Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of the Chai on Life podcast. I met my friend, Carmel Lehmann, in the fall of 2017 when we both studied at Midreshet Rachel V'Chaya, a seminary in Israel. She ended up making aliyah then and getting married shortly after. On October 7, she, like so many other women had to send her husband off to Gaza. Baruch Hashem, he is home now, hopefully for good. *Important to note: This episode was recorded on February 15, 2023 so any details shared on the war during the podcast reflect what was going on at that time. In this episode we talk about: How she decided to make Aliyah and her Jewish journey leading up to it. How she got over the hump to become fluent in Hebrew. What October 7 was like for her and her family. How she survived at home working full time and caring for two small children while her husband was in Gaza. How her relationship with Judaism and Hashem as changed throughout this process. The whole conversation was so real and I know you're going to love it. If you know someone who you think would make a great guest, send me a DM at @chaionlifemag or email me at [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Hi everyone! Welcome back to The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, we are speaking with Dating Coach and Former Today Show Psychologist Jackie Glaser. I’ve known Jackie for 12 years. She was really influential on my Jewish journey. I was on a trip to Israel the summer after I graduated college which is when I met her — she taught us at the seminary Neve Yerushalayim and then she basically convinced me to stay in Israel and do another program for six weeks. That fall, after I was back, she was in New York and started a program that we called Souled — which was a weekly Jewish learning class which changed my life and introduced me to some of my best friends. If you know Jackie, you know she is a powerhouse. She has changed so many lives with her teaching and now is helping so many through her dating coaching. She is using her psychology skills and her own experience of working on herself to help other singles do any work that could help them become more ready to meet and marry their soulmate. She also coaches married women in her courses. In this podcast, we speak about: -Jackie’s experience being single and how she worked on her relationship with Hashem to find peace in that and ultimately, meet her husband -What it really means to surrender to Hashem and she shares real exercises you can do today in order to help you get there -How to know what type of therapy is right for you and if you’re stuck in talk therapy, where you can go from there -Why we may experience trauma and how to work through it so we can heal -Why you should run away from someone who is trying to tell you reasons why you’re single -How to deal with the pain of being single without turning it into suffering -More about her course offerings and why the work she does is so powerful -Practical tools and resources we can turn to to work on our trust in Hashem …and so much more! Other resources mentioned in the podcast: -Jackie's website -Listen to Jackie on The Inside Out Podcast to learn even more about her journey and get more wisdom from her -Build your strength in Hashem with dailybitachon.com -Watch Tzipora Grodko's content for more support If there is a topic or person you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, send me a DM on Instagram at @chaionlifemag or send an email to [email protected]. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to the Chai on Life podcast!    I’m Alex Segal. I’m a writer, editor, wife, mom and inspired Jewish woman. As I’ve gone through life, I’ve become so much more connected to my Jewish identity. I’ve fallen in love with what it means to be Jewish. As I’ve become a Shabbat-observant Jew, and taken on many other mitzvot, it was really important to me to not to lose who I was throughout the process. I would not be where I am without the women who have guided me and shown me what’s possible. They have taught me that my unique self can only shine brighter through this life I’m choosing. That being said, as we move through our day-to-day tasks, it’s easy for life to become well, routine. We need to maintain our inspiration, connect with each other, and through that, we thrive. This is a podcast dedicated to both of those things — an inspired Jewish life and the power women behind it all. The goal? For all of us to become more "chai on life."   Want to nominate a guest? Email me at [email protected].

Meet Ellie Azerad, the author of Frum Minimalism. This episode is ALL about decluttering your home to make it a more pleasant place for you to live. In this episode, we dive into: -How to start decluttering your home and why it will benefit you -How to make this process last and not allow your home to get cluttered again -How your connection to Hashem and spirituality fit into this process -How to deal with it in regards to kids — how to get them involved and deal with the amount of stuff they bring into the home -PESACH: How to get ready in time for Pesach so you can arrive at the holiday calm instead of stressed and anxious -Letting go of the scarcity mindset And SO much more!   To get in touch with Ellie and to find more resources from her, visit frumminimalism.com.  If you have a guest you'd like to see on the Chai on Life podcast, email [email protected] or send me a DM at @chaionlifemag. Thanks for listening!

