245 How Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Aging and Affect Health with Wendy B. Correa
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Release Date: 01/16/2026
Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
What if the most powerful breakthroughs in reversing chronic disease had less to do with new drugs—and everything to do with understanding human behavior? Type 2 diabetes is widely treated as a lifelong, progressive condition. But what if that assumption is wrong? In today’s episode, we explore how reclaiming personal agency, supported by behavioral science and AI-driven personalization, can fundamentally reshape how you age—because age is just a number, but how you age is a choice. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases associated with aging, yet conventional...
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In recent years, headlines warning about microplastics in fish, water, and even the human body have triggered widespread anxiety. While fear-based narratives grab attention, they also keep the nervous system in a chronic stress state—driving inflammation, impaired decision-making, and accelerated biological aging. The question is no longer just environmental, but deeply personal: what happens when alarming headlines age us faster than reality? For those committed to healthy longevity, constant environmental alarmism can quietly undermine well-being. Chronic stress is a known driver of...
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Many people enter retirement feeling uncertain, disconnected, or afraid of becoming irrelevant. In this episode, author and conscious aging advocate Wayne Lehrer reframes later life as a powerful third act—one that can be consciously designed for purpose, vitality, and authentic happiness. You’ll learn how mindset, meaning, and daily practices shape not just how long you live, but how well you age. Wayne Lehrer is an author, sculptor, meditation teacher, and conscious aging advocate. A former World’s Fair and theme-park designer and IMAX filmmaker, he now leads international...
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Women entering perimenopause and menopause are often told to “do more cardio,” “eat less,” and “push harder” to stay fit. Yet for many, these strategies lead to exhaustion, stalled progress, injuries, and declining confidence rather than improved health. As estrogen declines, muscle loss accelerates, recovery slows, and stress hormones become more influential on weight, sleep, and inflammation. Following outdated fitness rules during this phase can quietly accelerate biological aging and undermine long-term healthspan. Today's guest, Alicia Jones, combines kinesiology,...
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Canada’s healthcare system is under unprecedented strain, with thousands of people experiencing serious harm—or death—while waiting for diagnostic procedures, specialist care, or life-saving treatments. Despite public trust in the system, delays have become a hidden personal risk that most Canadians fail to plan for. As we age, delays in diagnosis and treatment don’t just affect outcomes—they accelerate physical decline, cognitive stress, emotional exhaustion, and financial vulnerability. Loss of access means loss of control, which directly undermines resilience, independence,...
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Extreme diets dominate social media, but what actually happens inside your body when you follow them? In this episode, registered dietitian Andres Ayesta shares the results of a 60-day self-experiment comparing a carnivore diet with a whole-foods, minimally processed approach. Using lab testing, DEXA scans, and behavioral science, he reveals what truly changes—and what doesn’t—when it comes to weight, body composition, energy, and long-term health as we age. Andres Ayesta is a registered dietitian, sports nutritionist, and founder of Planos Nutrition. With...
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Chronic stress and burnout are often worn as a badge of honor, yet they can be powerful accelerators of biological aging. In this conversation, wellness entrepreneur and educator Erica Jones explains how persistent stress can disrupt sleep, increase inflammation, and influence mitochondrial function, hormones, and even gene expression through epigenetic pathways. Together, with the host, Dr. Gillian Lockitch, we focus on sustainable strategies that busy, high-capacity people can actually maintain - starting with the “unsexy basics” of hydration and sleep, plus boundaries that protect your...
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Early life trauma can leave lasting imprints on the brain, body, and emotional health well into later life, but healing is possible at any age. In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with memoirist and wellness practitioner, Wendy Correa about adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, and the profound healing power of self-awareness and creative expression. Wendy shares how writing her memoir, My Pretty Baby, became both a personal reckoning and a path to liberation. This conversation explores how movement, mindfulness,...
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
Chronic stress and anxiety are not just emotional experiences; they can quietly accelerate biological aging and undermine brain health. In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with integrative mental health expert Dr. Nicole Cain about how anxiety, panic, trauma, and unresolved stress shape the nervous system across the lifespan. Dr. Cain explains the critical differences between fear, anxiety, and panic, and how symptoms often serve as meaningful signals rather than disorders to suppress. This rich conversation offers science-backed, compassionate...
info_outlineGrowing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,
What if the way you move could directly influence how well you age? In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch is joined by movement specialist and chiropractor Dr. Edythe Heus to explore how intentional, brain-engaged movement can become one of the most powerful tools for longevity. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Dr. Heus explains how subtle changes in movement reorganize fascia, enhance balance, sharpen cognition, and reduce fall risk. This conversation reframes exercise not as punishment, but as a playful, intelligent practice that supports...
info_outlineEarly life trauma can leave lasting imprints on the brain, body, and emotional health well into later life, but healing is possible at any age. In this episode of Growing Older Living Younger, Dr. Gillian Lockitch speaks with memoirist and wellness practitioner, Wendy Correa about adverse childhood experiences, intergenerational trauma, and the profound healing power of self-awareness and creative expression. Wendy shares how writing her memoir, My Pretty Baby, became both a personal reckoning and a path to liberation. This conversation explores how movement, mindfulness, storytelling, and truth-telling can rewire resilience, restore joy, and help us age with purpose rather than pain.
Wendy Correa is a writer, yoga practitioner, hiker, and licensed massage therapist with a background spanning film, television, radio, and music production in Los Angeles and Aspen. She holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and theater arts and is now based in Denver, Colorado. Her debut memoir, My Pretty Baby: Seeking Truth and Finding Healing, chronicles her journey of healing from childhood trauma through embodiment, creativity, and mindfulness, demonstrating that it is never too late to reclaim vitality and joy.
Episode Timeline
00:00 – Welcome and framing the conversation - Dr. Gillian Lockitch introduces the episode’s focus on healing adverse childhood experiences and rewiring resilience later in life.
04:56 – The origin of the title My Pretty Baby - Wendy explains how a seemingly small childhood moment revealed a foundational family wound.
06:30 – Why publish a memoir at 69 - Choosing motherhood, life experience, and readiness over urgency and timing.
10:38 – Memory, trauma, and vivid recall - Why traumatic experiences are often remembered with intense clarity.
11:52 – Sense memory and embodied recall - How acting training and sensory awareness unlocked unprocessed grief and anger.
16:03 – Unacknowledged grief and lifelong impact - The consequences of losing a parent in childhood without emotional support.
19:17 – Emotional memory versus happy memory - Why fear-based experiences often imprint more deeply than joy.
21:37 – Understanding the ACE Study -An overview of adverse childhood experiences and their long-term health effects.
22:02 – Trauma, biology, and the nervous system
How early stress reshapes the brain, immune system, and stress response.
24:45 – Healing modalities that restore resilience
Yoga, meditation, sobriety, psychotherapy, creativity, and chosen community.
27:12 – Transformative encounters and human kindness
Stories of meaningful interactions that reinforced worth and belonging.
30:18 – Finding a publisher and reclaiming voice
How women-centered publishing empowered Wendy to share her truth.
34:45 – Becoming a cycle breaker
Why healing personal trauma can ripple outward to families and society.
Resources & Links Mentioned
My Pretty Baby: Seeking Truth and Finding Healing is her debut book. For more information, visit www.wendybcorrea.com.
Research on Adverse Childhood Experiences
Call to Action
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Explore your personal roadmap to healing, resilience, and longer healthspan by connecting with Dr. Gillian Lockitch at askdrgill@gmail.com