<p>When we talk about prevention, most people think about youth programs, policy change, or school-based education. But prevention also starts in a hospital room, in a living room at 3 a.m. when a parent wonders, “Is this normal?”, and in the quiet after pregnancy or infant loss when families are left to figure out what comes next—often alone.</p><p>In this episode of <em>Pathways 2 Prevention</em>, Dave sits down with <strong>Mai (Maiye) Waller</strong>, founder and executive director of the <strong>Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation</strong> and leader of <strong>The Doula Project Resource</strong>. Out of the preventable loss of her son, Mace Anthony, Mai chose to become the resource she always wished existed for other families.</p><p>Together, they explore how community-based doulas, grief-informed care, and culturally grounded support before, during, and after pregnancy are powerful forms of <strong>substance use prevention, mental health promotion, and family strengthening</strong>.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Mai’s journey from grieving mom to founder and executive director of a national nonprofit</p></li><li><p>What a doula really is (and is not)</p></li><li><p>How The Doula Project supports families before, during, and long after birth</p></li><li><p>Why a 3 a.m. “Is this normal?” text is prevention work</p></li><li><p>How grief, trauma, racism, and isolation increase risk for substance use and mental health challenges</p></li><li><p>The role of culturally grounded, community-based doulas in reducing maternal and infant health inequities</p></li><li><p>What “good collaboration” with lived experience leaders should actually look like</p></li><li><p>Concrete ways prevention coalitions and maternal health advocates can lock arms in the next 2–3 years</p></li></ul><p><strong>Who this episode is for:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Prevention coalition members and state leaders</p></li><li><p>Maternal and child health practitioners</p></li><li><p>Doulas, nurses, social workers, and peer specialists</p></li><li><p>Anyone who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss or walks alongside those who have</p></li></ul><p><strong>Connect with The Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation:</strong></p><p>Website:<a href="https://www.themawfoundation.org/"> <u>https://www.themawfoundation.org/</u></a></p><p><a href="https://www.dfaf.org/events/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>National Prevention Summit 2026</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Drug Free America Foundation Links:</strong></p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.dfaf.org/"><strong>Website</strong></a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrugFreeAmericaFndn/"><strong>Facebook</strong></a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/drugfreeamericafoundation/"><strong>Instagram</strong></a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9f7kHutH1xAFO_ZIRPmrg"><strong>YouTube</strong></a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://twitter.com/drugfreeamerica"><strong>Twitter</strong></a></p></li></ul><p>If this conversation resonates, share it with a colleague in prevention, maternal health, or public health—and invite a doula to your next coalition meeting.</p>