The XX Lab

Welcome to The XX Lab, where I talk with scientists and top-performing women to give you insights that you can use in everyday life. This is not another health podcast telling women to optimize endlessly or chase extreme longevity. It’s a science+life podcast for women who want to feel better now—not just live longer later.

The XX Lab is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 16 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The XX Lab, a education show with 16 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #16

  Shira Boehler: The Cancer That Kills More Young Women Than Breast, Ovarian & Colon Combined | #16

  Aug 31, 20261h 9m

  You did everything right, kale, running, annual blood tests, and still ended up with a mass in your lung. So why does the disease killing more young, healthy women than breast, ovarian, and colon cancer combined still carry the stigma of a smoker's disease? In this episode of The XX Lab, Dr. Sarah Hill sits down with Shira Boehler, lung cancer survivor, author of the New York Times bestseller One Scan Saved My Life, and founder of the Cancer Doesn't Care foundation, to explore why lung cancer is rising in young non-smoking women, sex differences in medicine, the toll on caregivers, and why a $200 scan could rewrite the guidelines. KEY TAKEAWAYS: - Lung cancer kills more young, healthy women than breast, ovarian, and colon cancer combined, yet gets a fraction of the awareness and funding. - "If you smoke, you get lung cancer" has curdled into "if you have lung cancer, you smoked", a stigma that keeps survivors silent. - The real truth is simpler and scarier: if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. - Non-smoking women in parts of Asia get lung cancer at higher rates than smoking men, pointing to a female health crisis science hasn't explained. - Studying diseases separately in men and women may accelerate progress and reveal sex-specific risk factors. Timestamps 00:00 One Scan Saved My Life: Shira Boehler's Story 05:37 Pushing for the Low-Dose CT Doctors Dismissed 08:52 Why Lung Cancer Kills More Young Women Than Breast Cancer 14:08 The Myth That Only Smokers Get Lung Cancer 21:31 How Women's Heart Attack Symptoms Went Ignored for Decades 27:20 How She Told Her Kids She Had Cancer 39:32 Why Your Surgeon Should Warn You About Depression 43:52 The Ripple Effect: Susan Wojcicki and Hidden Costs 53:00 What to Say When Your Doctor Refuses the Scan 56:14 How to Get a Low-Dose CT for Under $500 1:04:36 If She Could Rewrite the Screening Guidelines 1:10:07 The One Thing She Wants Every Woman to Do Guest Bio Shira Boehler is a lung cancer survivor and author of One Scan Saved My Life, a New York Times bestseller chronicling her diagnosis as a healthy, non-smoking runner and mother of four. Diagnosed at 43 after a mass was caught incidentally, she had half her right lung removed and was declared cancer-free at stage one. She founded the Cancer Doesn't Care foundation, which funds low-dose CT screenings for those who cannot afford them, and focuses on early detection, dismantling stigma, and modernizing screening guidelines. - Book: One Scan Saved My Life https://a.co/d/006gnafi - Foundation: https://www.cancerdoesntcare.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiraboehler/ *** Go deeper with Dr. Sarah Hill's books, both science-backed guides to understanding your own biology: The Period Brain: the new science of why we PMS and PMDD, and how to feel your best all month long https://www.amazon.com/Period-Brain-Science-Manifesto-Women/dp/0063382474 This Is Your Brain on Birth Control: how the pill shapes mood, attraction, and behavior in ways most women are never told https://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Brain-Birth-Control/dp/0525536035

