EP: 81: Inside the Making of TOX: A Film About Beauty Obsession & the Cost of Perfection Starring Kerri Lynn Miller

What do Botox, beauty culture, perfectionism, recovery, feminism, and self-worth have in common?

More than most of us want to admit.

In this powerful and surprisingly funny conversation, Kate sits down with filmmaker and actress Kerri Lynn Miller to discuss her upcoming psychological drama TOX, a film exploring beauty obsession, body dysmorphia, perfectionism, and the relentless pursuit of external validation.

Together, they unpack the uncomfortable truth that many women spend years chasing the next thing that promises to make them feel worthy:

The wrinkle fixThe weight lossThe cosmetic procedureThe perfect outfitThe perfect bodyThe perfect life

And yet somehow, "enough" never arrives.

Kate and Kerri explore how beauty culture can mirror the psychology of addiction, why midlife women often feel caught between self-care and self-rejection, and how social media, aging, and modern beauty standards create a nearly impossible game for women to win.

In This Episode We Discuss:The surprising overlap between addiction and beauty obsessionWhy chasing perfection can function much like alcohol, shopping, workaholism, gambling, people-pleasing, dieting, or other process addictions.

When does self-improvement become self-punishment?

When does self-care cross the line into self-rejection?

The hidden cost of perfectionismKerri shares her own experience working for a pharmaceutical company with unlimited access to Botox, fillers, lasers, and cosmetic procedures—and how what looked like self-improvement was often rooted in a deeper desire to protect herself from rejection and pain.

Why women are taught to believe their worth is in their appearanceFrom childhood messages about beauty to social media's impossible standards, Kate and Kerri discuss how women are conditioned to believe that being attractive equals being valuable.