Podcast Summary: Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari
Episode: How Astrology Will Impact Our 2026 with Spirit Daughter
Date: December 30, 2025
Host: Kristin Cavallari
Guest: Jill Winterstein (Spirit Daughter)
Episode Overview
In this rich and engaging New Year’s Eve episode, Kristin Cavallari sits down with Jill Winterstein—better known as Spirit Daughter—to explore how astrology and spirituality will shape the coming year and especially 2026. Beyond discussing the pivotal astrological shifts on the horizon, the conversation dives deep into using astrology and manifestation to understand yourself, break negative patterns, and set intentions for the year ahead. The tone is open, friendly, and laden with “real talk” about personal growth, relationships, and adopting practical spiritual tools.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Jill Winterstein’s Origins & The Rise of Astrology (01:05–06:03)
- Jill shared her first forays into astrology as a curious teenager in the 1990s, hand-drawing charts and combining interests in psychology, consciousness, and spirituality.
- “I got into astrology as a teenager... I also found psychology fascinating. When I was 16, I was reading college textbooks and doing charts for my friends. This was pre-internet!” (01:23)
- After starting as a neurogenetics researcher, she eventually built Spirit Daughter, her brand, on Instagram, connecting with a new generation seeking meaning and guidance.
- “People are leaning on spirituality and astrology now more than ever to help guide their life and give them some answers.” — Kristin (06:07)
2. Understanding Your Birth Chart: Sun, Moon, Rising & Nodes (06:19–15:23)
- The “Big Three”: Sun sign (core identity), rising sign (first impression/projection), moon sign (emotional needs).
- “Your sun is the core of your personality, the center of you. That’s what everything in your life revolves around.” — Jill (07:14)
- Kristin’s chart is explained:
- Sun in Capricorn (“legacy, career, leaving a mark”)
- Rising in Cancer (“first impression: softer, more intuitive, but can be perceived as softer than you are”)
- Moon in Aries (“fiery, independent—needs partners who support your self-focus and path”)
- North Node in Aries, South Node in Libra: lifetime journey is about finding fulfillment within yourself vs. relying on partnerships.
- “You don’t need partners to feel whole. You need your life path in your career actually to feel whole.” — Jill (15:03)
- This dynamic creates a gentle but powerful “internal tug-of-war” between wanting soft comfort and needing to prioritize self and career.
3. How Your Birth Chart Highlights Life’s Core Lessons and Challenges (18:26–23:37)
- Jill helps Kristin dig into patterns in her chart that reveal recurring life lessons, especially around career vs. partnership.
- “I need a legacy. I need a reputation. I need to make my mark on this world and leave something lasting.” — Jill, describing Capricorn Sun (19:14)
- The importance of boundaries is emphasized for people with Cancer rising who might present as “soft” but are tough inside.
- “Deep inside, you’re like, no, I’m very serious about this. I need boundaries. I need structure.” — Jill (19:17)
- Relationship timing in astrology: Major Jupiter and node returns amplify personal growth and lay the groundwork for meeting significant partners—often after personal reinvention.
4. Astrological Predictions for 2026: What’s in Store? (23:42–26:12, 58:14–65:03)
- 2026 is a “1” Year in Numerology: Powerful new beginnings after a 9-year completion cycle in 2025.
- “2026 is a one year in numerology... This is a new beginning. This is a fresh start.” — Jill (58:23)
- Astrological “highlights”:
- Jupiter enters Leo at the end of June, bringing leadership, expansion, abundance potential for all signs.
- For Kristin (and similar charts): first half of the year is about reinventing yourself; second half brings rewards and abundance.
- “The identity reinvention you’re going through... may result in more abundance and more feeling worthy of that abundance in the rest of 2026.” — Jill (25:09)
- Major outer planet shifts: Neptune and Saturn into Aries, Uranus into Gemini—marking a “new era” for the collective.
- “2025 is the preview, and 2026 is like the real deal.” — Jill (64:18)
- Real-life advice: “You might not know where you’re going. You just have to start—just galloping. Get on that horse and ride it.” — Jill (64:59)
5. Manifestation, Blocks, and Timeline Jumping Explained (30:28–55:43)
- Manifestation isn’t about “predestination”: Jill views astrology/birth charts as a blueprint for key lessons, but not a fixed fate.
- “I don’t believe everything is predestined.” — Jill (30:33)
- If you strongly desire something, it’s likely aligned with your path—your “wants” show you what’s already possible, but blocks may exist.
- “If you want something, it’s because it’s aligned with you. That want is because it’s already yours.” — Jill (30:51)
- Timeline jumping: You shift to a desired reality by dissolving internal blocks—often rooted in childhood experiences/trauma—through conscious awareness, journaling, and changing habits.
