Conversations About Health Equity

“We see you. We hear you. We understand you... You are not alone.” — Ebonie Michelle, MPH

In this powerful episode of Conversations About Health Equity, Angela Rochelle and co-host Donna Guran sit down with Ebonie Michelle, MPH — Founder and CEO of Prowl The LAB — to explore how health, trauma, and sexuality intersect, and what it means to truly support women navigating chronic illness, disease, and different abilities.

With over 20 years of experience in health education and public health, Ebonie has dedicated her career to serving underserved communities. She shares her journey navigating personal health challenges, and how those experiences shaped her commitment to helping women embrace self-love, reclaim their sexuality, and foster holistic wellness.

Ebonie speaks candidly about what “healthy sexuality” really means — far beyond sex and reproduction — and how it includes identity, womanhood, communication, mental health, and joy. She also dives into the community-building that makes Prowl The LAB a beacon for women and couples across the country.

Learn more about Ebonie’s work:

• Prowl The LAB's website
• Prowl the LAB on Facebook
• Connect with Ebonie on LinkedIn

Make sure to check out Prowl The LAB's podcast, which launches April 15th. It will feature real stories, resources, and radical care for those navigating health challenges.

Music: Aleksandr Abrosimov from Pixabay

Editor: Dev Ramsawakh

R'Kes Starling, CEO, Founder, and President of Reveles, joins Angela Rochelle and Devra Densmore from Elevate Advocacy. During their conversation, R'Kes shares what led him to founding Reveles and their AI-powered platform Personally. He also touches on the importance of the ethical use of new technologies, connecting with diverse communities, and innovating to improve health equity.

About Reveles

Reveles Clinical Services is a technology-enabled, equity-driven clinical research company accelerating clinical development by bringing trials to patients’ homes. Focused on increasing representation and inclusion in clinical research, Reveles addresses barriers to enrollment for racial and ethnic minorities and under-served communities—such as lack of transportation, childcare, and healthcare access—through decentralized trials, AI-powered patient engagement, and hyper-targeted recruitment. By fostering trusted relationships with BIPOC communities and prioritizing representation, research, education, and engagement, Reveles continues to lead health equity efforts in partnership with sponsors and CROs, empowering underrepresented participants and breaking down barriers to clinical trial access.

Elevate Advocacy’s Angela Rochelle and Courtney Firak, MPH team up in this episode to discuss their personal stories about living with Alopecia for Alopecia Awareness Month. Their discussion touches on their path to diagnosis and the emotional struggles they’ve experienced.

In this episode, Angela & Devra speak with Brandi Underwood about the importance of including & reaching rural communities in health equity work.

Brandi lives with both facial pain and migraine herself, which has fueled her career in advocacy. She is the Manager of Development, Research, and Advocacy for the Facial Pain Association (FPA). She also serves as a member of the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy's Board of Directors representing the FPA as a member organization as well as serving as the Board Secretary.

Links & Resources from Brandi

There are over 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world. Often, accessibility is an afterthought or completely looked over for most of these individuals.

In this month's Conversations About Health Equity, Angela & Grayson speak with Okeenea President & CEO Sylvain Denoncin about accessibility. Okeenea has created multiple solutions over the last decade to help make spaces more accessible, including pedestrian signals, a remote stop button for buses, audio beacons, and the wayfinding app Evelity.

In fact, their work is so impactful that they will be providing accessibility support this summer for the upcoming Paris Olympic & Paralympic games.

In this month's Conversations About Health Equity, Angela & Devra speak with Alexander Berrios about health equity and kidney disease.

If you'd like to connect with Alex, you can find him on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

🔔 IMPORTANT REMINDER: Alex is in need of a new kidney and is actively looking for a living donor. If you or someone you know would like to learn more, we encourage you to visit nkr.org/yfm539

In this month's Conversations About Health Equity, Angela & Devra speak with Liam Paschall about inclusive healthcare, clinical trials, and research efforts.

If you'd like to connect with Liam, you can find him on LinkedIn.

In this month's Conversations About Health Equity, Angela & Devra speak with Adrienne Nicole of Adrienne Nicole Productions.

Adrienne:

In this month's episode of Conversations About Health Equity, Angela and Devra speak with Yvonne Rodriguez, the CEO & Founder of Egality Sciences.

Yvonne:

Join us for part 2 of our conversation about maternal mental health with Kay Matthews, Dr. Meyleen Velaquez, and Raquel Williams.

Kay Matthews:

Dr. Meyleen Velaquez:

Raquel Williams: