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PODCAST

Route Notes

Route Notes is a podcast for public health professionals, nonprofit leaders, educators, and changemakers navigating the real work of leadership in complex systems. We’ve spent years working alongside leaders in public health, education, nonprofits, and advocacy. From board rooms to back roads, the challenges are always complex. Route Notes shares stories, strategies, and lessons we’ve learned along the way—and introduces you to the people who’ve helped us navigate the terrain. Because maps are

science social sciences

All Episodes

37:26

Episode 19: Structures of Grace

Route Notes ·

2025/10/10

In this episode of Route Notes, Wes and David reflect on inclusion, access, and the quiet power of systems designed with care. From a joyful moment of off-road driving with Wes’s newly licensed daughter to a breakthrough theater performance by David’s son Miles, they explore how moments of belonging—when thoughtfully created—can reshape lives and communities.They unpack the concept of universal design, tracing its implications from curb cuts and classroom accessibility to larger conversations about

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33:48

Episode 18: This Is Your Captain Oversharing

Route Notes ·

2025/10/02

In this episode of Route Notes, Wes and David explore what happens when leaders overshare, overprocess, or unravel in public—and the unintended consequences it can have on teams, trust, and momentum. A strange moment on a delayed flight (where the pilot shares a little too much about what went wrong) widens into deeper reflections on leadership and the tension between authenticity and stability.They recount one of their most bizarre and hilarious facilitations where the cost of oversharing in

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46:06

Episode 17: Faith-Rooted, Not Faith-Based

Route Notes ·

2025/09/24

In this month’s Campfire Chat, Wes, David, and Adam gather fireside to discuss Faith-Rooted Organizing by Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel. What begins as a reflection on the role of churches in public health quickly deepens into a powerful conversation about moral imagination, structural injustice, and the difference between acting out of anger versus love.The episode dives into real stories of immigration reform, labor advocacy, and interfaith collaboration—each grounded in deep compassion

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37:29

Episode 16: Plan C: What Happens When Everything...

Route Notes ·

2025/09/18

In this episode of Route Notes, Wes and David debrief after a jam-packed weekend of community service and public health engagement. David shares the chaos and clarity that came from trying to over-engineer a complex event serving children with intellectual disabilities—only to have the day go off the rails and then somehow soar thanks to the brilliance of students, staff, and volunteers.Wes and David reflect on the danger of linear thinking in complex environments, the difference between systems

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48:09

Episode 15: Fixing What You Can Touch

Route Notes ·

2025/09/12

In this episode of Route Notes, David and Wes unpack the future of public health education against the backdrop of Campbell Cares Community Days—service-based learning grounded in interprofessional collaboration. They dive into the tension between machine-driven public health and the human-centered practice that's urgently needed, arguing that the curriculum of the future must move beyond technical training toward embedded community relationships, ethics, and real-time apprenticeship.The episode

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18:21

Episode 14: Unpacking Autism: What the Data Actually Say

Route Notes ·

2025/09/04

In this episode of Route Notes, Dr. David Tillman responds directly to recent statements by political leaders, including RFK Jr. and Donald Trump, about autism rates and causes. Drawing from his experience as a public health professor, researcher, and father of a son with autism, David walks listeners through the science behind rising autism diagnoses—explaining what has changed in diagnostic criteria, awareness, and demographic risk factors.He breaks down why the one-in-10,000 claim is misleading,

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52:58

Episode 13: Headlines, Highways, and the Hidden Roots...

Route Notes ·

2025/08/27

What do birds, highways, coffee, camping, and peanut butter & jelly have in common? In this unexpected and wide-ranging conversation, David and Wes unpack the viral TikTok moment that sparked a deeper dialogue about structural racism, public health, and the power of storytelling.Together, they reflect on how these layered stories shape opportunity, health outcomes, and cultural participation across generations. Along the way, they discuss implicit bias, rural health, medical education,

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35:59

Episode 12: U-Turns, Eagle Scouts, and Second Chances

Route Notes ·

2025/08/21

In this episode of Route Notes, we explore the power—and necessity—of the U-turn. What happens when leaders, communities, or even parents choose to pause, reflect, and reroute? Wes shares a personal parenting moment that sparked the episode, along with a hilarious cautionary tale involving an overconfident Eagle Scout, an underprepared hike, and a poorly chosen shortcut.Along the way, we reflect on what it means to admit a mistake in public health and leadership without losing trust. Spoiler: Done

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40:48

Episode 11: Make It Matter: Ambition, Impact, and the...

