Chat with Dr. Kat

Should Trans Women Compete in Women's Sports? A Trans Woman Says No

Few cultural debates have gotten louder or more polarized than the one over trans women in women's sports, and most of the loudest voices come from outside the trans community. Daviana Memont — a former Marine, competitive powerlifter, and strength coach with nearly a million followers across her platforms — is the rare exception. A trans woman who argues other trans women shouldn't compete in women's sports, she sits down with Dr. Kat to explain why, in language that doesn't soften for either side. The conversation moves from the actual biology Daviana has lived inside — testosterone levels, muscle density, lung capacity, training drive — to the trickle-down effect on female athletes when a top-ranked male competitor wins a women's bracket. From there it widens into locker rooms, the driver's license sex-marker debate, the assumption that transitioning is about sexuality, and a striking aside about how predators actually choose victims. It's the kind of honest conversation almost nobody is willing to have publicly right now, and a useful listen for anyone trying to think about these issues clearly. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ [https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/] Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat] X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat [https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat] Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/ [https://mindbodyseries.com/]

Generous to Everyone but the Car Behind You

You've watched a driver wave in pedestrian after pedestrian, pause for someone backing out of a driveway, smile and gesture generously to everyone around them — and then the moment you try to pass, they speed up so you can't. Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo, a licensed psychologist, builds a whole episode around that contradiction, sparked by a line from her youngest daughter: that person is generous to everyone but the one behind them. Working through five everyday driving scenarios — crossing three lanes at a light, stopping in a live lane to check a phone, blocking intersections, the In-N-Out line, and a tense moment over a shopping cart — Dr. Kat treats each not as a traffic complaint but as a small question of character. You'll hear why she reframes the driver who cut you off so they don't take up "rent in your brain," and why one impatient choice can quietly affect thirty-five strangers. It's a grounded look at how small courtesies, or their absence, shape the way a day actually feels. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ [https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/] Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat] X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat [https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat] Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/ [https://mindbodyseries.com/]

Speech Therapy for Toddlers: When to Worry and When Not To

Your toddler isn't talking much yet, and you've started to wonder: is this just their pace, or is something actually wrong? It's a question that can quietly eat at a parent for months — and most of the worrying happens before anyone reaches out for help. Speech-language pathologist Abigail Skegin-Sipes, founder of Sunshine Speech LA, joins Dr. Kat to talk about why that hesitation is so common, and why waiting tends to cost more than the problem itself. Abigail explains what speech therapy actually covers — far more than lisps and stutters — and why the toddler years are such a critical window for communication. She and Dr. Kat get into the misconception that a child who isn't talking isn't understanding, the case for play-based therapy over clinical drilling, and simple things parents can do at home: getting down to eye level, narrating everyday moments, using repetition games like "ready, set, go." Her core message is freeing — the worst outcome of an evaluation is being told your child is fine. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ [https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/] Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat] X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat [https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat] Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/ [https://mindbodyseries.com/]

Anxiety Symptoms You Think Are Normal (But Aren't)

You're not the type who'd describe yourself as anxious. You sleep okay, mostly. You handle stress. But your heart sometimes races for no reason, you wake up at the same time every night with your mind spinning, and you've started thinking that buzzing, low-grade hum is just how being a person feels. Dr. Kat has been hearing some version of this from clients for years — and what she wants you to understand is that you might be living inside a state your nervous system has tricked you into calling rest. She walks through what anxiety actually is in the body, why chronic anxiety creates a "false resting state" where you only think you've relaxed, and why the symptoms most people brush off — early-morning waking, the freeze that keeps a kid from turning in finished homework, the conviction that you've simply "always been like this" — are signs worth taking seriously. She also covers what to do about it, including the one place not to get your anxiety medication. You don't have to live this way. Most people don't realize they don't have to. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ [https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/] Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat] X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat [https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat] Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/ [https://mindbodyseries.com/]

Hair Loss, Menopause, and the Toxins Hiding in Your Bathroom

Hair loss is one of those things that can quietly reshape how a woman sees herself — and most of the advice out there stops at "take biotin" or "try rosemary oil." But what if the real problem isn't your hair at all? Dr. Kat sits down with Diana Robinson, a hairstylist of 25 years turned hair loss consultant, to talk about what's actually behind the thinning — and most of it has nothing to do with your hair. They get into the everyday toxins hiding in your products, why your lab results might not be telling the full story, how cortisol and menopause create a perfect storm for hair loss, and a genetic issue affecting 44% of the population that most doctors never test for. Diana breaks down her scalp-as-soil approach, challenges the viral rosemary oil study, and explains why the supplement you're taking could be skewing your bloodwork. If you've ever stared at hair in the drain and wondered what's really going on, this one's for you. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ [https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/] Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat [https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat [https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat] X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat [https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat] Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/ [https://mindbodyseries.com/]