Today, I’m speaking with Matana Poupko Jacobs, the host of the Hope to Rechargepodcast which is all about hope, healing and personal growth. Matana went through a profound journey through anxiety and depression, which she shares with us in the episode and now she works with others who are going through similar challenges. She meets people where they are, helping them navigate anxiety and depression by implementing practical, personalized tools that support their unique healing journey. Drawing from her lived experience, faith and years of learning from leading experts, she shares honest conversations that inspire resilience, emotional well-being and hope. Her goal is to show that healing is possible, growth is often found in the smallest steps and no one has to walk the journey alone. This is the perfect episode to release this week, as we approach Tisha B’Av. Sometimes it’s in the pain that we find the most connection. As they say, when there are cracks, that’s where the light can come in. In Matana’s story, we’re also learning about things that could be going on behind the scenes for anyone. So much of the time, we don’t know what another person is really going through. As we work on our ahavas chinam, or love for another Jew, in an attempt to rebuild the beis Hamikdash, Matana’s story can be a reminder of that. It can be a reminder to give ourselves more compassion if we’re going through something of our own and understanding that if you feel hurt or insulted by someone else, it may not be what you think. In the episode we speak about: -The moment that anxiety entered her life in a real, overt way and how that changed the course of her life moving forward -Her journey to heal — what that looked like, what got in her way and how she overcame immense challenge -What it looks like to reach out when you need help -What it’s like going through certain aspects of a religious lifestyle when you have OCD and how she worked through that — specifically when it comes to personal challenges like going to the mikvah -How she dealt with resentment that came up toward Hashem or her religious lifestyle and how she was able to persevere through that -How she deals with her challenges as a mother and all that motherhood entails -What she’s doing now to stay mentally healthy every day …and so much more! To get more from Matana, visit hopetorecharge.com Follow her on Instagram at @matanajacobs Two meditations she listens to: Morning meditation https://youtu.be/FmczMP1gQzk?is=VfKZO0zVrPAlEKCr Gratitude meditation https://youtu.be/xfD4HaBBc0I?is=tH8VHa9Hzn79hA-Z

Welcome back to The Chai on Life Podcast! Today, I’m speaking with Guila Sandroussy, the creator of Tasty and Hasty which is an Instagram account and website filled with kosher food recipes that as the name suggests, are both fast and delicious. Since summer is finally here, I’m sure we all want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the sunshine and Guila is helping us with just that. She is spilling all her tips to cooking more efficiently whether it’s for Shabbat or weeknight dinners. In our conversation, we speak about: -How she got started as a food blogger -How her Moroccan background influences her cooking today, and also how it doesn’t -Where she gets the inspiration for her recipes and how you can do the same -How to plan out your weekly meals in a way that is not overwhelming and makes it feel so easy -Her Shabbat planning and cooking process broken down -Why challah has become a mitzvah she feels really connected to and how she makes time for it -She takes us behind the scenes of her content creation process from how long things take to film to the editing and even answering messages -How she brings cooking into her motherhood journey with her kids — from helping them become less picky eaters to bringing them into the kitchen with her when they’re interested in learning …and SO MUCH MORE Some of the things we discussed in the episode: Recipes from Guila with 9x13, sheet-pan ideas and freezer tips Quick-meal links: Easy 9x13 Chicken and Rice 9x13 Kids Pasta Follow on Instagram: @Tastyandhasty If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email [email protected] or send a DM @chaionlifemag.

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today I’m speaking with Katia Bolotin, the author of Making it Relevant: Timeless Torah Wisdom for an Ever-Changing World which came out at the end of last year. Katia is an author and speaker as well as a pianist, songwriter and composer of contemporary classical music. She is known for inspiring audiences with teachings that are both deeply rooted in Torah as well as being contemporary. Her writing is warm, clear, and emotionally resonant — grounded in real experience rather than theory. As I moved through her book, I really felt that. Each chapter focuses on a different parsha and is relatable and easy to read. It makes the parsha approachable and offers at least one practical takeaway or exercise you can do to really bring the Torah’s teachings immediately into your life. It could be fun to learn with a friend or chavruta for that purpose as well and really motivate each other. In the episode, we speak about: -Why she decided to write a book on parsha specifically -How we can use the Torah as the greatest self-help book -Why life is more like a ladder and less like a bridge and what that ladder can teach us  -How Katia grounds herself through Torah -The dangers of comparing oneself to others and how to work on that in both a physical and spiritual way -What the duality present in the Torah can teach us about the world -What masculine and feminine energy look like through a Torah lens -The best way to transmit Torah to our children ...and so much more! Get Katia’s book here. Follow Katia on Instagram here and through her website here. If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email me at [email protected] or send me a DM @chaionlifemag. Thanks again, see you next week!