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  Episode #15

  Why Does Attraction Change in Relationships? with Dr. Andrea Meltzer | #15

  Aug 24, 20261h 18m

  Why does attraction change once you're in a long-term relationship? And could hormones, physical attractiveness, and even what happens after sex shape how satisfied couples remain over time? On this episode of The XX Lab , Dr. Sarah Hill sits down with Dr. Andrea Meltzer , Professor of Social Psychology at Florida State University, to explore the science of attraction, mate choice, sexual satisfaction, and long-term relationship health. Dr. Meltzer has spent years studying how individual differences and interpersonal dynamics shape romantic relationships. Her research uses longitudinal and experimental methods to examine newlywed couples, giving researchers a rare look at how attraction, stress, sexual satisfaction, and perceptions of partners influence relationship outcomes over time. Does physical attractiveness predict relationship satisfaction? The conversation begins with a surprising finding about physical attractiveness and relationship satisfaction. Dr. Meltzer explains why attractiveness can matter differently for men and women once a relationship becomes established, and why the person you find attractive from across the room isn't necessarily the same person you experience as attractive when they're your partner. Sarah and Andrea also discuss how people tend to see their romantic partners more positively than outside observers do. Relationship satisfaction and commitment can shape how attractive we perceive our partners to be, suggesting that attraction isn't simply a fixed reaction to someone's physical appearance. How can couples protect relationship satisfaction over time? Relationship satisfaction tends to decline on average over the course of marriage, but Dr. Meltzer emphasizes that couples differ considerably in how steep that decline is. Her research points toward factors that may help buffer against those changes. The conversation ends with practical ideas for maintaining strong relationships, including positive communication, supporting a partner's goals, and creating novel experiences together. Dr. Meltzer also highlights something couples may underestimate: the role that outside stress can play inside the relationship. This episode is for anyone curious about the science of attraction, hormones, sex, mate choice, marriage, and what actually helps romantic relationships stay satisfying over time. KEY TAKEAWAYS Relationship attraction is shaped by context , meaning a partner's personality, behavior, status, and relationship dynamics can matter alongside physical appearance. Sexual afterglow can last roughly 24 to 48 hours after sex , potentially helping couples maintain a sense of connection between sexual experiences. Stronger sexual afterglow has been associated with greater relationship satisfaction months later , suggesting that the effects of sex may extend beyond the sexual encounter itself. Sexual frequency appears to matter up to a point , while sexual afterglow may become particularly relevant once couples are already meeting their desired level of sexual frequency. Positive communication and novel experiences together may help protect relationship satisfaction , while outside stress is an often-underestimated influence on romantic relationships. GUEST BIO Dr. Andrea Meltzer is a Professor of Social Psychology at Florida State University whose research examines relationship development, maintenance, and well-being. Her work focuses on how individual differences, stress, sexual satisfaction, partner perceptions, and interpersonal dynamics shape romantic relationship outcomes over time. Follow The XX Lab for more science-based conversations about women's health, psychology, relationships, and human behavior.

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  Episode #14

  7 Surprising Things Your Voice Reveals About You with Dr. Greg Bryant | #14

  Aug 17, 20261h 11m

  What does your voice say before you even finish a sentence? Long before someone processes your words, their brain has already begun decoding your voice. In a fraction of a second, people can make surprisingly accurate judgments about your age, biological sex, emotional state, health, native language, and even aspects of your social relationships. The fascinating part? Most of this happens automatically. In this episode of The XX Lab , Dr. Sarah Hill sits down with cognitive scientist Dr. Greg Bryant , Professor and Chair of Communication at UCLA, to explore the hidden science of human vocal communication. Drawing from evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and behavioral biology, Dr. Bryant explains why our voices evolved to carry so much information and how humans have become remarkably skilled at interpreting those signals. Sarah and Greg discuss how listeners detect subtle vocal cues associated with illness, strength, stress, confidence, and authenticity. They also explore why these abilities likely evolved to help humans navigate cooperation, competition, caregiving, and mate selection. Whether you're interested in psychology, neuroscience, communication, women's health, or human behavior, this conversation offers a fascinating look at one of the most overlooked aspects of everyday life: the science hiding inside every conversation. KEY TAKEAWAYS Your voice communicates far more than the words you speak, including biological and social information. Listeners can often estimate a person's age, biological sex, emotional state, and native language after hearing only a brief vocal sample. Subtle vocal characteristics can provide clues about illness, physical condition, and overall health. Humans evolved specialized abilities to rapidly interpret vocal signals because they support cooperation, survival, and social decision-making. Genuine laughter carries different acoustic characteristics than polite or socially motivated laughter. Vocal communication combines language, context, and sound into a remarkably rich social signal. Evolutionary psychology helps explain why humans are exceptionally tuned to vocal cues. Understanding how voices shape perception can improve communication, relationships, and social awareness. GUEST BIO Dr. Greg Bryant is a cognitive scientist who studies communication and cognition from an evolutionary perspective. He serves as Professor and Chair of the UCLA Department of Communication, where his research examines vocal communication, laughter, music perception, social cognition, cultural evolution, and behavioral biology. His work combines laboratory experiments, cross-cultural field research, acoustic analysis, and comparative studies across species. GUEST LINKS Spotify (Music) https://open.spotify.com/artist/7txtvHi6cCtJJRhZX2zBlJ HOST LINKS Website https://www.sarahehill.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahehillphd LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahehillphd If you enjoyed this conversation, follow The XX Lab , leave a review, and share this episode with someone who's fascinated by the science of human behavior.

