She has a degree in elementary education, but explains she has learned the most about children by raising them. She has become a treasure trove of wisdom and has turned her teachings into a Substack newsletter called Mother 2 Mother where she shares insights from her two decades of motherhood. It’s both practical and spiritual, relatable yet inspiring and it has been such a pleasure to be a part of her community and learn from her writings.

We are approaching Mother’s Day — at least in the States — and while it may be a holiday you gloss over, it’s also a good opportunity to simply reflect on all you do as a mother. As we speak about in our interview, there’s so much invisible work when you’re a mother, keeping things running on a day-to-day basis — and it’s important to make the invisible visible whether it’s with your spouse, with your kids or without anyone else involved — just to yourself.

In our conversation we speak about:

-How Rebbetzin Katz found and connected to Orthodox Judaism

-The crazy story of how she met her husband

-How to figure out what we really need when it comes to our unique mothering journeys

-How we can place more value on our role as a mother, if it’s not something that comes easily to you

-What a deep connection to Hashem can look like through mothering

-How to feel better about the mental load motherhood comes with and ways to reframe it

-Something you can do at home to cultivate more gratitude

…and so much more!

To reach out to Miriam, you can email her at Miriamkatz613@gmail.com.

For more than 35 years, Esther has guided students of all backgrounds in Torah learning. Along the way, she became increasingly aware that even well-educated learners were often working with over-simplified explanations or incorrect ideas about the core ideas of Judaism and the unfolding story of Am Yisrael.  Critical tools for navigating today’s complex world were therefore missing.

Because of this, she created an entirely new program called Torah Unlocked, and its upcoming flagship course, Reishis, where students will take a fresh look at the story the Torah is telling. Esther’s approach allows the many Torah ideas we have all learned to fall into place within their true context, and many longstanding questions begin to resolve on their own. The result is renewed pride, enthusiasm, clarity  and devotion to the role one can play right now in Am Yisrael’s story.  

While Reishis is not out yet, it is launching in the next couple of months, so if you visit estherwein.com, you can sign up for updates and get notified once it’s officially out.

In this episode, we speak a lot more about:

-The course Esther created

-Some of the core conflicts of the Torah and how they relate to what we’re going through both as a people and individually today.

-The religious world — both as a way to focus more on its positive attributes and recognize what we can all work on to create growth and improvement. 

-What we can take from the Pesach story as she reframes the it in a way that will change how you view the entire Jewish people and our place in this world. 

-The Omer period — what is really going on at this time that we are in and how practically, we can maximize its potential.

-The one thing that brings more bracha to Am Yisrael than anything else.

…and SO much more.

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.