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Born This Way: A Life Reclaimed After 60 Years of Silence

Coming Out Stories

Wednesday, 18 June 2025 - 36 minutes

What happens when you've spent nearly seven decades hiding your true self? Wendy Cole's story is a testament to courage, resilience, and the transformative power of authenticity.

Born in the late 1940s, Wendy knew from age three that she was a girl, despite being assigned male at birth. At ten years old, she bravely dressed in her mother's clothes and declared her truth—only to face threats of psychiatric commitment in 1950s America. Her journey took another painful turn in the 1970s when a psychiatrist called her a "freak" during her second attempt to transition, forcing her back into the closet with what she describes as "padlocks on the inside."

For the next 45 years, Wendy lived a life of quiet desperation—marrying, raising children, and building a successful tech career while suppressing her identity through marijuana and psychiatric medications. By 2014, at age 67, she had reached breaking point and was contemplating suicide.

Then everything changed. Discovering that medical understanding had evolved and treatment was now available, Wendy finally began her transition in 2015. The transformation was profound—not just emotionally, but physically. She lost 70 pounds, reversed her type 2 diabetes, and found a joy she never thought possible. "Transition saved my life," she tells us simply.

Today, Wendy works as a transition mentor, helping others navigate major life changes with her hard-won wisdom. Through her coaching, upcoming books, and podcast "Demystifying the Transgender Journey," she's dedicated to humanizing the transgender experience for the wider world.

Her message resonates far beyond the transgender community: "You're never too old to be yourself" and "The joy you'll find on the other side is something you never dreamed possible." Wendy's extraordinary journey proves that authenticity is worth fighting for—no matter how long the wait.

Presented by Emma Goswell

Produced by Sam Walker

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