Today, I’m speaking with Ayelet Polonsky, a Kabbalistic Manifestation Expert. She is the Creator of The Manifestation Method and a skilled, passionate and trauma-informed facilitator in the world of manifestation and healing. She’s had quite a journey to get to this point in her life — after college she was led to the Amazon jungles of Peru, then India for six years and then finally to Israel where she spent eight years studying and teaching Jewish mysticism, known as Kabbalah. Ayelet now lives on the East Coast with her husband and two children. With the development of The Manifestation Method, Ayelet synthesizes Kabbalistic wisdom and modern psychology to help individuals heal their past traumas, and transform their dreams into reality. She is a trained expert in hypnosis, trauma healing, somatic experiencing and meditation. Ayelet's approach is a harmonious blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, EFT, and Somatic Experiencing, all combined with her signature hypno-visualization techniques.  Manifestation is something I’ve been interested in for awhile and have been wanting to explore through a Jewish lens. I’ve learned a little bit about it in secular spaces and in this conversation with Ayelet, we really get to the root of what Jewish manifestation actually looks like. We speak about: -Ayelet’s journey to getting to where she is today doing this work -How Jewish manifestation differs from the secular interpretation and some myths about it she’s correcting -Why manifestation is a lifestyle — not just a singular practice and what that looks like -Her methodology and the specific goals she helps clients achieve -The power of our words and the way our conscious and subconscious brain works to create a new reality -What true faith and bitachon really feels like -How our trauma (whether it’s with a big t or small t) informs the inner work we do today and what that trauma can be used for -Creating the vessel for the things we want in our lives to actually happen -The power of rituals -Seeing miracles in our everyday lives and how to manifest more of them -The unbelievable power we can all take from the Chanukah lights and bring into our everyday lives -How she manifested her husband …and SO MUCH MORE. Ayelet just takes my questions and brings them to a whole new level with her responses. She both elevates them and takes them deeper in a way that will change how you see the world, your relationship with Hashem and how you deal with the struggles in your life. To get in touch with Ayelet, visit ayeletpolonsky.com. Follow her on Instagram at @ayeletpolonsky.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I am speaking with Rivka Lerner. Originally from Switzerland, she works as a software developer and coach as well as a kallah teacher, but her love is in teaching and discussing profound ideas with Jews from all walks of life.  After teaching with her husband Rabbi Simi Lerner in London for a few years, Rivka came back to Israel long term, and is now an educator in Tel Aviv for the anglo community, as well as in Midreshet Rachel V’Chaya. Above all else, a mother to her awesome four boys. I love this episode so much. We are really going deep into Purim. While Jews have never really had it “easy” this is a particularly tough time for the Jewish people everywhere and it feels a bit strange to be focused on joy when there is so much devastation around us. We talk about that. We speak about what happiness really means, how you can redefine it for yourself and how you can truly feel it this Purim. We also speak really practically about what Purim can look like for you. Is it super overwhelming? Do you not really like it as much as you feel like you “should”? Do you feel like you’re missing out on that joy? We speak about ways you can access it and how you can transform your preparation and day even in just a few conversations that can be really life-changing. We talk about the megillah, parts of the megillah you may not have noticed before and intentions about the megillah that can change your experience while listening to it. At the end we speak about the comparison between Purim and Yom Kippur, or Yom HaKipppurim and what it really means that Yom Kippur is a day “like” Purim.  There is so much depth in this episode, it is so rich with meaning and wisdom and profound takeaways and I am so excited for you to hear it and G-d willing for it to enrich your holiday this year in new ways. 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. I’m Alex Segal and today, I am speaking with Orit Esther Riter, an Emuna Energizer (I love that), a Renowned Inspirational Speaker, Author and the Practicing Founder of the First Haskamah-Approved Torah-Centric Energy Therapy Program. After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 19 years ago, ​emuna was the answer to Orit Esther’s healing, growth, and building of a solid foundation with Hashem. So much so, she redirected her culinary chef career to a more meaningful path of spreading ​emuna. Orit Esther believes that every soul is beautiful and holds positive energy and light that deserves to shine​ and therefore single-handedly began an emuna ​movement worldwide​ devoted to helping others heal from trauma and pain. Her teachings are based on the work of the Holy Ba’al Shem tov and focus on practical strategies to restore emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health​. In this episode, we go deep into Orit Esther’s story — staring way before her diagnosis, and how she persevered through all of the challenges along the way. We learn how she found Hashem in different ways at different points along the journey, and how relationship grew and matured as she did. The