How do we go from creating buildings that are sick – to buildings that are healthy? We as humans spend 90% of our time indoors, yet we think very little about the health of our indoor environment.

Dr. Joseph Allen, director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program, wants to change that. He joins us on the podcast today to share the latest science – which shows that prioritizing building health can not only reduce disease transmission, but improve worker performance, lead to better mental clarity and sleep, and more.

As an Associate Professor at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and a renowned forensic investigator of “sick buildings,” Dr. Allen is the leading expert in transforming our indoor environments with health and well-being in mind. His thought-provoking message – including how to keep your home healthy – is one you won’t want to miss.

He's also the author of the new book: Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Can Make You Sick―or Keep You Well – named a NYT and Fortune Magazine Best Book of the Year: https://healthybuildingsbook.com/

A quick note for our listeners – our fourth season is coming to a close – after over 200 hundred episodes, we are going to pause for the holidays and will be back in the spring with a new podcast format, exploring the intersection of nature, biodiversity, climate, and health. I’ll be back in your feed soon with more details on this exciting new series.

Allison Sesso is the President & CEO of RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit established for the sole purpose of reducing the medical debt burdens of low-income individuals across the country. To date, their innovative model has abolished over $7 billion in debt for nearly 4 million people.

Healthcare costs are the #1 cause of bankruptcy for America’s families. In the past five years, more than half of U.S. adults report they’ve gone into debt because of medical or dental bills. About 1 in 7 people with debt said they’ve been denied access to a hospital, doctor, or other provider because of unpaid bills.

RIP Medical Debt is working to change that. On today’s show, Allison shares how they are able to relieve about $100 in debt for every dollar donated, gives insights into their work with heath systems to prevent debt in the first place, and how philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s transformative gift to RIP is making a difference.

Learn more about RIP Medical Debt and how to donate at: https://ripmedicaldebt.org/

Dr. Marc Harrison is the former President and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, a Utah-based integrated health system that is the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West. Marc left this role in August to start a revolutionary healthcare platform company with General Catalyst, which is still in its early stages.

Ranked No. 26 on Fortune Magazine's annual list of 50 of the “World's Greatest Leaders,” Marc is known for his transformational, founding leadership of the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi – which today delivers the best healthcare in the Middle East.

On today’s show, he shares with us how his own health crisis has informed his leadership and life choices, what made his time at Intermountain “the best job in healthcare,” and what he’s next excited about.