The Hairy Chin Podcast

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.

Burned Out and Exhausted? My 3-Step Recovery When I Burn Out

In this episode, I’m talking honestly about what happens when your body reaches its limit, even when you’re trying to do everything “right.” After weeks of pushing too hard, spending too much time on screens, not sleeping enough, and trying to keep up with a packed schedule, I ended up with a severe migraine that completely stopped me in my tracks for almost two weeks. I spend a lot of time talking about self-advocacy, listening to your body, burnout prevention, nervous system regulation, chronic illness, and stress management. I know my triggers well. I have routines, tools, and awareness around my health, and I still ended up burnt out. In this episode, I share how burnout has affected my body physically and mentally, why I think so many high-functioning women end up emotionally exhausted, and how I personally recover when I hit a wall. I talk about burnout recovery, migraine recovery, nervous system overwhelm, chronic illness burnout, emotional exhaustion, self-compassion, slowing down, and learning how to reconnect with your body without shame. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, burnt out, emotionally drained, disconnected from your body, or frustrated that you “should have seen it coming,” this episode is for you. Timestamps: [00:00:14] Burnout, Migraines & Body Shutdown [00:01:22] Burnout vs Chronic Illness [00:02:03] Listening to Your Body Isn’t Perfection [00:03:02] Capacity vs Sustainability [00:3:46] How I Recover From Burnout [00:04:09] Slowing My Nervous System Down [00:05:36] Lightening My Load [00:06:32] Awareness Without Shame [00:07:29] Compassion During Burnout Recovery 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.

Can't Sleep? Why Women's Sleep Problems Get Dismissed and What Actually Helps with Dr. Alison Kole

If you’ve ever laid awake exhausted, replaying your to-do list at 2AM, wondering why you still feel tired no matter how much sleep you get, this episode is for you. In this Expert Interview on The Hairy Chin Podcast, I welcome Dr. Alison Kole, a triple board-certified sleep medicine physician, to talk about insomnia, sleep apnea, burnout, ADHD, exhaustion, supplements, jet lag, screen time, and why women’s sleep problems are so often dismissed. Dr. Kole shares practical sleep tools, insomnia techniques, red flag symptoms women should never ignore, and what to actually say to a doctor if you think something deeper is going on with your sleep. We also discuss why women wait years to seek help, how chronic stress impacts sleep quality, the dangers of blindly trusting sleep supplements online, and how social media, modern life, and overstimulation are affecting our nervous systems. If you’ve ever wondered whether your exhaustion is “normal,” struggled to advocate for yourself in a doctor’s office, or felt frustrated trying to fix your sleep on your own, come join us for this conversation. Timestamps: [00:01:19] Why Women Are So Exhausted [00:06:30] Burnout and Boundaries [00:11:00] Why Women Wait Too Long To Get Help [00:13:30] Fatigue, Labs & Being Dismissed [00:17:00] Sleep Apnea Symptoms in Women [00:21:25] What To Say to Your Doctor About Sleep [00:30:20] Melatonin, Supplements, Sleep Scams and CBT [00:38:30] Sleep Divorce, Scandinavian Sleep Method & Shared Beds [00:43:35] Earplugs, Sleep Tech & Noise Sensitivity [00:45:15] Wake Times, Jet Lag, Light & Circadian Rhythm [00:50:30] Screens, Brightness & ADHD/Neurodivergence [00:55:40] Where To Find Dr. Alison Kole Resources From This Episode: Ask The Sleep Med on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@asktheSleepMD] Sleep Is My Waking Passion Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sleep-is-my-waking-passion/id1684976379] Ask The Sleep Med Website [https://www.askthesleepmd.com/] Dr. Alison Kole's Sleep Picks (earbuds, supplements, etc.) [https://www.askthesleepmd.com/the-sleep-shop] 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.

What If Your Phone Could Speak for You in an Emergency? The 5-Minute Medical ID Setup

In this new episode of The Hairy Chin Podcast, I'm talking about what happens when you can't communicate for yourself in a medical setting. And while that's a scary thought, this episode isn't here to scare you, it's here to prepare you. One of the tools I walk you through is simple, often overlooked, and actually sitting in your phone right now. I'm talking about the Medical ID. It takes less than five minutes to set up, and in an emergency, it can share critical health information - from your phone's lock screen. I also mention in this episode that the Medical ID is not a perfect system, and it's not the only way to advocate for yourself. I talk through the different layers of advocacy available to you and your loved ones in those important moments. We have talked this season about how advocacy is many things, including being prepared. These small steps can make mighty differences. You can find the Medical ID cheat sheet link below with step-by-step instructions for set up, including what information matters and what doesn't. There is also a printable version of a Medical ID available. Timestamps: [00:00:46] Inspiration from The Pitt TV Show [00:01:20] My Life Threatening Allergy to Morphine [00:1:42] How Do You Advocate If You Can't Speak? [00:02:00] What Is the Medical ID and Why It's Not A Perfect Tool [00:03:00] Layers of Advocacy: Jewelry, Lions Message in a Bottle, Vial of Life and a Printable Card [00:04:45] What a Medical ID Is and How It Works [00:05:09] Your Responsibility to Update Your ID [00:05:46] What to Include and Leave Out in Your Medical ID [00:06:50] Privacy, Lock Screen Visibility, and What You Control [00:07:22] How to Set Up Your Medical ID on iPhone and Important Settings Resources from this episode: The Medical ID Cheat Sheet Free Download [https://www.thehairychin.com/medical-id] Medical Alert Jewelry (USA) [https://www.americanmedical-id.com/] Lions "Message in a Bottle" (UK) [https://lionsmessageinabottle.co.uk/] Vial of Life (USA/Canada) [https://www.vialoflife.com/] More Free Cheat Sheet Downloads from The Hairy Chin: How To Describe Your Pain Cheat Sheet [https://www.thehairychin.com/pain-formula] from episode "How to Describe Pain So Your Doctor Takes You Seriously" [https://the-hairy-chin-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/how-to-describe-pain-so-your-doctor-takes-you-seriously-with-free-pdf-pain-formula-download] The One Page Health Summary Cheat Sheet [https://www.thehairychin.com/onepage] from episode “The One Page That Changes Every Dr. Appointment” [https://the-hairy-chin-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/the-one-page-that-changes-every-drs-appointment/] How To Describe Your Symptoms Cheat Sheet [https://www.thehairychin.com/symptom-formula] from episode "Struggling To Explain Symptoms To Your Doctor?" [https://the-hairy-chin-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/struggling-to-explain-symptoms-to-your-dr-this-simple-formula-helps-you-be-heard-pdf-download/] Where Else to Find 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.