The Hairy Chin Podcast

Why Women's Health Doesn't Start at Midlife: Melinda Gates and the Lifespan Crisis of Women's Health

Free sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter: https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/ [https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/] In this episode, I'm talking about why I believe women's health does not start at midlife, and why two things taking over my feed right now brought that belief straight to the surface. The first is Melinda French Gates committing $215 million to women's health. The second is a McKinsey report estimating that closing the women's health gap could add $1 trillion to the global economy annually by 2040. I get into the McKinsey report in detail, including the finding that only 5% of women's health burden comes from reproductive and maternal health, and what that means for women living with endometriosis, PCOS, chronic migraine, PMDD, and autoimmune disease who have been navigating healthcare for decades without answers. I talk about the real economic loss that happens when women never make it to the starting line, not because they were quietly quitting the workforce, but because chronic illness made it impossible to fully enter it. I also share something personal. I'm 43, entering perimenopause, and I have a history of hormone-positive breast cancer. HRT is the conversation right now and it's not an option for me. I talk about what it's like to be in that gap, and why female empowerment in women's health has to include all of us, not just midlife. This episode is for anyone who wants the full picture of female potential, across every decade, every diagnosis, every condition that's been quietly limiting what women can do. Timestamps: [00:00:15] Melinda Gates' $215M Commitment & McKinsey Women's Health Report [00:01:00] Women's Health Does Not Start at Midlife: Lifespan Perspective [00:01:20] Real Stories: Chronic Illness, PMDD, PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis and Cancer in Younger Women [00:02:50] Economic Impact: The Menopause Penalty and Workforce Exit [00:04:00] McKinsey Report Findings: The True Women's Health Gap. Endometriosis, PMDD, PMS, Migraine [00:05:45] Economic Cost of Undiagnosed Chronic Illness Before Midlife [00:06:54] Melinda Gates' Donation Focus and Positive Impact [00:08:00] Personal Perspective: Navigating Perimenopause with Breast Cancer History [00:08:42] Underserved Women: Chronic Illness and Workforce Barriers [00:09:01] Self-Employed as a Health Decision [00:10:15] Closing: The Need for Lifespan-Wide Women's Health Advocacy More From The Hairy Chin: The Hairy Chin Website [https://www.thehairychin.com/] The Hairy Chin on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@thehairychin] The Hairy Chin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the.hairy.chin/] Spencer Moore on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thespencermoore/] Disclaimer: The Hairy Chin does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal medical concerns.

The One Question to Ask Before Leaving Any Doctor's Appointment: How to Clarify Your Next Steps

Free Sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter: https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/ [https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/] In this episode, I talk about a familiar but often overlooked moment after most doctor's appointments: walking out without a clear plan. We've spent this season focusing on how to prepare for appointments, organize symptoms, and advocate for ourselves inside the exam room. But preparation only gets us so far if we leave without understanding our next steps. I share some of my own experiences with prescriptions, medical testing, follow-up appointments, and those important details that can easily slip through the cracks when we're tired, overwhelmed, or just eager to leave. Navigating healthcare can feel like a full-time job, and unfortunately, much of the follow-through falls on us as patients, even though most of us were never taught how to manage it. Most importantly, I introduce the one question I now ask myself before leaving any appointment. It's a simple but powerful question to help you better understand your treatment plan, keep track of next steps, and feel more confident advocating for yourself throughout your healthcare journey. Timestamps [00:00:01] Preparing for Doctor's Appointments [00:00:57] Navigating the End of Appointments [00:05:44] Understanding Your Next Steps [00:07:24] The Importance of Clarity in Healthcare More From The Hairy Chin: The Hairy Chin Website [https://www.thehairychin.com/] The Hairy Chin on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@thehairychin] The Hairy Chin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the.hairy.chin/] Spencer Moore on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thespencermoore/] Disclaimer: The Hairy Chin does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal medical concerns.

Traveling Internationally? Tips for How to Advocate for Your Health Abroad

Download the Advocacy Abroad Toolkit here. If no link is available yet, sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter below for updates on its release. https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/ [https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/] In this episode, I'm sharing the upsetting experience of my Mom's fall on a rainy bridge in Spain, and what that taught us about preparing for medical emergencies while traveling. According to the International Society of Travel Medicine, up to 50% of travelers experience a health issue while traveling, and many of those risks can be prevented through preparation before departure. Preparation doesn't prevent accidents or illness, but it gives you clarity and confidence. And when you're far from home, that really does mean a lot. If you're planning international travel and want to know how to advocate for your health abroad, you're traveling with medications or chronic conditions, you want to reduce anxiety about medical emergencies while traveling, or you're traveling with family and want to be prepared for health emergencies, then this episode is for you. Timestamps: [00:01:20] The Hairy Chin Advocacy Abroad Toolkit Download [00:01:40] When My Mom Got Hurt Abroad [00:03:36] Preparation Eliminates Panic [00:03:50] Know Country Emergency Numbers [00:04:16] Understanding Health Insurance Coverage [00:04:38] Paying Medical Bills Upfront and Reimbursements [00:05:17] International Travel Insurance [00:06:01] Resources, the Embassy, Consulates, and the STEP Program [00:06:49] The Emergency Information Sheet [00:07:22] Traveling with Medications [00:08:03] Allergies [00:08:47] Translation Apps and Offline Language Packs More From The Hairy Chin: The Hairy Chin Website [https://www.thehairychin.com/] The Hairy Chin on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@thehairychin] The Hairy Chin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the.hairy.chin/] Spencer Moore on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thespencermoore/] Disclaimer: The Hairy Chin does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal medical concerns.

