This week my guest is Dr. Sasha Hamdani, MD. She is a board-certified psychiatrist and ADHD clinical specialist. Dr. Hamdani uses her knowledge and platform to break down stigmas and shares accessible information about mental health. Basically, I knew I needed her on the show.

In this episode, she shares that medical school felt like digging herself out of a hole. “I think it was difficult for me because I was learning what my body was doing. It was hard for me to understand my own internal environment, I didn't know what my normal schedule was like, so every day I felt like I was reinventing the wheel." We get into why people with ADHD feel like they need to hold a mask up to society, why we need to give ourselves grace in moments of stress, and why hydration is the best thing you can do for your body and mind. For more of Dr. Hamdani's offerings, you can find her across social media @thepsychdoctormd - she is definitely worthy of your follow.

In my first solo episode, I am asking you, listener... When did it become socially acceptable to be on speaker phone in public? Is it just me, or has this gone entirely too far? Listen in to hear recent times this has happened around me, how it makes me feel, and what I think we should do about it (spoiler alert: I think animals are just better).

What do you think? I wanted to drop this quick solo over to you so you could learn more about me, what makes me tick, and what makes me feel better! What else do you want to hear my thoughts on? Leave it in a review on Apple Podcasts.

Danielle Prescod: Body Image, Self-Love, & Calling Out Racism

Description: This week I am joined by content creator, journalist, and author of 'Token Black Girl: A Memoir' Danielle Prescod. As a lifelong fashion obsessive, she was most recently the style director of BET.com. She also cofounded 2BG Consulting, which supports beauty brands and influencers on their anti-racism journeys. In this conversation, we touch on everything! I hear why Danielle decided to leave New York City, her experience with body dysmorphia and how bodies are portrayed in fashion, her thoughts on how we interact with white supremacy and privilege, and why she only reads books by Black authors.

You'll want to tune in to hear all about Capital F fashion - the behind-the-scenes of the fashion industry we don't think about when shopping and experiencing fashion each day. Danielle is wildly impressive and I am so thankful she joined me for this episode

You will not want to miss my conversation this week with British journalist, author, podcast host, media executive and mother Lorraine Candy. Lorraine is the Sunday Times best-selling author of ‘Mum, What’s Wrong With You?’ and her new book ‘What’s Wrong With Me?: 101 Things Midlife Women Need to Know.’ In this episode, we hear all of Lorraine’s parenting advice, which will have you rethinking the way you approach conversations with your kids (verbally and physically).

We dive into the ways you can support your kids by saying nothing, when to give kids a phone, educating yourself about the internet to be a more informed parent, active listening, raising boys vs girls, and we hear Lorraine’s advice for parenting children with depression. Even with no kids myself, Lorraine made me think in an all new way about parenting, like how sometimes we have to parent ourselves first to show up for our kids.

I absolutely loved getting to know Lorraine and know you will so enjoy this conversation with her and her brilliant mind.

My guest this week is the wonderfully open and educational Emily Morse from Sex With Emily. Emily is a best-selling author, sex therapist, and podcast host. Emily shares that she was having bad sex but couldn't find the answers to her frustrations anywhere, and she thought to herself, "How come no one talks about sex?" Well that is exactly why she is here!

Emily and I dive into everything you needed (or didn't know you needed) to know: what great sex means to you, why women aren't orgasming, how to achieve orgasm, butt plugs, clitoral stimulation, sexual health on anti-depressants and more! She gives us her thoughts on hookup culture and why younger people are having less and less sex. Emily is a wealth of knowledge and I loved getting to pick her brain in this episode.

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

This week, I sit down with designer, illustrator, muralist, author and artist Timothy Goodman. After graduating college, Timothy went to work as an art director at Apple in the Bay Area, and that was his last 9-5 job. Timothy has been working for himself ever since - for over 10 years - and continues to expand his offerings through his teachings, speaking engagements, and recognizable artwork. Seriously, check out his amazing work!

Timothy and I discuss the stigmas of men going to therapy, attachment styles, how the patriarchy impacts our decisions, how media consumption changes our perspective, and why creative folks are so heavily impacted by mental health challenges. I get Timothy’s advice to artists who are coping with mental health struggles and self-doubt... you don’t want to miss his advice. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Timothy and know you will too.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sheva Rajaee, MFT, founder and director of The Center-for Anxiety and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

Many have misconceptions about what OCD really is and misuse this acronym to describe chosen rituals.