Today, I’m speaking with Aliza Tropper. Aliza is a licensed psychotherapist and the founder of Heartful Mental Health, a therapy practice based in Cedarhurst, NY.  Aliza has more than a decade of experience helping adolescents and adults navigate anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, and life transitions. She takes a holistic approach, integrating mind, body and soul, and uses evidence-based therapies such as EMDR, CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and more. Her work combines practical tools with deep emotional insight to help people create meaningful, lasting change that is in alignment with their values. This conversation is all about a whole lot of that. I’ve been thinking so much about healing lately. In our social media focused world, healing can sometimes be contained to 1 or 2-minute sound bites or six-slide carousel posts when in reality, it’s hard to fit our lives in a box. While there is so much learning, community and validation that can come from social media, a lot can also be lost. Sometimes it feels like if we just did this one thing that this Instagram post is saying, we would be better — if we just read that one book or bought that one product, we would finally feel healed or have the lives we wanted. We need to remember to go outside the screen to have those real conversations and debrief and connect — there is never a substitute for that. As I spoke to Aliza, I realized that with all the chasing, there also has to be recognition of what is being accomplished every day, there has to be space for emotion — all of them — for the duality of what makes someone human. Becoming healed isn’t a destination that you stay at, but a vibrant journey that continues to bring us to new levels of growth. Aliza is so good about breaking down some of the big concepts we see or hear about and making them understandable and really feel doable. In the episode, we speak about: -How healing itself can become an addiction -What DBT and CBT are — the differences between them and how we can utilize them for growth -How to live more in alignment with our values -What to do when uncomfortable emotions arise -How we can work to reprogram our nervous systems to feel more calm -How to live life with more intention -How to break free of comparison culture and a consumer-based society -How to make friends as an adult and why it feels different than it may have before -How to work on building self-esteem -The power of integrating spirituality in your healing journey …and so much more! To learn more from Aliza or to work with her, visit Heartfulmentalhealth.com Find her on Instagram @alizathetherapist Email her at [email protected]

[This episode originally aired on July 29, 2024] Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, we are speaking with Dr. Hilla Aboody, an amazing teacher, mother, wife and mentor currently living in Eretz Yisrael who I invited to come on to speak about this heavy time on the Jewish calendar. Hilla has such a beautiful way of explaining things — it’s so deep and profound yet easy to comprehend at the same time. A little background on her: She is a wife and mother of five, living in Eretz Yisrael after making Aliyah 7 years ago from Brooklyn, NY. She is a teacher and Em Bayit (house mother) at Midreshet Eshel, a Sephardic seminary for post High school students from around the world. Her educational background includes studying at Michlalah and receiving her bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan University and a Master’s and PhD in Jewish History from New York University. She has published her study on Eliyahu the Prophet in Talmudic literature and midrashim in her book, “Through the Prism of Wisdom”. As an educator and kallah teacher, Hilla dedicates her time in guiding students to creating a relationship with Hashem and tips and tools to thrive in their marriages and in life. In our conversation, we speak about: -What the Jewish perspective is on sadness and pain -How we can connect to Hashem during this time and in this unique way, especially if it feels daunting for you right now -Why this particular time period brings about more heaviness and actually the reason why we take more precautions -The rich energy that lies in the months of Tammuz and Av — what the letters associated with each month mean, why the sense of each month is important and what we can individually and collectively take from all of that -Why crying is actually a sign of bravery -Practical things you can do now to get through this time with more faith, in a more connected way to yourself, Hashem and those around you -How to deal with difficult emotions with your kids …and SO MUCH MORE This podcast with Hilla is basically an hour long shiur. I got chills like 17 times as I was listening to her and it’s definitely one of the most important ones I’ve done so far in terms of our spirituality. If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ or send me a DM @chaionlifemag. Thanks again, see you next week!

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast! It's summer and we all just want to feel our best this time of year and TBH, all year long. This episode is a roundup of five things that I have been doing to feel really good this summer (of course all a work in progress!) I've been thinking about this topic for awhile now and am so excited to get this solo episode out there — more of a rare occasion for me! Really hope you like it and get even one thing out of it. Here, some the other podcasts I reference in the episode: -Chai on Life Podcast with Elisheva Liss -The Liz Moody Podcast episode with Laura Vanderkam If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email me at [email protected] or send me a DM @chaionlifemag. Thanks again, see you next week!