Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I am speaking with Merissa Gross, a shadchan, or matchmaker, extraordinaire.

Merissa is a ball of energy, just so much fun to be around with is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to dating.

This is a full raw, real, tachlis conversation. We really get into it. Even though I’ve interviewed other dating experts on the podcasts, I think this one is the most insightful in terms of the behind-the-scenes aspect that happens for a matchmaker. She does not hold back — she shares it all with stories and details so even if you’re not currently in the dating scene, this is an interesting one to listen to.

We speak about:

-Her day-to-day schedule and what goes into working with a couple

-How she sets parameters around who she sets up

-How the payment system works with her and other shadchanim — this was really interesting to see how it’s evolved

-How she decides who to pair up — if it really is a gut feeling or there is a system

-Addressing mistakes matchmakers make and clearing up misconceptions about the reputation so many unfortunately get

-Why you may feel frustrated with the matches that you’re getting

-How to make the best impression at a meeting with a matchmaker

-What to do if you feel like you’re not getting the best matches and how she has handled certain situations

-Red flags to look out for in dating

-The concept of settling versus not

-How to know when you’re ready to get engaged and what that feels like

...and sooo much more.

As you can see from that list, we cover A LOT of ground and even if you’re married, this is a super engaging conversation to listen in on just from a place of personal interest and as a way to help any single friends find THEIR match.

If you'd like to get in touch with Merissa, you can email her at mg@merissagross.com

When email is not possible: Israel work only number, which includes WhatsApp: 058.500.8820

Official work hours: 9am-3pm IST

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today, I am so happy to be back! Baruch Hashem, it was a beautiful Pesach holiday filled with a lot of great quality family time, cooking, decluttering, all the things we talk about on here and now it feels good to be back to the podcast!

Coming off of Pesach, we just spend time looking inward, thinking about the excess chametz we want to get rid of in our own lives, the fluff that gets in the way of who we really are, what things maybe we want to free ourselves from and be free to do. This episode is all about self-awareness, going beneath the surface, getting more to the root of who you are and it’s a beautiful continuation of that work we can bring into this new time period on the Jewish calendar.

Dvora Henner, our guest this week, is the founder of MAXIMIZE, a home organization and life coaching business dedicated to helping women make the most of their space and time. She is passionate about self-awareness and personal growth as the foundation for stronger, healthier relationships.

In the episode, we speak about:

-Her journey from being a full-time stay at home mother to re-entering the out of the house work and finding what she wants to do

-The importance of self-awareness, how we learn more about it throughout life as different triggers come up

-How this is really the key to solving a lot of our relationship issues we may have with those close to us

-What’s going on inside of us when our emotions are challenged in a new way

-How to use the information to have a deeper, more vulnerable conversation with a loved one

-How to improve our shalom bayit

-What a woman’s needs are compared with a man’s needs and how that plays into all of this

-How we can practice more self-acceptance

...and SO much more!

This episode sounds simple on the surface but it is really so deep and thought-provoking and the perfect thing to listen to as we move through this next period.

If you'd like to get in touch with Dvora, she can be reached at dvorahenner123@gmail.com.

This episode originally aired April 8, 2024.

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and I am so excited about this conversation with Rebbetzin Yehudis Golshevsky. We’re in a difficult time for the Jewish people. We just marked 180 days since October 7 — six whole months since Israel and the Jewish people were attacked on Simchat Torah. It’s hard to believe. It’s so hard to know that every single day, 134 hostages still remain in captivity, our soldiers are still fighting and our people are at risk

There is increased antisemitism around us. Incredible gaslighting about what Israel is doing in self-defense and just to survive and protect its people, our people. It’s truly a painful moment and it can be confusing to know where to turn or where to find hope. This conversation with Rebbetzin Golshevsky, I hope will help you find some comfort.

In our conversation, we speak about:

-Rebbetzin Golshevsky's path to becoming a profound Torah teacher

-How to connect to Nisan and Pesach during this unique time we're in and how we can extract so much meaning out of it

-How to become joyful at this time

-Why things may look so gross and ugly on the outside right now and what that means for the Jewish people

-The process of redemption — what we can look to for hope

-How to free yourself from something personal you're working on

...and so much more!

If you would like to learn more about Rebbetzin Golshevsky and SHIVITI and get on the school's mailing list for classes, visit https://shiviti.org.il/.

To reach out to Rebbetzin Golshevsky directly, you can email her at Yehudis@shiviti.org.

More about Rebbetzin Golshevsky:

Rebbetzin Golshevsky founded and is the director of SHIVITI, a school in Jerusalem for women. She holds primary and secondary teaching certifications from Yavne Teacher's College in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as a BA from SUNY Buffalo in Classics-Judaic Studies. Rebbetzin Golshevsky has been a well-known Torah educator in Jerusalem and abroad for twenty-five years, with students all over the world. She is also published author, editor, and translator.

To nominate a woman for the podcast, please send me an email at alex@chaionlifemag.com or send me a DM on Instagram at @chaionlifemag.

Thanks for listening!