Alisha Bridges was seven years old when a bout of chicken pox triggered psoriasis across 90% of her body — and she spent the next decade hiding it, until a beauty pageant, a department-store makeup counter, and a grandmother who refused to let her quit changed everything. In this episode, Alisha talks about turning shame into a platform, taking her story to Capitol Hill, and why mental health and diversity in research sit at the heart of her advocacy work. Plus, Holly digs into the surprisingly recent legal history that made it illegal to fire someone for having psoriasis — from an outrageous 1989 termination letter in the UK to the courtroom fight that finally forced American law to recognize chronic illness as the disability it actually is.

Explain This to Me: Brian Lehrschall on Self-Advocacy, From a Doctor's Office to Capitol Hill
32:47

"I Didn't Know How to Be a Partner in My Own Care": Joel Nelson on Learning Self-Advocacy Late
42:41

Ask A Doctor: Dermatologist Dr. Anna Chacon on Maximizing Your Appointments and the Research Gap
31:45