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In this first episode of Change in Plain Sight, hosts Victoria Henderson Weber and Heather Jones-Brown, with guest and founder of Healthy Project Media, Corey Dion Lewis, introduce the purpose of the podcast and the work behind it.
You hear why understanding systems matters, how civic engagement shows up in everyday life, and why community power is tied to health, opportunity, and wellbeing.
This episode covers:
- Why health is shaped by more than doctors and hospitals
- How policies affect daily life, from speed bumps to schools
- What civic engagement really means
- Why you don’t need to be an expert to create change
- How systems and relationships work together
- The value of lived experience and confidence in leadership
- What listeners can expect from future episodes
This podcast invites you into the process. Growth happens in real time. Questions are welcome. No topic is off limits.
Have a question for the hosts?
Email: chips@healthyprojectmedia.com
Email: chips@healthyprojectmedia.com
Learn more about the network:
podcast.healthyprojectmedia.com
podcast.healthyprojectmedia.com
Subscribe and follow to be part of the conversation.
Creators and Guests
Host
What is Change In Plain Sight?
Change in Plain Sight is a podcast about how real change happens in everyday life.
Hosted by Victoria Henderson Weber and Heather Jones-Brown, the show breaks down systems, civic engagement, and community power in clear language. You learn how policies are made, how decisions affect health and opportunity, and how your voice fits into the process.
Each episode focuses on:
How systems shape daily life
Civic engagement beyond voting
Community leadership and organizing
Power, relationships, and trust
Personal growth through public action
This podcast is for people who care about their communities and want to understand how change works without needing a title or a background in policy.
Change doesn’t always look dramatic. Most of the time, it’s happening in plain sight.
Part of The Healthy Project Podcast Network.
Hahaha.
All right.
Hey, what's up? Hi. So yeah, we're here.
Finally! The day is Today is the day!
So I think we should start by Corey telling us about why he initially got started with the Healthy Project.
Speaker 3 (03:22.574)
Okay, so it is a long story. I've said it a million times. But I gotta start at very beginning. And it'll all start to make sense. So when I first started the Healthy Project, it wasn't the Healthy Project. It was Smart Talk Podcast. I just wanted to do a podcast. You know how people ask you, what's your why? There was no big why. I just wanted to do a podcast. I'm that'd be fun. I was like, I'll do the call Smart Talk. I was a health coach at the time.
smart talk in the health coaching world we do smart goals. So specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and right on.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:02.956)
Right, was it. And I only spoke to other health coaches around the country. Like, a health coach that did sugar addiction, another primary care health coach like myself, a health coach that worked with only cancer patients. Those were the type of conversations I was having. Now, all while I was doing that, we had moved my mom to live with me to take care of her health. During that...
I want say I was doing smart talk for maybe six, seven months. I'm not very clear on the time. But during that time, that like five, six month timeframe, we found out that she wasn't getting diabetic eye exams in Illinois. So she was about to go blind. Then we found out she had breast cancer. Then we found out she had 13 % kidney function. All within that time. Dang. So, and I'm having these these...
valuable conversations for a certain community, at the time, working in the safety net hospital that I was at providing services for the population that I serve, and what my mom was going through, I didn't really care about those conversations anymore.
on top of that, it all kinda happened, I feel we were saying the right time, but all kinda happened at the right time because one, people were getting my podcast confused, they were like, what you doing a money podcast for? Cause they were saying smart, smart, like with, they were connecting that with like financial stuff. So I was like over, over like explaining what smart talk was.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'd have to be like, swear guys, it's not a bad idea.
Speaker 3 (05:41.838)
So that was happening all while that stuff was happening with my mom. So like my passion was changing. On top of, I'm working within Health Equity and doing this work already. So I'm like, okay, I already need a name change, so I'm gonna do a name change and a complete content change at all the same time. All while at the time, Health Equity had a huge light on it during this 2020. So my first episode went out May 4th, Smart Talk went out May 4th, 2020.
