In this episode, I’m back on the Region 4 Public Health Training Center’s Leading Public Health podcast for part three of our series on redefining public health leadership. We’re talking scarcity vs. abundance mindsets.

When the needs feel endless, many of us lead from “not enough”: not enough funding, staff, or time. And when you lead from not enough, you keep creating not enough. It shows up as hoarding resources, micromanaging, avoiding innovation, and calling overwork “dedication.” Then burnout and scarcity feed each other. You can’t burn out your way to abundance. I’ve been that leader, so I’m speaking from experience.

Here’s the twist: you can have abundant resources and still operate from scarcity. You can also have limited resources and lead from abundance. It isn’t toxic positivity. It means focusing on what’s possible with what we have while we fight for systemic change.

What does leading from abundance look like?

✨ Take inventory of what you do have

✨ Ask “what is possible?” before “what’s wrong?”

✨ Delegate, even if it’s not done your way

✨ End your day reflecting on what you built

✨ Swap “but” for “and”: “We lost funding, AND here’s what we still have.”

We also talk about leading through crisis and why trust is the bridge from scarcity to abundance. Abundance is a muscle, and it takes practice. If we build it together, we rebuild together. 💛

Key Points From This Episode:

1. Scarcity versus abundance mindset in public health [07:28-37:29]

2. Impact of scarcity mindset on decision-making and team morale [07:28-11:03]

3. How burnout is intertwined with scarcity thinking [11:03-16:59]

4. Strategies to shift from scarcity to abundance mindset [16:59-22:37]

5. The role of trust in fostering abundance [35:15-37:29]

6. Practical daily habits to reinforce abundance thinking [22:37-26:42]

7. Leadership during crises and resource limitations [26:42-32:11]

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In this episode, I'm back on the Region 4 Public Health Training Center's Leading Public Health podcast for part two of our series on redefining public health leadership. We're talking about rest as resistance and why modeling rest for your team is essential.

The system many of us work in runs on our exhaustion. Exhausted people comply. They can't think strategically or innovate; they just survive. So when you rest, you're saying your humanity matters more than the urgency. I've been the exhausted leader who made poor decisions because I was too tired to think, so I'm speaking from experience.

We also unpack why rest gets overlooked: the guilt, the myth that our worth equals our productivity, and the fear that everything will fall apart if we step away. (Spoiler: it won't.) Your team is watching. You're either modeling sustainability or self-destruction.

What does resting out loud look like?

✨ Block rest on your calendar like a board meeting

✨ Use your PTO and respect your team's time off

✨ Start meetings with five minutes of quiet

✨ Add "respond when it works for you" to your email signature

✨ Track team well-being as a KPI

You can't individual-effort your way out of systemic exhaustion. Rest has to be built into our structures.

Rest is your weapon. If we rest together, we rebuild together.

Key Points from This Episode:

• Rest as a form of resistance against systemic exhaustion [02:01 to 11:03]

• The impact of leadership well-being on team health [18:57 to 25:50]

• Practical strategies for integrating rest into work culture [29:35 to 36:33]

• The societal and systemic barriers to rest in public health [12:03 to 18:20]

• The importance of modeling and organizational support for rest [37:45 to 45:03]

• Rest as a tool for strategic decision-making and resilience [22:11 to 25:50]

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In this episode, Dr. Joyee sits down with Sana Imam, who leads the development of health equity toolkits and playbooks for the Black Director's Health Equity Agenda (BDHEA) and oversees a $1.5 million grant strengthening safety net institutions across the country.

We get into why BDHEA focuses on board directors specifically, why diverse representation alone doesn't create equitable outcomes, and the real dollar cost of health inequity: $320 billion a year right now, projected to top $1 trillion by 2040 if nothing changes. Leadership in public health means understanding the business case for healthy equity.

Sana also breaks down what "actionable change" looks like on the ground; from reshaping vaccine access during COVID to BDHEA's newest playbook on advancing health equity in safety net boardrooms.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to move health equity from a talking point to a boardroom decision, this episode is for you.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Challenges in health equity work [25:18 – 29:41]

• The role of community listening [28:45 – 29:44]

• The health equity toolkit for safety net institutions [25:18 – 27:00]

• Policy advocacy and legislative impact [32:00 – 34:46]

• Success stories from health equity initiatives [30:17 – 32:00]

• The importance of community partnerships [27:00 – 28:00]

• The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare professionals [09:32 – 14:13]

• The vision for health equity transformation [29:44 – 34:46]

• Joy in public health work [34:46 – 39:46]

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review! For more transcripts, show notes, and more visit: Click Here