In this episode, we discuss everything from how anxiety and OCD manifest in children, to the different types of OCD.

Did you know there's a difference between regular OCD and Pure OCD? I didn't!

There are many different options of OCD therapy available, and we dig into which one is right for the different types of OCD.

I recently read her book Relationship OCD, and highly recommend it for insight on what OCD is and how it can dictate one’s behavior in relationships on a daily basis. She has a unique way of breaking down OCD patterns into palatable bites that are easy to digest and understand.

PS/ she also loves raccoons!

In this episode I speak with author, actress and producer Elizabeth Gilpin about her remarkable personal story and her journey to healing and forgiveness.At fifteen years old, Elizabeth was “stolen” from her bed in the middle of the night. These weren’t kidnappers but hired professionals by her parents no less.Elizabeth bravely recounts this story to us, what it did to her mental state and how she overcame the trauma, as well as how she learned to forgive her parents.Part of her healing was writing her story, and in 2021 she released her debut novel STOLEN which details her ordeal. In this eye-opening and unflinching book, Elizabeth recalls the horrors she endured, the friends she lost to suicide and addiction, and—years later—how she was finally able to pick up the pieces of her life and reclaim her identity.In this episode we hear what she is working on currently, and how she keeps her mental health in a positive state. I am truly inspired by this woman’s braveness, candor, and spirit.

It was such a joy to interview author, public speaker and human rights activist, Mungi Ngomane. Mungi is the granddaughter of Archbishop Emeritus Desdomnd Tutu.In her new book: Everyday Ubuntu, Mungi takes the lessons he taught her growing up and translates them in a modern way that makes them attainable and easily applied to every day life. Everyday Ubuntu: Living Together, The African Way, explores the concept that all humans share a universal bond."Ubuntu is a Xhosa word originating from a South African philosophy that encapsulates all our aspirations about how to live life well, together. It is the belief in a universal human bond: I am only because you are."Her mother, Reverend Nontomei Naomi Tutu joins us briefly for a conversation on generational differences.Sometimes the most simple concepts are the hardest to apply. Both these women show us ways to make it a bit easier!

I was fascinated to learn about Catt Sadler's personal and professional journey. From her award-winning career as a journalist to her rewarding job as a parent, to her falling

into the role of poster woman for equal pay when she decided to leave E! over a wage discrepancy.In this episode, Catt shares her experience on learning about her son’s diagnose with ADHD and stresses how important it is to keep communication open with children. She explains how incorporating small but intentional things into your everyday routine, such as wellness, diet, and exercise, can have a big impact on one’s mentally.We get a sneak peek behind her new relationship, and learn why she doesn’t think this profound love would have been possible two years ago. She is a believer that pain can be a great teacher, which I agree is an important message. There’s a lot to learn from Catt!Marta takes us through what her first session felt like, and why she continues this therapy to this day. We dive into what has helped her personally over the past 10 years, and how she came to realize what she needed in her life and how to ask for it to support her own mental well-being. XO

Katie

I met Marta Pozzan about a month ago through a girlfriend. We all went to a Women’s soccer game, and immediately upon meeting we recognized an old soul in the other (hot old souls, of course) You may know Marta from her work in front of the camera – she is an actress, writer and fellow mental health advocate. Her podcast Cosmic Days just launched this month, and soon she will be appearing in the Netflix show From Scratch, opposite Zoe Saldana. In this episode, Marta bravely shares with us insight into the debilitating anxiety that she had suffered from for many years; sometimes so bad she wasn’t capable of leaving her house. She saw various doctors who tried to help, but nothing was working until she began EMDR therapy. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and it turned out to be a game changer for her.

Marta takes us through what her first session felt like, and why she continues this therapy to this day. We dive into what has helped her personally over the past 10 years, and how she came to realize what she needed in her life and how to ask for it to support her own mental well-being.

I never thought I would be able to say I just interviewed Brooke Shields, let alone on mental health.

In this episode we speak about depression, both hers and mine; hormones, and we reflect on why we are so afraid of saying what we are really feeling.

As many of you know, Brooke grew up in the entertainment industry, and in this episode she shares with us how hard the industry is on women and their mental stability.

