Our mental health is impacted way before middle school. Jake speaks with Dr. Ayelet Talmi about the relevant influences within the first phase of life, how they impact the trajectory of a child's wellbeing, and what we should consequently pursue within public policy to improve outcomes for kids. Dr. Talmi is the Robert J. Harmon Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado, and she engages in integrated behavioral health and early childhood systems and workforce capacity building and implementation, direct service, scholarship, advocacy, and policy efforts in Colorado and nationally.

Creating quality urban greenspaces isn't just a common sense way to adapt to climate change, it produces a range of documented benefits for both physical and mental health. Jake speaks with Katrina Forrest, Executive Director of the CityHealth, about their efforts to get more cities to make this win-win-win public health investment.

When President Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" into law, 2.4 millions became destined to lose their assistance in securing the food they need. Jake speaks with Dayana Leyva of Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger about the impact of this bill on the food security of Americans and what we can do about it.

Jake speaks with Nicole Riehl about the business challenges of childcare and how they impact price and availability for families. Nicole is President & CEO of EPIC, where she works with employers and business executives to advocate for early childhood investments, policies, and workforce solutions.

Dr. Tracey Woodruff chats with Jake about how drinking, eating and even breathing microplastics are impacting reproductive health, increasing cancer risk and more. They also discuss what can be in our personal lives and in public policy to address these impacts. Dr. Woodruff directs the Program on Reproductive Health & the Environment at the University of California San Francisco.

Jake speaks with Susan Lontine about the public health implications of declining immunization rates, as well as new, regressive vaccine policies and what we can do about them. Susan is the Executive Director of Immunize Colorado and a former state legislator.

Jake speaks with Dr. Jessica Knurick about the Make America Healthy Again agenda. They evaluate the existence of scientific evidence that supports the movement's signature initiatives, consider the partisan and other dynamics that shape MAHA's support and opposition, and discuss the rise of Americans consuming wellness information via social media.

Jake speaks with Jordana Ash and Dr. Megan Rogers about new research on suicidality that has implications for how we screen for risk. Drawing from Jordana's tragic family story and Dr. Rogers' research, the trio discuss how we can improve suicide screening and save lives.

Jake speaks with Phyllis Resnick, co-author of a new report on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in Colorado. They address the effects of the so-called "Medicaid Unwind" and the damage that may be caused in the event of cuts to Medicaid that Congress is currently considering.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Wooden Teeth Podcast, the show about truth-telling in politics and health, is coming back on Tuesday, February 25th, and every fourth Tuesday of the month after that.