Cocoon After Dark

Where Healing Meets Humanity with Justin Ayars

• Quincy Tessaverne

Share episode

Send us a text

Former trial lawyer turned visionary founder Justin Ayars, JD is reimagining what healthcare can feel like through EqualityMD--a digital ecosystem rooted in trust, inclusion, and belonging. In this episode, we explore what happens when healing moves beyond insurance and paperwork and becomes something profoundly human. 

It's not about the body. It's about identity. About LGBTQ+ lives, it's about veterans, and marginalized communities being believed, seen, and understood. It's about rewriting what care means when the system has never fully cared for you.  

Because the most powerful kind of healing starts where judgment ends. For queer hearts, BiPoc brilliance, trans courage,  and every body that's ever felt othered in the medical space- this one's for you.

Support the show

https://linktr.ee/CocoonAfterDark

Quincy:

Hi. Tonight, we're slipping beneath the surface with someone who has lived a dozen lives in one. Justin Ayars is a former trial lawyer

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

lawyer

Quincy:

who walked away from the courtroom, a teacher who once shaped young minds overseas, and now an entrepreneur daring to resign what healthcare can feel like for queer people who've too often been left out. He calls himself a philosopher, a poet, and a Starship captain. And in that blend, you sense both fire and tenderness. This isn't about credentials, it's about the moments of rupture, resilience and reinvention. The nights when he felt unseen, the risks he took to build spaces for love and belonging, and the quiet curiosity that still drives him into the unknown. Justin, welcome to Cocoon After Dark.

Justin:

Thank you. It is an absolute pleasure, and that was a very generous introduction.

Quincy:

Well, why not have, you know, like get that feeling of love coming from me right away because I do just adore you and everything that I've ever learned from you and watched you do really like melts my heart. So I wanna start off with some fun because I feel like it helps people relax a little bit, maybe unleash a little bit more than they would previously. So, what are three things money can't buy?

Justin:

Ooh, everyone says happiness, but I disagree., I think money can buy happiness in the right context. So I'll say money with an asterisk.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Okay.

Justin:

What can't buy happiness? I'd say certainly personal fulfillment.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Okay.

Justin:

and that takes many shapes and sizes and a sense of self,

Quincy:

Awesome.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

That, that's, that's huge. And I think that's our life journey, is trying to figure out who we are and how to navigate this world. And, most of us don't get it right, but we sure as hell try.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right, exactly. I'm with you. Have you ever read your partner's internet history

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Yeah, years ago. It, I don't really care about that. Unless they're publishing some sort of manifesto based on books written by Hitler lovers, I mean, no. My online presence in social media, is fairly limited. I'm not one to typically. Divulge information about what I bought at the grocery store, what food I'm eating. Every now and then I'll post something. But, to answer your question, not really

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Okay. One word. What's your guilty pleasure

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Guilty pleasure. Is two words. Star Trek.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Oh, nice. Greatest strength.

Justin:

Resilience.

Quincy:

Nice. Biggest regret.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Oh fear.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

There we go. Okay. Real quick, in 10 years from now, you'll be living in

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

living a very happy place. Geographics could be anywhere but a happy place, meaning I've accomplished what I want to impact. Its our community and the world in the way I've wanted to and can finally take some me time

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

wearing a,

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

well, I anticipating a more selt body. A a lovely swimsuit with open Hawaiian shirt on a beach.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

there you go. Investing in

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

investing in myself and those who believe in me

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Awesome. And visiting whom what, where?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

oh, visiting. This is something I need to do, visiting family.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Oh, nice.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I, as an entrepreneur, it's easy to neglect your family. Particularly my mom lives in France and I haven't visited her once and she's been there for 10 years. So Absolutely.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

