Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today I have Gila Levitt on the show.  Gila is aTorah Marriage and Intimacy Specialist with over 20 years of experience empowering Jewish women to create emotionally connected, deeply fulfilling marriages. As the creator of Heart of Marriage: Soul Satisfying Oneness, she blends timeless Torah values with the latest research in emotional intelligence, brain science, and relational well-being. Gila’s work is grounded, warm, and deeply respectful on each woman’s inner world. She offers not just guidance—but clarity, chizuk, and a path forward for the woman who wants to become her best, most authentic self in her marriage. Through mindset shifts, emotional insight, and practical tools, she helps women align with who they truly want to be—in marriage and in life.   This episode was one I wasn’t sure I wanted to do to be totally honest. It covers a really vulnerable topic and one that isn’t often spoken about publicly. That being said, it’s an important one, one that affects every marriage and every woman in some way so when Gila reached out, I really thought it through and it felt like a good opportunity to delve into things a little more. Because intimacy is such a private thing, it can be one women don’t really feel comfortable getting help on or seeking support if they need it and I’m hoping this episode will help break a little bit of that stigma. In the episode we cover a lot — from what intimacy actually looks like in a Torah marriage — the mindset around it and the body-soul relationship to practical ways to achieve more connection to it if it’s something that’s hard for you. We speak about the differences between men and women in general and in this space that could be coming up and realistic expectations to have around its impact on your marriage. For more from Gila, visit heartofmarriage.org or reach out to Gila at [email protected]. For more classes from Gila on Kol Halashon, click 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.

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 another episode of The Chai on Life podcast. I'm Alex Segal. Trigger warning for this episode: We speak about pregnancy, miscarriage and diet and nutrition so if any of those things may be triggering for you, definitely feel free to turn off the episode, I completely understand.   Now let’s learn about our amazing guest, Lauren Allen. Lauren is a former sugar addict turned Certified Nutrition Coach who specializes in women's hormonal health and fertility. After being diagnosed with PCOS after struggling with infertility, Lauren discovered the power of using food as medicine to heal her body, balance her hormones, and eventually get pregnant naturally. Lauren believes that all women deserve to harness the power of eating foods that help balance their hormones and optimize their fertility without feeling deprived or restricted. She is the creator of the Balance Your Hormones 101 program and The Empowered Path to Pregnancy program to help women learn how diet and lifestyle changes can help them balance their hormones and optimize their fertility. She coaches women privately as well.   In this episode, we speak about: -How Lauren got to where she is today, working through a sugar addiction to become a health coach and conceive two children naturally -What a hormone is and what its role is in your body -What vital organs in your body do and how the food we eat can affect them -What balancing our blood sugar means and how to do so effectively -How to improve out diets to add in more nutrition, in a way that’s not overwhelming -What it actually means to be “born with all your eggs” — it’s not what you think! -The best things to eat during the pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum periods to optimize your health and your baby’s health -How to make time to take care of ourselves   …and so much more!   If you want to learn more from Lauren, you can follow her on Instagram @laurenallennutrition and visit her website laurenallennutrition.com — there are tons of awesome recipes on there (I highly recommend the chickpea chocolate chip cookies!) She also has her own podcast called “About Health and Hormones” which you can learn more about here: laurenallennutrition.com/podcast. For more information on her courses, you can also visit her website.   If there is a guest you would like to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, send a DM to @chaionlifemag on Instagram or email [email protected].   Thanks for listening!

