during the pandemic,

there were countless startups dedicated to finding a cure to covid or a way to prevent something like this from ever happening again. i found myself at one of these startups, becoming one of the people the founders relied on for storytelling.

i learned very quickly how capitalism truly works through this experience. and it wasn’t fun. but interviewing the former director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, was a thrill. the company I was working with, Persown, had formed a relationship with SAS. SAS, in turn, was making a documentary about global health initiatives and because I had already interviewed dr. redfield a few times prior, was tapped to interview and film a formal sitdown with dr. redfield in Baltimore. so natasha and i drove to Baltimore with our two young boys, and chopped it up with a titan in the medical field. 

i found dr. redfield to be uniquely engaging. someone who has been on the frontlines of many global health crises and leaned on the basics - a microscope and medical training, to bring so many in need to better health. he’s watched the proliferation of medtech. the rise of propaganda. the weaponization of viewpoints - all of it from the front lines. and he didn’t pull punches, while also remaining incredibly respectful of everyone he’s come across, regardless of whether they were on the same side of the argument or not.

shortly before meeting dr. redfield, i had read tracey kidder’s mountains beyond mountains about dr. paul farmer. it is one of the most moving pieces of literature i’ve ever found myself engrossed in. and it didn’t surprise me to hear that dr. farmer and dr. redfield were friends.

at the end of our interview, dr. redfield grinned as he took off his microphone. thrilled to see a husband and wife team, not only working together, but doing so respectfully. it’s one of the reasons why this is a dream job. i spend it with my best friends doing something that comes easy but is still hard and rewarding work.