my gosh, absolutely. I can't wait for you to do that.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Me too.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So let's move on a little bit. What do you feel was the defining movement or the catalyst that left you feeling not just excluded, but profoundly unseen? And how did that movement shift the trajectory of your life now?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Started actually before Equality md and as an entrepreneur, I often interact, with others in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and in this case funders. And when I realized that I look the way I do, I'm whiter than paper. Former frat boy, I can get into rooms. Others in the L-G-B-T-Q community can't, but when I utter the letters L-G-B-T-Q, suddenly the room, you can cut the tension with a knife because it's still the the old boy white network, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic region where I live in Richmond and Virginia, that doesn't to about our community. From a venture capital standpoint, I had been told multiple times in no uncertain terms that why don't you go talk to your people about fundraising? And that whole, your people thing really kind of gets to me as it should with anybody. And so, so just, I, I could go on, but for brevity, I'll, I'll, I'll stick with that, just not being respected for the hard work that I've put in, because an individual or group of individuals is uncomfortable with who I am, which stems from their own personal insecurities, which I think are the two words of the root cause of all the world's problems.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Oh indeed, indeed. When you launched Equality MD, it came from a deeply painful experience. What was it like carrying that into starting something so visible and did you fear being seen as broken or brave?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I actually never really fear of being seen as broken. I've made plenty of mistakes along my life's journey. but the, the moment I think you're referencing is when and before the pandemic, because I'm lighter than paper, I, I get routine dermatology visits, just, just to be preventative. And there was one dermatologist who when he found out I was gay, said he wasn't comfortable touching my skin and that, and did that visit. I'd heard for years of, of these horror stories from from L-G-B-T-Q patients across the, the country. I hadn't experienced it myself until that moment. It pales in comparison to some other horrible. Tragedies that people have experienced throughout the country. it was a reminder that these questions I'd been asked for over 20 years. This one question, where can I find a doctor that makes me feel safe as a member of the L-G-B-T-Q community? It drove it home on a personal level that knew was there, but hadn't experienced until that moment.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right, right. So what was the first thing you did when you left the office after that person said that?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Well, most people said, well, why didn't you sue his ass?'cause I'm a lawyer and I, I said, looking back, when you're in that situation, sitting naked in a hospital gown, waiting for your, someone to examine your entire body.'cause that's, that's Dermatologists And you hear that I, I I don't feel comfortable touching your skin and followed by'em, walking out and slamming the door. My lawyer hat, it wasn't some other state I. My, I was not thinking that way. So what did I do? Went to the receptionist, told her what happened, and she said, oh, honey, go talk to your people about finding the right provider. Which further amplified what I'd heard before from investors which further amplified what I'd heard had even networking events where people have said, you people have already got marriage equality. Don't you need, you don't need anything else. So that kind of it's the same message just presented in different formats and contexts and, and situations. Only it it amplified my desire to change the narrative for our community and how we, in terms of healthcare, how we perceive healthcare and therefore receive it.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So was that the moment that you decided you wanted to start this or was Equality MD already in the works and before you finish answering that. Can you explain a little bit more about what Equality MD looks like now?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Campus? Sure. I'd started Equality MD during the pandemic because lawyers, counselors at life, not just counsel at law. And the one question is I've received from across the country from nonprofit volunteers to Fortune 500 executives is, is this as an L-G-B-T-Q person? Where can I find a doctor? It makes me feel safe. During the pandemic, I realized over my life I had amassed a fairly enviable Rolodex, if you will, and had the ability to tap into these preexisting networks like the national LGBT, chamber of Commerce, for example, utilize them as channel distribution partners for a telehealth solution that was L-G-B-T-Q, inclusive and affordable. So that we could finally receive the care that we deserve as human beings. There wasn't really a defining moment. It was sort of building upon life experiences, listening to others and as a former healthcare trial lawyer that used to defend insurance companies I swore never to go back to healthcare. But then the pandemic kind of thrust me back into it because I saw a need. And, I felt somewhat of an obligation not just an opportunity to solve this generational problem. And as we, we changed from what all investors wanted, was to build some sexy ass product that had all these patents. And over time I realized that if I were to do that, I'd have to engage the same insurance companies. I, I used to defend and didn't want anything to do with them because. I, I know their practices. I worked for them. And it, it took two years to, to find business model, and it took a lot of studying. We did a 32,000 patients study with the National Research Corporation,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Cedar Sinai, uc, Berkeley. That really helped inform our path forward. And the takeaway from that was don't build a solution within America's broken insurance based ecosystem. we built a completely independent telehealth platform supplements existing insurance if you have it saving you a lot of money or if you're uninsured, you can utilize a Quality MD as a safety net so you have something in place until you can find some kind of insurance for in-person care. The change you referenced was when we launched earlier this year, we thought we were going to be more of a direct to consumer business collect some different stories about how we changed our patients' lives and benefited our community accessing culturally competent clinicians, particularly in the mental healthcare space. But then the current administration's changes to healthcare policies and insurance companies ever volatile Or plan structures, including pulling out of markets.'cause it just wasn't profitable. Made me realize that there was a better, bigger opportunity to serve our community more effectively and faster and cheaper by going a B2B route that was validated by. An unexpected influx of nonprofits for-profits and professional associations, even universities coming to a quality MD unsolicited, because they lost funding at their nonprofits. They patients as they were for-profits, but those patients were losing their insurance because changing insurance plans. So now we have the really interesting opportunity to help employers save money, help employees save money, which will help the entire health system save money by delivering culturally competent digital care, with a less reliance on employer insurance plans, which then saves the health system money, which then lowers costs for all Americans, and creates a cycle that's not vicious of rising health costs. Lower patient engagement, worse health outcomes, more discrimination. But turns that on its head allowing people to have true freedom in how they choose to receive care from culturally competent clinicians outside of the insurance based system, which is inherently broken.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So how do people get access to

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

to

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Equality md?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

