Please note that this episode discusses topics such as mental health, mental illness, depression, and suicide that individuals may find difficult. If you want to avoid this content, skip to minute 22:32 in the episode. Please take care of yourself while listening.

In partnership with Sharsheret for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Baron sits down with Shoshana Stavsky to dive into the full arc of her journey through infertility, mental health, and breast cancer.

Shoshana shares what it meant to spend years navigating chronic pain, failed treatments, and multiple surgeries while trying to grow her family, and how that period led her into severe clinical depression. She opens up about the invisible weight of infertility compared to the visible, communal support she later received after a diagnosis of breast cancer, and why that contrast made one harder to carry than the other.

Along the way, she explores how questioning your faith doesn't push you away from it, but can actually bring you closer. Shoshana reflects on choosing to "party through" hardship rather than let suffering define her, and on the power of radical acceptance in moving forward.

If you're navigating infertility, mental or physical health struggles this episode is for you.

About Shoshana Stavsky :

Shoshana Stavsky shares her lived experience of infertility, depression, and breast cancer with honesty and heart. Through the challenges, she found her voice in writing and art, using them as tools for healing and connection. Grounded in emunah and bitachon, her message is about resilience, faith, and continuing to live fully-even in the middle of it all.

Instagram‍ ‍Email‍ ‍Facebook

Sharsheret

Donate Here for Breast Cancer Awareness Month‍ ‍Website

Connect with us:

Website‍ ‍Instagram - send us a message YouTube‍ ‍Facebook‍ ‍TikTok‍ ‍LinkedIn‍ ‍

In this re-released episode we Dr. Aimee Baron sits down with Rabbi Yisrael Motzen, who launched "Kol Echad," an Orthodox Union initiative to make sure no one in our community is overlooked or left behind. As we enter the High Holiday season, many of us gather with family, see old friends at shul, and catch up on a year's worth of life. But for those who don't fit the "expected mold" these moments can feel isolating instead of uplifting.

Together, they talk explore simple and practical suggestions that synagogues, hosts, and individuals can make to be more inviting and inclusive. This conversation is both honest and hopeful, reminding us that community is built not only at the family table but also in the act of making space for each other.

Whether you're someone who has felt forgotten or someone who wants to do better at seeing others, this episode offers wisdom, compassion, and a path forward.

About Rabbi Yisrael Motzen:

Rabbi Yisrael Motzen is the Rabbi of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. He serves as special assistant to the executive vice presidents of the Orthodox Union and is also the director of Kol Echad, a new OU department dedicated to creating communities where every single person matters.

Instagram Kol Echad on Instagram Kol Echad E-Magazine