S18: E16: When Good Identities Become Cages (and how to break free) Artwork

Old Fashioned On Purpose

Have you felt it? Something is rippling through humanity at this moment. It's a stirring... a longing... a remembering. A sense that we are more capable than we’ve been led to believe. We want to feel alive, not sedated.. but we've lost our way. We've traded a life intertwined with nature for asphalt and artificial lights. We've swapped natural movement for a sedentary existence. We've given up food from the earth in favor of food from the factory. We've sacrificed our traditional skillsets for apps and gadgets. But while our overdose on modernity may have made us sick, there is an antidote. Join best-selling author and mentor, Jill Winger, each week as she digs into a different facet of the old-fashioned on purpose lifestyle.

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Old Fashioned On Purpose

S18: E16: When Good Identities Become Cages (and how to break free)

April 27, 2026 • Jill Winger • Season 18 • Episode 16

0:00 | 28:41

Today, I’m exploring the power of identity and how it shapes us, anchors us, and sometimes quietly begins to confine us. Even the identities that are good and meaningful can become cages when we cling to them too tightly or start to outgrow the version of ourselves they were built around.

In this episode, I unpack how to recognize when an identity is supporting you versus trapping you, the questions worth asking when everything starts to feel different, and the very real grief that can come with letting an old version of yourself go.

Podcast Episode Highlights:

Everything feels different
My huge identity shifts over time
Identities can be good AND bad (aka in the grey)
Identities can become cages BECAUSE they are good
Questions to ask yourself to see if your identity is helping you or not
How to know when your identity is trapping you
The grief connected to losing your identity
Final thoughts on releasing identities

Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:

Learn more about Meal Craft here: https://mealcraftmethod.com/

--> Use the code PODCAST for a $15 off discount on Meal Craft

Earlier podcast episode I mentioned today: Season 18: Episode 6: The Magic of Not Belonging

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:

Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

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