Today's guest is Debbie Greenblatt and we are talking all about the secrets to a more connected marriage. Debbie just released a book (Secrets of a Connected Marriage — order here!) where she breaks down profound Jewish wisdom into tangible, succinct ways you can improve your marriage. You will become more connected to your spouse and turn more into the person you want to be in the process. In this conversation, Debbie and I speak about: -Why marriage is such a challenge -How husbands and wives and grow closer to each other -How to become a great woman, using your marriage to get you there -How we can create a more positive culture in our homes -How to bring Hashem into our lives and marriages more -What we can learn from relationships in the Torah, like Avraham and Sarah ...and so much more! If you would like to get in touch with Debbie after listening, you can reach out to her at [email protected] or through her website, deardebbie.com. Please leave a rating and review for the podcast and reach out if there's anyone you'd like to see on! You can send a DM at @chaionlifemag or email at [email protected].   More about Debbie: Debbie Greenblatt has been involved in teaching and counseling Jewish women for over thirty-five years.  Mrs. Greenblatt lectures across the United States on topics that include Jewish texts, Jewish thought and relationships.  For over thirty years, her weekly class in the works of Rabbi Dessler have served as an anchor in her own life and has changed the lives of many of those who have attended. She currently gives several Middos Vaadim that concentrate on character development. Her warm and personal approach to the women she encounters has many women seeking her counsel and insight on the Torah’s approach to their personal dilemmas. Using the unique Torah based and practical approach that she developed to help people navigate the dating process, Debbie has been successfully coaching singles for over twenty years. Mrs. Greenblatt writes a column on relationships for a large Jewish Magazine, and is regularly asked to contribute essays to a variety of publications. She is the founder of the Women’s Division of Gateways, an outreach organization. Debbie is the Director of Education for the Mentorship Training Program of Core, and organization that seeks to strengthen the fabric of the Jewish People by building the woman of klal Yisrael and the connections between them. Debbie’s new book, Secrets of a Connected Marriage, published by Judaica Press, gives us a glimpse into the deeper Jewish perspectives that form the basis of successful marriage, with practical applications for the woman of today.

Hi everyone! I'm so excited for you to listen to my episode with Rivkah Fox (@rivkahfox). She's a matchmaker who has set up tons of couples and is at your service! In this episode, we talk about: -How Rivkah got into matchmaking -How she made her first match -How she organizes her matches -The do’s and don’ts of working with a shadchan -How often to reach out to a shadchan and what to say -How Rivkah decides who to match up -How to make the best first impression on your matchmaker -How to ensure a matchmaker remembers you -How the time we’re in has affected her job as a matchmaker -How Rivkah met her husband and what you can learn from her story -How to plan the perfect first date   If you want to reach out to Rivkah, you can WhatsApp her at  516-666-2465. Send her a bio, a few photos of yourself and a dating resume if you have one.   If you have a guest you'd like to see on the Chai on Life podcast, email [email protected] or send us a DM at @chaionlifemag. 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].

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, we have the amazing Rachel Rosenberg on the podcast.  Rachel is a certified mindset, health, and behavior change coach who helps women break free from emotional eating, binge cycles, and the exhausting all-or-nothing mindset. Blending neuroscience, CBT tools, and over 12 years of experience, she guides her clients to build a healthy relationship with food — and with themselves. Her work isn’t about more control. It’s about freedom. It’s about peace. It’s about learning to trust your body again. This was a topic I was excited to explore more deeply — while it’s focused on creating a healthy lifestyle, there is so much more around that that we delve into when it comes to building the life you want to be living and the habits that support it. We speak about letting go of perfectionism on that journey, how to navigate what a healthy lifestyle actually looks like for you and then the emotions that may come up along the way when getting there. As women, our relationship with food can be layered and it’s one that comes up multiple times a day. Rachel works with women to get to a much freer place when it comes to choosing what to eat every day and just how to approach this aspect of our lives with a lot more calm. These days, weight loss drugs are a hot topic as well and it feels that conversations around weight loss really run the gamut — first, we’re focusing more on body acceptance and not wanting to change to focusing on everyone doing weight loss drugs and how we feel about that to maybe feeling shame about wanting to lose weight and speaking openly about that to also wanting to love ourselves the way we are! — there can be feelings across the whole spectrum at different times in our lives and sometimes all at the same time. In this conversation, we speak about a lot of that. How you can feel confident and okay with wanting to lose weight if that’s your goal AND also work on loving yourself as you are. Rachel has a new group opening up in July so reach out now! You can follow her on Instagram at @coach rachel rosenberg or connect via email at [email protected].