- Kristin: “How can you jump timelines?”
Jill: “You have to understand the block...then visualize and step into the new timeline.” (31:05–32:01)
- Kristin: “How can you jump timelines?”
- Practical Guidance:
- Identify first memories of love/money, write out stories and patterns, use journaling and awareness to surface limiting beliefs.
- Rewiring your brain takes daily conscious effort, especially becoming aware of repeating thought/behavior cycles and creating space to choose a new reaction.
- “Your brain will always take the easiest path... You have to create space between stimulus and reaction...and start to create these, like, little footpaths (new patterns).” — Jill (46:32, 47:14)
- Meditation, breathwork, positive mantras, and setting small reminders help reinforce new neural pathways and manifestations.
- Memorable Quote on Self-Talk:
“Write down all the negative things you say to yourself throughout a day. And then think if you’d ever say that to a friend. We would never say 90% of the things we say to ourselves to a friend.” — Jill (50:19)
6. Working With the New Moon & Setting Intentions (56:00–58:11)
- The new moon is the most potent time to manifest: the conscious and subconscious veil is thinnest, and intentions are supercharged.
- “The new moon is when the sun and the moon are together...the veil between the conscious and subconscious is lowered so you have better access to your intuition.” — Jill (56:06)
- Practical tip: Visualize options, tune into body responses, and trust intuition during new moon Rituals.
7. Spirit Daughter’s Book and Practical Tools (65:03–70:24)
- Jill’s book Spirit Daughter, part memoir and part spiritual guide, is out March 2026. It chronicles her personal and professional transformation (including the wild story of her first marriage to a large-scale pot dealer!) and distills emotional regulation and manifestation tools.
- “Maybe you’re not going through federal investigation, maybe you are...here are some of the tools you can use. If I was able to get myself here, you can too.” — Jill (67:17)
- Jill’s #1 Tool: Breath work, especially focusing on lengthening the exhale, to regulate emotions and tap into calm in any situation.
- “Our breath is our greatest way. Not just our breath, but our exhale.” — Jill (67:36)
- Other tools: EFT tapping, body scans, positive mantras, and daily micro-interventions for self-check-ins and rewiring negative thoughts.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Personal Chart Awareness:
- “This is blowing my mind because I’ve always just thought, I’m a Capricorn. ... But actually, cancer, I think, does make more sense for me.” — Kristin (09:55)
- On Struggles with Partnerships:
- “You signed yourself up for some partnership drama, apparently.” — Jill (27:55)
- “That’s the one area of my life that’s always been difficult for me.” — Kristin (28:02)
- On 2026 Energy:
- “You want to be crystal clear and you want to charge towards it and know that there’s so much potential for new beginnings and new starts. But you may need to say goodbye to old patterns, ... holding on just gets things ripped from us, which is painful and not great.” — Jill (58:43–61:25)
- On Brain Patterns and Persistence:
- “Your brain’s not trying to help you live your best life. Your brain is trying to help you survive.” — Jill (46:32)
- “When you’re really trying to manifest something ... you want to meditate in the morning, you want to write your intentions, you want to spend some time visualizing seeing yourself living them. Because that also primes the brain to create them.” — Jill (53:26)
Important Timestamps for Segment Highlights
- 01:05 – Jill’s path to astrology and spirituality
- 06:19 – Primer on birth charts: Sun, Moon, Rising, Nodes
- 15:03 – Lifelong lessons: “Wholeness comes from within”
- 19:14 – Tension between career and partnership in Kristin’s chart
- 23:42 – Predictions for 2026: Jupiter, identity, expansion
- 30:28 – Manifestation, predestination and jumping timelines
- 36:27 – How to discover (and heal) personal blocks
- 44:11 – Practical steps for rewiring your brain
- 56:00 – Why new moons are ideal for setting intentions
- 58:14 – Numerology and 2026 as a “fresh start” year
- 61:25 – Letting go of comfort zones and moving into the unknown
- 65:03 – Jill’s memoir and her top emotional regulation tools
Final Takeaways
- 2026 signals a major spiritual and personal reset, favoring bold beginnings.
- Birth charts are blueprints—there for insight, not to limit, and can empower self-understanding and self-worth.
- Manifestation hinges not just on wishing, but on diligent unblocking, self-talk shifts, and grounding rituals.
- The most effective emotional regulation tools are simple: focus on breath, build self-awareness, and use supportive mantras.
- Above all: “Begin. Start.” Take advantage of fresh energy by bravely charging forward—on your own terms.
Connect with Spirit Daughter:
- Instagram & TikTok: @SpiritDaughter
- Book (out March 2026): spiritdaughter.com (preorder for bonuses)
For more episodes:
Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari—new episodes every Tuesday!
