[3] In New York, Winkler continued to build her performance career, appearing in shows such as Attorney at Law, Abie's Irish Rose, Joyce Jordan, M.D., and Rosemary.

An article in Billboard magazine published in December 1944 considered Winkler to be the fourth highest paid woman in radio and called her a "heavy dough collecting" soap player.

[4] The following year, New Stages, Inc. developed radio and television packages to be sold and Winkler was listed as part of the permanent acting company.

Following the recommendation of her psychiatrist, Clara Thompson, Winkler took classes with Charlotte Selver, a German therapist who coined the name "sensory awareness" to describe her approach.

Winkler was known as innovator in the study of sensory awareness and taught courses privately and at the Human Relations Center of the New School of Social Research in New York City.