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 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.

In this episode of Pathways 2 Prevention, Dave sits down with Mai (Maiye) Waller, founder and executive director of the Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation and leader of The Doula Project Resource. Out of the preventable loss of her son, Mace Anthony, Mai chose to become the resource she always wished existed for other families.

Together, they explore how community-based doulas, grief-informed care, and culturally grounded support before, during, and after pregnancy are powerful forms of substance use prevention, mental health promotion, and family strengthening.

In this episode, we cover:

• Mai’s journey from grieving mom to founder and executive director of a national nonprofit

• What a doula really is (and is not)

• How The Doula Project supports families before, during, and long after birth

• Why a 3 a.m. “Is this normal?” text is prevention work

• How grief, trauma, racism, and isolation increase risk for substance use and mental health challenges

• The role of culturally grounded, community-based doulas in reducing maternal and infant health inequities

• What “good collaboration” with lived experience leaders should actually look like

• Concrete ways prevention coalitions and maternal health advocates can lock arms in the next 2–3 years

Who this episode is for:

• Prevention coalition members and state leaders

• Maternal and child health practitioners

• Doulas, nurses, social workers, and peer specialists

• Anyone who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss or walks alongside those who have

Connect with The Mace Anthony Williamson Foundation:

Website: https://www.themawfoundation.org/

National Prevention Summit 2026

Drug Free America Foundation Links:

• Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Twitter

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.