It's pretty, pretty goddamn simple. You can

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Mm-hmm.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

as an individual and sign up today. no insurance, no, no anything. If you have insurance, that's great. We don't take it. Now, if you do need insurance, and although 70% of healthcare issues can be addressed virtually like this, you do need to eventually go in for, a mammogram an x-ray, God forbid you walk in front of a bus. When that happens, we can give you in-person referrals and or you can use your in-network. Providers. But chances are, even if you do you're still gonna pay quite a bit of money, especially if you haven't met your deductible. And god forbid you go out of network and incur out of network penalties and higher costs.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow, okay. I'm very fortunate'cause I have a decent insurance plan, but I know how scary it is for people. I interviewed someone a few weeks ago and they have a few children and themselves and they haven't had insurance, I think, since the last child was born. And the last child is eight, probably maybe nine. And I don't know how they do it. I mean, they must be very lucky that their kids don't get sick that often or whatever. But I can't even imagine, you know, the weight over their heads about.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

about,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

You know what, if something happens, you know, to our kids and for whatever reason, but that's, that's an amazing way to get on there. So once they apply, is there a waiting period? Is there like blood tests, anything like that?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Yep. It's, it's all, once you sign up you'll get an email receipt saying, thank you. Welcome to Quality md. We can't legally advertise one of our biggest benefits on our website, and that's, we have an in-house pharmacy that gives all members, regardless of whether you sign up as an individual, individual plus one like partner or spouse, whatever,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

mm-hmm.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

an entire family with two adults and up to five dependent children.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yeah.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

or with our extra mental health plan that gives you weekly sessions instead of monthly sessions. All of those programs, it give you access to our prescription benefit program, offers over a thousand medications filled and delivered to your house for free. we can't advertise free prescriptions on our website'cause that violates various laws. But that's one of our, our biggest benefits that people, some people move over to our platform as individuals just to move their prescriptions over so they don't have to pay anything. And'cause they're paying more than$79, which is our current plan, they're paying more than that in copays for their monthly prescriptions. So they're just moving them over. And then they have the added benefit of culturally competent care, 36 visits, 12 mental health, 12 primary care, 12 urgent care throughout the year if and when they need them. And an AI Wellness Companion,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow, this is so much bigger than, I mean, from what I remember when we talked about this, when you were in the Cedar-Sinai incubator and things like that, it was building a clinic and all of these sorts of things. So this literally like. Cigna and, and Blue Shield and everyone else had a baby together and said, you know, look at this. Like, look how accessible this can be. And I just thought of this because I just read an article with Ann Walton building that medical school. Have you thought about approaching her for funding?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

interesting you mention that. So we in, since we last spoke, which was too long ago and that's life gets in the way.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

we did a seven month data science project with United Health Group.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Okay.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

that one of the other things we do is we capture new patient journey data, especially from underserved patient populations so that we can then transform that into AI powered insights, sell those insights. To the health institutions that are the ones that are mostly unwittingly delivering discrimination when it comes to healthcare. And yeah, there are some masses out there, but most clinicians are not, they're just uneducated about how to deliver culturally competent care. we absolutely plan on selling those insights once we reach a sizable mass to healthcare companies. And prior to that Already have been talking with CBS slash Aetna'cause they own Aetna UnitedHealth Group and Cedar-Sinai for additional funding opportunities as well as potential exit opportunities because a lot of, the patients that we're able to capture through our new B2B business model is. We're able to capture patients faster and capture data. Healthcare companies universally need to plug into their, what they call their, their patient models. And these patient models generate predictive analytics about things like enhanced disease trajectories, the intersectionality of identities, and that corresponds to certain diseases that they might have comorbidities but most importantly generate accurate financial risk scoring. And when they have this data that they lack, because the community distrust healthcare entities after and during generations of discriminations, not just L-G-B-T-Q, but all other marginalized patient populations. We have the trust of the community because we are the community that we're serving we are able to capture that information, save it in a HIPAA compliant GDPR secure manner, and then sell that to health companies when they have this information. They can then utilize it to lower health costs for all Americans, premiums, copays, et cetera, so that employers aren't burdened with having these rising health costs being passed on to them by the insurance companies.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow. I, when I was much younger, I thought I could be a doctor until I realized I sucked at math, which meant if you suck at math you can't prescribe medicine. You know when someone's getting ready to die on a gurney, right? If you can't calculate in your head how much they weigh in kilos and you know, whatever. So I realized I was gonna be an awful doctor, but I also then took a spin in working in doctor's offices because I loved it so much. And about a year and a half to two years in, I was like, get me out of here. Like the whole insurance thing, like literally having patients be told in the next room they have cancer. And I worked for all female doctors in a fe, in a women's health center. So it was very lovely just to start with, it was such a, a wonderful place to work and to have that trust and the whole thing. It was like a sorority basically, like all the doctors knew everyone's patients. We, you know, and they came for multiple things because we had GYN, we had psychology, we had dermatology, we had a nurse practitioner. We had a couple of general practitioners. But after, you know, hearing these diagnosis of diagnoses of these patients and then finding out from my coworker who was our insurance specialist, that their insurance wasn't gonna cover anything. And then hearing those conversations and feeling just so frustrated and annoyed with this person is probably going to die if they don't get this. What do you mean you're denying this test or this service or whatever. So how do you guys I mean, obviously. At this point, you're not financing huge cancer bills and things like that for people, but is that your goal

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

No.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Okay.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

we are exclusively Digital healthcare.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Okay.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

And I'm asked this a lot, what about a medical procedure?

