Episode #450 Building Together: What Community Really Looks Like in 2026
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
On This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
What Does Community Actually Look Like in Practice?
Episode 450 is a milestone, and Dr. Huntley marks it the way she marks the most meaningful work: in honest, direct conversation with her listeners. No guests, no panels. Just Dr. Huntley pulling up a chair and sharing what is on her heart.
In this solo episode, she reflects on the principle guiding her firm and her podcast community heading into 2026: community. Not as a buzzword, but as a strategy, a survival tool, and a legacy commitment.
A Moment From the Field
Dr. Huntley recently had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion at the South Carolina Public Health Association's annual meeting. She describes it as community in action, a real conversation between community leaders, Catawba Nation representatives (the only federally recognized tribal nation in South Carolina), and Gullah Geechee Nation representatives, held without slides or formal presentations. Just dialogue, presence, and a room ready to engage.
She reflects on what it means to create space for those kinds of conversations and why moderating is work she finds deeply meaningful, both personally and professionally.
The 10 Principles That Carried Her Through
After one of the hardest years of her personal and professional life, Dr. Huntley came out the other side with a clear framework. She shares the 10 community principles she outlined in an earlier bonus episode, including the idea that community is strategic, that it strengthens teams from the inside, that it supports personal healing, and that it is ultimately legacy work.
These principles are not abstract. Dr. Huntley explains how they shape the way her consulting firm operates, how she engages clients, and how she shows up for the public health professionals in her orbit.
What Is Coming in April Inside the PHEC Podcast Community
Dr. Huntley walks through a full month of events inside the PHEC Podcast Community, including virtual co-working sessions, a candid conversation on advocacy and burnout, an honest discussion about the invisible emotional and mental load women carry, a forward-looking dialogue on maternal and child health, and a networking party designed to build real connections across the public health field.
Whether you are a longtime member or have been curious about joining, this episode gives you a clear picture of what community looks like when it is built with intention.
Listen To This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
Conversation Highlights
Community is a strategy, not just a sentiment. Dr. Huntley shares how community became the core operating principle for her firm after navigating one of the most challenging years of her personal and professional life.
Moderating well is a form of public health practice. Creating space for authentic dialogue, especially between organizations and the communities they serve, is directly connected to the health equity work Dr. Huntley does through her consulting.
Centering Indigenous voices matters. Dr. Huntley's intentional decision to invite Catawba Nation representatives into the SCPHA panel conversation is a practical example of inclusive, community-centered facilitation.
The 10 principles of community are a framework worth adopting. From community as origin story to community as legacy work, Dr. Huntley outlines a set of principles that can guide how public health professionals lead, heal, and build.
The PHEC Podcast Community is an active, year-round resource. With on-demand discussion spaces, a wellness hub, a book club, and live monthly events, the community is designed to meet public health professionals wherever they are.
Membership in the community directly supports the podcast. Dr. Huntley makes the connection explicit: joining the PHEC Podcast Community helps sustain the weekly conversations and stories that listeners rely on.
"Community is strategic. It is our origin story. It strengthens teams from the inside. It deepens client trust, especially in hard times."Â - Dr. Charlotte Huntley
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Public Health Consulting To Support You
DrCHHuntley LLC is a public health consulting firm that specializes in epidemiology consulting, supporting large nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida that serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We also provide nationwide public health consulting and epidemiology consulting support to BIPOC organizations across the United States.