The Social Impact Podcast with Bree Jensen · Bree Jensen

From Grief to Impact: Rachelle Dumas’ Journey to Transform Healthcare | A focus on maternal health and equitable access

October 30, 2025·50 min·4 clips

Rachelle Dumas lost nine babies in four years, with one falling out at 15 weeks after doctors dismissed her pain.

Bree Jensen hosts this episode of The Social Impact Podcast, featuring registered nurse and health innovator Rachelle Dumas. Dumas is the founder of the nonprofit A Light After Nine and the creator of the patient advocacy app SpeakRx. Her work is driven by her personal experience of enduring nine pregnancy losses within four years before the birth of her son. She details specific traumatic losses, including losing twins in 2020 after repeated dismissals from emergency rooms and a subsequent loss at 20 weeks due to cervical insufficiency. Dumas also recounts recently undergoing two brain surgeries, which she had to aggressively advocate for while experiencing severe symptoms like vision loss. A critical theme is medical gaslighting, where Dumas, despite her nursing expertise, was often met with shock from providers rather than belief in her symptoms. She cites studies showing some healthcare providers do not believe Black patients report pain accurately, leading to delayed diagnoses and treatment. Her nonprofit addresses this by teaching patients and their support networks how to advocate, including using specific scripts and identifying red flags in care. Dumas organizes events like "Your Birth, Your Choice" to combat statistics showing Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. She also engages in political advocacy, speaking on Capitol Hill about issues like rural hospital closures that create healthcare deserts. A surprising insight is her focus on training medical students, believing they are more receptive to lessons about culturally humble care and the impact of language before clinical biases set in. The conversation highlights that effective advocacy often requires a patient's "village," as trauma can make self-advocacy impossible. Dumas reveals that her nonprofit provides services like vetting and referring trusted providers, recognizing that patients in crisis lack the capacity to research. The tone is deeply conversational, empathetic, and raw, as both host and guest share vulnerable personal health stories to underscore systemic failures. Listeners interested in maternal health, patient advocacy, and health equity will find this episode profoundly educational and motivating. Those who prefer lighthearted content or are uncomfortable with detailed discussions of pregnancy loss and medical trauma may wish to skip it.

As heard by us

A grief-to-action story that stays close to lived experience while showing how advocacy can make care feel safer.

Rachelle M. Dumas's story makes healthcare feel immediate. After nine pregnancy losses and the birth of her son, she turned grief into A Light After Nine and SpeakRx.

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Why you'd press play

You want a healthcare story rooted in loss and built around practical support.

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