She Nearly Died in a Houston ER. Now, Rayna Reid Rayford Is Building the App Every Black Mother Needs

She Nearly Died in a Houston ER. Now, Rayna Reid Rayford Is Building the App Every Black Mother Needs

At 30 weeks pregnant, Rayna Reid Rayford walked into a Houston ER in excruciating pain. They sent her home. Dehydration, they said. She came back a week later, still in agony. Same diagnosis. Same dismissal. What changed everything? Five physician family members in town for her baby shower. They asked the questions. They demanded the MRI. They found the acute necrotizing appendicitis that would have killed her if she'd been sent home again. She's one of the lucky ones. And she couldn't stop thinking about the ones who aren't. Pregnant and Black launches April 11th during Black Maternal Health Week — a free app connecting Black expectant mothers with culturally competent healthcare advocates who can be virtually present during appointments or emergencies. No insurance required. In this conversation, we cover: * Why Harris County is the deadliest place in America for Black women to give birth * What it felt like to be a lawyer with a family of doctors and still not be believed * The Serena and Beyoncé parallel: money doesn't protect you * How the app handles privacy in post-Roe Texas * Why joy — not just safety — is the right word for what Black maternal health should look like * And what it costs to build something on top of a trauma App launches April 11th at the Advocacy and Action Benefit Brunch, Westin Houston Downtown. Honoree: LeToya Luckett, founding member of Destiny's Child and maternal health advocate. pregnantandblack.com [https://pregnantandblack.com] @pregnantnblack [https://instagram.com/pregnantnblack] @raynareidrayford [https://instagram.com/raynareidrayford] davidpeck.co [https://davidpeck.co] @itsdavidpeck [https://instagram.com/itsdavidpeck] 00:00 — Harris County is the deadliest place in America for Black women to give birth 01:09 — Introducing Rayna Reid Rayford and Pregnant and Black 02:32 — Appendixgate: dismissed twice, saved by a family of doctors 04:21 — What it felt like to be educated, supported, and still not believed 06:47 — The Serena and Beyoncé parallel: money doesn't protect you 07:23 — Is this systemic or regional? (The answer is both) 08:34 — Why pregnancy feels like a silo now — and how the app rebuilds community 09:07 — Legislating against women and the crisis of not being believed 11:31 — From trauma to tech: how she connected the dots 12:54 — Walk-through: what the app experience actually looks like 14:26 — Privacy in post-Roe Texas — how PAB handles your data 15:20 — Launching an app with "Black" in the name right now 17:29 — The Lion King, the circle of life, and why men need to be in this conversation 18:55 — Why joy is the right word — not dignity, not equity 20:07 — If you could change one thing about ER physician training 21:53 — Why representation inside the medical system literally saves lives 23:05 — The personal cost of building on top of a trauma 24:51 — The 22 Questions Lightning Round 28:43 — Where to find the app and how to support Pregnant and Black

Find Your Word: The Practice That's Kept Me Grounded for a Decade

For nearly a decade, I've used one word to guide my year. Not as a resolution. As a practice. And it's changed how I make decisions, navigate transitions, and design a life that actually fits. Most "word of the year" practices are aspirational—you pick a word that sounds good, make it your screensaver, and hope it sticks. But by March, you've forgotten about it because it never meant anything real in the first place. This practice is different. It's evidence-based, not aspirational. You're not picking a word you wish you were. You're naming what's already in motion. In this episode, I walk through: * Why most word-of-the-year practices don't work * How to find a word that's actually yours (built from evidence, not expectation) * The ART method: Assemble evidence, Refine the pattern, Try it out * How this practice has helped me navigate reinvention after reinvention If you want to do this practice yourself, I created a free guide: Go to davidpeck.co/yourword and you'll get: * A beautifully designed 11-page guide that walks you through the ART method * A 7-day email series teaching you how to use it * Monthly check-ins for a year to help you live with your word This is for you if you're navigating a transition, tired of following frameworks that don't fit, or ready to design a year around who you actually are. Links: * Get the free guide: davidpeck.co/yourword [https://www.davidpeck.co/yourword] * Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ItsDavidPeck] * Follow on Instagram: @itsdavidpeck [https://instagram.com/itsdavidpeck] * More episodes: davidpeck.co/podcast [https://davidpeck.co/podcast] Chapters 0:00 - Intro: The one thing that's kept me grounded through every reinvention 0:45 - Why most word-of-the-year practices don't work 2:15 - What makes this practice different (evidence vs. aspiration) 3:30 - How to get started: The free guide 4:15 - The ART framework: Assemble, Refine, Try 5:15 - What you get: 7-day series + monthly check-ins for a year 6:30 - Who this is for + final call to action