As I'm talking about keto, all this stuff is happening in our nation. Then all this, so I'm like, I can't have this conversation anymore. And that's when Healthy Project, I just went on, I went on Apple Podcast and I was just like thinking of ideas about putting it into the search to if it was already taken.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:21.922)
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:41.666)
Well, I love it, and I love the name change of it. One of the things I think that I like most is I've gotten to know you and really understand what your overall goals are is that.
healthy project encompasses more than health. Like the immediate assumption is that, this is just going to be health related. But for you to be healthy, all the things in the world need to be right. That is your economics. That is your transportation. That is your all of the things, right? And so they do relate to health, but aren't necessarily health specific. And I think that is sort of where Heather and I come in.
Yes, so I want to answer that question and then I want to get into what this is all about. Because as I'm at some point, my goal is as I get older, I want to be able to say I'm a health equity expert. like 10, 15 years, I want to say I want to transition from health equity advocate to like I'm.
You can't tell me nothing. But as I'm learning, so I'm in that process right now, and one of the first things I recognized early, like a couple years ago, is that you can't be healthy without understanding what is going on around the person. Absolutely, yeah. Right? So like,
Yep.
Speaker 3 (08:07.404)
I can talk to everybody, and so I'm blue in the face about the importance of fruits and vegetables. But if you don't live in an area that has access to fresh fruits and vegetables, if you don't have the income to pay for fresh fruits and vegetables, it doesn't matter.
Yeah, yeah. You can tell that somebody's done something over and over and over again. they don't know what it is or have access to it, they can't do it.
segue into some of the stuff we're going to be talking about and if you're not civically engaged in understanding how those things work in your community, you can't be healthy. You can't help others to be healthy, right? And there's a gap between knowing that it's important but also understanding and like, okay, and there is an education gap there that...
Yeah, and you can't help others be healthy either.
Speaker 2 (09:02.776)
for all of us, would be very arrogant of us to assume that we, any of us have the full information to be able to solve it. is an ever, as the world is ever evolving, the solutions and the answers are gonna be ever evolving also.
So I don't, y'all don't have the, the brain is murky on this, but I know there was a moment where I said at least to Victoria, no, it was you It was me, Because you were on my podcast. Yeah, yeah. And we were talking about it, so I was like, yes, you need a podcast. Yeah.
He told me I have a podcast voice. Hopefully y'all agree.
And then guys had a nonprofit co-working Yeah, I went there with no intentions of talking about my city And then what what happened was just beautiful and then yeah, I know Victoria said
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:00.366)
Please.
Speaker 3 (10:10.798)
There was some pressure for you to get more. There's been some pressure. And I'm like, you need a podcast. I'm telling everybody they need a
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:20.856)
Victoria's brain needs to be out in the world. Like more people need to know Victoria's brain.
Well, we got the evidence of that from those clips that we got from our episode we about My City, My Hell. People want to know this information. So that's where I met with it, like, this is happening. And then it just beautifully up to the Healthy Project Network. So I'm super grateful for you guys even saying yes to that. This is a new venture for all of us. you guys' thoughts. I said that really, really fast.
He did, he did. He was speeding to the finish line.
you
Think we've touched on like all of the key points without sort of pulling them together Yeah, so everything we do in life that we care about is gonna relate to our health It doesn't matter whether that is politics whether that is economics whether that's actual health any of the things all of them are gonna be about supporting how we live and how we can healthily live and enjoy the short time that we have here on earth right and so to be able to To live in that best light. We need to be able to
Speaker 2 (11:25.56)
all of the things, which looks like for, I think for Heather and I to be civically engaged. I was listening to a podcast the other day and the gentleman was just talking about how everything is politics. There is nothing that is not political in this world. If you want a speed bump in your neighborhood to slow down traffic, that is a political process. If you want, you know, your child's education to get better, that is a political process.
That doesn't mean you're running for office. That doesn't mean you even have to navigate.
with political officials, but there are processes involved that are by nature political and can be changed with civic engagement processes. so Heather and I discuss all the time from just who we are, from our NAACP world, from all the places. We're always discussing the change we see, the change we don't see, what is working, what isn't working. And we thought it'd a good time to bring everybody along.
on that journey.
