Inga Orth On How Authenticity Can Help You Find Your Way Back

Ever feel like the version of yourself you present to the world isn't the real you? Like you're playing a part, and it's slowly draining the life out of you?

My guest this week is Inga Orth, a Wisconsin dairy farmer, licensed cheesemaker, and the former host of the PBS series "Around the Farm Table." For over a decade, she showed up on camera with a smile, telling beautiful stories about food and farming, all while feeling a profound disconnect from her own authentic voice.

This is a conversation about the radical power of showing up as you are. Inga takes us on her journey from performing for an audience to communicating from the heart. She shares how hitting a wall of burnout led her to slow down, start therapy, and ultimately, save her farm and herself by embracing raw vulnerability.

We talk about the surprising profitability of doing less, the tangible benefits of rest, and how her cows started producing more milk when she started prioritizing her own well being. She opens up about setting hard boundaries and how, in being brutally honest about her struggles, she found a deeper, more supportive community through her authenticity.

A quick note for you, the listener: we had a small technical hiccup at the very end of our recording, so the conversation wraps up a little abruptly. But the message is so powerful and real, I knew I had to share it with you anyway.

This episode is for anyone who creates whether it's music, brands, experiences, or stories and feels the pressure to be a polished version of themselves. It's a powerful reminder that the most profound connection happens not when we're perfect, but when we're real.