Water Insecurity Is Destroying Families—Here's Why Nobody Talks About It

We talk about water like it’s a “resource issue.” It’s not. It’s a human crisis that reaches straight into households, bodies, and cultures.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Paula Skye Tallman, an anthropologist at Loyola University Chicago, to explore how water insecurity, water scarcity, and contaminated water fuel gender-based violence, childhood illness, chronic stress, and cultural disruption. We dig into her fieldwork in Peru and Indonesia, where access to water determines safety, health, and daily survival for women and children.

We also unpack the realities of parasites, waterborne disease, the double burden of undernutrition and obesity, and why one-off charity fixes fail. Dr. Tallman explains why meaningful solutions must be structural, community-led, and grounded in environmental justice, especially as climate change, mining, and deforestation intensify pressure on vulnerable communities.

This episode brings together global health, public health, indigenous rights, gender equity, and culture, while also highlighting the role of effective communication in driving change—understanding power dynamics, improving your voice as an advocate, and navigating complex issues with clarity.

If you care about women’s safety, global health, environmental justice, or how water, culture, and power intersect, this conversation gives you a sharper, more informed lens on the world we’re heading into.

Watch the full episode below.