Yep, that's what we're here for. We want to start talking about the changes that we see within our community, within our state, within our world, within our country. It's a hard one today. But we also want to talk about the changes that we're not seeing. So that's where you all are going to come in to.
Speaker 1 (12:59.0)
We want you to be a part of that journey with us. And we decided to take these conversations that we have on the phone or in the office or at the cave. We wanted to bring that out to the world because we ain't gonna make it if we all trying to do it together.
think it's important that, one, that's why Change in Plain Sight podcast is coming to the Healthy Project podcast network. I think it's important for the people listening to understand.
why should I listen to y'all? Tell us, I know why, but the background, you guys have been doing so much work when it comes to this that I think it's important people know, like, hey, talk your shit right now, give us the resume.
Yeah, you wanna go first? Sure. So I've been doing some sort of change work or systems advocacy for 30 plus years. I hate saying that out loud. I'm only 29 years old.
Speaker 1 (14:14.904)
you
I'm not gonna fart in that.
But it's literally been 30 plus years for me. And so I think my initial work started with just wanting to change things around my neighborhood. But I also found for myself that I really understand how systems work, and I understand how systems affect people in a way that most people don't. So because of understanding those systems and that early advocacy training, got
as a very young person, I have been able to apply that in everything that I do. So whether that is my time in corporate America, whether that's my time in small business, now my space in transportation, I'm always looking for a way to improve and make systems better for folks. Really, that is my passion in life. And coincidentally, I apparently am pretty good at it. And I'll take that proudly, because the work that I do or the ways that I help people
really helps all of us get better. Because if you can lift the bare basic situation for just one person, that really does lift everything, that rising tide sort of mentality. And so I have been able, across all of the spaces that I'm in, to explain systems and teach people how to navigate systems and to access things, whether that be
Speaker 2 (15:46.338)
things that they need for themselves or things that they want for their neighbors or all of those things. And so because I have a really good understanding of that process, I want to make sure that everybody has the same understanding. I only know what I know.
doing it for this many years. It's not because there's something super magical like this is an attainable state of being for anybody but it's also not something that most people have time to think about. Right. Yeah. And so you know somebody who wants a speed bump in their neighborhood for example doesn't
doesn't know all of the systems in place to be able to do that. Well, I can teach you pretty quickly and cut down the processes so that you're not spending years for something that should ideally take you six months, right? And so if I can do that, I want to be able to do that. And I do it for a lot of people already. And people are always saying to me, hey, Victoria, like you really need to share that information with everybody. And I love to help everybody. And so sure, why not?
explain to people that change is possible and that really change in plain sight is attainable for all of us.
Yep, My journey is a little bit different, which is why Victoria and I go together.
Speaker 2 (17:01.646)
Go together real hard.
Yes, because I while Victoria's brain can see these systems and structures and she can figure out and find the solutions in that lens my strength lies in like that pulling together of people and making those connections for folks and part of that starts as early as being a kid, right? I'm a daughter of a Marine and a firefighter
continue to make sure that our family and our community stayed connected. But also, I always go back to, I got trained as a conflict manager when I was in junior high. Oh, man. And I use those skills more often than I would like to as an adult. But.
Some of that was organizing the community because the kids would come in and talk about what was going on and the goal was to try and come to a shared understanding. As I got older, I started working with Sister Cities International, so I started doing some citizen diplomacy work as a young kid.
The YMCA has been integral to my building of relationships, all the way from doing like tiny tots, tumble tots or whatever, as a kid through going to the Y camp, through working at Y camp, working at the Y, there is a community bond that consistently gets pulled together and structured. And then when I lived abroad,
Speaker 1 (18:45.39)
I worked and lived with people from all over the world. And so there was a lot of how do we communicate with each other when we have different cultural backgrounds, we've had different ways that we've been raised, different ways to approach what would define happiness, what sounds like a good time, how are we going to approach problem solving in the workplace. So I got a real opportunity to get an even broader
understanding of how we can all kind of fit together, but also how we can achieve together. I also go back to high and middle school. I was in an environment. East side? East side, that's right. All day, all day, all day.
