What Would a Woman-Centered Definition of Success Look Like?

Prioritizing Relationships as a Woman in 2026

Send us a text. We'd love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/fan_mail/new] Welcome to episode 18, season 5 of the Woman Uncaged podcast! This week, we explore Laura and Linda's shared epiphanies that relationships are what matter most to them, and why that sparked fears of looking dependent, unfeminist, or stereotypical.  Laura shares the surprising tenderness of getting into a new romantic relationship relatively quickly after divorce and the mixed feelings that came with it, especially after consuming the post-divorce women's memoir narrative that's been so popular recently. We talk about how any cultural script, even a liberating one, can become a cage when it turns into an either-or: either you choose yourself or you choose partnership. We make space for a both-and where autonomy, curiosity, and self-development can happen inside a healthy relationship.  From there, we widen the lens to midlife transitions, empty nest grief, and the impulse to fill newly open space with obligations. We also connect this to purpose, business, and success, including why  “niching down” and singular life purpose myths can deaden growth-oriented women. If you are navigating post-divorce dating, redefining identity in midlife, rebuilding after an empty nest, or simply trying to prioritize relationships without losing yourself, this conversation will meet you with honesty and warmth. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us what you’re prioritizing in this season of your life. Resources Mentioned: Qoya LORE (Lifestyle of Reverence Everyday): https://www.qoyainspiredmovement.com/lore-membership James Hillman  Laura's Midlife Reinvention Episode of Woman Uncaged [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lauras-midlife-reinvention-a-personal-story/id1728698468?i=1000671987663] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/support] ~Linda's book: Homecoming: One Woman's Story of Dismantling Her Inner Cage and Freeing Her Wild Feminine Soul  [https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Womans-Dismantling-Freeing-Feminine/dp/B0CFD4QVY3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32UYPCYPQ75EG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GNUdD8Pe_VFs9LV_PbinuVA38zr50mX9Y1_xZ9r3k8Q.CnJ3P0qxrctTPFqXp6AAqqRB5w7DON5tpoWqchAyeJA&dib_tag=se&keywords=homecoming+linda+katz&qid=1732378572&sprefix=Homecoming+Linda%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1]  ~Laura's Monday Money Missives: https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/ [https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/] ~Linda's Wild Woman in the Burbs: https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/ [https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/] Support the Show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new [ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new] Email us: womanuncagedpodcast@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

What Would a Woman-Centered Definition of Success Look Like?

Send us a text. We'd love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/fan_mail/new] Welcome to the Woman Uncaged Podcast, Season 5, Episode 17! Today, we’re pulling apart the mainstream definition of success and asking: What does that definition look like when you’re living a full life with caregiving, emotional labor, relationships, and changing seasons all happening at once? We talk about why so many “success principles” don’t translate to women’s lives, especially when the model assumes a support system most of us don’t have. Instead of measuring everything by grades, money, productivity, or status symbols, we explore success as impact, flexibility, and enough financial stability to feel grounded. We also dig into how self-determined values become better markers than external benchmarks, and why it matters to name what you truly want in this phase of life. If you’ve been rethinking work, money, homeownership, or what “making it” even means, you’ll feel right at home here. Subscribe to Woman Uncaged, share this with a friend who needs permission to redefine success, and leave a review to help more women find the conversation. Resources mentioned:  Lana Price's blog: https://www.pragmagical.com/ [https://www.pragmagical.com/] Link to the article mentioned: https://www.pragmagical.com/post/future-proofing-our-careers-a-resilience-strategy [https://www.pragmagical.com/post/future-proofing-our-careers-a-resilience-strategy] The book The Success Principles by Jack Canfield.  The book Plastic Inc. by Beth Gardiner Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/support] ~Linda's book: Homecoming: One Woman's Story of Dismantling Her Inner Cage and Freeing Her Wild Feminine Soul  [https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Womans-Dismantling-Freeing-Feminine/dp/B0CFD4QVY3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32UYPCYPQ75EG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GNUdD8Pe_VFs9LV_PbinuVA38zr50mX9Y1_xZ9r3k8Q.CnJ3P0qxrctTPFqXp6AAqqRB5w7DON5tpoWqchAyeJA&dib_tag=se&keywords=homecoming+linda+katz&qid=1732378572&sprefix=Homecoming+Linda%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1]  ~Laura's Monday Money Missives: https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/ [https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/] ~Linda's Wild Woman in the Burbs: https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/ [https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/] Support the Show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new [ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new] Email us: womanuncagedpodcast@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Make Summer Feel Like a Vacation Again

