A Conversation with Wendy Correa, Whose New Book "Pretty Baby" Addresses Adverse Childhood Experiences

Wendy B. Correa is a former music industry insider, radio DJ and now author with the release of her new book: My Pretty Baby  (She Writes Press, Nov. 2025). Approximately 64% of adults in the U.S. have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) before age 18, and nearly 1 in 6 people (17.3%) report experiencing 4 or more, according to the CDC. Wendy is on a mission to destigmatize and educate about ACEs and their effect on mental health through her new book. Meet former music industry insider, radio DJ and now author Wendy Correa. In My Pretty Baby, Wendy writes about her own riveting journey with ACE, including her time in celebrity circles, spiritual practices and a lifetime of healing from childhood trauma. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and an urgent reminder that healing requires honesty, community and hope. Correa writes about being traumatized as young woman escaping a violent home, moving to California to discover herself, and along the way finds a career in the music industry, dates celebrities – Guns N’ Roses' Slash would sit on the edge of her desk and flirt with her, hangs with music legend Joni Mitchell, meets Beatle’s drummer Ringo Starr at her first AA meeting, and becomes journalist/author Hunter S. Thompson’s assistant - only to uncover a devastating family secret decades later. In this episode we discuss: CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS & SELF-WORTH: How Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell, and Hunter S. Thompson shaped Wendy's journey of self-discoveryRECLAIMING LIFE AFTER TRAUMA: Her 40+ year healing journey using Buddhism, Native American practices, 12-Step programs, EMDR therapy, plant medicine and moreFAMILY ESTRANGEMENT & FORGIVENESS: How uncovering a long-hidden truth brought the closure she had always sought and discovering, finding and getting to know her half-sister.A CULTURAL CALL TO ACTION: Why our society must do more to address ACEs and support trauma recoveryBATTLE WITH ADDICTION: her journey abusing alcohol, nicotine and cocaine, and the turning point to become soberAbout the book: After escaping a turbulent home life, Correa’s path of self-discovery encompasses Buddhism, yoga, meditation, plant medicine, Native American sweat lodges and vision quest, 12-Step programs, and psychotherapy. Along the way, she had extraordinary experiences: singing “Give Peace a Chance” on the Rose Bowl stage with rock ’n’ roll royalty, working at A&M and Geffen Records, and spending time rock legends (mentioned above). Her life changes when she moves to Aspen and becomes a radio DJ and assistant to legendary writer Hunter S. Thompson. There, she meets her future husband and begins to build the family she had longed for her whole life. Despite her newfound peace, she is repeatedly drawn back into her family of origin’s dysfunction. It is only after her mother’s death that Wendy uncovers a painful family secret that finally answers her lifelong question: What really happened to my family?NYT bestselling author Sharon Salzberg says of Wendy's book: “In her deeply personal and candid memoir, My Pretty Baby, Correa's vivid storytelling penetrates the depths of her suffering with honesty and compassion, reminding readers that it is never too late to heal our traumas to live a life based in loving awareness."Wendy is also a yogi, hiker as well as a licensed massage therapist. Wendy holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and theater arts and has contributed articles to Mothering magazine. A wife and mother, she resides in Denver, Colorado. For more info: www.wendybcorrea.comhttps://www.instagram.com/wendybcorrea/https://www.threads.com/@wendybcorreahttps://substack.com/@wendycorrea