Kandee Johnson was sleeping just 2 hours a night at the height of her YouTube fame - juggling content creation, brand deals, and raising 4 kids as a single mom. In this honest conversation, she shares what that lifestyle really cost her and that health issues eventually forced her to step away.From having 13 cents in her bank account to becoming YouTube's biggest beauty creator, Kandee opens up about the reality behind the success. She talks about the exhaustion, the constant travel, editing videos until 4 AM, and how her body eventually said "enough."

My new book is available for pre-order:

Why Do I Keep Doing This? → https://geni.us/XoyLSQ

If you’ve ever felt stuck, this book is for you. I’d be so grateful for your support.

What you'll hear in this episode

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - From 13 cents to YouTube success

12:45 - The exhaustion of constant content creation

28:30 - Behind the scenes of a YouTube career

35:20 - Health issues and stepping away

42:15 - Life during her YouTube break

48:50 - Thoughts on social media addiction

55:30 - What she'd do differently

Ask Kati Anything ep. 273 | Your mental health podcast, with Kati Morton, LMFT

Traumatized https://geni.us/Bfak0j

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode I explain why you struggle to trust yourself and share the simple strategy to rebuild self-trust. I'll help you identify healthy vs unhealthy attachment to your therapist, recognize when you're protecting yourself in therapy, and understand the root causes of intimacy fears. I also cover different therapeutic styles, OCD vs OCD-like tendencies, and practical tips for developing secure attachment patterns.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mental Cost of Fighting Misinformation: Professor Dave opens up in this honest conversation, Dave Farina from the YouTube channel Professor Dave Explains shares the personal toll of dedicating his life to fighting misinformation and educating millions online. As one of YouTube's most prominent science educators, Dave reveals the mental health challenges that come with constant content creation and defending scientific truth in today's polarized world. Dave discusses how his work ethic has evolved from healthy productivity to potential burnout, the emotional strategies he's developed to handle daily harassment, and why he feels compelled to continue despite the personal cost. This conversation offers valuable insights for content creators, educators, and anyone interested in the psychology of online advocacy.

------

My new book is available for pre-order:

Why Do I Keep Doing This? → https://geni.us/XoyLSQ

If you’ve ever felt stuck, this book is for you. I’d be so grateful for your support.

------

Key Topics Discussed:

This episode provides a rare look into the personal sacrifices and psychological resilience required to be an effective science communicator in the digital age.

Resources: If you're interested in creator psychology, science education, or the fight against misinformation, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on the human cost of online advocacy. Check out Dave Farina's channel

Ask Kati Anything ep. 271 | Your mental health podcast, with Kati Morton, LMFT

Why Do I Keep Doing This? (pre-order) https://geni.us/XoyLSQ

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you struggling with depression, self-sabotage, or anxiety that no one else can see? In this deeply honest episode of Ask Katie Anything, licensed therapist Kati Morton explains what high functioning depression really feels like and why you might feel so empty inside, even when life looks “perfect” on the outside. We’ll explore how childhood trauma, emotional neglect, and attachment wounds shape your mental health today — and how they’re connected to self-sabotage, memory gaps, and anxiety symptoms like itching or shaking. Kati shares practical steps to break free from guilt, reconnect with yourself, and start healing.

1. Could you talk about high-functioning depression and what it really looks like? For context, I feel like I have a “perfect” life; supportive parents, a stable home, pets, a car, and all the basic things I need to live comfortably. I haven’t experienced any trauma, and from the outside, everything seems fine... 00:00:43

2. I accept my flaws and want to grow, but I zone out or give up easily. I’ve been stagnant in my studies for 3 years. How do I build real, lasting change when it feels so hard to even begin? 00:12:07

3. I’ve recently realized there are a lot of things I do not remember about my childhood. My sibling was sharing stories and kept looking at me asking, “Do you remember that?” and I rarely did. We lived in the same house so how does she remember so much more than me? 00:17:49

4. Could you please explain why people itch when they are anxious? It's something I have recently started doing without even knowing it was related to my mental health. Could you please tell me why we do this? And how we might be able to stop? Thank you love your videos and podcasts! 00:22:29

5. My question is about attachment regarding military life, having a parent unavailable but not by choice. I often hear you mention your dad being gone for work frequently when you were a child and how you believe it has an effect on your upbringing. My dad was in the military for 25 years and was often gone during my childhood—not for super long periods (maybe 4 months max), but he left and returned so often... 00:29:11

6. I’ve been on a healing journey in the last 2 years in trauma therapy. I’ve worked a lot on myself with the big challenge of feeling my own feelings. I’ve learned to sit with my feelings and finally felt safe with my therapist. I’ve set boundaries with family, lost relationships, and even lost a pet during therapy... 00:38:59

7. My old therapist is having a baby and I will no longer be able to see her. She has been so helpful and I have been able to move on from her in the past (when I “graduated” DBT). All of the therapists I have had since seeing her don’t quit live up. It’s possible that she’s my favorite person. How do I move forward with my life? 00:42:31

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Ask Kati Anything (ep. 225) licensed therapist Kati Morton explains how to stop intellectualizing and actually feel our feelings, and she digs into grief and how we can process it. Then she talks about why we can feel like our mental illnesses are made up or exaggerated because we haven’t had a trauma or big event, ways we can healthily express our anger, and how she defines an eating disorder relapse. Finally, she walks us through the ways she decides what’s the human condition and what’s a symptom of a mental illness.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch Khalyla Kuhn get raw and real with Kati Morton. In this powerful conversation, Khalyla shares untold truths about her very public breakup with Bobby Lee, recovering from Bell’s Palsy, launching her business Ebb Ocean Club during total chaos, becoming a mom in secret, and what it’s really like to deal with toxic internet culture.