Speaker 3 (19:32.29)
Yeah.
That's how we, yeah, we've known each other almost our whole lives because, I think I probably know who that is. Yes, and that time, and I'm okay, I'll do it. I was at Hyatt from fall of 95 to spring of 98.
No,
Speaker 3 (19:58.876)
I said, ooh.
raised in the 1900s as my niece likes to remind me. But during that time, that was a community of kids that like, some of those relationships have outstanded even my high school relationships. And so that was community gathering at its best. And I learned from that in a multitude of ways.
going into adulthood. But now I work in higher ed and I work through a community lens. I do community organizing with a multitude of organizations. And sometimes it is just putting together a day where we all go co-work at the library. And some days it's running a voter registration drive at big events or asking people to come and learn about how to...
the government functions, those are things that I really get a lot of joy out of, I also like it helps other people understand things and we need to constantly meet people.
And I think, so really that is where we meet. Heather is the master networker. I don't know anybody who can network better than Heather. Heather knows, know, it's like, six degrees of separation. No, no, no. I bet you Heather can get us there in less than two.
Speaker 1 (21:33.922)
Like, sorry, can we make it?
Heather knows everybody everywhere. And so I think when you have people who know people and you have people who know systems and you need those two things because they really are the same thing, if you can put those two talents together you get something really interesting and something that winds up being really helpful for people overall.
And so that is, I think that's us and that's what we're wanting to be able to do and to explore and see how goes.
That's what I love about the change in plain sight, what you guys have in your description about where leadership meets life. think that is so important. And I would love to talk about...
some of the value that people will get from this podcast. Because to me, yes, it's a podcast where you kind of just listen. Some people listen in the car. But this could be something where one day you could be talking about the intersection of pop culture and civic engagement to civic engagement by our community leadership or whatever the case may be. But this could be something people might want to take notes on. You know what You might want to.
Speaker 2 (23:02.67)
So I'm gonna do the thing that I hate when people do, but I'm gonna go ahead and just make sure I don't forget anything here. So Heather and I have worked really hard to make sure that what we are putting together for you all really is something that you need and can take value from and is something that you might wanna take notes from. Or feel free to reach out and ask us how to explore it further. And so really some pillars that we're building things around and what we hope that you get
is systems and policy. making sure that we unpack how decisions are made. A lot of times folks are...
mad about something, but they don't understand all that it took to get to that place and maybe the compromise that it took to get there or maybe how that first decision that you don't like is just the first, right? Maybe that is the first step towards changing something in another way. There's a new iteration to come. And so we want to make sure that we're unpacking that. And so people are understanding when they hear things, whether they like them or not, what went into them. I think the next thing, as you just mentioned, is culture and community. And so how culture
community shape the decisions, the changes, whatever it is we need to live well is going to be really important for us. Then personal and public growth, one of the things I think that is hard and I keep hearing the women around me say and it bothers, it's something that affects me but it also bothers me that we are all experiencing this. There is this
imposter syndrome that we all experience in various parts of our lives. Like why should I be the person to say that? Why should I? Because you know it and you've learned it or you went to school for it or you experienced it and your life experience matters. And so what does it look like to grow that in a way that helps folks to not be ashamed of all of the things that you're good at and to be able to be bold and proud about them? Because
Speaker 1 (24:43.502)
Thank
Speaker 2 (25:06.434)
They are, you have those skills and talents for a reason. And so what that looks like for us, what we see in other people, unique skills and talents, I think will be important to feature because none of us can do this work alone, right? And then the last thing is really the sort of the work within. And so we wanna make sure that we're all navigating our purposes. And I think that is important for, you you always get a lot of people in media who are always in the front, but they're not really
doing anything. They're just saying a whole lot and sound really good. But really though there needs to be work happening within to be able to make yourself feel comfortable and sort of it really supports that sort of imposter syndrome. We want to identify
people doing good things, but also what is it that if you are struggling with something and you know you need to improve so that you can develop and grow, what are the things or the tools that have helped us or helped our friends or other people that we know be able to grow and develop? And so really that is like the overall summary of what we're hoping folks get out of the podcast. But I don't know, Heather, would you add anything?
