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When Life Takes an Unexpected Turn: Allison Blass on Parenting a Child with Cancer, Faith, and Finding the Funny

Some episodes stop you in your tracks. This is one of them.

Allison Blass — longtime listener, friend of the show, and one of the funniest people to ever sit across from the Carpool Guys — joins Jon, Asher, and Dave to share the story of her daughter Perry's cancer diagnosis, treatment, and remarkable recovery. What begins as a frightening story of a six centimeter mass discovered on a Friday afternoon twenty minutes before Shabbos becomes something else entirely: a masterclass in parenting under pressure, faith in the hardest moments, and the kind of stubbornness that saves lives.

Peri, Allison's oldest child, was diagnosed with one of the rarest malignant tumors on record — one of only twenty cases ever documented. She went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a week in the ICU with fungal pneumonia, hair loss, wild food cravings, and a surgery she woke up from demanding a double burger from Smash House. She was walking within hours, home by Shabbos, and is now a completely healthy teenager heading to high school next year.

But this episode is about so much more than the medical story. Allison opens up about what it means to keep your other children grounded when one child needs everything. She talks about the friends who showed up without being asked and the ones who said "let me know if you need anything" — and why that phrase, though well intentioned, puts the burden on exactly the wrong person. She shares how her family turned every moment of the process — the hair donation, the chemo mug, the smash room — into a kiddush Hashem. And she delivers one of the most important lessons this show has ever aired: when someone you love is going through something devastating, it is not their job to comfort you.

Also: gherkins, sushi rolls, an accidental antipsychotic mix-up, a son who slept for fifteen hours, Megan Trainor's Walk of Shame playing in an operating room, Disney turkey legs, and the best shirt ever made.

Allison, thank you for your vulnerability, your humor, and your heart. Peri — you are extraordinary. Ad meah v'esrim.

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⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps

0:57 — Jon Is Back! Welcome Home After Surgery

4:29 — Introducing Allison Blass: Longtime Listener, First Time Guest

6:02 — Meet Allison: Giant Bear, Banned from Little League, Parent of Three

8:32 — Setting the Scene: Who Is Peri and Where Does the Story Begin?

9:08 — Allison's Career and Life Before the Diagnosis

10:05 — The First Signs Something Was Wrong: December 2024

15:58 — How Do You Tell Your Daughter She Needs Surgery?

25:10 — Perry's Mindset: Control, Preparation, and a Double Burger From Smash House

29:12 — April 9th: When the World Really Turned Upside Down

30:20 — Hearing the Word Malignant: "Everything Went Quiet"

32:30 — Turning Every Moment Into a Mitzvah: Hair Donation to Chai Lifeline

41:00 — What Allison Learned About Perry She Didn't Know Before

49:27 — NED: No Evidence of Disease — Perry Is on the Road to Survivorship

52:05 — Who Showed Up and Who Didn't: What You Learn About People in a Crisis

54:30 — "Don't Say If You Need Me" — The Most Im

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Dave and Asher Hold It Down: Adulting, and the Things We Still Can't Figure Out

Jon's out. The substitute teachers are in charge.

In this episode, Dave and Asher fly solo for the first time in nearly two years of podcasting — and somehow manage to hold it together. Mostly. They spend most of the episode wrestling with one deceptively deep question: at what point did you realize YOU were the adult in the room? And does knowing that actually make you feel like one?

From colonoscopies to root canals and Gatorade-plus-antacid pre-fast routines, Dave and Asher take an honest — and very funny — inventory of what it means to be in your 40s. They talk about watching athletes you grew up idolizing retire and become millionaires while you're still figuring out the thermostat. They talk about mentoring the next generation at work while privately Googling how to hang a picture frame. They talk about laundry — a lot — and the creative workarounds that keep households running when you're too proud to admit you never really learned.

But underneath all the humor is something genuinely real: the weight and beauty of being the generation in the middle. Old enough to be the ones people turn to. Still young enough to remember when we thought the adults had it all figured out.

Plus: substitute teacher stories, a very eventful little Tyke's car incident, a parent-teacher conference confession, LeBron vs. Jordan, a prank from Toys R Us, and the world's most relatable Seder question.

Jon — we miss you. Come back soon.

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⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps

00:00 — Cold Open: Dave Asks His Wife About His Maturity. She Laughs.