She was also the first woman in the public eye to speak openly about her postpartum depression to the media. You may remember that many people did not respond positively. But with that brave act she opened up a conversation that had been largely keep in the dark for too long.

There is a reason that Brooke’s reputation is stellar. She is everything you imagined she would be and then some!

Let's Talk About SEX! Part two.

Todd Baratz, certified sex therapist and relationship expert, joins me as co-host where we go LIVE on BBHBU.

We answer questions you DM’d us, Todd and I have our first fight…

And we participate in a threesome…live!

But just chatting, get your mind out of the gutter 😀 I tell most people to leave whoever they’re with! Todd has incredible insight on why patterns continue to show up in our dating lives. There’s a reason he has such a strong following and people all over the planet that turn to him for advice.

And all joking aside dating can be a real mind f*** in 2022. These conversations are meant to help you but also to remember it’s good to not take yourself so seriously all the time.

Especially when it comes to SEX.

Dr. Drew Ramsey is a pioneer in the area of eating to enhance one’s mood and brain power. He’s a psychiatrist, farmer and an author.

Last year he released his book: Eat To Beat Depression and Anxiety, which details the nine specific foods that can directly help one’s mood and that breaks down the how’s and why’s.

In this episode, we talk about eating for your mood, prescription drugs, how they can affect your weight and appetite, and how we can make small adjustments that have a big impact during a meal.

He also challenges me to a mjudra cook off! @drewramsey is that still happening?

Enjoy!

XO

I came across Chelsea’s story when my producer sent me her recent article she wrote onVogue.com. He asked me if I thought we should invite her to be a guest on the podcast, and at first I didn’t understand. Many of you may know Chelsea how I knew her – as a renowned DJ, a cool and talented girl who seemed to be living the dream and traveling the world to perform at all the hottest parties. But when I read her deeply personal and incredibly moving story, I had tears streaming down my face, and told him YES.

In that article, Chelsea opens up about her painful journey dealing with two heartbreaking miscarriages, as well as her life long-struggle with Endometriosis, and the mental toll it took on her. On top of that, she shared that she has suffered from epilepsy for most of her life, as does her sister, and reveals the hardships that both she and her family continue to deal with because of that condition.

Throughout all of this, Chelsea has remained unbelievably strong, and rather than falling victim to her circumstances, she has created communities and conversations around these issues and other largely ignored topics to help others feel less alone.

In this episode we discuss miscarriages, hormones, epilepsy, women getting to know their bodies, the shame and blame that women often feel and why it’s so important to bring these conversations out in to the open.

She also talks about her newest venture, which is closest to her heart, called Looni. A company dedicated to the menstrual cycle and women’s hormones; teaching young girls, women and everyone in between why our bodies react they way they do.

Chelsea is one of those incredibly brave women who dare to tell us the truth, even though it’s heartbreaking, as well as vows to make a difference for others through her work.

PS/ her voice is incredibly hypnotic, you may fall into a trance.

This past January, Vlada Haggerty was a guest on BBHBU?. Vlada is an international makeup artist, photographer, and lip artist who was born in Kiev.

Her unique creations have drawn many fans on Instagram, including Britney Spears who regularly posts her work.

Vlada has returned to the show, to discuss the current war in Ukraine; the mental toll it has taken on her family, friends and the people who have stayed there to fight it. She shares her experience as a young girl growing up through the dissolution of the USSR, as well as explaining the complicated relationship Russia has had with Ukraine.

Her Mom came to visit her in Los Angeles in February arriving just 5 days before the bombs went off.

In true Ukrainian style, she wanted to return immediately and help care for the people affected by the war and bombings happening at home.

I am so grateful to Vlada for sharing her personal experience and perspective during this tumultuous time.

I had heard about Lauren Roxburgh, AKA Lo Rox, for many years from a close friend.

I finally had the opportunity to meet her (virtually) a month ago!

Lo is a best-selling author and internationally renowned wellness educator and speaker.

She is an expert on fascia, body alignment and the mind-body connection, and is a regular contributor to Goop, Well & Good and MindBodyGreen.

Lauren is also the founder of the popular ‘Aligned Tribe’ groups, which we get into on this episode.

While many claim they are body experts, Lo is more than that. Known as “The Body Whisperer,” she speaks about how we all hold trauma in our body. And better yet, she teaches us how to move it out.

Lo’s energy is contagious. It’s the exact pick me up we all need at this moment in time.