Holiday gatherings can be warm, meaningful… and wildly complicated. In “Having a Healthy Holiday with Family,” Dr. Akilah Webber-Pearson sits down with three cousins for a real conversation about family traditions, generational shifts, and the stress that can surface when everyone comes together. They unpack how love and respect can coexist with disagreement, how to set boundaries without guilt, and why “family” can include the community you choose—not just the one you’re born into. If you’re traveling, hosting, or bracing for tough conversations, this episode offers honest perspective—and practical ways to protect your peace.

In this episode of Prescribing a Healthier Future, Dr. Akilah Webber Pearson sits down with her friend and mentor, Dr. Kelly Elmore, to tell the truth about HBCUs. From Xavier University of Louisiana’s unmatched record sending Black students to medical school, to the way HBCUs build confidence, community, and leadership, they connect higher education to real health outcomes. They also confront bomb threats, billion-dollar funding gaps, and why underfunding these institutions harms entire communities. If you care about equity, opportunity, and who gets to become a healer, this conversation is for you. Listen in and rethink what college really changes.

What happens when a pediatrician-legislator sits down with the woman who raised her—and now safeguards California’s elections? In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson talks with her mother, California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, about raising kids across two eras, carving out screen-free family time, building a real village, and fighting for quality public education. They connect those choices at home to the health of our democracy—debunking myths about election integrity and making the case for participation and persistence. If you’re a parent, educator, or voter (or all three), this conversation will refuel you. Listen now.

Your doctor’s orders matter—but your block, bus route, and grocery aisle might matter more. Dr. Akilah Weber Pearson and guest Dr. Rodney Hood break down how food access, housing, transportation, education, and the biology of stress drive 80–90% of health outcomes—and the fixes already working in California. From community health workers to Housing First, this episode turns policy into practical prescriptions.

Democracy isn’t abstract—it’s your clinic, your kid’s lunch, your air. In Episode 1, Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson and Will Rodriguez-Kennedy unpack Texas’s mid-decade redistricting and California’s proposed response: Prop 50. Why does it matter? Because congressional control shapes Medi-Cal, CalFresh, hospital stability, and environmental justice. Ballots are landing now; Election Day is November 4. Listen, share, and decide how we protect health and democracy this year.