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  The XX Lab

  Why Women Compete Differently Than Men with Dr. Khandis Blake | #13

  Aug 10, 20261h 18m

  Are women really less competitive than men, or have we been measuring competition the wrong way? In this episode of The XX Lab , Dr. Sarah Hill sits down with Dr. Khandis Blake , PhD, evolutionary psychologist and researcher, to explore how hormones, competition, confidence, mate preferences, and modern environments shape women's behavior in ways that are often misunderstood. Why do women compete differently than men? Drawing on years of research in evolutionary psychology, Dr. Blake explains why women often compete through different strategies than men, how status and relationships influence those behaviors, and why common stereotypes fail to capture the full picture. Sarah and Khandis discuss the evolutionary pressures that shaped female competition and why cooperation has been just as important to women's success as competition itself. The conversation also explores how hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle can influence confidence, ambition, social behavior, and partner preferences. Together, they unpack what researchers know, what remains uncertain, and why nuance matters when discussing sex differences. How do hormones shape everyday decisions? Sarah and Khandis examine research on hormonal contraception, workplace behavior, mate choice, and the gender pay gap, asking whether biology and modern culture interact in ways that help explain differences in outcomes without reducing them to simple cause-and-effect stories. Whether you're interested in women's health, psychology, relationships, or understanding the science behind human behavior, this episode offers an evidence-based conversation that challenges common assumptions while respecting the complexity of the research. Key Takeaways Women often compete through social and relationship-based strategies rather than direct physical competition. Cooperation and competition have evolved together as complementary survival strategies. Hormonal changes can subtly influence confidence, motivation, and social behavior. Confidence is influenced by both biology and environment rather than either factor alone. Hormonal contraception may affect some aspects of psychology differently across individuals. Mate preferences are flexible and can shift depending on context and life stage. Evolutionary psychology helps explain behavioral patterns without determining individual outcomes. Biological differences should inform research without reinforcing stereotypes. Understanding women's psychology requires considering both culture and biology. Scientific nuance is essential when discussing hormones, behavior, and sex differences. Guest Bio Khandis Blake is an evolutionary psychologist whose research examines female competition, hormones, mating psychology, status, and human behavior. Her work explores how evolutionary science can help explain modern social dynamics while challenging common misconceptions about women. Enjoyed this conversation? Follow The XX Lab and leave a review to help more people discover evidence-based conversations about women's health, psychology, and human behavior.

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  Episode #13

  The Wellness Industry Isn't Making Us Healthier with Sarah Ann Macklin | #13

  Aug 3, 20261h 26m

  We have more health information than ever before, yet we're getting sicker, more stressed, and more overwhelmed. So what's missing? In this episode of The XX Lab , Dr. Sarah Hill welcomes Sarah Ann Macklin , registered nutritionist, former international model, host of Live Well Be Well , and author of Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard . Together, they explore why today's $8.5 trillion wellness industry isn't delivering better health and why the missing ingredient may have less to do with information and more to do with how we relate to ourselves. Why isn't more health advice making us healthier? Sarah Ann shares her remarkable journey from the fashion industry to clinical nutrition, revealing how years of chasing perfection ultimately reshaped her understanding of health. She explains why fear-based wellness messaging often backfires, how self-worth influences health behaviors, and why sustainable habits begin with self-compassion rather than self-criticism. The conversation also explores mindset, stress, body awareness, food insecurity, nutrition science, and the fascinating ways our thoughts can influence our physiology. Sarah and Sarah discuss why understanding your body's signals is essential for making lasting lifestyle changes and why health doesn't have to be built on restriction or guilt. What does it really mean to work with your body? From the science of interoception to practical advice about whole foods, supplements, cooking, and behavior change, this episode offers an evidence-based roadmap for building a healthier relationship with food and with yourself. Rather than chasing perfection, Sarah Ann explains why learning to trust your body may be one of the most powerful health interventions available. Whether you're overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice, struggling to build healthier habits, or simply looking for a more compassionate approach to wellness, this conversation offers practical tools backed by science. Key Takeaways More health information doesn't automatically lead to better health outcomes. Self-compassion is a critical foundation for long-term behavior change. Fear-based wellness marketing often undermines healthy habits. Whole foods support healthier body signals than highly processed foods. Mindset can influence physiological responses to nutrition and exercise. Chronic stress affects both physical and mental well-being. Supplements should support, not replace, a nutrient-rich diet and should be guided by appropriate testing when possible. Sustainable health comes from working with your body instead of constantly trying to fix it. Guest Bio Sarah Ann Macklin is a registered nutritionist, former international model, founder of the Be Well Collective, host of the Live Well Be Well podcast, and author of Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard . Her work focuses on evidence-based nutrition, behavior change, and helping people build healthier relationships with food and themselves. Guest Links Website: https://www.sarahannmacklin.com Live Well Be Well Podcast Instagram: @sarahannmacklin Book: Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard Be Well Collective If you enjoyed this conversation, follow The XX Lab and leave a review to help more listeners discover science-backed conversations about health, psychology, and human behavior.

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