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Mm-hmm.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

and when they hear what we offer, they're excited and that excitement takes them to the next what if, what if, what if? And that's, that's human nature.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Mm-hmm.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

We can't be everything to everyone

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

try, we're nothing to no one. So we are only digital health. And digital health can take you 70% of the way especially with preventative and maintenance and really with mental health care. If you have cancer. That's gonna require some serious in-person care. We, just don't have the capacity to handle that. We can refer you specialists within your geographic region. But beyond that, it is incumbent upon the patient to find some type of insurance, even if it's through the ghastly Affordable Care Act marketplace which Aetna recently pulled out of. So it's getting more expensive. Although we don't need insurance, we don't take insurance we don't take any private insurance, we don't take any public insurance. We strongly encourage everyone to have some kind of at least catastrophic insurance so that, that walk in front of a bus scenario, people are covered. So it's tricky because we understand the need and the rising costs, but, Th this plays into the fact that for every dollar you spend in healthcare, outside of everything in quality EMD or Telehealth, only 15 cents for that dollar goes to the physician. The rest goes to overhead via largely payers, insurance companies and insurance companies created this really wonderful third party within a third party called Pharmacy Benefit Managers PBMs and PBMs inflate the cost of generic prescriptions up to 24 times what the average cost is which raises cost for families. And all these rising costs are Individuals and families to the tunes of tens of thousand dollars a year. And that's just in premiums and copays

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

So we, so, no, we don't, we can't help with things like. Treatment or in-person surgical care. But we certainly can make some informed recommendations.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So with that, I have two questions. My first question is, so when I called to make an appointment and they asked me do I want virtual or do I wanna come in, are they saving money by having me do it virtually or at that point because I'm already there, established patient, or within that network, is it basically the same?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

So with the, are you talking about a Quality MD or

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

No.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

General Insurance

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

yeah.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

So most employer sponsored insurance plans, and that's what most people have if they're esis, are what they're called, employer sponsored insurance. they are of rising health costs, employers are trying to find third party virtual solutions like Equality MD, that exist outside the insurance system to avoid using insurance. Provided by the employer because for every claim filed, that's an administrative cost on for the employer. So there, there's, it's ESI avoidance, employee sponsored insurance Avoidance is the name of the game in 2026 through 2030 is healthcare cost rise 5.4% annually a year. And employers are forced payers for force those costs onto employers who then force them onto employees. employ Equality MD sort of is the first line of defense against rising health costs. So instead of choosing to either absorb those costs internally as the employer or pass them on to the already economically burdened employee base, which is a surefire way to lose employees who search for better healthcare coverage in other jobs. Equality MD is a supplement that augments. Employer sponsored care. So to your question employers would direct employees to use a Quality MD'cause that's cheaper than their, even their insurance plans. Virtual Care, Optum Healthcare recently completely cut. They asked their virtual care because they were building a virtual care system within an already broken, expensive system. the, the big insurance companies are ditching their telehealth virtual care'cause it's too expensive. And so that leaves employers and individuals to rely on third party solutions that are cash pay like a Quality md. And unfortunately, the insurance company in the country have done a fantastic job of brainwashing all of us thinking that we need insurance for care For, for medical procedures. Yeah. You're damn right. We need insurance, but most of us don't require medical procedures on a regular basis. So for those preventative and maintenance care including prescriptions, finding a solution that does not require employer based insurance, that can result in auto claim denials using AI robots, which is just dastardly.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

that, and most people are too afraid, don't have the time or mental resources fight denied claims, so they just let it ride.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

so it's, the real strategy is to have employer sponsor insurance care avoidance use preventative care so that employees don't have their first encounter with the clinician be the emergency department.'cause when that happens. Then healthcare costs rise across the board for all Americans.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow, that is fascinating. What else do you think people should know about Equality

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Equality

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

and how it operates?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

offers? I get or three questions most asked often. So the FAQs, so your network of 2000 doctors therapists, nurses et cetera, they're all L-G-B-T-Q. No, the math. That just is impossible.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

I mean, that would be wonderful, right? Like

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

in a perfect world,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

yeah.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

and rainbows, yes.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yes. And glitter.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Absolutely. But that's not the reality. The situation is, what the reality is, is that our national provider network has gone through rigorous evidence-based cultural competency training, and it took a year and a half for that to happen to make sure. Our patients, whether they're individuals or they come through a nonprofit or for through a for-profit employee HR benefit they experience culturally competent care. And we found in other earlier iterations of our business, when we did build a thing our own virtual platform, which we eventually abandoned because that would require slow growth and working with insurance companies. So the, those patients that came to us, almost 25% or more were straight allies, especially women, because they felt that even though they didn't identify with the L-G-B-T-Q community, they knew. That because our providers had completed evidence-based cultural competency training, they would have better bedside manner, they'd have higher levels of empathy, and they would actually listen to your concerns and underserved communities. And, and women are tired of not being seen, heard, and valued. that is what we aim to do with every patient, no matter they live, how they identify, and in, throughout all 50 states from all walks of life. So it's, it's really an interesting We find ourselves in being able to, to what others have tried to do, others meaning the big health entities but do so in a way that sidesteps the, their nonsense and only encourages our patients to use their nonsensical, plans in emergency situations or for in-person treatment.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right. Oh, that's so great. How did you guys come up with the cultural competency, curriculum?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Good question.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

