"If Only I Had Your Genes"
Breaking the cycle and rewriting our aging story
A funny thing happens when I discuss health optimization, particularly my own.
At some point in the conversation, someone will say, “If only I had your genes.”
But, here’s the thing: my mother and grandmother both died early, in their 60s. They were extraordinary women — intelligent, accomplished and resilient despite the barriers of their time.
I’ve often wondered — was it their genetics? Or were they simply women of past generations who were failed by the healthcare system? Even as women who were bold enough to ask for more, they didn’t have the access to receive it.
Mother’s Day is a complicated holiday for me. While the grief exists at a less intense frequency now, softened a bit by time — a new feeling has been brewing.
A pointed determination.
Perhaps it’s my way of breaking the cycle through my own personal health journey — and changing the story for us all.
Last Sunday I went straight from a baby shower to a longevity event. Two very different rooms, both filled with incredible women. At brunch, I sat among friends in their late thirties, some of them new mothers and others dreaming to be. That evening, I listened to Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon and menopause expert who has a front row seat to our futures, pleading with us to rewrite the narrative of women’s aging.
“The way we view the future is the way we’ve seen other people do it. Aging in inevitable, decline is not.”
What I realized at those events was a whisper network has formed among us. I sit in the “in-between” with friends that range from mid 30s to mid-60s —a beautiful sisterhood. We share doctor referrals, supplements and symptoms as well as lots of life advice. Sometimes I think we’re running a parallel healthcare system out of our group chats. Because we are.
I’m hopeful about what I’m witnessing — a lineage of care that is being rebuilt not through institutions, but through all of us. Mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. And, our male counterparts who are stepping up to advocate.
So my wish this year — amid all of the candles and the flowers — is that you have a real conversation with your mother or a mother-figure in your life, about what we know now. About the options, the science and the mindset shifts that can extend her life and greatly improve its quality.
To support this mission, as I did last year, I’m gifting five mini coaching sessions to the first five women who raise their hand for support (for themselves or someone in need).
I founded Chenessa in my mother’s honor and as an offering to this lineage. My coaching, teaching and even this Substack, are my ways to carry forward the care she didn’t receive, and to make sure we all have a place to feel seen.
Perhaps it’s less about relying on “good genes,” but instead the choices we make and our determination to write a different story.
Happy Mother’s Day.
xCelia
Please consider gifting a woman you love with a subscription to In the Pink or upgrading your own. I’ll be sharing valuable information about how to stay strong, vibrant and joyful as we age. Join us ❤️
Glad I get to be a part of the conversation. Hope to come to the next longevity event.
Loved this, Celia — and a fan of the audio version. Grateful we are longevity friends, forever curious and always sharing.