Trust as Infrastructure

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! ABOUT THIS EPISODE Trust is more than a feeling. It’s infrastructure. In this debut episode, host Jody Bogle sits down with Dr. Jometra Hawkins-Sneed, Executive Director of the African American Health Coalition and founder of Equity Bridge, LLC, to unpack what it really means to design trust into systems. Drawing from their shared experience as FUSE Executive Fellows working on COVID-19 vaccine equity across Texas, Jody and Jo get into the hard lessons of embedded leadership, community accountability, and what it actually costs when systems skip the trust-building and go straight to checking the box. Honest, grounded, and practice-based. This is what the work really looks like. EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:02 Opening monologue: trust as infrastructure and the FUSE origin story 02:58 Introducing Dr. Jometra Hawkins-Sneed 03:45 Where did trust accelerate or slow down the work during FUSE? 05:38 The insider-outsider role: separating yourself from the institution to build community trust 06:55 Did the community already have the answer? Jo’s take on government and what it doesn’t know 10:09 Checking the box vs. really hearing community: the difference and the cost 11:52 What does operational trust look like? Trust as a continuum, not a transaction 15:49 The Eli Lilly partnership: how AAHC is building replicable models beyond one funder 18:32 Trust with funders: building the case study and earning credibility at scale 19:17 What does it cost when a system is designed without trust? 20:25 Who are the real community leaders? The mayor of Sunnyside and why titles don’t tell the story 24:06 Start with the community, not your brainchild: co-creating the Sunnyside Up initiative 26:53 What does accountability to community look like at scale? 30:00 DEI rollbacks and the decision to chase the work, not the funder 32:02 Carry It Forward: rapid-fire closing segment 34:10 How to connect with Dr. Jometra Hawkins-Sneed and AAHC ABOUT THE GUEST: Dr. Jometra Hawkins-Sneed (click here for more) Connect with Dr. Hawkins-Sneed and AAHC: Instagram: @AFAHC_Houston LinkedIn: Jometra Hawkins Equity Bridge, LLC: search “Equity Bridge LLC” on all platforms ABOUT THE HOST: Jody Bogle, MPH Jody Bogle, MPH, is a public health strategist, community engagement practitioner, and the founder and principal consultant of Conduit Consultants LLC. With nearly 20 years of community-rooted public health experience spanning harm reduction, health equity, and cross-sector partnership building, Jody believes the work only holds when the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution. From Community, For Health is her platform for bringing that belief to life in conversation. Audio & Video Editing by Anna Blum