Episode 56: Mark Wolynn

Recipe
Written By Ailey Jolie

03/12/2026

What if your biggest fear isn’t a flaw, but an echo from a story that began before you were born? In this episode, Ailey Jolie sits down with Mark Wolynn, author of It Didn’t Start With You, to explore how inherited trauma can shape our fears, patterns, and relationships.

Mark shares how intergenerational stress can be passed through families, why symptoms often appear around key life milestones, and how language can reveal whether a struggle comes from personal experience or generational roots. Together, we explore practical ways to heal even when family members are unavailable or unsafe, using imagery, photographs, and simple practices that help the body move toward safety.

If you’ve ever felt fear that seems bigger than your story, this conversation offers language, insight, and tools to help you meet what you carry with compassion and agency.

About In This Body: Conversations with leading experts about the importance of embodiment in living an authentic life. In This Body asks the important questions: How does connecting to your body change your life? How will connecting to your body allow you to love better and live more authentically? And how does connecting to your body change the trajectory of our shared world?

In this episode:

  • 0:00 Welcome And Embodiment Frame

  • 4:11 Introducing Mark Wolynn And His Work

  • 6:53 What Being In The Body Means

  • 15:03 From Mice To Humans: The Science Arrives

  • 25:53 Defining Inherited Trauma Through Stories

  • 30:48 Ages, Milestones, And Symptom Triggers

  • 41:43 Healing Without Re-Entering Harm

  • 46:43 Positive Experiences That Rewire

  • 52:43 Blending Science And The Spiritual

  • 56:28 The Core Language Approach In Practice

Find the Full Transcript Here

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Ailey Jolie

https://www.aileyjolie.com
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Episode 55: Ailey Jolie