Send us a text. We'd love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/fan_mail/new] Welcome to episode 16, season 5 of the Woman Uncaged podcast! Summer is marketed like a built-in reset, but many women experience it as more planning, more coordinating, and more pressure to “make it magical” for everyone else. We dig into why summer can quietly increase the mental load for women and how that erodes the very thing we want most: freedom. We get concrete about making summer feel like summer again. Think simple season markers (Memorial Day to Labor Day), a visible summer wish list, and giving yourself real permission to do what lights you up, not just what looks good. We share our own plans too, from hiking state parks and discovering local events to traveling to Sweden, using a backyard pool on purpose, and saying yes to small adventures like rooftop bars or a Lake Superior weekend.  We also dig into how we cannot muscle our way into greater freedom while holding on more tightly. We explore what it takes to loosen the reins and feel more unbridled this summer and beyond!  Subscribe, share with a friend who needs more ease, and leave a review telling us: what’s one thing you are choosing for yourself this summer? Camp Vibrant: 100 Days of Summer Liberation! Camp Vibrant is Laura's summer camp for women who long for more fun & freedom in their lives. Instead of being the planner, caretaker, organizer and emotional support staff for everyone else, reclaim your spacious summer, your joy, and your aliveness this season! To get all the deets on Camp Vibrant, visit: https://bit.ly/campvibrant  [https://bit.ly/campvibrant] Book Mentioned: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/support] ~Linda's book: Homecoming: One Woman's Story of Dismantling Her Inner Cage and Freeing Her Wild Feminine Soul  [https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Womans-Dismantling-Freeing-Feminine/dp/B0CFD4QVY3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32UYPCYPQ75EG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GNUdD8Pe_VFs9LV_PbinuVA38zr50mX9Y1_xZ9r3k8Q.CnJ3P0qxrctTPFqXp6AAqqRB5w7DON5tpoWqchAyeJA&dib_tag=se&keywords=homecoming+linda+katz&qid=1732378572&sprefix=Homecoming+Linda%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1]  ~Laura's Monday Money Missives: https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/ [https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/] ~Linda's Wild Woman in the Burbs: https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/ [https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/] Support the Show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new [ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new] Email us: womanuncagedpodcast@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

The Inner Cages That Stop Us From Living Vibrant Lives

Send us a text. We'd love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/fan_mail/new] Welcome to Woman Uncaged, Season 5, Episode 15! Something wild happens when we stop looking to the world outside us as the source for what's holding us back and start naming what’s happening inside. In this episode, we get personal about the “inner cages” that keep so many of us from living a vibrant life, even when we’re doing all the right things. We talk about the quiet rules, the old stories, and the invisible pressure to be “good” that can turn daily life into a performance instead of a magnificent adventure. We unpack how anxiety works as an inner cage, especially anticipatory anxiety, and take a look at the sneaky ways fear disguises itself as preference or personality. Are you truly introverted, or have you learned to call hiding “who I am”? We also challenge the cult of practicality, productivity, and optimization, and make space for the enlivening choice, the one that brings juice back into your days even if it is not perfect on paper. If you’re craving women’s empowerment, personal growth, and a grounded approach to courage, this conversation will meet you where you are and nudge you toward what you want. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s ready to expand, and leave a review to help more listeners find us. What’s one inner cage you’re ready to question this week? Resources Mentioned: The Delicious Pull of an Erotic Life [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delicious-pull-of-an-erotic-life/id1728698468?i=1000709798089], Episode 14 of Season 3 Woman Uncaged Lianne Raymond [https://www.lianneraymond.com/], Coach Join Laura in Camp Vibrant: https://bit.ly/campvibrant [https://bit.ly/campvibrant] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/support] ~Linda's book: Homecoming: One Woman's Story of Dismantling Her Inner Cage and Freeing Her Wild Feminine Soul  [https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Womans-Dismantling-Freeing-Feminine/dp/B0CFD4QVY3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32UYPCYPQ75EG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GNUdD8Pe_VFs9LV_PbinuVA38zr50mX9Y1_xZ9r3k8Q.CnJ3P0qxrctTPFqXp6AAqqRB5w7DON5tpoWqchAyeJA&dib_tag=se&keywords=homecoming+linda+katz&qid=1732378572&sprefix=Homecoming+Linda%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1]  ~Laura's Monday Money Missives: https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/ [https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/] ~Linda's Wild Woman in the Burbs: https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/ [https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/] Support the Show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new [ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new] Email us: womanuncagedpodcast@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Cultivating Joy Even in Life's Hardest Moments

Send us a text. We'd love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/fan_mail/new] Life rarely arrives in clean chapters. Sometimes you’re walking through heartbreak while also feeling more in love, more free, or more alive than you have in years and then you’re left wondering if you’re doing it “wrong.” We sit down to talk about holding polarities: the ability to hold grief and joy at the same time, without letting one erase the other. We get personal about anticipatory grief, the strange guilt that can show up when you’re still happy though you are not "supposed" to be, and the stories many of us inherited about “appropriate” feelings.  We also widen the lens to women’s empowerment and the patriarchy’s quiet rules: don’t get too big, don’t celebrate too loudly, don’t tempt fate, and if your family is struggling you should sacrifice your success. We question who benefits when women shrink and we name joy as a real form of resilience, especially in difficult political times. You’ll leave with language for mixed emotions, practical ways to stop the guilt spiral, and a reminder we come back to again and again: no feeling is final. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s carrying a lot, and leave a quick review so more people can find the podcast. What’s one polarity you’re holding right now? Book Named: The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level  Angela Davis quote:  "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept". Rainer Maria Rilke quote: “Let everything happen to you Beauty and terror Just keep going No feeling is final” Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/support] ~Linda's book: Homecoming: One Woman's Story of Dismantling Her Inner Cage and Freeing Her Wild Feminine Soul  [https://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Womans-Dismantling-Freeing-Feminine/dp/B0CFD4QVY3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32UYPCYPQ75EG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GNUdD8Pe_VFs9LV_PbinuVA38zr50mX9Y1_xZ9r3k8Q.CnJ3P0qxrctTPFqXp6AAqqRB5w7DON5tpoWqchAyeJA&dib_tag=se&keywords=homecoming+linda+katz&qid=1732378572&sprefix=Homecoming+Linda%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1]  ~Laura's Monday Money Missives: https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/ [https://goodwithmoney.substack.com/] ~Linda's Wild Woman in the Burbs: https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/ [https://lindasewalliuskatz.substack.com/] Support the Show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new [ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2281161/supporters/new] Email us: womanuncagedpodcast@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!