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!

I am so excited about today’s guest because it is Chanie Apfelbaum of Busy in Brooklyn.

If you are not already familiar, Chanie is a food writer and photographer who has a really unique way of blending traditional Jewish foods with modern flavors. She started her blog, Busy in Brooklyn, in 2011 so it’s been giving us delicious recipe ideas for all occasions for nearly 15 years now. She is also the author of two cookbooks, Millennial Kosher and Totally Kosher where you can get even more recipe ideas from Chanie as well as tons of tips about cooking, how to stock your kitchen, plan a meal and more.

As we all know, Pesach is a stressful time on the Jewish calendar, but the more I get into making and hosting Pesach, the more I’m determined to take the stress out of the process. This episode with Chanie will do that for you. It’s genuinely fun. I felt lighter and excited after recording it and had that same feeling after listening through again and editing it. It just got me actually excited to cook for Pesach and feeling blessed for the opportunity to do so versus overburdened with chores.

In the episode, we talk a bit about:

-Chanie’s background and how her spirituality has evolved over the years especially throughout various challenges she has gone through

-Then, about halfway through, the ideas start FLOWING when it comes to easy foods you can make this Pesach mainly out of fruits, vegetables nuts and seeds and it is both mouth-watering and easier than you think.

-She also shares tips that can help you in the kitchen and streamline your cooking experience.

-We go through how to plan a meal — whether it’s seder night or a third day lunch and it’s just so awesome to see how her brain works in that way.

Her ideas are simplified yet do not skimp on the flavor. In fact, they are bursting with flavor and because so many of the ingredients are just fruits and vegetables or repurposing something you have, you will be saving tons of money not having to buy all the processed pantry products and too many extras because as we all know Pesach can get really expensive really quickly.

To help you out further, I made a companion document where I typed up all the ideas for easy access — view it here!

Wishing all of you a beautiful Pesach.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, we have Debbie Sassen, business coach, money mentor and host of the Jewish Entrepreneur Podcast joining us. She helps established entrepreneurs scale from six to seven figures with high-ticket offers, leveraged business models, and smart CEO strategies—all in alignment with Jewish values.

Debbie is the go-to expert for business owners ready to charge more, raise their prices, and sell high-ticket offers with confidence—without feeling pushy or sleazy. She believes that money is intimately woven into every part of business, and that clearing money blocks makes growth, marketing, and sales infinitely easier.

Her signature coaching program, Wired for Wealth, helps entrepreneurs scale sustainably with her 10-step leverage plan, Power of 1 method, and Sacred Sales Conversation process. Through her coaching, clients master their CEO mindset, leverage their time, and implement simple systems to create consistent $20K-$50K months—without sacrificing their faith, family, or freedom.

Debbie believes that no woman - or man - should undercharge, undersell, or dim their light to build financial sustainability for their family.

She is also, the mother of eight children bli ayin hara, so she has a LOT to share with us. I was really excited to dig into a conversation about money because I feel like it’s a topic not often discussed. Even with close friends it can be awkward or weird to go into let alone people you know less well yet it’s such an important and vital part of our lives. It’s also one that a lot of people have a lot of feelings around. We all have attachment styles to money the same way we do with relationships and it’s something we have to manage and encounter multiple times a day.

In the Jewish world, there are extra expenses — Shabbos, kosher food, Pesach of course which is rapidly on its way, two sets of dishes, tuition, generally having more kids and of course so much more.

In this episode we speak about:

-The relationship Debbie had growing up to money and how that has developed and changed into how it is now

-Women taking time off of a career for motherhood and how that impacts her involvement in household finances

-Re-entering the workforce during motherhood and how so many women often underestimate themselves and their skills

-Money and marriage — how to speak about it with your husband, designate certain roles if you would like to and maintain and gauge that trust and partnership in the relationship

-We talk about spirituality within all of this — how Hashem comes into the picture with work, money and giving and how that all can contribute to a more secure attachment with our finances

…and SO MUCH MORE

Debbie is a wealth of knowledge — pun intended — and honestly, we cover so much and also just skimmed the surface. She has a ton of additional resources available which are all included in the show notes if you’d like to learn more or get in touch with her.

Website: https://debbiesassen.com/

Podcast: The Jewish Entrepreneur Podcast https://debbiesassen.com/podcast/

Book, The $1K Investor: Simple Smart Steps to Start Investing with $1K or Less https://debbiesassen.com/book (links to Amazon)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiesassen/

Instagram: @debbiesassen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbiesassencoaching

Free resource: Your Money Mindset Workbook: https://debbiesassen.com/mindset/

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 alex@chaionlifemag.com 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 — 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 alex@chaionlifemag.com or you can DM me on Instagram @chaionlifemag.

Here, the episodes mentioned in the podcast for easy access to go back and listen!

1. Rivkah Fox on All Things Dating
2. Frum Minimalism: Meet the Woman Who Decluttered Her Entire Home For Good
3. Debbie Greenblatt: Secrets to Building a More Connected Marriage
4. Chana Deutsch: How to Articulate Your Needs, Wants and Desires to Create More Love in Your Marriage
5. Miriam Goldberg: A Deep Dive Into the Mystical World of Mikvah
6. Leora Blumenthal: Simplify Your To-Do List and Feel Like a Queen
7. Hilla Aboody: Strengthening Ourselves Through the Three Weeks, Nine Days and Tisha B'Av
8. Danielle Renov of Peas Love N Carrots: Building Bitachon, Choosing Happiness and Sharing Her Life with Others
9. Faigy Blumstein: Is Cheshvan the Month of Moshiach? Gaining More Clarity
10. Rivka 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 raqueldidio@gmail.com.

Get her book, "Stop Hurting, Start Healing."