Episode 04: The Roles We Wear - Letting Go of Identities That Don’t Fit
Why Roles Start to Feel Heavy in Midlife
By the time midlife arrives, many women realize they’ve been living their lives as a collection of roles — the good mom, the dependable employee, the supportive partner, the caretaker. On the outside, it looks fine. On the inside, it feels suffocating.
In this episode, I share why these roles become so hard to carry, and how midlife forces us to confront the question: Who am I, really, outside of everything I do for everyone else?
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why certain roles stop feeling like a fit as you get older
The difference between who you are at your core and who you’ve been performing as
How Human Design helps you see the masks you’ve been wearing without even realizing it
The hidden cost of staying in roles that no longer serve you
First steps to begin releasing what doesn’t feel like you anymore
The Role of Conditioning
Conditioning teaches us from an early age that our value is tied to what we do:
Overachieving at work to prove worth
Caretaking to earn love
Staying quiet to keep the peace
Always being “the strong one” so others can lean on you
Through Human Design and Gene Keys, you begin to see how much of this isn’t yours, and how liberating it is to finally let those expectations go.
Real-Life Reflections
In this episode, I share my own experiences of carrying roles that looked successful but felt empty. Those stories highlight a truth many women in midlife feel but rarely say out loud: sometimes the roles that earn the most praise are the ones that bury you the deepest.
Resources + Links
🎧 Grab your free Energy Snapshot audio, a quick guide to how your Human Design type is designed to use energy.
📖 Go deeper with the Decode Your Design digital reading, a full breakdown of your chart to help you see what’s truly yours.
💌 Connect with me on Instagram or TikTok and share what roles you’re ready to let go of.
About the Rewild by Design Podcast
Rewild by Design is a podcast for women in midlife who feel the pull to stop performing and start remembering who they are. Hosted by Marissa Gordon, it blends Human Design, Gene Keys, and grounded conversations about the midlife awakening.