thing I would add is that you know the the title of the podcast Change in Plain Sight is very strategic because it encompasses us being able to showcase and show how change can happen right it's happening in front of you you should be able to identify it and we want to be able to provide you with those tools and like with the imposter syndrome component we ain't perfect and we're gonna be changing in plain sight in front of y'all like quite literally
So like it's there's there's nuance to to all of this just as there is nuance in all things that That we have to bring back into our lives and really be thinking about more deeply
Speaker 2 (27:03.852)
I think for me too, what I hope that people, whether they get it from us or they start to recognize it in the people that are around them, I recognize that the people who are in my life right now, I wind up walking away better after every single conversation I have with them. I recognize that the people who are around me and are doing things, whether we're everyday friends or just acquaintances, that these people are amazing people with amazing talents. And so I go into every conversation
and hoping to be able to pull something away that grows and stretches me that I can then use to apply to my community. And so I know, Heather and I could talk on the phone for literally two minutes and I've learned something. And so I hope that people feel the same way coming away from us, that they are getting that experience with us, but also getting that, starting to recognize that in the people that are around them.
And then I would push you that if you're not experiencing that with the people around you that you maybe need to start changing your circle. If you are recognizing that you don't see or feel like the majority of your conversations are improving you in some way, even if they just make you feel better for the day. Like feeling better means you can do a lot more.
It means you can help your family more. It means you can just show up and be better. And so if you don't walk away from your conversations feeling that, again, stretch your network. And so we're hoping to be able to expand those opportunities for folks.
think it's cool too, is that, kind of piggybacking off what you said Victoria, is, and there are people that don't know how to say it, or what to say, or what the right question to ask. And I think what is cool about you guys having this platform now, is that there can be somebody listening that will have the opportunity to email and ask a question. And then they can have someone they trust that knows what they're talking about to answer that
Speaker 3 (29:02.288)
question now they have a foundation to go back and do
And if we don't know, Heather knows so much.
you
I got you. got you. Go to this corner and take a left and you will be there.
Yeah, again, I'm super excited. From the moment I listened to you guys on the My City, My Health panel, even that was.
Speaker 1 (29:36.226)
We had so much fun.
And so I know this is going be very valuable. And I appreciate you guys trusting me with the podcast and bringing it on the network. And hopefully, guys aren't the last. I want the Healthy Project Network to be a source for educational, conversational, and warm content for people. I want it to be that warm handoff to hard conversation. I love that. Yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:12.206)
That's fire.
Speaker 3 (30:18.99)
But I think this is dope so any you know any last words? What we got for people coming up next?
We will have a first official sort of episode out shortly. want, as Cory mentioned, we want this to be as interactive as possible. so we will make sure that in the show notes, you know how to reach us, how to email us, so that you can always reach out and ask questions on any topic. I don't want any topic to be off limits. That is the point of this, is that we want to be able to help
with all things. And so feel free to reach out. You can reach out now, even before the first episode comes out. We haven't recorded it yet. So it is not too soon. the handoff.
Speaker 2 (31:18.798)
But it's not too late to get in any potential questions or things that you see happening. We are open to being able to include that. We promise to make content that won't waste your time. will be appropriately valuable, which means we're not shooting to just make an hour episode every time. It might be a short episode. It might be a long one. What is valuable content for you going to look like? That is what we are promising to you. And so we just want to welcome you a
Yeah, and I would encourage people to subscribe to the Healthy Project Media YouTube page. That's where this will live on all audio platforms. It'll live there. The Change in Plain Sight newsletter is, it will be live when this goes live, so they'll be able to get that information there. So it'll be everywhere.
Speaker 1 (32:18.708)
You
We'll figure out the closing bit. That's right.
is we'll start out ashy.
Speaker 1 (32:34.84)
See you next time y'all. Bye!