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Through in depth conversations with a wide range of guests, Solving for Joy explores the idea that we are always trying to solve life's equation for maximal joy. We'll discover what constants are actually variables we can change and have a lot of laughs along the way. Dr. Chrissie Ott brings a coaching lens, experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship and creativity to the table. We hope this podcast is a tool for many to reclaim delight in their own personal and professional lives!
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (00:00)
My brain is just still shocked and stunned.
How is autonomy up for debate?
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (00:06)
It’s also just devastating to have to witness politicians debating their existence.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (00:14)
Debating their very existence.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (00:17)
I can’t even comprehend not being able to do this right now. And I know that if I’m feeling that way, I know other people are too.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (00:27)
Queer survival and trans survival matter. These lives matter. Their healthcare matters. And our joy also matters.
Chrissie Ott (00:36)
You’re listening to Solving for Joy. I’m your host, Dr. Chrissie Ott, a multi-board-certified integrative physician and professional certified life and career coach.
Chrissie Ott (00:47)
This podcast is about joy—what it means, how we find it, and the creative ways people are solving for it in their own lives.
Chrissie Ott (00:54)
I’m so glad you’re here.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (00:59)
Hello everyone, and welcome to today’s episode of the Solving for Joy podcast. Get ready to hear a lot of laughter. We are hosting the one and only Dr. Anna Larson today, who is a beam of sunshine embodied.
And what I want to talk about is this: there’s a difference between feeling supported and feeling safe.
There are many people doing meaningful work in spaces where they are technically welcomed, but still holding parts of themselves back—still bracing, still editing. And over time, we know that takes a toll on our nervous systems, our leadership, our creativity, and yes, especially our capacity for joy.
As a queer person myself, this isn’t something I just observe—it’s something that I live and have lived for many years. And it’s one of the reasons conversations about belonging, safety, healing, and community matter so deeply to me.
So today’s conversation is about what becomes possible when healing happens in community—when people don’t have to perform, explain, or protect themselves in order to belong.
Dr. Anna Larson, our guest today, is a family medicine physician with over 15 years of experience in LGBTQ+ leadership, advocacy, and gender-affirming care. Notice we did not say “radical gender ideology.”
Anna is also a coach and intuitive healer who deeply believes in the power of healing in community. As a queer person herself—pronouns she/any—Anna brings both lived experience and deep wisdom to the work of helping queer individuals and clinicians create authentic, sustainable lives rooted in clarity, strength, and self-trust.
This conversation is especially exciting to me because it connects to work Anna and I are planning beyond this podcast—creating spaces where trans, queer, and allied people can rest, reconnect, and remember who they are when they’re not in survival mode.
Anna, I’m so excited you’re here.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (03:10)
I’m so excited to be here.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (03:13)
Yes—welcome, welcome, welcome. I often start our conversations by asking about tiny little joys you’re noticing lately. What is something bringing you delight and joy right now?
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (03:28)
Well, right now my boss made a holiday week of holidays, and one of the days was “log cabin day.” It was like: wear your flannel, queer-neutral colors. And I was like, oh my gosh, I have all of this—I cannot wait to go to the lesbian party.
And so my peers in the organization also came and met up, all in our flannel.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (04:01)
You—
You—
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (04:13)
It was so funny and so great and just made me smile. I brought flannel for everybody. There’s flannel everywhere because we have a lot of flannel.
This morning when I was getting ready, I was like, okay, do we wear this? Do we wear this? And my spouse was like, dear God. And I was like, don’t hate—half of this is yours.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (04:22)
Flannel everywhere.
laughter
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (04:43)
So that very much gave me joy today.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (04:49)
That is so fun. And I happen to also know there is a super-powered cuteness source in your life right now.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (04:50)
I would have thought that was a secret tool you’d seek out.
Yes—we’re actually in matching flannel right now, but someone else is watching her. She’s nine months old. I thought she might be joining us because I couldn’t find childcare, but ask and you shall receive.
As soon as she starts crying, my mind just goes—
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (05:25)
Yes, yes. I was treated to a little video of her laughing this morning, and that brought me a bunch of joy.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (05:26)
Yes. Gosh, we were calling our senators this morning while she was laying next to me, and I thought, this is the best moment ever. We’re doing really hard things right now, and this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad I had her with me.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (05:51)
Wow. Tell us more about calling your senators. I want to zoom in on that. So you were snuggling the cutest baby on the planet and calling your senator to advocate for—
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (06:06)
Yes. As many people are aware, there is some pretty terrible legislation that has passed the House. It is not expected to pass the Senate, but I think it never hurts to call your senators and tell them why it’s scary.
