BALDWARRIOR
My Story
Hi! Thanks for checking out my website. I'm Kathi Tait, born in New Zealand and lived in Australia since I was 7 in 1980. My story begins back then as one of my sisters was gravely ill with Leukemia and died in 1981. Fast forward about a year and my hair suddenly started falling out in great numbers forming bald spots.

Nobody really knew what was wrong, why it had happened but they had a name for it and a vague reason being 'stress'. I prefer the term trauma because that is the truth of the impact of losing a sibling.

Many years followed with hair loss, some years I grew some back, some it fell out more. Many, many trips to different doctors, some specialists, some alternative. I was experimented on over and over, some were chemicals that left permanent bald spots on my arms or turned my scalp into sores, some were regimes of vitamens & oils to swallow. I grew up believing I was a bit of a freak, certainly no one else in my small town had anything like it.
Even as I rode out my 20s, had a child, got a degree, worked many jobs and had the odd date I had built barriers around myself. Neither did I have any real inner peace because not only was I riding waves of hope and despair around whether my hair was growing or falling out, I was also deeply trapped in the social norm of bald being shameful.

The impact this had on me as the only mindset I'd ever known, having grown up with it from 9 years old, was damaging to say the least and led me to hide my shame under wigs for 30 years. Again thats 3 decades, 30 years! Of lying, hiding, keeping a secret, walking around pretending to be like everyone else but really living in fear of judgment.

There were many other impactful life events that shaped me too, the best of which has always been my son. My light when I nearly gave up, the rock that steadys me still and the inspiration to be the best version of myself I can be.

I started the Baldwarrior Movement in 2018 after finally finding my way into the light, shrugging off the secret, coming 'out of the closet' and being bald. I had to learn to stop caring about other people's judgment. I had to learn that I could find my own version of beauty and be that.

I want to be the person that other 9 year old child struggling with Alopecia needs. The amazing news is I am now. Let me tell you the story of Abbey...

Abbie is a beautiful 7 year old girl that has Alopecia Universalis. This means she has no hair at all including body hair and areas like eyebrows. This is one of 3 types of Alopecia that are grouped together. Alopecia Areata - patches of hair loss over head (how mine started), Alopecia Totalis where just the head hair is lost & Alopecia Universalis... all of it. There are quite a few other types of Alopecia as well by the way... This will be featured in my upcoming book "100 FACES OF ALOPECIA" which I am putting together this year.
Even as I rode out my 20s, had a child, got a degree, worked many jobs and had the odd date I had built barriers around myself. Neither did I have any real inner peace because not only was I riding waves of hope and despair around whether my hair was growing or falling out, I was also deeply trapped in the social norm of bald being shameful.

The impact this had on me as the only mindset I'd ever known, having grown up with it from 9 years old, was damaging to say the least and led me to hide my shame under wigs for 30 years. Again thats 3 decades, 30 years! Of lying, hiding, keeping a secret, walking around pretending to be like everyone else but really living in fear of judgment.

There were many other impactful life events that shaped me too, the best of which has always been my son. My light when I nearly gave up, the rock that steadys me still and the inspiration to be the best version of myself I can be.

I started the Baldwarrior Movement in 2018 after finally finding my way into the light, shrugging off the secret, coming 'out of the closet' and being bald. I had to learn to stop caring about other people's judgment. I had to learn that I could find my own version of beauty and be that.

I want to be the person that other 9 year old child struggling with Alopecia needs. The amazing news is I am now. Let me tell you the story of Abbey...

Abbie is a beautiful 7 year old girl that has Alopecia Universalis. This means she has no hair at all including body hair and areas like eyebrows. This is one of 3 types of Alopecia that are grouped together. Alopecia Areata - patches of hair loss over head (how mine started), Alopecia Totalis where just the head hair is lost & Alopecia Universalis... all of it. There are quite a few other types of Alopecia as well by the way... This will be featured in my upcoming book "100 FACES OF ALOPECIA" which I am putting together this year.

ack to Abbie! Abbie's Mum reached out to me as Abbie asked if I could go to her school assembly for their annual 'Crazy Hair Day'. I remembered the days of my own primary school hosting 'Crazy Hat Day' and knew Abbie was feeling different to her friends.

I didn't know if I'd be able to make it. Abbie lived in Perth, Western Australia and at the time I was living in New Zealand and due to travel to the USA as well. BUT.. I thought hard about it and was inspired to go all in and see if we could raise the money to get me there! My son jumped straight on board and after about 4 weeks we raised enough funds to fly me over and also to make a video of the whole thing!!

I presented Abbie with a Baldwarrior tshirt on stage after delivering an assembly talk all about how the kids had super powers of their own. See the whole thing below! Abbie was delighted to be supported in such an amazing way, we had media cover the event and many teachers and parents came up to me afterwards to thank them for inspiring the kids.

I have to say it has been one of the highlights of the Baldwarrior journey so far. I became for Abbie who I needed when it happened to me. I made a difference. Thanks Abbie xx