Episode Length: ~5 minutes

Theme: Innovation, empathy, ethical tech, trauma-informed design, inclusive mental health

Listen if you’ve ever wondered:

* Why tech feels so cold even when it’s meant to support people.

* How innovation can uplift—or exploit—marginalized communities.

* What it means to build with people instead of for them.

Episode Summary:

In this powerful five-minute episode, I unmask the illusion of “innovation” as we know it—and ask what’s left when we build without empathy. Spoiler alert: it’s not progress.

We unpack why most digital health tools fail the very people they claim to serve, the truth about how your data is used (or abused), and how trauma-informed, human-centered design isn’t a luxury—it’s a responsibility. This isn’t a takedown. It’s a calling-in.

Because innovation without empathy?

That’s just extraction.

Key Stats Mentioned:

* Only 3% of U.S. digital health startups serve underserved populations (Rock Health, 2024)

* 50%+ of mental health apps share user data with third parties, often without full consent (Mozilla Foundation, 2023)

* 1 in 3 U.S. adults experience anxiety or depression; only 1 in 10 feel adequately supported by digital tools (Harvard School of Public Health, 2024)

Topics We Cover:

* The empathy deficit in tech

* The real-world consequences of scale-first thinking

* What trauma-informed, justice-driven innovation looks like

* Building with care, not just code

Let this episode hold you if:

* You’re a founder, builder, or creative who wants to lead with heart

* You’ve ever felt unseen inside a product that claimed to support your healing

* You believe the future of tech should be warm, not just fast

✨ Favorite Line:

“Nobody ever healed from being optimized.”

Links + Mentions:

* Rock Health: Equity in Digital Health Report (2024)

* Mozilla Foundation’s Privacy Not Included (2023)

* Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Mental Health Data (2024)

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