ups and downs are vast, yet the way she cultivated emuna and real healing in it is the most inspiring. It’s impossible to hear this story and not feel inspired to work on your emuna and really grip it with all that you have. In a time now, in Kislev, and in the world when we’re experiencing darkness, Orit Esther’s story will bring you back to the light. Her story will invigorate you and remind you why we’re doing all of this, what the grounding force is when you live a life with Hashem, and how and why to consistently get back to it. I’m so honored to have powerful woman on the podcast and so excited for you to hear her message. So now, let’s get into my conversation with Orit Esther. Gain more from Orit Esther below: oremunaenergy.com Get her books on Amazon: Turn Around 180 Degrees in 180 Days Turn Around Your Emotions Turn Around Your Life with the Ba’al Shem Tov

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast — but not just any episode, the one year anniversary episode! I am so proud of how far we've come and how far I've come personally on this journey to building Chai on Life. I have learned so much from so many absolutely incredible women and it has all changed my life for the better. In this episode, I reflect on some of the behind-the-scenes things that have been going on for me throughout the past year as well as go through some of my favorite moments from the last 42 episodes. I share what has stuck with me, what I'm still doing, how I have changed from the teachings and more. A special thank you to all of you who have listened, supported and been there along the way. The chizuk means everything. Another special thank you to all the amazing guests because it's your wisdom that is helping us all become more Chai on Life! Also, enter the giveaway! To do so, all you have to do is write a review for the podcast and send me a screenshot of it and then I will choose someone randomly from that to win a $150 Amazon gift card. If you've already rated and reviewed, that counts too and can be used to enter! My email is [email protected] or you can DM me on Instagram @chaionlifemag. Here, the episodes mentioned in the podcast for easy access to go back and listen! Rivkah Fox on All Things DatingFrum Minimalism: Meet the Woman Who Decluttered Her Entire Home For GoodDebbie Greenblatt: Secrets to Building a More Connected MarriageChana Deutsch: How to Articulate Your Needs, Wants and Desires to Create More Love in Your MarriageMiriam Goldberg: A Deep Dive Into the Mystical World of MikvahLeora Blumenthal: Simplify Your To-Do List and Feel Like a QueenHilla Aboody: Strengthening Ourselves Through the Three Weeks, Nine Days and Tisha B'AvDanielle Renov of Peas Love N Carrots: Building Bitachon, Choosing Happiness and Sharing Her Life with OthersFaigy Blumstein: Is Cheshvan the Month of Moshiach? Gaining More ClarityRivka Segal: Transform Your Tehillim Experience As always, if there is a guest you want to see or a topic you want covered, you can always reach out. Thanks so much for listening, see you next week!

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today I am speaking with Raquel Kirszenbaum, a well-known teacher in Israel and now author of the book, “Stop hurting, Start Healing.” The book is based on her personal journey which has been really fraught with hardship in many ways. The goal is to show that those difficulties do not define her. In her book, she details the emunah that she had to draw on to overcome those challenges and hard relationships. She hopes in her vulnerability, she can help others feel seen, heard and understood; to accept, forgive, let go and strive for greatness. She is a baal teshuva herself. She was born in Venezuela and moved to Panama when she was six. After high school, she went to Israel and that started to change her life. In our conversation, she speaks more about that backstory — she then got married and after struggling for many years had children but things unfortunately didn’t turn out in her marriage as hoped. She doesn’t go into the details of everything that happened as a way to respect her kids and still respect her ex-husband which is astounding, and which of course, I completely respect. For context in the episode, she was in a very difficult marriage yet stayed in it believing it would get better when all of a sudden, something occurred and he left the home. So overnight essentially, she was divorced and became a single mother. Of course, this is heavy stuff. This episode gets REAL, it gets really deep. She really takes us there into all of her emotions, the trauma of going through a divorce that happened so suddenly. The pain and challenge of being fully alone as a single mother with little to no family help around her. Helping her kids through their own traumas as they cope with losing their father from their lives at the same time as she lost her husband. She speaks about how others can also help in a real way that is dignified and respectful which I think is such an important topic to discuss. Everyone has challenges in life, and some are objectively harder than others. It’s an important reminder to look around, remember who needs help, even if it’s just something super small and how something so little can make a huge difference in someone else’s world. While our interview is heavy, I really came out of it feeling inspired. Raquel is such a beacon of strength. She has fought for her relationship with Hashem and continues to regularly. She does not let her challenges define her, rather she is using them to propel her to an even higher level of greatness. Follow Raquel on Instagram. Email Raquel at [email protected]. Get her book, "Stop Hurting, Start Healing."

