Callista Frey | Author at Thegrowinghome

For 8 years, I said I was fine without close friends, until I realized childhood had trained me to treat vulnerability as danger

March 23, 2026 by Callista Frey

As told to The Growing Home by Dana R. and edited lightly for length and clarity. I used to spend Saturday mornings in Chicago like I had perfected adult life. I would walk to Trader Joe’s, buy tulips I did not need, grab a latte from Starbucks on Clark and head home to my apartment … Read more

I’m 75, and strangers say I look more beautiful now than I did at 35. It took me years to see that I finally became myself

March 23, 2026 by Callista Frey

As told to The Growing Home by Marlene C. and edited gently for length and clarity. I turned 75 in January and I still catch myself glancing at old photos the way some people check the weather. I used to keep a small stack of them in a drawer beside my bed in Evanston, just … Read more