16 · Self-Advocacy Saved Her Life with Tawana Passmore

What happens when a nurse practitioner, someone who knows the system from the inside, becomes the patient… and nearly dies because of medical bias?

In this episode, Tawana Passmore shares a raw, urgent testimony about “trust betrayed” in healthcare and how racism, rushed medicine, and a lack of empathy can turn routine care into a life-or-death situation for women of color. With 22 years in healthcare, Tawana Passmore breaks down what it means to advocate for yourself when providers dismiss your pain, make decisions without consent, and treat you like a “difficult patient” instead of a human being.

She walks us through two harrowing stories: an aggressive breast cancer diagnosis handled with delay and disregard, and a pregnancy complication that escalated into a placenta abruption, where one doctor’s decisive action changed everything. Along the way, she names what too many families already know: the healthcare system was not built with us in mind, and survival often requires knowledge, voice, faith, and fight.

This is a conversation for doulas, midwives, nurses, social workers, pregnant people, anyone supporting Black and brown families through birth and postpartum, and anyone who may ever need to navigate the medical system... because advocacy is not an attitude. It is a lifeline.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How medical bias shows up even when you’re educated, experienced, and “in the system”
• What it looks like when providers make care decisions without your consent
• A birth crisis story: severe pain dismissed, repeated hospital visits, and the moment everything changed
• Why knowledge can be one of your strongest protection in medical settings
• Practical language, mindset, and permission to advocate firmly—for yourself and your baby
• The spiritual grounding behind survival: trusting your gut, trusting God, and refusing to surrender your power

Listener note:

This episode includes discussion of medical trauma, cancer, pregnancy complications, and systemic racism in healthcare.

The Postpartum Liberation Podcast and content posted by Danielle Lyles Barton is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.