Six members of my family died from preventable chronic disease. That's not a statistic. That's my mother, my father, my siblings. It's what happens when the systems meant to support our health fail us — and when no one ever taught us how to take control.
Healthy & Black exists because that story is too common, and it doesn't have to be.
Hosted by Dr. Jarik Conrad — author, nutritionist, executive coach, and founder of Qonscious Health — this podcast is for Black Americans who are done surviving and ready to thrive. Each episode explores the science, psychology, and practical strategies behind whole-person health.
No miracle cures. No magic potions. Just evidence-based insights and honest conversations about what it really takes to feel better, think better, and perform better — in your body, your relationships, and your career.
Finally, a guest! Dr. Jarik Conrad sits down with Kham Ward, founder and CEO of Black Men in Tech, former Ultimate Software/UKG colleague, and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brother, for a candid conversation about the real cost of the grind and of being "the only one" in the room.
Kham shares why he started Black Men in Tech in 2020 and how it grew into a community that reaches more than 80,000 people and has helped over 500 people get hired, all built on three pillars: convene, connect, and care. He and Jarik talk about why Black professionals still make up only about 8% of the tech workforce despite years of STEM focus, and how AI is changing the game for those willing to learn it.
Then it gets personal. Kham opens up about the health scare that put him in the hospital after months of ignoring the warning signs while running his company at full speed. He talks about what he learned lying in that hospital bed, why convenience is his biggest health challenge, and the routines he's built since then to keep from ending up back there.
In this episode:
-Why Black Men in Tech was created and how it works
-Why representation in tech is still so low
-How AI is reshaping opportunity
-The hidden mental and physical stress of being "the only one"
-Kham's wake-up call and the habits he's built since
-Culture, cost, or convenience: which one drives your health choices?
-Why you need a few like-minded people in your corner, and why they don't all have to look like you
If you've been running on hustle and ignoring what your body is telling you, this one's for you.
Connect with Black Men in Tech
Website: www.blkmenintech.com
Social: @blkmenintech on all platforms
Thrive '26 Conference: October 11–13, 2026, Dallas, Texas
Like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
#HealthyAndBlack #BlackMenInTech #BlackHealth #MensHealth #TechCareers #HustleCulture #Entrepreneurship #StressAndHealth #KappaAlphaPsi #Thrive26
25 Aug 2026
The Qonscious Health Q-Grid
Most of us have been handed the same advice for decades: eat the salad, skip the fries, try harder. And most of us have failed at it, not because we're weak, but because we've never had a system for balancing what tastes good against what's good for us. We know what we like. We know what's healthy. What's missing is a way to make those two things work together.
In this episode, Dr. Jarik Conrad walks through the Q-Grid, a simple nine-box tool that puts taste and nutrition on the table at the same time. When you lay them side by side, your plate sorts itself into three moves. Anchor the foods you love that also love you back. Retire the ones that aren't tasty enough to earn their spot. And get honest about the Balance cells, where taste and nutrition disagree and the real work lives.
Jarik explains how the Q-Grid grew out of his own health reversal, why it works across various diets, and how filling in your own Taste Map turns a generic diet into a plan you can actually live with. If you're in that sandwich-generation stretch, caring for kids and parents while trying to keep yourself upright, this one's for you.
No shame, no blame. Just a system.
25 Jun 2026
The Body Age Challenge
Your birth certificate tells you one number. Your body tells you another. In this episode of Healthy and Black, we get into the gap between the two, why it matters more than the candles on your cake, and what actually moves it.
Body age reflects how your systems are functioning right now: metabolism, cardiovascular health, strength, recovery, and more. The encouraging part is that it responds to what you do. Small, consistent changes show up in the measurement.
So we are running a challenge. Measure your body age now, put in the work over the summer, and re-measure on Labor Day. Track what shifts. No crash plans, no extremes, just a real window to see what consistency does.
What we cover:
-What body age is and how it differs from chronological age
-How to get a baseline measurement
-The daily inputs that influence it most
Subscribe so you do not miss the Labor Day follow-up episode where we look at results.
#HealthyAndBlack #BodyAge #HealthChallenge
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