I,

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

we are not doctors. I'm, I'm a of law, not a doctor of science. There are some wonderful organizations out there that have incredible training programs like the Ven Wayne Institute outta Boston. They have probably the nation's premier L-G-B-T-Q, cultural Competency Training, facility. It's federally funded. So they've, they've had some, some cutbacks recently. Just

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

I was just gonna ask you.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

you that. Yeah. But their resources are free and available to the public. But because it was designed by doctors as, as were other cultural competency training programs from other medical based institutions as they should be, they, they sometimes can come off to the average provider. Which providers are already overworked. There's a national shortage of mental health and primary care practitioners across the board. They, it, it comes off rather bookish and dense. So what we did is we took some of the best elements of multiple cultural competency training platforms to, to create our own training program required that our national network of clinicians completed this program before they were even able to create a profile on our platform.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Hmm.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

It is a 1 0 1 sort of, we're offering more classes, especially for L-G-B-T-Q parents as we're starting to work with organizations that are more family centric provide options for those who are losing care either through Medicaid cuts that are coming up. Loss of jobs, which is happening a lot in the DC region in particular. a lot of people are looking for ways to just save money and have peace of mind. And what better peace of mind is is there than knowing whoever you see within our network knows how to create the safe digital space where you can be your authentic self and receive the care you deserve.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Oh, that's amazing. I

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

a friend that is transitioning right now and they're sort of in hyper speed to get their surgeries done and things like that. But I'm wondering because transgender care is so. Much on the chopping block right now. How many of the patients do you know that are coming through Equality MD that are worried about their transitioning medications, their surgeries and things like that, and how, in what sort of mental space are you able to support them?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I'll say, first of all there are three, I would say three national companies that serve the L-G-B-T-Q community. We're one of them folks. Health is another, and Plume Health is the other. There's some others out there. A lot of them check the proverbial rainbow box. And helped try doing that some years ago with something called Pride Counseling. They, they portrayed our community writ large as drug addicts, sex addicts and just sort of the other that, was undesirable. The community backlash was fast and fierce and good luck finding any reference to Pride Counseling now. So. Other companies sort of stopped trying to say, we include this, this, this, this, this, this one. In reality they didn't. They were just trying to grow their market share. What they're doing now is see is use utilizing mergers and acquisitions as a way to purchase culturally competent care for specific niche markets, be they L-G-B-T-Q, single mothers racial minorities, et cetera. And, and that's smart because they can then take the lessons learned from those startups really, that have a connection to those communities they're serving so they can better serve them authentically. And that's really what, what's getting at it. Back to your question about the transgender care. most of our patients are not transgender. And I mentioned folks in plume. They're plume is exclusively transgender folks is 99.9% transgender. I love both companies. I consider them colleagues, not competitors, sometimes. Plume for example, may get a patient who identify as trans or non-binary, but because they see trans care, the patient you know, Jane Doe assumes that they'll be able to have their mental health needs met through through plume as a non-trans person. So, and that's just not, not their business model. So what they would do is refer them to us. Similarly we are more than happy to refer trans patients who need more than what we offer our colleagues at either folks or plume.'Cause that that's, that's their bread and butter.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yeah.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

it's 4% of our broader community. So it's a smaller But it's not one to be ignored. Some transgender non-binary patients on our platform who are very happy with the virtual care services and our using. At a higher rate than some others, our mental healthcare services. And we're, we're honored that they have selected us to, to help them along their personal, unique healthcare journeys. and I've told them that when, if and when the time comes, they need more than what we offer. will be happy to help find a clinician that can help them with their more advanced medical needs, especially if they choose to transition physically. As that's not something that, that we handle. Right,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right, right. That's, that's amazing. I wanna just switch gears just a little bit. Curiosity seems to be your, your North Star and.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

And

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Can you trace back a moment when curiosity led you to the most unexpected or uncomfortable terrain, and what did you discover there?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Probably starting back into healthcare again.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yeah.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I, I swore it off after I saw how corrupt our system was, 15 years ago, defending insurance companies. And I basically said, fuck that. I'm not doing I, I can't work in a system that actively denies care to deserving patients. And fast forward 15 plus years, and after hearing that question, where can I find a doctor? Makes me feel safe, from rural to urban, black to white, rich, poor, didn't matter. I, I felt that there was a, an obligation, an opportunity to create something that solved this generational problem. It's, it's still a problem. But the curiosity I have is now really geared towards exceedingly advanced the broken healthcare system truly is. How it impacts everyday Americans, including L-G-B-T-Q, including military veterans and including everybody else. then utilizing facts and figures, comparing those to our competitors and leveraging our existing preexisting network built on decades of hard earned social capital. Just by showing up and being our authentic selves consistently time and time again, turning that into a way to disseminate our message that there is another way to receive inclusive care outside of your insurance companies, which are profit motivated, not patient motivated. there's a lot of talk of values based care, but even that get sidelined when profits are, are in the way and the moment. If there was one, I don't think there was a particular moment, but if I had to pick, it'd be October 3rd, 2020, which was a birthday for me. And, And I, and I said, I have to go back to healthcare. It just hit me like a lightning bolt and said, God dammit, I have to go back to healthcare. And I didn't want to. But that's when we started doing a very active listening tour. We, we did our own internal research and then thanks to Cedar-Sinai, And some of our mutually good friends we were able to capture and administer and capture the largest L-G-B-T-Q patient survey the nation's ever seen. And that data is exclusively ours. And it was that data that informed us to create the unique business model we have now in operation.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

