CPH 37 — What This Year Taught Me About Courage: A Solo Episode with Dr. Kristi McClamroch
Release Date: 12/30/2025
Courageous Public Health
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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...
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In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Dr. Sandte Stanley—public health scientist, sociologist, and founder of Atlas Collaborative Consulting Network—shares how courage has guided every step of her journey. She talks about discovering public health through an ACES internship, navigating personal loss during graduate school, and later earning a PhD in sociology so she could ask the structural questions that public health can sometimes overlook. She also reflects on how her identity as a Black and Native woman shapes her experience in professional spaces—where her...
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In this episode, as we wrap up 2025, Dr. McClamroch reflects on what this year’s conversations have revealed about courage in public health — and what that means for her work with women leaders and organizations. Because if this year taught her anything, it’s that courage isn’t optional anymore — it’s part of how we change the landscape of public health. Conversation Highlights Seeing Courage in Real Time — Dr. McClamroch reflects on the moment guests begin to recognize their own courage during interviews, and how that shift opens something powerful in them. The Patterns Behind...
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In this insightful and resonant conversation, Dr. Bertha Hidalgo—epidemiologist, associate dean, president-elect of the American College of Epidemiology, and multi-hyphenate creative—shares what it means to “do it scared.” She talks about building a fashion and lifestyle platform while hiding her identity, navigating academic spaces as a Latina scientist, and learning to step into courage even when her voice shakes. Dr. Hidalgo reflects on becoming a trusted public health communicator during COVID-19, bridging the gap between evidence and community, and redefining what it means...
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In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Keylynne Matos-Cunningham, MPH, M Ed, LPC-A—licensed trauma therapist, former public health professional, and dance-loving entrepreneur—shares how walking away from a “dream” racial justice/public health role became an act of survival. She traces her path from burnout, workplace trauma, and suicidal ideation to rebuilding her life as a trauma therapist, integrating EMDR and brainspotting, and reclaiming her lived experience as a clinical superpower. Along the way, she offers a sharp public health lens on racism, complex trauma,...
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info_outlineIn this episode, as we wrap up 2025, Dr. McClamroch reflects on what this year’s conversations have revealed about courage in public health — and what that means for her work with women leaders and organizations. Because if this year taught her anything, it’s that courage isn’t optional anymore — it’s part of how we change the landscape of public health.
Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast
Conversation Highlights
- Seeing Courage in Real Time — Dr. McClamroch reflects on the moment guests begin to recognize their own courage during interviews, and how that shift opens something powerful in them.
- The Patterns Behind the Stories — After dozens of conversations, recurring themes emerged—revealing that women in public health are courageous long before they ever name themselves that way.
- Courage as a Public-Health Solution — Dr. McClamroch shares why courage isn’t a bonus trait but a leadership necessity in a time of burnout, political pressure, and systems in flux.
- From Accidental Courage to Intentional Practice — She explores how courage can be taught, strengthened, and used deliberately—not just in crisis, but in everyday leadership.
- What Comes Next — Drawing from seven months of insights, Dr. McClamroch introduces her vision for supporting courageous women leaders and organizations in 2026.
“My work is to hold up the mirror and say: You are already doing courageous things. Let’s name it. Let’s strengthen it. Let’s use it with intention.” — Dr. Kristi McClamroch
Stay In Touch
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
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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!