You will not look at the mitzvah of challah the same way after hearing Anat speak. I completely fell in love with her in this episode — she is so well spoken and articulate and as you will hear, I was continuously blown away by her wisdom.

In our conversation, we speak about:

-Why she feels so connected to the mitzvah of challah and where it all began

-How to reframe happiness as a goal in life and have a new perspective on what that word even means

-Her journey making Aliyah and how her relationship with Hashem evolved through the process

-How the act of making challah mimics reality — what we can learn from the entire experience and how we can bring more of ourselves into that experience

-Messages to carry you from Pesach through the transition back into bread and the year ahead — not sure about you but it’s always so weird to me to go from completely banning chametz to fully making challah again. Lots of beautiful gems here

-How she models strength and perseverance in her home and connects with her children through mitzvot in a way that is authentic and doesn’t wear her out

…and SO much more.

To get more from the Challah Mom, visit her below:

⁠@challah.mom⁠ on Instagram

Anat Ishai on Facebook

⁠thechallahmom.com

This year, Batya has created a stunning cookbook called ⁠Pesach Secrets⁠ that everyone is talking about. I had to get it and am so excited to dive in as I’m cooking for Pesach this year. In the book, she not only has tons of mouth-watering recipes, but she also goes through all the elements of the seder plate with information on how to put it together and tips to keep everything fresh.

There is information on checking vegetables, hechsherim to pay close attention to so you don’t accidentally buy kitniyot for example, advice on how to prep for Pesach so  you don’t get so completely overwhelmed and so much more. It is so comprehensive and you can really utilize the recipes all year round.

In our conversation, Batya speaks about:

-How she got into this work and built Batya’s Kitchen into what it is today

-What her own memories of Pesach look like and and how that plays into her work and family life

-How to have a positive mindset about Pesach and a calming approach if you’re feeling overwhelmed

-How to approach a big book of recipes also without getting overwhelmed and feeling like you need to make everything

-Her approach to planning a menu

-Her number one tip to staying focused and being most efficient in the kitchen

-How to get kids involved

…and so much more!

Rivky is the Associate Director at the Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life at Binghamton University. An internationally known teacher, lecturer, and activist, she travels widely, addressing the intersection of traditional Jewish observance and contemporary life, with a special focus on Jewish women in Jewish law and life. She is the author of the book, ⁠Holy Intimacy: The Heart and Soul of Jewish Marriage⁠and editor of T⁠otal Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology⁠ as well as ⁠Bread and Fire; Jewish Women find God in the Everyday⁠. She is also the mother of nine children.

Rivky is also someone very special to me. When I was just beginning my Jewish journey at Binghamton University, she was my personal teacher, role model and guide as I moved through the early stages of learning more about Judaism. I still remember the taste of her challah on Friday nights, the way she commanded a room of hundreds each week and how she really found love for every student that walked through her doors. 

When thinking about who to interview for a Pesach episode, she just felt like such a powerful choice. In this episode, we get into it and speak about:

-How she ended up at Binghamton University on shlichus

-How to reframe your mindset on Pesach so you don’t feel so overburdened and stressed out

-What the true definition of freedom is according to the Rebbe and how that manifests in everyday life

-Why the book of Shemos where we learn about Yetziyas Mitzrayim is such a feminine book of the Torah

-How a woman who is so forward facing and such a doer can then become a receiver, or mekabel in marriage

-A new approach if you’re not feeling so inspired by the mikvah experience, and how we can bring that mindset through all of the mitzvot we do

-The difference between spirituality and having a relationship with Hashem

-The most important thing to teach our children today

…and soooo much more.

Gvira was born in the Bronx and made aliya with her parents from Peoria, Illinois, and then was raised in Jerusalem’s Haredi center. She built a 25-year career as a trailblazing woman in technology across the government and private sectors, including 15 years in systems analysis and project management and over a decade as the founder of GMP Start, an international technology consulting business.

She became the CEO of Temech in 2019 and in that role, is passionate about helping Jewish women build meaningful, sustainable careers without compromising their values. Also, she’s the mother of 11 children, so she’s running quite a crew at home as well.

Gvira is a fascinating person and we had such a wonderful conversation. We speak about:

-Her career and how she got to become the powerhouse leader that she is

-How young girls today can become more assertive in asking for what they want and receiving it

-What she did when life got honestly too overwhelming — how she got herself back and the routines and strategies she put in place to manage her big and beautiful life and make time for herself within that

-How her relationship with Hashem has evolved over the years and how she connects now

-The difference between resilience and strength

-The power of imperfection

…and so much more!

To get in touch with Gvira, you can reach out at ⁠Gviram@temech.org⁠.

To learn more about what she does, visit ⁠Temech.org⁠.

She was also very vocal during the NYC mayoral election this past year when unfortunately, Mamdani was elected. Lisa was instrumental in trying to unite the Jewish people in prayer to attempt to stop his win yet even when he did, she did not let the news get her down. She is a strong advocate for the Jewish people and has really become a source of chizzuk, or strength for me, when it comes to the day-to-day issues we’re facing these days. 