That is amazing. When you were defending insurance companies, what was the most disgusting thing that you had to defend?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Okay, so one guy, of course, attorney client privilege. I can't say anything.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Nope. No.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

And it's interesting. I extend that privilege that that concept in every interaction I have with every human being.'Cause I, but this one, one person was a construction worker he was on the second floor of some scaffolding of a new building that was being erected. And he, he fell and he fell into a ditch and broke his ankle. It was a severe, severe break. He had of surgeries, eventually had to amputate just below the knee. It was my job to ensure that of those medical bills, including the amputation and physical therapy recovery 100% denied. And

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

that's heartbreaking.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

was the, that I, I won that case. It saved the I was working with in dc their largest client. And then two weeks later, I was let go because of the great recession.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Oh my God,

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

did I do the worst thing for my soul,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

right?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I was then let go for saving the, the law firm's biggest client by winning the case against this poor man. So I just, I felt, I still feel sick about it.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yeah, I can imagine.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

him in

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yeah

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

oh my God, I was, it just feeling now it's just, I feel just, ugh. Oh God.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So obviously your experience is much, much worse. But I feel like experience for really bad things happening, it, it's gonna stay with you no matter what.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

And that, that's particularly true if you're a patient and you have an awful encounter with a clinician.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Yes,

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I haven't been back to a dermatologist since that incident.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

You haven't got your skin checked at all

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

you know, you think I would I haven't,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

pale skin.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

I know I'm, I, I need some, I need some sun. And it's, don't know, it's, you know, part of me is nervous just'cause no one likes getting naked in, in, gown. It's just a, it's just awkward.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

And the way that they examine you, it's so weird. I remember I used to go to the dermatologist when I was in school or for beauty things or whatever, but when you're actually getting a skin check for those of you ha they have never gone and got a skin check. You literally, like Justin just said, you lay there naked in a gown and they check between your toes, your butt cheeks. They open your vagina lips, they look in your ear, they look in your mouth, they look in your hair. They're like, look, it's almost like they're looking for bugs when they go through your hair because they're looking for those lesions, right? They're looking under your armpit, like they lift up your boob. They, I don't know what they do with your testicles and your penis, but they probably, you know,

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

It's, it's

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

so Let's just put it that way.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

it's, it's invasive. It's a very, well, I've always said that the doctor patient relationship is one of the most intimate will ever have in their lives. Another key point about Equality MD is continuity of care. most telehealth doctors work for multiple telehealth companies because they're not making as much money because the Teladoc doesn't directly pay their doctors. The insurance company's telehealth, employees pays them. our company, doctors are paid directly. so there's, so they keep more of that$1 per spend. It's, it's not. It's not a hundred percent, it sure as hell isn't 15 cents, I'll say that. So they're making more money. So the, the ability to find that person that you have a rapport with, you build trust over time is so critical, particularly when you talk about mental health. If you have a mental health practitioner bouncing around from telehealth company to health company the average can be anywhere from two to six companies. good luck keeping a continuity of care, and you might just get assigned someone that you don't like, doesn't know you, and you're starting from scratch all over again. So that, that's a huge component, particularly for vulnerable communities like L-G-B-T-Q and other health disparity populations racial minorities, military veterans, where mental health is the top priority for patients, more so even than primary care.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So do you guys treat children's mental health too? Because I know that's very difficult to

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

my initial gut check, just the lawyer in me said not, we're not touching that with a 10 foot pole. Because when you get into pediatric care, there are all other kinds of legal implications you've gotta consider. But given the demand for families that are coming to us unsolicited largely because of loss of income, either from their employer, or because the rates for their insurance is just too high, We have now instituted a family plan and able to serve children around age two and up, because prior to that they're, they're just too young. They really do need in-person care. But around two to three, you can start. That they're able to start communicating more, and that that's when some virtual pediatric care becomes more relevant and accessible. So as the definition of family has expanded chosen family even chosen nuclear family, however you wanna say that. We're, pleased to be able to meet the needs of our community on the ground where they are. And again, this is based on multiple studies we've done best practices and just the ability to meet, the needs of our community where they are.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow. That is fantastic. I love that. So you played so many roles, teacher, lawyer, entrepreneur, advocate,. Which role still makes you lie awake at night, questioning who you are under all of it.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

teacher Without question. Between undergrad at William and Marion Law School at George Mason. I served as a history teacher at a naval boarding school in rural England called the Royal Hospital School. It has a connection with William and Mary,'cause the monarchs King William and Queen Mary founded William Mary 1693, founded the Royal Hospital School in 1694. So we're kind of like sister schools across the Atlantic. And William Mary's the only royal school in the us which is pretty cool. Yeah. So there was a program, the queen visited William and Mary twice. Once in 54 and once in 2003. Where was I in 2003? England. So I missed, so I missed her. It's like we flew past each other Over the North Atlantic. It's just crazy. But the

