Q&A with Christina

We recently sat down with Christina to hear what she learned from her pilot and how Promise shaped her work. 

Here are some highlights from our conversation:

What did you learn from your pilot?

“For our pilot, it really wasn't about creating a program and then evaluating it. It was about listening, learning, testing our assumptions, and making sure our initiative was truly community-led. Before launching Mother's Trust Alliance, I wanted to hear the dreams and aspirations of the people we were aiming to support. So we created a dreaming session as a way to imagine new futures and new possibilities for maternal health.

We brought together Black women, mothers, and birthing people and made sure the session was accessible by providing food and childcare. We gathered at Zora's House, a space where people feel loved, safe, and seen, which was incredibly important. Together, we talked about the challenges people were experiencing, the futures they wanted to create, and the strategies needed to build them. We also partnered with a muralist who documented our conversations through a community mural, using art as research to capture our collective vision and create a way for others to engage with what we imagined together.

What I learned is that people are hungry for places to come together. Before the session had even ended, people were asking when the next one would be. They shared that they felt seen, loved, and less alone because they realized other people were experiencing many of the same things they were. I don't think I fully anticipated just how meaningful that experience would be.

We also explored dreaming as a research method and a form of data collection. We treated lived experience as expertise and talked about research not just as a way to gather evidence, but as a tool for liberation. That experience fundamentally changed how I think about research and what it can make possible.”

How did the Imagine Award's funding and support help you and your pilot program?

"Promise's support was incredibly valuable because it allowed us to do this work in a way that aligned with our values. We were able to compensate community members as experts, document our findings, and invest in cultural strategies like partnering with a muralist. It gave us the flexibility to pursue approaches that might otherwise have been considered nontraditional.

The funding also opened doors. Having Promise invest in our vision made it easier to have conversations with other funders because someone had already taken a chance on a new idea. That early investment helped us build new relationships, secure additional funding, and establish a research partnership with The Ohio State University.

Just as important as the funding was the wraparound support. My resource mobilizer, Demetra Brown, became an incredible thought partner. She introduced me to new models, connected me with leaders and experts across the country, and continually challenged me to think bigger about what was possible.

Promise's design sprints, mentorship, and technical assistance also helped me sharpen both my model and my messaging. They encouraged me to think more broadly about the ecosystem needed to support this work—from community members with lived experience to researchers, funders, care providers, and other cross-sector partners. That guidance strengthened both the initiative itself and how I communicate its vision.

Watching the Promise team prioritize rest, relationships, and community changed how I think about leadership. It reminded me that those aren't separate from the work—they're essential to sustaining it. As I continue building Mother's Trust Alliance, that lesson continues to shape both how I lead and the kind of organization I want to create."