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I have Elisheva Liss, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist on the show.  Elisheva works with individuals and couples to help improve their quality of life and relationships — most commonly treating depression, anxiety, relationship problems and anything dealing with intimacy. She has a collaborative approach, which means she looks at her work as a partnership with each client. In this episode, we basically have a mini (or honestly, extended) therapy session about a lot of common issues women may be dealing with in the religious community, outside of it and in the unique time we’re living in. As frum Jewish women, we live a beautiful life with holy values. We plan and often host Shabbat meals every week, opening our homes to those who need it. We bake challah, daven, say Tehillim, try to do chesed when we can, often work outside of the home, raise children, try to be a giving and loving wife, find time to learn and grow as people, find time for our own wellbeing and self-care with exercise, preparing healthy meals, maybe even our own therapy, we prepare simchas for our families, make time for friends to nourish ourselves and focus on what’s going on in their lives, and so much more — the list goes on. Even just crafting this list — which I’m sure is still missing a lot — shows me just how much we may have on our plates at any given time. So especially when you lean more to the overachieving, perfectionist side of the mental health spectrum, it can often feel like you’re not measuring up. We are taught that Hashem gives us time to partner with Hashem in this world, and the worst feeling is to feel like we’re not utilizing that potential. How do we know when it’s enough? How do we feel okay with just not being able to do it all? So I brought on Elisheva Liss to help me work through this concept. She is a beautiful, well-spoken therapist who actually has her own book called “Find Your Horizon of Healthy Thinking: Hack Your Thoughts and Improve Your Mood” which really was a perfect match for this topic. In our conversation, we speak about the pressures frum women face today, how to feel more comfortable with where we’re at in this exact moment and how to use our brains to develop a healthier way of thinking and honestly, enjoy the lives that we’re leading. Here, the books she shares in the episode: 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose by Matthew Kelly Slowing Down to the Speed of Life — by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey Bittersweet by Susan Cain Follow Elisheva on Instagram here. Join her weekly newsletter here.

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today we have Rebbetzin Ruthi Lynn on the show.  Ruthi is a Marriage and Family therapist. For more than 15 years, she has conducted seminars, lectures and online classes for parents. As a therapist, Ruthi specializes in parenting, teens and relational issues within the family. Her ultimate goal is to help parents have amazing relationships with their kids, to see themselves as leaders to their children and to build the next generation strong, moral and passionate. She is also the mother of 8 kids bli ayin hara so she has a little experience herself in the thick of it. Ruthi has worked closely with Rebbetzin Sima Spetner, the renowned chinuch expert from Eretz Yisrael, and has become a teacher of her work. She was basically like an apprentice and went around Israel with her for years, eventually even taking over some of her classes. Now, she’s continuing to bring that wisdom to others. She is running a 10-week seminar based on Rebbetzin Spetner’s teachings this summer and it starts tonight, Monday June 16, via Zoom to anyone around the world. To sign up, contact Rivky Weiss at 216-965-4107. If you happen to be listening to this once the class is started, you can still reach out and catch up on the recordings that you missed. In our conversation, Ruthi and I speak about  -how she became so connected with Rebbetzin Spetner and what that relationship looked like at that time -How to get back in touch with your intuition when it comes to parenting and why it gets lost for so many of us -How to know when a kid’s behavior is important to respond to or you can let go a little bit more -How we can bring Hashem consistently back into our parenting -How Ruthi achieved such a beautiful relationship with her own kids with one of the main things she credits that to -How to get through hectic and changing summer schedules and any upcoming travel you may be taking -What a realistic life looks like when you have multiple children of various ages and genders under one roof …and so much more! This episode is informative, relatable and just so necessary when it comes to all we’re dealing with consistently as parents. I hope that Ruthi will help you take some of the pressure off and really allow you to have fun and enjoy the summer with your family. Enjoy!

[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!