Where Grief, Maternal Health, and Prevention Meet: A Conversation with Mai Waller

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 scared parent wonders, “Is this normal?”

In the quiet, heavy space after a pregnancy or infant loss, when a family is left to figure out what comes next—alone.

In this episode of the Pathways 2 Prevention podcast, we sit down with Mai (Maiye) Waller, founder and executive director of the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation and leader of The Doula Project Resource, to explore a powerful idea: What if becoming the resource you wish existed is one of the most impactful forms of prevention there is?

This blog walks you through the heart of that conversation.

If what you read here resonates, I really want you to go listen to the full episode—because hearing Mai in her own words is where the impact truly lands.

Listen In Here

Becoming the resource she wished existed

Mai didn’t enter this work because it was trendy or funded.

She entered it because the worst thing that could happen to a parent happened to her.

After the preventable loss of her son, Mace Anthony, she discovered something almost as painful as the loss itself: how quickly support disappeared once she left the hospital. There was no roadmap. No “here’s what’s next.” No community-based guide to walk with her through grief, healing, and next steps.

Instead of spending her life asking, “Where are the resources?” Mai decided to become the resource she always needed.

On the podcast, she describes it this way:

She didn’t want something that only reacted to crisis.
She wanted something that would walk with families long before crisis even appeared on the horizon.
She wanted a standard of care that honored her son’s legacy every time a family was supported.

That vision became the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation and The Doula Project Resource—an ecosystem of doulas, community navigators, and partners centered on grief, maternal health, and prevention.

To hear how Mace’s legacy tangibly shapes every decision she makes, listen to the episode. The story behind “I became the resource I always wanted” is worth hearing in her own voice.

What is a doula, really—and what makes The Doula Project different?

If you’ve heard the word doula but can’t quite define it, you’re not alone. Mai jokes that she didn’t learn what a doula was until after having multiple children herself.

In the conversation, she paints a clear picture:

A doula is not a medical professional.
A doula is a consistent, trusted support person who walks with a family before, during, and after pregnancy.
It is not therapy, and it’s not “just for the cute baby moment.”
It is about the entire family unit—the birthing person, the baby, the partner, and the siblings.

For families served by The Doula Project, that support looks like:

Prenatal education and preparation
Helping parents understand their options, ask better questions at appointments, and plan for birth in a way that reflects their values.
Advocacy and guidance in medical spaces
Equipping families to walk into short, rushed visits with clear questions, and helping them interpret what they hear.
Labor and delivery support
Showing up at the hospital when it’s go-time, being the calm, knowledgeable presence when plans change, and making sure the family understands what’s happening.
Postpartum care beyond a few days
Checking in on mental health, basic needs, and the wellbeing of the whole household. Supporting families as they navigate the most vulnerable, sleep-deprived stretch of early parenting.
Loss and NICU support when needed
Standing with families in the hardest moments, not disappearing when things get complicated.

One detail that stands out is how proactive this model is. From the moment a family reaches out, they are held:

Contact within 24 hours, so fear and uncertainty do not have days to grow.
At least two touchpoints a week during pregnancy for education, planning, and emotional support.
Ongoing support up to a year postpartum through Medicaid, and beyond that through additional contracts and partnerships.

There’s so much nuance in how Mai describes a “day in the life” of her doulas—the way they build trust, what they watch for, how they center the client’s voice. If you’re someone who builds programs or writes grants, hearing that detail will change how you think about perinatal supports. The episode is your best window into that world.

“Is this normal?” — why a 3 a.m. call is prevention work

One of the simplest but most powerful images from this episode is the late-night phone call.

A pregnant person or new parent, anxious and alone, notices something happening with their body or their baby. Maybe it’s a mucus plug. Maybe it’s a symptom they do not have language for. Maybe it’s just a feeling that something is off.

They grab their phone and text or call their doula:

“Is this normal?”

It might sound small, but that access to a trusted person in real time is prevention in action:

It prevents unnecessary panic and dangerous delay in seeking care.
It prevents families from turning to unsafe sources of information.
It prevents the spiral of isolation, “I’m failing,” and shame that often pushes people toward unhealthy coping.

And it does something else too: it reminds families they are not alone.

In a field that talks constantly about “protective factors,” this is one in its purest form.

If you work in prevention and have ever tried to explain how belonging, trust, and connectedness protect against substance misuse, you’ll hear it embodied in those late-night calls. Listen to the episode for Mai’s stories here—they land in a way text can’t quite replicate.

Where maternal health and substance misuse prevention intersect

This episode challenges a common mental silo: the idea that maternal health sits over here, and substance misuse prevention sits over there.

Mai names, with clarity and compassion, how they are deeply connected:

Unaddressed grief, trauma, and isolation are risk factors.
Chronic stress, especially in the context of poverty and racism, raises the likelihood of depression, anxiety, and substance use.
Families navigating systems that feel cold, rushed, or judgmental are less likely to reach out when they’re struggling.

