It is tough and perhaps unfair to label Elliott Royal as just one thing. She's a community leader, empathetic advocate, a thoughtful communicator on topics such as public health and wellness, community access to healthy food, gentrification, government representation, transportation, and so much more. Elliott is SouthEast Community Service Area Liaison with Housing and Neighborhood Services in Charlotte, North Carolina.  So much of this podcast is about mindset and being your best each day to make optimal decisions or to choose happiness. But if you don't have access to healthy food that is affordable, how can you be your best? Healthy food is fundamental to life as a human being and no one disputes that, but as she puts it, our community in Charlotte is segregated to a point that not all of us have access to healthy food options. Not everyone in Charlotte has the ability to be their best. This is a huge problem that doesn't get attention it deserves. As a society we love to point fingers and vilify others, whether it's individuals or groups. Elliott believes we don't need to point fingers; instead, we need to hold hands and collaborate.

On today's podcast...

3:00 - Elliott Royal's broad range of expertise

5:49 - How the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council is researching food to make communities better

9:24 - It's not just price: the time and convenience factors that drive where we buy food

13:27 - Our children are what they eat and what we expose them to

16:23 - Elliott knows the effect of public food assistance because she was forced to live it

19:24 - Connecting students and vegetables

24:00 - "You can be a family of four with two working parents and still be food insecure."

27:17 - The chicken and the egg conundrum of food policy

32:26 - The negative views of rent and its connection with gentrification

36:30 - "Successful change, whether it's in a family, whether it's an organization, whether it's in a community, starts with communication."

39:30 - Urban development: "We need to think in about every neighborhood that is built is if the resident will not have a car."

Hidden Stories is a production of the Sell or Die Network, a collection of the best podcasts on sales and personal development on the planet. Check out what else we have to offer:

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