Oh, the American Dream…. If you work hard, keep your nose to the grindstone we can all achieve the same level of success and personal satisfaction. Sounds okay, but when I look around my life, too often that equation just doesn’t make sense. Too often I see folks working REALLY hard, doing all the right things, and still struggling to find comfort and success in our lives. Which makes me think, is the American Dream more like a fairytale?

Today I am delighted to speak with Jay Pearson. Dr. Pearson’s research, teaching and advocacy address how policy sponsored and structurally rooted social inequality influence the social determination of health disadvantage.

What does it really mean to be a trustworthy healthcare provider? In this deeply thoughtful and refreshingly human conversation, Dr. Neal Prose—pediatric dermatologist, professor, and long-time advocate for compassionate care—helps us rethink the clinical encounter.

We trace Dr. Prose’s journey from Brooklyn to Duke Medicine, and explore how a lifetime of listening, teaching, and showing up for patients led him to center trustworthiness as a core clinical skill. He shares stories from the classroom, the exam room, and even a dermatology conference where he asked seasoned physicians a deceptively simple question: What do you do to make patients feel safe?

From birth trauma to language barriers, from humility to humor, Dr. Prose reveals how trustworthy practice isn't just ethical—it's transformative. As he puts it, "I became less judgmental, more curious, and more joyful in my work."