big Courage, Boundless Heart: A Conversation with Tansy McNulty, MBA
Release Date: 07/08/2025
Courageous Public Health
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In this powerful and joy-filled episode, Dr. McClamroch sits down with Tansy McNulty, a problem solver, mother, and founder of a nonprofit focused on harm reduction and community wellness. Tansy shares how leaving corporate America to create community-based solutions was an act of deep courage—one rooted in love for her two Black sons and a vision for a safer, more just world. From navigating pregnancy loss and high-risk births to winning on the $100,000 Pyramid game show, Tansy reminds us that courage takes many forms—and joy and laughter are revolutionary acts of their own. ...
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info_outlineIn this powerful and joy-filled episode, Dr. McClamroch sits down with Tansy McNulty, a problem solver, mother, and founder of a nonprofit focused on harm reduction and community wellness.
Tansy shares how leaving corporate America to create community-based solutions was an act of deep courage—one rooted in love for her two Black sons and a vision for a safer, more just world. From navigating pregnancy loss and high-risk births to winning on the $100,000 Pyramid game show, Tansy reminds us that courage takes many forms—and joy and laughter are revolutionary acts of their own.
Together, Kristi and Tansy explore how showing up authentically, embracing boldness, and celebrating wins (big and small) are essential to sustaining courage in public health leadership.
Meet Tansy McNulty, MBA
Tansy McNulty, MBA, is a social justice advocate and the Founder & CEO of 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending police violence in the United States by 2038. Tansy is a thought leader in the fields of police accountability, mental health, and safety alternatives, with a focus on public safety transformation and community-based approaches.
With a deep understanding of the intersection of social justice, police accountability, and mental health, Tansy is committed to creating positive, generational change in the world. She is a leading voice in the fight against police violence, advocating for innovative solutions that are data-proven to increase public safety and decriminalize mental illness.
With Tansy’s leadership, 1M4 released the first-of-its-kind, national directory, The Right Response, to assist community members in locating local response teams trained to provide onsite, care-centered responses to people experiencing mental health emergencies. Since its relaunch in 2024, nearly 4000 unique visitors have referenced the tool, and it has been featured in national media outlets such as Good Morning America 3rd Hour, Business Insider, ESSENCE magazine and BizJournal.
Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast
Conversation Highlights
- Courageous Career Leap - Tansy left a decade-long corporate career in supply chain management to found a harm reduction nonprofit—without prior experience in public health but with a deep sense of purpose and maternal urgency.
- Rooted in Motherhood - Her decision to launch the organization was driven by love and fear for her Black sons' future: “What can I do now, 20 years in advance, to make the world safer for them?”
- Healing Through Pregnancy Loss - Tansy shares her emotional journey through miscarriage, high-risk pregnancies, and finding the courage to try again.
- Celebrating Wins - From launching a nonprofit to competing (and winning!) on $100,000 Pyramid, she emphasizes why celebrating joy publicly and privately sustains us through hard seasons.
- Embodied Authenticity - Tansy claims her presence through bold colors, comfortable clothes, and showing up fully as herself—“bold, Black, and loud.”
- Claiming Her Lane - Rather than trying to blend in, she names and owns her unique voice in spaces where she’s often “the new one,” reminding listeners: “If I don’t show up as me, there’s a gap.”
- Revolutionary Joy - Her personal vision for the future? More belly laughs—especially with her kids. “I want laughter that brings tears to my eyes.”
“My power is my presence. I’m going to show up bold, Black, and loud—with bright colors and patterned shoes.” - Tansy McNulty, MBA
Stay In Touch:
Tansy McNulty on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tansymcnulty/
Email Dr. Kristi McClamroch - [email protected]
Dr. Kristi McClamroch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/
www.CourageousPublicHealth.com
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Public Health Consulting To Support You
At Courageous Public Health, we are turning up the volume on courage within women, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color who are doing the work of public health. We support public health organizations through workshop design and facilitation, and speaking engagements. Interested in working with us? Reach out on email, LinkedIn, or our website!