7 Domains of Risks
with Dr. Kirtly Jones and Dr. Katie Ward
7 Domains of Risks
with Dr. Kirtly Jones and Dr. Katie Ward
What's at Stake? The Realities of Risks
Risk is woven into everyday life—but women often carry more of it, with fewer margins for error. From health and finances to relationships and belief systems, women are constantly weighing choices in environments shaped by expectation, inequity, and consequence.
7 Domains of Risks explores how women experience, assess, and navigate risk across seven essential areas of well-being: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, financial, environmental, and spiritual health. Each episode takes a deep dive into one domain, combining expert insight with lived experience to unpack how risk shows up—not just in high-stakes moments, but in the quiet, daily decisions that shape our lives. This series reframes risk not as recklessness, but as reality—revealing where women are asked to be brave, cautious, adaptable, and resilient, often all at once.
The Episodes
E108: The Physical Domain of Risks
In the physical domain of risk—the first episode in the 7 Domains of Risk series—Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, explore how our brains and bodies calculate risk in real time. From evolutionary survival instincts to modern medical decision-making, they unpack why some people are naturally cautious while others lean toward calculated risk-taking. Hormones, stress, development, and even early-life experiences influence our tolerance for risk—particularly for women navigating reproductive health, pregnancy, and medical choices.
E109: The Emotional Domain of Risks
In the emotional domain of risks, Lisa Diamond, PhD, joins Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, to explore the vulnerability, uncertainty, and courage it takes to form intimate relationships. From the paradox of endless dating choices to the deeply human need for connection, the conversation examines why building relationships today can feel harder than ever. If connection is essential to our well-being, what keeps us from reaching for it?
E110: The Social Domain of Risks
In the social domain of risks, Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, unpack the social dynamics that shape professional spaces, from subtle exclusion and power hierarchies to more overt issues like harassment, boundary crossings, and workplace relationships. Joined by Harriet Hopf, MD, they explore what it really means to “see something, say something”—and why that decision can carry real personal and professional consequences.
E111: The Intellectual Domain of Risks
In the intellectual domain of risks, Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, explore how statistics, probability, and human psychology intersect in medical decision-making. From relative versus absolute risk to concepts like "number needed to treat," the conversation reveals how easily data can be misunderstood—or unintentionally misrepresented—by media, clinicians, and even well-informed patients.
E112: The Financial Domain of Risks
In the financial domain of risks, Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, explore how women assess and take on financial risk across different stages of life. The conversation examines how factors like income gaps, caregiving roles, and cultural expectations shape financial decision-making—and why women are often encouraged to be more cautious, even when risk-taking could lead to greater long-term stability.
E113: The Environmental Domain of Risks
In the environmental domain of risks, Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, are joined by Brian Moench, MD, retired anesthesiologist and founder of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, to examine how environmental risks are identified, communicated, and often underestimated. From the air we breathe to the products we use, the conversation highlights how environmental risks operate at both personal and systemic levels—often quietly, but with lasting consequences.
E114: The Spiritual Domain of Risks
In the spiritual domain of risks, Kirtly Jones, MD, and Katie Ward, PhD, explore how belief systems shape the way we understand and respond to risk. Drawing from anthropology, personal experience, and global traditions, the conversation examines why humans are wired to seek meaning in uncertainty—and what happens when faith is challenged, lost, or transformed.
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