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today we have Rebekah Saltzman on the show. Rebekah is an organizing wizard who is going to help all of us get into the decluttering and organization mindset today. Rebekah holds a degree in fashion design from Parsons School of Design, and for many years worked as a graphic designer. Rebekah’s passion for the environment and helping people improve their lives drove her to change careers and create her brand, Balagan Be Gone. Rebekah’s straightforward approach to managing “stuff” and her no-nonsense ability to get to the heart of what is important combines with her people skills to help people take control of their lives through organization. She is the author of Organized Jewish Life and the podcast host of Journey to Organization (linked here!) In the episode, we speak about organization and decluttering from a mindset approach as well as a practical one. I love what she says when it comes to clearing out your space to make room for shefa and abundance to flow into your life. We speak about getting rid of the “just incase” mindset and what our relationship with Hashem has to do with decluttering. We also get to tachlis questions like what to do with the plethora of kids projects and toys that may come into your home, whether to involve kids in the process or not and how to do so, what to do if you’re feeling overwhelmed at getting started and how to break free of that, what to do with seasonal items in your home and soooo much more. Also, I hate to bring up Pesach – and don’t worry we have time! But it is coming and while you certainly do not have to declutter and organize your whole house for Pesach, there is something about this time of year with spring coming that makes you want to feel lighter, clean things out, and just get control of everything after a long winter where things may have built up. There is the phrase, spring cleaning, after all. So Rebekah has a special program called Painless Pesach which is a 36-day decluttering challenge that starts on February 23 (That is next Sunday) and just $36, so a dollar a day. The program is really smart because it’s broken down into really small steps so every day of the 36-day challenge, you’ll get a video prompt in your inbox with something to do that takes just 15-30 minutes per day. There is live support via WhatsApp and Facebook and a workbook included so you can track your progress. By the end of the 36-day challenge, your whole house will be decluttered and you will just arrive at the seder table feeling like a lighter, clearer version of yourself and what could be better than that?  CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE PAINLESS PESACH PROGRAM! SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Facebook Facebook Group Instagram TikTok LinkedIn Youtube Pinterest

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. Today, we are talking all about Moshiach. It’s Cheshvan and on the surface, Cheshvan seems like a chill, catch-up kind of month. The chagim are over, we’re back to routine and Cheshvan gives us the time to do so. But is that all Cheshvan is for? Like pretty much all things in Judaism, how things appear on the surface are well, just the surface and there is a whole world of depth underneath. As I was researching more about Cheshvan I learned that it is soooo Moshiach centered. If you learn from the Sefer Yetzirah or the Book of Formation, which you can read about on inner.org, you will learn that the letter of the month, sense of the month, tribe and so much more are all connected to Moshiach. To be honest, Moshiach is something I’ve struggled with over the years becoming religious and being religious. It’s something that I am taught to want, yet also something I don’t actually know that much about. So for awhile now, I’ve been determined to learn more and really understand more and I knew Faigy Blumstein was the perfect person to do so with. Faigy Blumstein does not call herself a lecturer, but someone who loves to share. A passionate educator and school psychologist, she is dedicated to living a Hashem-centered life. As part of the Thank You Hashem women’s division, Faigy draws on chasidic teachings and the light of the Baal Shem Tov, to inspire others. Her heartfelt approach helps women deepen their connection to Hashem, integrating spirituality into everyday life in a meaningful and modern way. And let me tell you this conversation gets deep. We talk about how she got into Chassidus in the first place, how it can connect you in ways you never could have imagined, what Moshiach even means, how we can all work to bring Moshiach, why Cheshvan is the time reserved for Moshiach, how Israel connects to all of this and so so much more. We also learn about the connection between Cheshvan, Moshiach and Rochel Imeinu. Tonight, Monday night, the 11th of Cheshvan begins Rochel Imeinu’s yahrtzeit and our conversation brought such a new light to Rochel that I wasn’t aware of before. It is hashgacha pratis that the podcast is coming out right before so hopefully we can all use our connection to Rochel Imeinu to feel more strength and a new kind of vitality with our Yiddushkeit. Learn more: Cheshvan on Inner.org Thank You Hashem Listen to Faigy's Cheshvan Playlist: Spotify Apple