Plus, the whole experience with Mamdani has eerie parallels to the Purim story. He really feels like a modern day Haman and I knew I wanted to speak with Lisa around this time to give us insight into how we can use this experience to connect even more to Purim and Hashem, as the ultimate goal.

And she really delivered. She shares sooo much wisdom in this podcast episode and I’m so glad we talked it all through. In our conversation, we speak about:

-How to see Hashem in this hidden world

-What the lessons in the Torah can teach us about the times we’re living in now

-How she’s already seeing Hashem’s Hand through Mamdani’s election and why she’s not scared

-Why unity is one of the most important things we need to be focused on and how to work at it in your own life when you feel helpless

-Her thoughts on if we should all be moving to Israel right now

-How she personally connects more deeply to Hashem and how to work to make it more of a relationship vs just a give and take 

-What it means to be a strong Jewish woman

…and so much more!

Connect with Lisa on Instagram at @lisababich9 or via email at lisababich9@gmail.com.

In the episode we speak about:

-How Cathy got started with her own podcast and business she built

-Why she feels it’s way more to focus on “pro-semitism” instead of antisemitism.

-How to become the vessel to draw in the life you want

-The guilt people may feel around having “too much”

-Why so many people feel shame around prosperity and how to transcend that

-Getting closer to Hashem through abundance

…and SO MUCH MORE.

She has a degree in biochemistry and nutritional sciences and really looks at health from a macro approach to see the full picture of what her clients are dealing with. She helps them identify the root causes of hormonal imbalances and offers natural tools, evidence-based nutrition and sustainable practices to restore that hormonal balance in the body and nurture lasting self-care.

In the episode we speak about:

-What you should talk to your doctor about at your annual visit and what labs to ask for to get a better view of how you’re doing health-wise and hormonally as well as when to get them — she also shares a list that you can bring to your doctor which I’m including in the show notes

-What inflammation actually is and how to understand its presence in your body

-If everyone should be getting their hormones tested

-What it means if it takes longer to get pregnant than you think it “should” — this was a super interesting conversation and honestly quite calming

-The effect our reproductive health has on the rest of our bodies whether or not you are trying to conceive

-The impact stress and anxiety have on the body and how we can begin to manage that

-Nilli’s opinion on the role of a GLP-1 when it comes to weight and health management, plus what you must make sure you are doing if you are on one

-How we can work to create a life of balance in an unbalanced world — and I say work intentionally because it is a process and one that is ever-changing

For Nilli’s complete list of what to test for at your next doctor’s appointment (as referenced in the episode), ⁠click here⁠.

If you want to work with Nilli, you can get in touch with her via ⁠nourisheddaily.com⁠.

Yael (Sunshine) Komer, M.A. in Child Development, helps families navigate sleep and behavior challenges with evidence-based tools and real-world understanding. With years of private practice experience, she brings science down to earth with warmth, humor, and practicality.

Since I’m in the little kid stage of life, I love speaking about parenting because it’s so applicable and truly such an avodah every single day. There are endless topics to discuss, mindset shifts to tackle and personal work we’re doing daily to become the parents and people we want to be.

In the episode, we speak about:

-All things baby sleep and sleep training

-Plus, we answer a ton of questions related to kids slightly older:

–How do I calm myself down when my child is having a tantrum?

–How can I regulate myself emotionally when my child needs that emotional regulation also?

–How do I help them learn the skills to do so?

–How can I be there for them and take care of the other things I need to do in that moment whether that’s taking care of a baby, making dinner, or answering a call?

–How do I get to the root cause of an issue with a child and uncover what help they may need?

–How can I relate more to my kids when it’s hard to connect?

–How can I create intrinsic motivation in my kids?

–How can I positively connect and utilize the time when things are calm?

There is sooo much jam-packed in there and our conversation is filled with examples from both of our lives so you can really visualize a scenario and get tangible takeaways that apply to your own life. 

Yael is open to taking on new clients for either parenting help or sleep coaching so you can reach out to her at Yaelsunshine89@gmail.com

During the pregnancy, she had to be on bed rest for months, live in the hospital for a month at a certain point and ultimately, give birth via C-section in an incredibly scary and truly dangerous surgery that she almost didn’t survive. This book speaks about that experience and so much more. She explains it as an “eye-opening memoir about self-acceptance, love and embracing the present.”

I don’t have favorite episodes because I truly love all of the guests and conversations I have yet this one left a particularly strong impact on me because of its depth and the vulnerability Batya shared when telling more about her story and all she went through.

In the episode, we speak about:

-The type of person Batya was before this experience and how she has evolved since

-How she lived with the idea thinking death could be coming and how it changed her day-to-day world

-What “living up to her potential” now means to her and how that view differs from the past

-What it was like going through this experience while also being a mother to five other children — we go really in depth here into the reaction her kids had, what it was like when she couldn’t physically be present for them, the self-love and acceptance she went through as a mom, woman and so much more

-Her relationship with Hashem and how that has completely evolved and grown

-Her relationship with her husband throughout this experience and how afterward, they both went about working through all that happened

…and so much more!

While we touch on so much in this conversation, her book of course goes even more in-depth so I really encourage you to check it out. Get it here or at your local Jewish bookstore.