S2E1: Moving at the Speed of Trust: Building Equitable Care in Health Tech with Tesiah Coleman

Brenda sits down with Tesiah Coleman to explore what it takes to build healthcare that is equitable, trustworthy, and truly designed for everyone.From navigating the pandemic while supporting her son through cancer treatment to leading high-growth health tech startups, Tesiah shares her deeply personal journey from community health to founder leadership. She explains why “moving at the speed of trust” is the most overlooked, but powerful, accelerator in healthcare innovation.Together, they dive into race-concordant care, equitable AI, and building digital-first health homes for Black women, unpacking the challenges of scaling clinical teams, balancing ethics with business realities, and creating care models that last.If you’ve ever wondered how to design health systems that actually work for marginalized communities, or what it really takes to lead with equity in health tech, this episode will shift your perspective completely.In This Episode, We Cover:✔️ Why trust, not speed, is the true growth lever for early-stage healthcare companies✔️ Lessons from scaling clinical teams across multiple states and early-stage startups✔️ Balancing personal values with venture realities in high-growth environments✔️ The shift from clinician to founder, and the journey into health tech✔️ Designing bias-aware, equitable AI and care systems from day one✔️ Navigating leadership while supporting a child through cancer✔️ How Kyndred and Togather are reimagining healthcare for Black women and cliniciansTimeline:00:00 Introduction to Healthcare Equity and Personal Experience02:59 Tesiah’s Journey and the Catalyst for Change05:55 Transitioning from Community Health to Health Tech09:10 The Importance of Race-Concordant Care12:07 Introducing Kyndred Health and Its Mission14:49 Challenges in Funding and Building Kyndred Health18:01 Innovative Services Offered by Kyndred Health21:05 Designing for Equity in Healthcare24:01 The Future of Kyndred Health and Call to Action27:03 Transforming Healthcare for Black Women31:30 The Power of Collective Care36:29 Addressing Racial Injustice in Healthcare40:05 Navigating Trauma in a Turbulent World46:24 Empowering Women to Demand Change51:16 Building Inclusive Communities for HealingMentioned in the Episode:KyndredTogatherALI™ Framework ( Anti-Racism, Liberation, Intersectionality)Scaling multi-state virtual clinical teamsConnect with Tesiah:🌐 Kyndred | Togather | Personal site💌 [email protected]💻 LinkedIn📸 Instagram📣 Kyndred Launch: February 18th (access code via email)🎙 Host: Brenda Armstrong🎧 Producer: Tarryn Long📜 Disclaimer⚠️ This content is for educational purposes only and not health or medical advice. ©2026 RedefineHER Podcast. Please share with credit and direct link.