The Hairy Chin Podcast

A mammogram takes about 10 minutes. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I talk with Angie Lane, CEO of The Rose in Houston, about everything it takes to get women to those 10 minutes, and what happens after.

With its Pink Fleet of mobile mammography units, The Rose finds 75 percent of the breast cancers it detects at stage zero or 1A.

The Rose has spent 40 years taking down the barriers to breast cancer screening. Its five mobile units travel across 45 Texas counties and park at places like schools, where a woman can be screened in about 10 minutes.

We also get into what happens after the mammogram: what a callback does and doesn’t mean, and how The Rose’s patient navigators guide women through diagnosis, treatment, and the scary question of cost.

I share my own early-stage diagnosis, found on my first mammogram, and we talk about why your past mammograms matter every time you’re screened.

Chapters

[00:02:30] How two women started The Rose 40 years ago

[00:03:20] The Pink Fleet: mammography on wheels

[00:05:43] Healthcare deserts and insurance deserts

[00:07:35] Mammograms in the school parking lot

[00:09:00] Why 75 percent of cancers found are early stage

[00:12:00] Fear and radiation worries

[00:13:20] What happens after an abnormal mammogram

[00:15:00] Patient navigators and paying for care

[00:17:30] "I don't have time for cancer" and bad actors

[00:21:10] Empower Her Sponsorship

[00:22:50] Why your past mammograms matter

[00:24:37] What other communities can learn

[00:30:00] Closing: Get screened and support The Rose

Visit The Hairy Chin Substack blog for links and more information about this episode.

If you struggle with unexplained fatigue, heavy periods, iron deficiency, low ferritin, brain fog, or symptoms that persist even when your bloodwork is considered “normal,” this episode is for you. I’m talking about what ferritin actually tells us about iron stores, new 2026 guidelines for diagnosing iron deficiency, symptoms associated with low iron, oral iron supplements and iron infusions, and what I learned from looking back at nine years of my own ferritin results.

For almost a decade, my ferritin remained low while I struggled with severe fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, executive dysfunction, and worsening ADHD symptoms alongside endometriosis and heavy menstrual bleeding. I share how my ferritin was treated over the years, why I eventually received a 1,000 mg Ferinject iron infusion, what the difficult first few weeks afterward were like, and the significant changes I’ve noticed in my energy, focus, cognitive stamina, and ability to get through my day in the three months since.

This isn’t a story about an iron infusion being a cure-all. It’s about one part of my health that needed to be addressed and what the experience taught me about understanding my bloodwork, asking questions, looking at my health history as a whole, and becoming a more active participant in my healthcare.

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.

An eye-opening and practical conversation about what happens when women get sick with author and advocate Rebecca Bloom.

Substack Episode Blog: What To Actually Do 'When Women Get Sick' with Author & Advocate Rebecca Bloom (links included)

Substack Blog: How I Make an MRI a Little Less Awful

Former benefits attorney and women's health advocate Rebecca Bloom joins Spencer to talk about her book "When Women Get Sick: An Empowering Approach for Getting the Support You Need" and what it actually takes to get through a diagnosis without going it alone.

For over 27 years, Rebecca has advised women with breast and ovarian cancer on health insurance, benefits, and work through Bay Area Cancer Connections. Her book pairs the practical pieces most patients never learn, like how to read your health insurance summary plan, with the real stories of the women she's worked with.

Spencer and Rebecca talk about what patient advocacy looks like on the ground, why the patient voice is still missing from so many rooms where healthcare decisions get made, and why the skills of self-advocacy apply whether you're navigating the US system or healthcare abroad.

[15:29] Why Storytelling Matters in Health Advocacy

[17:00] Don't Go It Alone: The Lasagna Problem and Your Health Chief of Staff

[23:02] The Lasagna Problem

[27:34] Talking about MRIs

[36:06] Body Shame as a Barrier to Women's Healthcare

[43:21] Creativity, Stress, and Healing

[43:24] What Kind of Relationship Do You Want With Your Doctor?

[44:46] AI in Healthcare and the Doctor-Patient Relationship

[50:00] Every Health Journey Has Potholes

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 Hairy Chin Substack has arrived!

PCOS was just renamed PMOS. Dental hygienist turned integrative health coach Christine Horton joins Spencer to unpack the name change and the oral-systemic health link that not many people are talking about.

In May 2026, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) was officially renamed PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome) in The Lancet, after 14 years of research into a condition affecting one in eight women, 70 percent of whom go undiagnosed. Spencer and Christine, founder of Fusion Health Coaching, break down what the new name actually means for diagnosis, funding, and care.