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

I had

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

were say that,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

where.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

was I? Yeah, of course. Yeah. Just my luck wanting to meet. Oh God. Anyway. But I lived in a boarding house with 71 boys age, 11 through 17. I had to. Wake them up in the morning, make sure they were dressed in their naval uniforms. It was a military boarding school, that their shoes were shined, that they were off to chapel at the Church of England for 15 minutes of chapel stuff. And then off to school. And then I taught history, politics, and philosophy. And then afterwards, after school, they'd come back to the house, get changed into their sport kit. then I was, my day didn't end there. I was then told to go coach sports, some of which I'd never heard of. like rounders. Have you heard of rounders?

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

I have no idea.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

this bizarre baseball like sport that girls play. It's a baseball diamond, but significantly smaller. Instead of a baseball bat, you're given a, basically stick like this and you use it with one hand and hit a small golf size ball. The pitcher throws like baseball and you hit it, but you don't stop on the bases. You go around all the bases for a point. So it's called rounders.'cause you round the entire four bases as opposed to stopping at the first three. I coached that. Okay.'cause I played baseball through high school. But for swimming, they just said, I, I said, I'm not a huge swimmer. They said, just make sure the kids don't drown. I'm like, I can do that. For, for cross country, guys would would strap on those things around their chest to monitor their heart rates. I mean, they were in it and I, I was not into that. So they just flew off into the English countryside.'cause we were in the middle of nowhere, Northeast England. And I'd run off into a local pub and wait for the kids to find me and buy them a pint. But I still keep in touch with a lot of my former students. And it's the impact I had on their lives is immeasurable. My history class for GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education still has the highest passage rate, in the school's history. And it was because I chose to teach beyond the text. And just thinking outside that box, instilling that, going back to that word curiosity, instilling a sense of curiosity into young high school students I caught the teaching bug, it was, it was a one year contract. And so at the end my visa expired and I moved back to state, started law school. But I think about. And even dream about my time there. And it, it wasn't without, its, its troubles'cause 71 boys in the boarding house.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Oh boy.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

That's that experience more than any other shaped who I am today.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

So what was, because it makes me automatically think of the parent trip and when, when the girls like rig that cabin because I was a cabin counselor when I was fresh outta high school. So I know what kids can do to you when you were not looking, but did anything like that ever happen to.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Oh, absolutely. Are you kidding me? So I had to make sure that the, the older boys didn't sneak off to the girls' houses. And. there were secret tunnels underneath connecting all the boarding houses.'cause the facility where we were was built in 1933 and it was originally in Greenwich, London, and now it's in It's a small village outside of Ipswich, which about an hour northeast of London on the North Sea. So during World War ii, Hitler thought that the, the base and the parade ground in its dorms was a perfect base of operations for his, his air force loof to, for their, their bombing of London campaign as they flew from Normandy occupied Normandy over to, to the North Sea town of Ipswich, and then flew over. So the school built these tunnels underground that connected so the students could evacuate. And meet in a central location and evacuate before the German planes landed. This, of course, they're locked off and sealed down, but you know, those damn kids were trying to go through all those tunnels, so I found them and had to stop them. But I was able to, to convince my house at least, which got house of the year. We've all kinds of great stuff and I'm still very, very

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Wow,

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

proud of

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

so

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

was I, I treated the older students we would call them juniors in high school, lower sixth form students as, as peers to a point. Them to my flat Saturdays served them beer, which was legal. Had the house matron who lived below me come up with her son, Luke, and she and Luke and my six, lower six formers who helped me run the house. That was my way of giving back so that during the week when I told them to do, you know, make sure this kid goes to this place or whatever they helped me run the house without question.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

That's great. That is so cool. Yeah. We God, being with kids in a camp situation when they're away from their parents right. Is so transformative for you and for them. Right. Even the kids that come begging and screaming, like, we would have kids at our camp and I'm. I'm from here in Southern California. So the camp was literally only in the San Bernardino mountains. Those are not high mountains, but we had kids coming to camp that had never been to the mountains before. So they get to the top of the mountain and they're like, fainting,, right and left. And they're getting altitude sickness and things like this, and you're just like, oh my God, these are really city kids. But that's Monday afternoon by Friday. These were completely different children, and this is only four nights of being with you and being in the outdoors and you know, telling them we're gonna hike at night without flashlights and the tear on their eyes. And then when they actually hike at night without flashlights, what they see, what they feel, what they observe, what they smell. And it was just one of the most incredible experiences. So I agree with you that being in a teaching situation, whether it's kids or anyone that really, really appreciates that knowledge from you is beyond right.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

