Who Am I Now? Margo Ewing Woodacre Explores Identity After Caregiving and Other Major Life Transitions

Landenberg, Pennsylvania Nov 4, 2026 (Issuewire.com) A life-changing event can leave us facing a question we never expected to ask: Who am I now? Whether following the end of a caregiving journey, the loss of a loved one, divorce, retirement, or another major life transition, the challenge is often more than adjusting to a new reality. It is rediscovering who we are when the roles, routines, and relationships that once defined us change.

After eight years of caregiving for her husband, Ernie, through his journey with Alzheimers disease, Margo Ewing Woodacre, MSW, explores the often-overlooked journey of identity and renewal in her new book, Beyond the Crossroads: Reclaiming Identity When Life Changes Everything. Drawing on her own experiences, personal reflections, and stories shared by other caregivers, Woodacre examines the profound changes that occur when caregiving becomes central to a persons life, and what happens when that role ends. She explores the deeply personal question that often follows: Who am I now?

Her story speaks to a broader human experience: finding our way forward when life no longer looks the way we expected. Through candid storytelling, reflection, and practical guidance, Woodacre invites readers to consider what they have learned, what they may need to release, and what they want to carry forward as they begin the next chapter of their lives.

Woodacre identifies two significant identity shifts that occur during the caregiving journey:

• Becoming the Caregiver: the gradual loss of self while caring for another person 
• When Caregiving Ends: the unexpected struggle to rediscover that identity when caregiving ends.

For years, my life revolved around caring for my husband. When that journey ended, I found myself facing a question I hadn’t anticipated: Who am I now? said Margo Ewing Woodacre, author of Beyond the Crossroads. I had to learn how to make decisions for myself again, rediscover interests I had set aside, and find a new sense of purpose. I wrote Beyond the Crossroads because I know other caregivers face that same uncertainty. I want them to understand that while life may never return to what it was, it can still be meaningful, fulfilling, and their own.

Combining personal journal entries, stories shared by other caregivers, practical guidance, and reflection exercises, Beyond the Crossroads offers a five-question process to help readers reclaim their sense of self and consider what comes next:

• Who am I now?
• What have I learned?
• What do I want going forward?
• What is standing in the way?
• And finally, as Woodacre puts it, Hit the Road, Jack! Letting go of what no longer serves us and making room for what lies ahead.

The book has received praise from professionals familiar with the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease and caregiving.

Beyond the Crossroads’ strongest asset is its focus on what comes after caregiving ends. That territory, the disorientation, the loss of identity when the role disappears, is genuinely underexplored in this space.

Terrence Casey, Director of Communications and Outreach, Penn Memory Center / Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

While rooted in the caregiving experience, Beyond the Crossroads speaks to anyone navigating a major life transition, including widowhood, divorce, retirement, illness, or unexpected career changes.

Woodacre encourages readers to recognize the strengths developed through difficult experiences, rediscover parts of themselves they may have set aside, explore new possibilities, and gradually rebuild a life that reflects who they have become. Beyond the Crossroads offers a compassionate perspective on moving forward while honoring the experiences that have shaped who we are.

Beyond the Crossroads is now available on Amazon. For more information about the author and her book, visit https://www.margo360.com/.    

About the Author

Margo Ewing Woodacre, MSW, is an author, speaker, educator, and former Delaware State Senator. The first woman elected Prothonotary in New Castle County, Delaware, she has built a diverse career in public service, counseling, education, and communication. She co-authored Ill Miss You Too with her daughter, helping families navigate the transition to college. Her experience caring for her husband through Alzheimer’s disease inspired her writing about caregiving, loss, and personal identity. Through her books and speaking engagements, Woodacre encourages individuals to navigate life’s transitions with resilience, confidence, and renewed purpose.