Are You Skipping Skin Checks? Sun Damage Timing, Radiated Skin, and the Vulnerability Women Face at the Dermatologist

Free Sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter: https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/ [https://thehairychin.beehiiv.com/] In this episode, I'm talking honestly about what I discovered during a routine skin check that changed my understanding of melanoma risk, sun damage, and why so many women are skipping dermatology appointments altogether. After finding a suspicious spot on my radiated breast, I went on a journey that taught me about the 37% increased melanoma risk for breast cancer survivors who've had chest radiation, something no one had ever told me before. I also learned that sun damage doesn't work the way most of us think it does; it can take anywhere from years to decades to show up as precancerous lesions, which means the tanning and sun exposure from your 20s might be catching up with you now. But beyond the medical education, I address the barrier that's keeping women away from skin checks entirely: the very real discomfort and vulnerability of being examined at a dermatologist. I share my experience with body shame, how different it is in different countries, and the practical ways you can advocate for yourself inside the dermatologist office. This episode is for you if you want to learn more about skin checks, skin damage, and how to advocacy for your body. Timestamps: Why You're Skipping Skin Checks Three Barriers: Sun Damage, Radiation & Body Shame Melanoma Risk After Breast Cancer Radiation Sun Damage Takes Years to Appear (Here's Why) What to Expect During a Skin Biopsy Foto Finder Technology for Melanoma Screening Overcoming Body Shame at the Dermatologist How to Advocate for Yourself During Skin Checks More From The Hairy Chin: The Hairy Chin Website [https://www.thehairychin.com/] The Hairy Chin on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@thehairychin] The Hairy Chin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the.hairy.chin/] Spencer Moore on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thespencermoore/] Disclaimer: The Hairy Chin does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal medical concerns.

ADHD or Anxiety? How Women Get Misdiagnosed for Years and What to Do About It with Kate Moryoussef

I have been waiting to release an episode about women and ADHD and this conversation has been so worth the wait! In this episode, I speak with Kate Moryoussef about what late diagnosis actually looks like, why it takes so long, and what women can do to move their care forward when the system keeps calling it something else. Kate is an ADHD coach, author of the DK-published ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, and host of the ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast with 3.5 million downloads, Kate was diagnosed mid-life with ADHD when she was advocating for her nine-year-old daughter for an ADHD diagnosis during lockdown. She really saw herself for the first time in the symptoms that her daughter was struggling with, but her GP told her it was anxiety. She pushed back: "I have had this for all of my life. This is not new COVID anxiety." She found a psychiatrist privately, and within weeks had the ADHD diagnosis she'd been living without for 40 years. We get into why so many women arrive at an ADHD assessment carrying years of prior dismissals, heavy periods written off, migraines managed without investigation, mental health concerns attributed to stress. Kate talks about why the fear of being pushed back again makes speaking up harder every time, and what actually helps: voice-noting your history before an appointment, using AI to turn it into bullet points a doctor can act on, recording the session on your phone so you're not relying on executive function under pressure. We also cover what a diagnosis changes and what it doesn't. It doesn't give you a new brain. It does give you language, permission to stop blaming yourself, and access to support you couldn't ask for before. Kate's framing: "turn the lights on." See the ADHD clearly enough to know where you need scaffolding and stop calling it a personality flaw. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager, and ask Kate about the women who've masked so thoroughly they've built brilliant career and then hit midlife, perimenopause, and burnout simultaneously. Kate talks about why so many ADHD women quietly downsize their ambitions when what they actually needed was flexibility and someone in their corner. About Kate Moryourseef Kate Moryoussef on IG [https://www.instagram.com/adhd_womenswellbeing_pod] Kate Moryoussef Website [https://www.adhdwomenswellbeing.co.uk/] The More Yourself Membership by Kate Moryoussef [https://www.adhdwomenswellbeing.co.uk/more-yourself-membership] The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit Book by Kate Moryoussef [https://www.amazon.es/dp/0241715296?tag=eslinktagdefault-21&geniuslink=true] More from The Hairy Chin The Hairy Chin Website [https://www.thehairychin.com/] The Hairy Chin on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@thehairychin] The Hairy Chin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the.hairy.chin/] Spencer Moore on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thespencermoore/] Disclaimer: The Hairy Chin does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal medical concerns.