It sounds passe, But I really did learn more from them than I could have ever taught them, because it wasn't just a classroom setting. I lived with them for a full year. Get to know them and you serve as their parent. When someone got in trouble and very seriously, which didn't happen often, I had to, I was the one that called the parents. And it was a kind of sad how parents would just drop these kids off and then they didn't exist until they picked them up at the end of the year. so I was by de facto sort of their parent at age 21 and 22. So it was a very, I was thrust into an environment. Where the kids spoke, English as Churchill said England and America, two great nations divided by a common language. Their English slang, understanding their military slang, and understanding their just kids slang. so it was very informative as to how I approached things, and that helped me in law school. It helped me as a trial lawyer. It helped me as an entrepreneur because if you can successfully get kids into Cambridge and Oxford, having never taught, having never lived in a boarding school environment, let alone a military boarding school keep everyone alive uninjured more or less

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Or less is right.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

and, and the parents happy, and the school happy, then shit, I can do anything after that.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right. Oh my gosh. What a challenge. So we're gonna wrap up because you are busy, man. You once wrote that lawyers aren't just counselors at law, you're counselors at life. And so. On the heels of your teaching situation, what was the hardest life lesson you learned and maybe still grapple with through the counsel you've given or received.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

Most people I've come to realize are their own worst enemy when it comes into getting in the way of their own personal insecurities. As I mentioned earlier, we all have the inner capacity to identify and manage the insecurities. We all possess. We all possess insecurities. They're all different. Some of them are overlapping imposter syndrome. We choose to acknowledge they exist is, is the huge, huge part that most people just prefer to suppress. But if you do get to that first step, then the next step is how to manage it. And if you can manage it effectively through really strong self-determination to be able to, to manage it in a way that is reasonable, having a strong social support network.'cause you can't do it alone. And it's good to talk about things with others, be it a friend or a professional, and understand that things are only impossible until they're not one of my favorite lines from Star Trek know, li life throws limitations at you all the time. It throws big fat nose or you can't do this. You get turned down by investors. You get dumped by your partner. What do you do in those situations? I think that social media has. Helped connect us, but has been more, so than not a disservice to humanity, I think that part of our insecurities, a large part, are due to our inability to connect with other humans outside of a digital ecosystem. And that lack of connectivity, which is something we all crave as human beings, is it's kind of the root of all evil. And we have to be more intentional now than ever as to how we interact with whom we interact and what we say. And more importantly, what we don't say to often talk about things like freedom of speech. Well, freedom of speech is limited by time, place, and manner. The textbook example, don't yell fire in a crowded theater. It's not the right time. It's not the place, certainly not the right manner. That is not, that is not protected speech. I think if we apply that sort of construct say, before you say anything, just, just fucking think for a second. Say, is this the right time to say what I'm thinking? Is this the right place? And does my comment or commentary or thoughts, do they really add anything to what's going on or is it just making me feel better about myself? And we can just take those ideas, grapple with them and understand that none of us are perfect and life is all about, that sounds so corny, but, but the journey and knowing that we never will get to perfection and relying more on, on real human relationships is something that. I think really offset some of the healthcare challenges many of us are facing, particularly in the mental health space, which of course affects your physical health.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right. That's amazing. Thank you. I appreciate that. Where can we find you? Where can you. If you want to invest in Equality MD and what have you, how can they do that?

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

We can't put on our page that we are raising money, just like we can't advertise free prescriptions. The whole time, place and manner applies to that context. So, it's our website is a quality md.com. the best way to reach me is first name justin@aqualitymd.com. If you'd like more information, our website, equality m.com provides a whole list of information including how. can help you save money by experiencing culturally competent care using existing insurance only when it requires in-person care. that's the best way to reach us is equality md.com and of course justin@qualitymd.com for any, any investments.'cause it's this is the future people are tired of, of the broken insurance health system and they're realizing it. You see posts every day online holding up bills, saying, what the hell is this? People holding up their insurance card thinking they're covered. Having no idea what that really means. it's, it's hard to educate people about healthcare'cause it, it's one fifth of our GDP for God's sake. And they've done a great job of brainwashing us into thinking that we have to do this, we have to do that., It's our, one of our company's biggest challenges is helping others. Be the individuals or business nonprofit entities understand there's a third option there's always a third option in life. It's never this or that, never black or white. The challenge is having an open mind to, to explore, consider and even personally and emotionally buy into the idea that I can have true agency and control over my own healthcare destiny if I so choose.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Right. Wow. I 100% agree. Well, what stays with me after tonight is not just Justin's brilliance, but his willingness to peel back the armor

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

lawyer,

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

leader, founder, teacher, and reveal the heartbeat underneath the courage it takes to turn pain into purpose, to build spaces where others can finally breathe, the kind of quiet revolution we need more of. So as you turn off your lights tonight, ask yourself, where in your life are you still waiting to be seen and what might happen if you stop waiting and started creating? Justin, thank you for letting us step inside your cocoon. And to everyone listening, may you leave this conversation carrying not just his story, but permission for your own.

squadcaster-23ej_1_08-27-2025_151809:

It's been a privilege. Thank you. Thank you.

quincy-trailer_6_08-27-2025_121809:

Thank you.

Head Shot

Quincy Tessaverne

Host