If you’ve ever felt misunderstood, judged online, or trapped by stress, this episode will hit home.

🌊 From heartbreak to healing, betrayal to boundaries — Khalyla reminds us all that you can rebuild your life on your own terms.

My new book is available for pre-order:

Why Do I Keep Doing This? → https://geni.us/XoyLSQIf you’ve ever felt stuck, this book is for you. I’d be so grateful for your support.

Ask Kati Anything ep. 268 ⏰ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Khalyla Kuhn on Ask Kati Anything

02:00 – Bell’s Palsy: The stress that broke her body

07:00 – How TigerBelly actually got started

14:30 – Surviving public judgment & parasocial hate

20:00 – Trolls, takedowns & toxic culture online

26:00 – How heartbreak inspired her new haircare line

32:00 – Secretly becoming a mom: “I didn’t tell anyone!”

38:00 – Escaping the fires & finding safe places

44:00 – Trauma mode, fight-or-flight & healing

48:00 – What’s next for Khalyla Kuhn?

More Khalyla

https://www.youtube.com/@TigerBelly

https://www.youtube.com/@TrashTuesday

https://www.instagram.com/khalamityk

https://ebboceanclub.com/

ONLINE THERAPY (enjoy 10% off your first month)While I do not currently offer online therapy, BetterHelp can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/kati

PARTNERSHIPS

Nick Freeman | [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this powerful episode of Ask Kati Anything, licensed therapist and YouTube mental health advocate Kati Morton answers vulnerable audience questions about living without hope, healing from lifelong trauma, and navigating emotional burnout. We explore how to break free from chronic emotional numbness, cope with retraumatization in unsafe environments, and rebuild a sense of purpose when life feels stagnant or meaningless. Kati offers expert insight on topics like maladaptive coping strategies, therapy attachment wounds, and the overwhelming grief that comes from invisible disabilities and complex PTSD.

Thank you to liquid-iv.com for sponsoring mental health content! USE THE PROMO CODE

Audience questions for Ask Kati Anything ep. 268

1. I'd like to hear what you have to say about living without hope. My therapist and I have been... 00:01:18

2. Hey Kati, I’m a 25F with ASD. I have been abused by over 50 people (after reaching 50 I stopped counting) in almost every way imaginable, even by people who were supposed to love and/or protect me, even by therapists and teachers, from when I was 4 years old until recently. I don’t even really know what the word “safe” means. I have helped or held space for many people dealing with pain and grief, but I never learned how to receive help for myself. I was shamed and physically punished by my parents for even the smallest acts of self-care, self-soothing or my ASD symptoms themselves... 00:09:27

3. How do I get past the fact that therapy itself requires an imbalance of intimacy and sharing and just overall is not an organic give and take relationship? 00:18:07

4. How to stop obsessing over the world we live in….and how scary it’s becoming for our children. 00:25:12

5. I feel like I have nothing exciting to look forward to. This has been ongoing for years. 00:29:38

6. How can you cope with re traumatisation when you can't get out of the situation? 00:33:49

7. Is it possible for untreated mental illness to be traumatizing? I think I had a period of depression for a few months when I was 12-13ish, but I never told anyone and would always say I was fine when asked. I was functional enough to shower, eat, do school... 00:33:49

Why Do I Keep Doing This? → https://geni.us/XoyLSQ

If you’ve ever felt stuck, this book is for you. I’d be so grateful for your support.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shane Dawson and Ryland Adams join licensed therapist Kati Morton for an unfiltered and heartfelt deep dive into their relationship. From their awkward first date and sleep divorce setup to parenting twins and surviving cancel culture, nothing is off-limits in this revealing episode of Ask Kati Anything.

Why Do I Keep Doing This? https://geni.us/XoyLSQ

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Ask Kati Anything, Kati Morton, LMFT, answers your deeply vulnerable questions around eating disorder recovery, abandonment, and the grief of losing a therapist. If you’ve ever felt “too much,” stuck in self-sabotage, or rejected by the people who should’ve helped—you are not alone.

In this episode:

What to do when your therapist wants to cut back sessions but you're not ready

How to move forward when your parents knew you were struggling but stayed silent

Why ED behaviors change shape—and how to finally stop the cycle

How reparenting work can trigger relapse (and what to do instead)

Grieving the loss of a therapist you trusted

Why your body can’t accept the good things—and how to heal that trauma response

💬 Have a question for Kati? Submit it every Sunday on her YouTube Community Tab.

📚 My New Book is Available for PRE-ORDER Now!
Why Do I Keep Doing This? https://geni.us/XoyLSQ

🎙 Subscribe and follow the podcast to never miss an episode.

#AskKatiAnything #MentalHealthPodcast #Therapy #EatingDisorderRecovery #CPTSD #HealingJourney

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices