Why Women Get Sick Trying to Be Good: A Conversation on Autoimmunity & Authenticity Sara Hirsh Bordo

Episode notes

What if the pressure to be “good” is making women physically sick? In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Dan sits down with award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur, and author Sara Hirsh Bordo to explore the powerful connection between autoimmune disease, trauma, people-pleasing, and self-abandonment as well as to discuss Sara’s powerful new book Autoimmunity and the Good Girls: How Permission to Put Ourselves First Has the Power to Keep Us Well . After being diagnosed with multiple serious health conditions—including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, melanoma, tumors, Epstein-Barr, mold poisoning, and heavy metal toxicity—Sara began asking a life-changing question: What if years of self-betrayal were making her body turn against itself? Through deeply personal storytelling, groundbreaking research, and profound insight, Sara shares how decades of prioritizing others over herself created patterns that impacted both her emotional and physical well-being. Together, she and Dr. Dan unpack the “good girl” conditioning so many women experience, the hidden cost of chronic self-sacrifice, and how reclaiming authenticity may be one of the most important healing journeys of all.