The community-based doula model interrupts those pathways:

It lowers risk factors by reducing isolation, increasing support, and catching red flags early.
It builds protective factors by centering dignity, cultural grounding, and consistent presence.
It creates a relational context where sensitive topics—like substance use in pregnancy—can be discussed without shame.

Mai is particularly clear about the importance of culturally grounded care for Black families, who face disproportionate rates of maternal and infant mortality. She doesn’t talk in abstracts here; she talks from lived experience as a “Medicaid mom” navigating two different state systems and seeing the gaps up close.

If you’re in a coalition, state office, or community role and care about equity in prevention, this part of the conversation is a must-listen.

From a one-woman effort to a growing ecosystem

What started as Mai “being the doula” herself has grown into a robust ecosystem:

Multiple cohorts of trained, mentored doulas
She has personally trained and developed several cohorts, investing in their leadership, not just their basic skills.
A team of roughly 30 doulas, with more in the pipeline
Each bringing unique gifts—herbalism, postpartum care, community connections—and all held to a clear standard rooted in Mace’s legacy.
Medicaid billing and community contracts
The Foundation now has infrastructure to bill Medicaid for services and uses additional contracts (like support hub funding) to cover families who might not qualify or who are hesitant to engage with formal systems.
Geographic reach that’s expanding
While they’re headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, their doulas and partnerships span across Florida and into other states, with creative models for virtual support when needed.
A clear commitment to sustainability and dignity
Mai is adamant that doulas not be asked to “just volunteer” indefinitely. She did years of unpaid work to get this off the ground, and now she is determined that those serving families are compensated fairly.

For prevention leaders, this matters.

You’re not just hearing about a passion project—you’re hearing about a scalable, structured intervention that already has systems, contracts, and outcomes behind it.

The episode dives deeper into how this ecosystem was built, who sits at the table, and what it means for long-term impact. If you’re thinking about integration into your state or local plans, those details are gold.

What does good collaboration with lived experience really look like?

One of the most important parts of this conversation is Mai’s honesty about what it feels like to be “the lived experience person in the room.”

She’s been in spaces where her story was used as a checkbox for diversity or inspiration, and then the system went on unchanged.

In contrast, she describes good collaboration as:

Being asked, “How do you want this to go? What do you need?”
Being invited to help shape strategy, not just provide a tear-jerking story.
Being compensated for expertise, not just for pain.
Sharing responsibility for solutions, rather than being left to carry all the emotional labor.

If your coalition or organization is serious about centering lived experience, this part of the episode is a needed mirror. It will help you check whether your invitations are truly collaborative or unintentionally extractive.

Concrete ways prevention coalitions can partner with doulas

Mai doesn’t just inspire; she gives practical next steps for prevention coalitions, state agencies, and community organizations who want to lock arms with maternal health efforts.

A few of the opportunities she names:

Fund doula slots for families at highest risk or with the least access.
Embed doulas into maternal health, SUD, and mental health initiatives as core partners, not afterthoughts.
Co-create education on drug-free pregnancy and postpartum that is grounded in dignity, not shame.
Invite community-based doulas and leaders like Mai as paid consultants and trainers, rather than just as storytellers.

If you’re listening with a planner’s ear—thinking about grants, logic models, and strategic plans—you’ll walk away with clear ideas you can move on this year.

Why you should listen to this episode

This blog barely scratches the surface of what Mai shares.

You’ll want to hear the episode if you:

Work in substance misuse prevention, mental health, or public health and want a deeper, more human understanding of perinatal prevention.
Are part of a coalition or state team looking for concrete, equity-focused strategies.
Carry your own experience of pregnancy or infant loss, or walk alongside those who do, and need to hear from someone who is turning pain into sustainable change.
Are a doula, nurse, social worker, or faith leader wondering how your role fits into the prevention landscape.

You’ll hear:

How a preventable birth injury became the catalyst for a national foundation.
What it actually takes to train, mentor, and sustain a community-based doula workforce.
The emotional reality of leading grief-centered work while parenting and holding power in big systems.
A hopeful, grounded vision of prevention that starts before birth and walks with families long after.

Your next step

If this stirred something in you, do one (or more) of these:

Listen to the full episode of Pathways 2 Prevention featuring Mai Waller.
Share it with a colleague in maternal health, prevention, or public health.
Bring the conversation into your next coalition meeting and ask, “Where do grief, maternal health, and prevention meet in our community—and who are we missing at this table?”

The future we’re building—a future where families are seen, believed, and consistently supported—depends on how seriously we take stories like Mai’s.

And sometimes, the first step is as simple as pressing play and really listening.

Learn more about the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation here.