Then they go somewhere most PCOS conversations don't: the mouth. Christine's background is in dentistry, and she explains oral systemic health, the relationship between gum inflammation and A1C. It runs both ways: treating inflammation in the mouth can lower A1C, and lowering A1C can improve oral health. For women with PCOS or PMOS, who run higher baseline inflammation and higher rates of insulin resistance, this is a piece of the puzzle most doctors and dentists still aren't connecting.

[00:53] PCOS Diagnosis Story: How Christine Found Out at 16

[09:21] PCOS Renamed PMOS: What Changed and Why

[14:41] PCOS Symptoms and Statistics: 1 in 8 Women, 70% Undiagnosed

[19:51] AI vs. the Doctor-Patient Relationship in PCOS Care

[32:17] Metabolically Diverse: Reframing PCOS, Insulin Resistance, and Weight

[36:44] PCOS Awareness Association and PCOS Awareness Month (Sept 26)

[40:14] Oral Systemic Health: The Dentistry and A1C Connection

[52:08] Where to Find Christine Horton, Fusion Health Coaching

About Christine Horton:

Christine Horton is a dental hygienist and certified health coach, and the founder of Fusion Health Coaching, where she blends medical, dental, and lifestyle expertise to work with women navigating PMOS/PCOS, insulin resistance, and metabolic health. She also works with the PCOS Awareness Association, co-hosting their monthly support group and supporting their annual conference.

• Website: fusionhealthcoach.com
• Instagram: @pcosglowhygienist
• PCOS Awareness Association: pcosaa.org
• PCOS Awareness Month virtual conference: pcoscon.org

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.

A quick summer update from Barcelona! After taking some time away to focus on my health, I’m sharing what’s ahead for The Hairy Chin through the rest of 2026.

Coming up I've got lots of new content including some interviews with some really badass women!

Rebecca Bloom, author When Women Get Sick

Kayla Branstetter, author Don't Be An Athena

Anna Mapson, IBS and SIBO nutritionist, podcast host and author

Jayne Denton, radiologist and bone health specialist

Janine Doughty-Yazdi, the Feminist Dentist

There will also be a limited series on AI and health, a Chin Chats about iron infusions, a handful of other interviews with incredible female advocates, a new Substack page, a revamped YouTube channel, and so much more!

For updates from The Hairy Chin, you can follow the show with notifications turned on, sign up for the free newsletter, follow on IG or LinkedIn, and also subscribe to YouTube! You can find links for all of these options below.

I'll be seeing you soon!

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin Newsletter
• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.

Free sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter: 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

About Host Spencer Moore:

Spencer Moore, founder of The Hairy Chin, is a passionate advocate for patient education, female empowerment, and authentic patient stories that inspire and inform women on their health and wellness journeys. She shares practical advocacy skills, authentic patient stories, and conversations with medical professionals that motivate and guide women navigating their health, making her a trusted voice in women's wellness.

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin Substack
• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.

Free Sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter: 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

About Host Spencer Moore:

Spencer Moore, founder of The Hairy Chin, is a passionate advocate for patient education, female empowerment, and authentic patient stories that inspire and inform women on their health and wellness journeys. She shares practical advocacy skills, authentic patient stories, and conversations with medical professionals that motivate and guide women navigating their health, making her a trusted voice in women's wellness.

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin Newsletter
• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.

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/

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

About Host Spencer Moore:

Spencer Moore, founder of The Hairy Chin, is a passionate advocate for patient education, female empowerment, and authentic patient stories that inspire and inform women on their health and wellness journeys. She shares practical advocacy skills, authentic patient stories, and conversations with medical professionals that motivate and guide women navigating their health, making her a trusted voice in women's wellness.

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin Newsletter
• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.

Free Sign up for The Hairy Chin Newsletter: 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

About Host Spencer Moore:

Spencer Moore, founder of The Hairy Chin, is a passionate advocate for patient education, female empowerment, and authentic patient stories that inspire and inform women on their health and wellness journeys. She shares practical advocacy skills, authentic patient stories, and conversations with medical professionals that motivate and guide women navigating their health, making her a trusted voice in women's wellness.

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin Newsletter
• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.

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

Kate Moryoussef Website

The More Yourself Membership by Kate Moryoussef

The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit Book by Kate Moryoussef

About Host Spencer Moore:

Spencer Moore, founder of The Hairy Chin, is a passionate advocate for patient education, female empowerment, and authentic patient stories that inspire and inform women on their health and wellness journeys. She shares practical advocacy skills, authentic patient stories, and conversations with medical professionals that motivate and guide women navigating their health, making her a trusted voice in women's wellness.

Explore More From The Hairy Chin:

• The Hairy Chin Newsletter
• The Hairy Chin on YouTube
• The Hairy Chin on IG
• The Hairy Chin Website
• Spencer Moore on LinkedIn

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.