Route Notes ·

2025/08/14

In this episode of Route Notes, we dive into Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman—a book that asks a direct and timely question: what are you doing with your life, and why not work on something that matters?Inspired by the energy of a new academic year, we reflect on what it means to channel ambition toward meaningful change, especially in public health and community work. The conversation ranges from tech-driven distraction to the joy of deep purpose, from purity politics to the unexpected ways people

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29:23

Episode 10: The Hidden Value of Constraints

Route Notes ·

2025/08/07

In this episode of Route Notes, we explore how constraints—those limits we often try to eliminate—can actually fuel creativity, collaboration, and community. From policy and innovation to loneliness and shared norms, we reflect on what gets lost when we remove the very boundaries that once held us together.We talk about the unintended consequences of convenience, the erosion of social connection, and why policymaking might benefit from asking one simple question: what good might this constraint be

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33:14

Episode 9: More Than Metrics - Storytelling, Equity,...

Route Notes ·

2025/07/30

In this episode of Route Notes, we’re joined by Dr. Michael Forde—public health leader, equity strategist, and master storyteller—for a conversation about what really drives change in health and healthcare. From his current work in health equity to his experience at the NIH during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Forde shares what he's learned about trust, empathy, and the stories that stay with us.We explore how storytelling isn't just a tool—it's a core skill for public health, strategic

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25:34

Episode 8: The Strategy Is in the Story

Route Notes ·

2025/07/24

In this episode of Route Notes, we reflect on the central role of story in planning, leadership, and decision-making. Over years of working with organizations and communities, we’ve found that strategy doesn’t emerge from filling in templates—it emerges from narrative.We talk about what changed in our own facilitation approach, including the moment we stopped asking people to start with templates and instead invited them to tell a story. This is an episode about how humans are wired for meaning,

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49:55

Episode 7: Campfire Chat - Abundance, Innovation, and...

Route Notes ·

2025/07/16

In this episode of Campfire Chat, we dig into Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, a bold call to rethink how we approach public policy, innovation, and problem-solving. Framed around a powerful question—what if we planned for abundance instead of assuming scarcity?—this conversation explores the real potential of government-driven innovation, from Operation Warp Speed to climate tech, housing reform, and scientific research.We discuss the book’s techno-optimism, the role of crisis in

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32:29

Episode 6: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel? Maybe You Should.

Route Notes ·

2025/07/10

You’ve heard the phrase. You’ve probably said it: “Let’s not reinvent the wheel.”But what if that mindset is keeping us from real solutions? In this episode, Wes and David take a hard look at the cliché—and argue that relying too heavily on other people’s answers can actually short-circuit innovation, especially in rural communities and complex systems. They unpack: Why “not reinventing the wheel” can be lazy leadership The dangers of assuming sameness in community solutions How starting from

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35:12

Episode 5: Campfire Chat - Bridging the Divide:...

Route Notes ·

2025/07/02

In this first installment of a recurring series - Campfire Chat, we gather around the fire to explore Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Through conversation that weaves together moral psychology, public health, theology, and community engagement, we reflect on what Haidt’s work can teach us about polarization and the limits of reason.We discuss how moral intuitions often drive human behavior more than evidence or logic—and what that means for

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44:23

Episode 4: Just Like That, I'm Extinct

Route Notes ·

2025/06/25

What do Jurassic Park, public health, and artificial intelligence have in common? More than you'd think. In this episode, David and Wes take a detour into the ILM docuseries Light & Magic and the story of Phil Tippett—the legendary visual effects artist who thought he was rendered obsolete by CGI, only to find himself more valuable than ever.Using this moment in film history as a powerful metaphor, they explore the AI revolution in public health, higher education, and everyday work. What

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01:16

Route Notes Trailer

Route Notes ·

2025/06/17

Route Notes is a weekly podcast hosted by David Tillman and Wesley Rich. Each episode dives into leadership, systems thinking, and the messy realities of making change—whether in organizations, communities, or everyday life. Smart, reflective, and occasionally funny on purpose. New episodes weekly on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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17 results

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