The Anxious Achiever How Childhood Adverse Experiences (ACES) Impact Your Working Life with Dr. Melissa Merrick
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Sep 9, 2025 In this engaging discussion, Dr. Melissa Merrick, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, delves into the profound impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on adult life. She reveals how childhood trauma can manifest as hypervigilance in high achievers and influence healthcare outcomes. Dr. Merrick explains the vital protective factors that help foster healing and the importance of supportive work environments. Listeners will discover daily habits to enhance resilience and strategies for navigating workplace dynamics affected by ACEs.
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ACEs Are Common And Dose-Dependent
- The original ACEs study found over two-thirds of adults report at least one ACE and risks increase with more ACEs.
- ACEs show a graded dose-response linking childhood adversity to many later health and life problems.
Childhood Shapes Lifelong Health Risks
- Childhood adversity raises risk for major physical and mental illnesses including cardiovascular disease and depression.
- Preventing ACEs could avert millions of adult obesity cases and nearly half of adult depression.
Use Relationships And Small Habits To Heal
- Build and maintain at least one safe, stable, nurturing relationship to dramatically improve outcomes across the lifespan.
- Practice physical activity, time in nature, and mindfulness to retrain biology and reduce stress.