Voice Notes: Rewriting the Script - Taylor Swift, Winter Olympics, and Bad Bunny

This week, I'm thinking about three things that all have something in common: rewriting the script. Sometimes it's a script someone else wrote for you, sometimes it's your own script that you decide to change, and sometimes it's a narrative we've been telling wrong as a nation for over 70 years. I talk about Taylor Swift's unexpected "Opalite" video and how she's reclaiming England by filming there and casting directly from the Graham Norton show couch. I explore what it means for Winter Olympics athletes to represent America when the country feels so divided. And I discuss Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance almost entirely in Spanish (with notable exceptions like Lady Gaga's solo, "God Bless America," and the powerful line "the only way to combat hate is with love") and how it forces us to confront that Puerto Rico IS America - something the characters in West Side Story were grappling with 70 years ago that we're still grappling with today. This is about identity, representation, and who gets to tell the story. 0:00 - Introduction: Rewriting the Script The hook - three pop culture things connected by rewriting the script 0:29 - Taylor Swift's "Opalite" Music Video The unexpected release, Graham Norton casting, filming in England, reclaiming her narrative, visibility vs. community 3:49 - Winter Olympics: Representing a Divided Country Personal connection to individual sports, athletes navigating what it means to represent America, competing with integrity despite conflict 7:38 - Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show Performing in Spanish, Puerto Rico IS America, West Side Story's narrative 70 years later, rewriting what "American" looks like 9:33 - Closing Thoughts Connecting all three - expectations being flipped, rewriting narratives CONNECT WITH ME: davidpeck.co [https://davidpeck.co] Instagram [https://instagram.com/itsdavidpeck] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ItsDavidPeck]: @itsdavidpeck Shop: shopdavidpeck.com [https://shopdavidpeck.com]

Voice Notes: Things That Matter - Catherine O'Hara, Mattering, and the Roseberrys

This week I'm thinking about three things in pop culture that have an unexpected through-line: Catherine O'Hara's comedy, a new book about mattering, and the Roseberry siblings' creative partnership. What connects them is the difference between performance and being performative. When art comes from genuine care and alignment—not external validation—that's when it sticks with us. That's when we feel truth. I talk about Catherine O'Hara's uniquely empathetic approach to comedy (from Waiting for Guffman to Moira Rose), Jennifer Breheny Wallace's book "Mattering" and what happens when our intrinsic and extrinsic values are misaligned, and why Daniel Roseberry's Schiaparelli and his sister Liz's jewelry work have reignited something for me after years of feeling uninspired by fashion. This is what's getting me through the week. 00:00 The Impact of Catherine O'Hara's Comedy 03:14 The Search for Meaning and Connection 05:25 The Joy of Authenticity in Art and Fashion

Voice Notes: A Heavy Week

This week felt especially heavy. In this Voice Notes mini-episode, I'm sharing a few reflections and pieces of pop culture that helped me stay present and grounded—not to escape what's happening, but to remember why art and thoughtful platforms still matter. I talk about Michelle Obama on Call Her Daddy, what it means to use influence with intention, and why even familiar comfort shows like Emily in Paris don't always land the same way depending on the moment. These Voice Notes are informal, short reflections—shared when something feels worth the pause.