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, we are diving into the month of Shevat, specifically focusing on Tu B’Shevat which is coming up THIS WEEK. It is on Thursday — Wednesday night to Thursday and if you’re anything like me, Tu B’Shevat is kind of a holiday you acknowledge, but maybe gloss over on a deeper level. This year, I am putting a stop to it. Yehudit Refson (@the jerusalem farmhouse) is the director of grounds, arts and renovations at Neve Yerushalayim. She is an amazing person who has totally transformed Neve’s campus in the time since she moved over there. We actually did an interview nearly four years ago for the Chai on Life website which I am linking in the show notes where you can learn more about how and why she got into the entire gardening journey and how she transformed the earth into a space that was beautiful already, but now is bursting with plant and animal life. Now, the girls at Neve don’t just learn Torah inside the classroom, they really enhance their learning outside of it. Instead of just learning about shemitta, they’re living it with the plants around them. On Rosh Hashanah, they’re touching actual pomegranates and other simanim from their own garden. They’re doing tashlich in their own pond. They plant the arba minim for Sukkot. It’s really a full interactive experience that undoubtedly leaves you with so much more than you would get just from hearing about these things. In our conversation, we go even deeper: -She speaks about the land’s connection and parallels to women -The root word of land in Hebrew, adamah, and how the word itself shows our connection to the earth -We talk about the power of being in nature in regards to our five senses and the impact on our mental health as a result -We go deep into Shevat as I referenced and how the energy of this time is all about renewal -At the end, we discuss practical ways to live a cleaner, greener life and how to just jump into gardening I left our conversation feeling really excited and invigorated to get started with something when it comes to gardening and actually being with the earth and I have a feeling you may feel the same way afterward. I love this episode so much and can’t wait for you to hear it. Resources: How to make a Tu B'Shevat Seder via Aish.com Follow @the jerusalem farmhouse on Instagram

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I’m speaking with Rebbetzin Sarah Feldbrand. She is a former principal of adult education programs in the U.S. and Canada and has taught Jewish philosophy and history for decades. Her teaching evolved into 40 books on Jewish philosophy and history as well as biographies, and historical fiction for adults and children. Currently the Rebbetzin is the moderator of a Mechanchos Forum and also provides Torah counseling via email at [email protected]. We decided to focus on her two volume series called Towards Meaningful Prayer and really get into some of the common issues women have when it comes to connecting to tefilah and how to solve them. Prayer is something that hopefully we all do everyday. Because it’s every day it has the power to connect us like nothing else but also because it happens every day it can become rote or something we do quickly to then get on with our day versus a mitzvah that only comes one time a year. We all know prayer has immense power but sometimes it’s just hard to seize that — you may feel like you’re lacking in connection. So in this conversation, we speak about why davening and prayer is such a powerful tool for women, how to change your practice if things are feeling rote or uninspired, how your mindset has everything to do with tefilah and how to set yourself up for success mentally, which prayers specifically may help you connect more deeply and so much more. 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. I’m Alex Segal and today, I am speaking with Mrs. Rivka Segal, a leader in adult Jewish education who has taught Torah to women and girls of all ages for more than thirty years.  Before making Aliyah from Baltimore, MD, she taught in Bais Yaakov High School and Maalot Baltimore and was the director of the Women’s Institute of Torah. After moving to Israel in 2005, she founded the L’Ayla Women’s Initiative in Jerusalem. She is a sought-after speaker, known for her creativity and ability to excite and engage audiences of all ages. For the past fifteen years, she has made Tehillim come alive for thousands of people. She is currently in the process of completing a five-volume series entitled Living Tehillim. To date, three volumes have been published and let me tell you they are so good and will change the way you see and understand the Tehillim that you’re saying or even inspire you to start saying them. I interviewed Rivka nearly four years ago for the Chai on Life website and the article we did together continues to be the top performing article today. I think it’s because people are searching for more connection in their prayers. They want to connect, they want to daven, they want to fee, to bring Redemption into this world and they’re looking for more answers. In the episode, we speak about how Rivka got into Tehillim and how it became a new purpose and passion in life, why Dovid HaMelech was the one who wrote Tehillim and what we can all learn from his greatness, how to connect in your native language to the words of Tehillim, the special connection between Tehillim and Chanukah and really so much more. To find out more about the “Living Tehillim” initiative or to register for her online zoom series, visit her website at www.livingtehillim.com.  Learn more from Rivka in our previous interview.