This finale episode turns ideas into action! Dr. Paul J. Fleming shows how to move from “we should” to “we do” — with concrete steps leaders and everyday people can use to build safer, healthier communities.

Why listen? If you care about health equity, safer neighborhoods, and real solutions that last — this episode gives clear, usable steps, not just theory.

What you’ll hear:

• How prevention thinking fixes root causes, not just symptoms.
• The next steps after the “Get Yo People” model — how to organize for action.
• Practical ways to shift resources, change systems, and support care-first responses.
• A direct challenge: imagine the world you want, then take one small step with others.

Sponsor shoutout: Thanks to Chanelle R. Walker, M.Ed. and Professional Inspiration for supporting this season and centering teacher wellness. Learn more at professional-inspiration.com.

Read more / preorder (support indies): Preorder Dr. Paul J. Fleming’s Imagine Doing Better: Why Policies Backfire and How Prevention Thinking Can Change Everything. Order via Bookshop.org or directly from Johns Hopkins University Press.

Listen • Share • Act: If this moved you, please: subscribe, rate us, and share with someone who should hear this. Small actions multiply.

Accessibility: Transcript available.

This week on Questions You Didn’t Ask, we go beyond quick fixes to uncover what true prevention-first systems can look like for public health and community wellness.

Niasha sits down with Dr. Paul Fleming to explore the deep connections between health equity, social justice, and systemic reform. Together they highlight:

✔️ Why prevention—not punishment—is the key to healthier, safer communities.

✔️ Care-first emergency response models that reduce harm and build trust.

✔️ Real-world lessons from Durham, Denver, and Flint.

✔️ Practical tools and frames you can use to advocate for change right now.

This isn’t just theory—it’s a roadmap for justice-centered solutions that save lives, restore dignity, and build sustainable impact.

🙌🏾 Update For Our Listeners: You’ll notice ads in this episode (and across our full catalog). 🎉 That’s because Questions You Didn’t Ask is now officially monetized on RSS.com’s PAID system! Each ad you hear directly fuels our work to advance health equity. Every play matters. Every partnership builds impact. 🤝🏾

📌 Ways to Engage & Take Action:

1. Read: My latest Substack post — Authoritarianism Is Here (and We’re…) — connecting troop deployments in DC, attacks on education, deportations, and harassment of elected leaders with actionable steps for change → https://niashafray.substack.com/p/authoritarianism-is-here-and-were
2. Listen & Share: the series!
3. Organize a “Get Yo People” listening party to binge the series and mobilize your local community of friends family colleagues or freedom fights.
4. Partner: From sponsored podcast segments to equity-focused campaigns, we’re ready to co-create meaningful collaborations → niashafray.com/partnership-opportunities
5. Support: Fuel the mission one ☕️ at a time → buymeacoffee.com/niashafray0

💡 Quick Takeaway: When we center prevention, care, and justice—we don’t just heal communities, we transform them. 🚀

"You may be fighting one fight, but all our fights are connected. When we separate them, we lose power."

In this episode of Questions You Didn’t Ask, Niasha Fray and Dr. Paul J. Fleming explore how solidarity across movements—like immigrant rights and racial justice—is essential in dismantling systemic injustice. They challenge privileged individuals to act beyond awareness and offer tangible frameworks to take meaningful steps forward.

What Awaits You:

• How privilege without action perpetuates inequity
• Practical strategies: the “Get Your People” model
• Applying prevention thinking to address root causes
• Using imagination to envision a better, equitable society

Sponsored by: Chanelle R. Walker, M.Ed., the Teacher Wellness Guru and CEO of Professional Inspiration, whose excellence in educator wellness (including her TEDx talk The Elephant in the Classroom) powers this series. Learn more at www.professional-inspiration.com

Listen & Engage:

• Listen now on your favorite podcast platform including YouTube
• Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/niashafray