🚀 Launching Women’s Health: Where Politics and Power Collide 🚀
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Today, I’m humbled and excited to announce the launch of Women’s Health: Where Politics and Power Collide, a Substack newsletter that sits at the intersection of health, policy, and advocacy. This platform is more than just a newsletter—it’s the beta version of Diosa Ara’s membership community, a space where we’ll elevate critical conversations and work together to fight for women’s health equity and justice.
This launch is deeply personal to me, as it stems from one of the most challenging and transformative periods of my life.
A Mission Born From a Period of Transformation
Two years ago, my life unraveled in a way I never expected. I was in the middle of a GYN oncology fellowship—a position I had worked my entire adult life to achieve. For years, I poured everything into becoming a specialist in this field, often at great personal sacrifice. But the fellowship became an untenable environment, marked by mistreatment and a lack of support that left me questioning everything.
At the same time, I was a new mom to one-year-old twins. Balancing the demands of motherhood with the grueling reality of a toxic workplace felt impossible. Then, my son developed serious health issues, and the weight of it all became too much to bear.
I had to make a decision that shattered me. I chose to leave the fellowship, knowing it would mean stepping away from a lifelong goal. This wasn’t just a career pivot; it felt like failure—a heartbreaking acknowledgment that I couldn’t stay in an environment that was harming me and, by extension, my family.
This period was devastating. I was forced to let go of the identity I had spent years building. I faced the stark reality that the system I had trusted was not only broken—it was never built to support women like me, let alone help us thrive.
But in the rubble of that experience, something transformative happened.
For the first time, I stepped back and asked: What kind of world do I want to build? How can I use my skills to make an impact that truly matters?
It was out of this reckoning that Diosa Ara was born—a company dedicated to addressing the systemic failures that cost women their lives and dignity during pregnancy and childbirth.
Why This Work Matters Now More Than Ever
Black women in the United States are dying at alarming rates during pregnancy and childbirth—not because of biology, but because of systemic and medical racism. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade and increasingly restrictive reproductive health laws, all women are now at greater risk, especially those in marginalized communities.
At Diosa Ara, we focus on obstetrical emergencies and provide real-time support to protect women’s lives. Whether through education, clinical recommendations, or advocacy, we step in when women are at their most vulnerable. This work is self-funded because I’ve seen firsthand how traditional systems fail women—and I refuse to wait for change to come from the top.
The launch of Women’s Health: Where Politics and Power Collide is an extension of this mission.
What You’ll Find in This Newsletter
Through Women’s Health: Where Politics and Power Collide, we’ll provide high-impact content across five key areas:
1. Women’s Health and Politics
Updates on how policy decisions are reshaping women’s healthcare.
2. Scientific and Clinical Advances
Summaries of groundbreaking research and innovations.
3. Health Equity
Analysis of the disparities impacting women of color and actionable solutions.
4. Intersection of Culture, Race, and Technology
Insights on societal trends and technological advancements shaping women’s health.
5. Family, Parenting, and Motherhood
Practical resources for navigating health alongside family life.
This main newsletter will serve as the foundation, and from here, we’ll launch derivative sub-newsletters—each diving deeper into these specific areas for our paid subscribers.
Exclusive Perks for Founding Members
By subscribing now, you’ll be joining us in this beta phase and helping shape what’s to come. Here’s how we’re saying thank you:
• Early Access to the Diosa Ara Community: Subscribers will get discounted, first-year membership when the full Diosa Ara platform launches.
• Founding Member Benefits: Founding subscribers will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the Diosa Ara community, plus a seat on our Community Board, where you’ll directly interface with our executive team.
This is your chance to be part of building something transformative—a space where women’s voices, experiences, and rights are championed.
Your Support Powers This Mission
This newsletter, and everything we’re building, is entirely self-funded. I’ve poured over $300,000 of my own resources into Diosa Ara because I believe in this work with every fiber of my being. I know firsthand how dangerous the current climate is for women, and I know that we cannot wait for institutions to fix this.
Every subscription to Women’s Health: Where Politics and Power Collide helps us expand our reach, refine our model, and empower women to live healthier, safer lives.
Join the Movement
Thank you for believing in this work and for standing with me as we fight for a better future.
In solidarity,
Dr. Yamicia Connor
Founder, Diosa Ara