This is StRest! In this episode, Kerstin Lindquist sits down with Donna Winship, co-founder of Identity Exchange, for a profound and transformative conversation about fear, faith, and the power of knowing who you truly are in God. From her early years as a Jewish girl who knew nothing about Jesus to becoming a wife, mother, and spiritual leader navigating life in war zones and foreign cultures, Donna shares her remarkable story of surrender, suffering, and supernatural peace.

Through decades of missionary work in the Muslim world—including time in Indonesia and the Middle East—Donna and her husband, Jamie, were forced to confront the limits of traditional evangelism. Violence, arrests, and near-death experiences forced them to reimagine how to share Jesus—not by converting others to Christianity, but by inviting them to follow Jesus into the Kingdom of God. What emerged was a new way of life centered on listening to God, embracing identity, and exchanging lies for divine truth.

Kerstin and Donna go deep into how stress manifests as false identity, how to sit with God and ask the right questions, and why spiritual transformation starts not with doing more, but with being known. If you’ve ever struggled with feeling unworthy, powerless, or unsure of your purpose—this episode is for you.

Major Themes & Concepts

✅ From Jewish identity to embracing Jesus as Messiah

✅ Why traditional mission models caused violence instead of peace

✅ The difference between doing for God and being with God

✅ Experiencing vs. learning about God: why information isn’t transformation

✅ The truth about negative emotions and how they reveal false beliefs

✅ The prayer that changed everything: “God, what do you want me to know about that?”

✅ How shame, fear, and striving disconnect us from hearing God

✅ Why God is not a prosecutor but a physician who heals

✅ The neuroscience of identity and the power of choosing what to believe

✅ How to lead others not through argument, but through love, listening, and presence

Chapter Breakdown

00:00 – Arrests, trauma, and a gospel model that failed

04:00 – Donna’s faith story: From Jewish roots to following Jesus

06:30 – The State Department offer—and why they said no

11:34 – Through Gates of Splendor and the call to go

12:50 – Raising three kids in Indonesia without hot water or internet

14:30 – Violence, persecution, and a 10-year prison sentence

17:12 – “We were trained in apologetics and it didn’t work”

20:00 – Confession redefined: What negative emotion are you avoiding?

22:00 – The prayer that changed everything

28:00 – Shame, fear, and the real root of sin

33:00 – Biblical identity shifts: Moses, Gideon, Paul

36:47 – What Jesus actually did: relationship over religion

39:35 – For the everyday woman: identity starts with one question

43:17 – Fear and peace in the Middle East

50:07 – “I’m not good enough”: breaking false names

53:04 – “Before your why, find your I”: identity unlocks purpose

Work with Kerstin

📅 Workshops & Events

💡 Health Coaching with Kerstin

Resources & Recommendations

Vita Hustle Protein  or  https://bit.ly/KERSTIN20

Use code KERSTIN20 for 20% off your first order

Dr. Denese Skincare –   Use code STREST 

Living Fearless by Jamie Winship

Identity Exchange

Finding Hope in Depression (Free 21-Day Course)

Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

Connect with Donna Winship

Instagram: @thedonnawinship

Website: identityexchange.com

Amazon Resources: Jamie & Donna’s Recommended Reads

More about Kerstin

Website: kerstin-lindquist.com

Instagram: @kerstin.lindquist

Facebook: Kerstin Lindquist

YouTube: @Kerstin.lindquist

TikTok: @kerstin.lindquist

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