Real Talk for Real Women

I first met Dr. T during an interview on live television. We were discussing Black maternal health. We had three minutes to cover a crisis that's killing women. Three minutes to discuss systemic failures, racial disparities, and preventable deaths. I remember thinking: this isn't helpful. This podcast is what that conversation should have been. Time to go deep, space to be honest, and room to share not just the data but our own experiences living and working in these systems.

Each month, we're tackling the topics that matter: women's health, parenting, careers, mental health, loss, fertility, and the reality of balancing it all. We bring medical expertise and journalistic rigor to conversations that are too often sanitized or ignored. Also, we're living it ourselves and are committed to including our own journeys in the conversation.

This is for every woman navigating the gap between what we're told life should look like and what it actually is. Whether you're building a family, building a career, or trying to keep your head above water doing both - this is real talk, no filter.

What is Real Talk for Real Women?

Journalist Shay McAlister and maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Tiffany Tonismae have teamed up for a new podcast made by women, for women. We're two working moms with demanding careers - one delivering babies and managing high-risk pregnancies, the other investigating stories and holding systems accountable. We're done with the highlight reel version of women's lives and instead focusing on important conversations to make women stronger.