One of those pieces of legislation would criminalize providing gender-affirming care to youth, with potential prison time. I’m in Missouri right now, and I can’t provide the care I was trying to provide.
Honestly, I’m very lucky that I moved. Because had I still been caring for my patients and been told I legally couldn’t provide the care they needed, I would have lost my mind. My brain would have exploded. My heart would have exploded. My soul would have exploded.
That’s really where the idea for the retreat came from. I couldn’t comprehend not being able to do this work, and I knew if I felt that way, others did too.
A lot of the attacks on the trans community—and other marginalized communities, including immigrants—hit me deeply. It brought me back to my teenage years, to not feeling safe to be myself.
And then I had this precious baby. We started calling our senators during breastfeeding time. I thought, oxytocin is the best hormone in the world, and if I’m going to make these calls, I’m going to need it.
So that became our time together. It was really precious. And in a strange way, it brought me joy and helped me stay grounded in advocacy.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (08:59)
That is a first—operationalizing the oxytocin hit from breastfeeding. How am I going to leverage this? I love it. How do I use this to further subvert the system?
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (09:14)
I was like, I’ve got it. You’re learning advocacy young, kiddo.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (09:25)
That’s so sweet. And thank you for feeling your feelings.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (09:31)
It’s been a whole process. I think a lot of my friends and chosen family are feeling deep wounds being re-triggered. I’ve needed extra kindness toward myself.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (09:52)
Yes—a little slowing down, time devoted to feeling those feelings. This moment feels surreal.
There’s a part of my brain that is still shocked and stunned that we need to interact with anyone around this at all. A person’s autonomy is at the core of this. How is autonomy up for debate?
I don’t have an answer for that rhetorical question.
Even though my household isn’t acutely impacted, I know many people who are. I know physicians—especially in academic institutions—who are stunned that powerful institutions have simply rolled over.
I mourn. I grieve. I resist.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (11:17)
It’s so hard. A lot of people are caught between trying to care for patients and trying not to lose funding. And many people don’t understand that targeting a sufficiently marginalized population reduces outrage and allows further escalation.
It’s devastating, especially for youth, to witness politicians debating their existence.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (12:07)
Debating their very existence.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (12:11)
Because of how hidden I felt I had to be in high school, college, applying to medical school, residency—it affects you deeply.
I remember being in residency and feeling, for the first time ever, that I could be myself fully.
My uncle, who is now in his mid-70s, lost his first love to AIDS. Hearing our community’s history—knowing queer and trans people have always been here—matters so much to me.
Creating this retreat with him has been deeply meaningful. He’s always been my biggest supporter.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (14:08)
What’s your uncle’s name? I’m looking forward to meeting him.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (14:12)
Uncle Mike.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (14:13)
Let’s talk about how patients are suffering—and how trans and queer clinicians suffer secondarily. Can you share an anonymized example?
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (14:47)
I have so many. Families traveling across states for care. Parents navigating medication access. Some leaving the country.
These are families with resources—many others cannot. And there are fewer providers able to give this care.
It puts patients, families, and clinicians in impossible positions.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (17:21)
They have a story that keeps them committed to action. And when gender-affirming care isn’t met, the psychological and existential anguish is severe. For some youth, this is life or death.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (18:49)
There are proposed HHS rules currently open for comment at regulations.gov. Physicians can and should comment. There are also advocacy organizations like the ACLU, The Trevor Project, and GLMA—the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.
Checking in with trans families, parents, and colleagues matters deeply right now.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (21:30)
Just love on your trans families and people.
Tell us about your vision for the retreat.
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (21:57)
Community heals me. Being able to be fully yourself, process grief, laugh, and just be—it makes us more ourselves.
I didn’t see one space where everyone could belong, so I wanted to create one where, if you felt called to be there, you could be there.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (24:19)
Where can people learn more?
Anna Larson, DO (she/any) (24:26)
CultivatePride.com. Instagram is @QueerDoc.Anna. Email is anna.larson.do@gmail.com
.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (24:58)
Thinking about queer joy and trans joy is a very special, non-monolithic thing. There’s a freedom in not having to explain or code-switch.
Queer survival matters. Trans survival matters. Our joy matters.
Chrissie Ott, MD (she/her) (26:40)
As we wrap up today, I want to acknowledge how much truth, tenderness, grief, courage, and joy lived inside this conversation.
If you’re feeling activated, heavy, hopeful, or seen—that makes sense.
Healing does not happen in isolation. It happens in community.
That’s the heart of Cultivate Pride. If this conversation stirred something for you, learn more at CultivatePride.com.
Your joy matters. Your safety matters. Your voice matters. And you do not have to carry this alone.
Thank you for listening. I’ll see you next time on Solving for Joy.