00:27 — Welcome to the Carpool Guys Podcast

01:02 — Jon Is Out — Dave and Asher Go It Alone

01:22 — Substitute Teacher Stories: Mrs. Bach, Mrs. Henry, and a Saved Life

05:47 — Dave's Career Started as a Sub — Shout Out to Rabbi Hammer

07:16 — Smart Boards, Coaching Boards, and the HANC Basketball Championship

08:34 — Orange Juice, Decaf Coffee, and the Post-Fast Routine Debate

09:30 — The Bagel, Tuna, Herring, and OJ Breakfast Club

10:49 — The Big Question: When Did YOU Become the Adult in the Room?

12:10 — Colonoscopies, Pillboxes, Gout, and the Reality of Getting Older

14:09 — Root Canals, Dental Inheritance, and the First Cavity at 30

15:00 — When Athletes You Grew Up With Are Now Retired Millionaires

17:36 — LeBron vs. Jordan: The Eternal Debate

18:16 — Taking Pictures WITH Athletes vs. Taking Pictures OF Your Kids With Athletes

19:49 — Adulting at Work: You Don't Need All the Answers

21:00 — Mentoring the Next Generation: The Shift From Sink-or-Swim to Sit-Down-and-Talk

24:30 — Supervising Interns for the First Time: It's a Little Scary

25:47 — The 15-Year Window of Adulthood and What Comes After

27:09 — Taking Care of Your Health Differently: Recovery, Moderation, and Lactaid

28:01 — The Adulting Moment: Adding an Antacid to the Pre-Fast Routine

29:02 — Things Our Parents Did That We Wish We Knew How to Do

29:33 — The Picture That Fell Off the Wall and the Les

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Leaving Egypt: A Father & Son Take on Coming Home for Pesach

What do you do when your son is in yeshiva in Israel, sirens are going off daily, Pesach is approaching fast, and every flight home keeps getting canceled? You find another way. Even if that way goes through Egypt.

In this episode, Asher and Jon sit down with Rabbi Ouriel Hazan, head of school at HANC West Hempstead, and his son Eli, a student at Mevaseret Yeshiva in Israel, who recently made it home to New York through one of the most memorable journeys you'll hear this year. From Eilat to the Egyption border crossing, through the Sinai Desert in a speeding van during a hailstorm, past a head-on collision, through Sharm el-Sheikh airport, and on to Rome before finally landing at JFK, Eli crossed four continents in 40 hours to be home for Pesach.

But this episode is about a lot more than the travel story. Rabbi Hazan opens up about the emotional weight of parenting from a distance during wartime, the WhatsApp chat chaos that gripped every yeshiva parent group, the moment he flipped from "we are absolutely not sending him through Egypt" to "we are sending him through Egypt," and why he kept the whole plan secret from his own parents, including his Egyptian-born father, who had strong feelings about Egypt.

Eli shares what yeshiva life actually looked like during the Iran war, what it felt like to run to the mamad, what it meant to experience those moments alongside his fellow Jews in Israel, and why — despite everything — he can't wait to get back.

It is funny, honest, a little nerve-wracking, and deeply moving. A story about family, faith, decisive parenting, and one unforgettable ride through the Sinai Desert.

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⏱️ Chapters with Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome to the Carpool Guys Podcast

00:43 — Good Pods Glory: The Guys Hit Number One on Jewish Podcasts

02:30 — Introducing Rabbi Ouriel Hazan and Eli Hazan

04:15 — Rabbi Hazan's Year in Israel and the Original Pesach Plan

07:00 — Life at Mevaseret When the Iran War Broke Out

10:30 — The Rebbe Van Shows Up: Yeshiva Life During Wartime

13:00 — Sleep Deprivation, Sirens, and the Emotional Toll

16:00 — The Parent WhatsApp Chat Chaos Begins

19:30 — When Delta Cancels and Plan B Becomes Necessary

23:00 — "We Are Absolutely Not Sending Him Through Egypt" (or... are we?)

26:30 — The Concierge Service, the Cancellation, and the Last Two Spots

30:00 — Eli Finds Out He's Going to Egypt... Tomorrow

33:00 — The $500 Cash, the Bribes

37:00 — Crossing the Border: Nine Desks, VIP Tours, and Armed Escorts

42:30 — The Sinai Drive: 90 MPH, No Cell Service, Hail, and a Head-On Collision

49:00 — Sharm el-Sheikh Airport: Bag Ransom, Boarding Passes, and a Yankee Hat

55:00 — Rome Layover, Nine Hours, and Crackers for Dinner

57:30 — The Reunion and a Sigh of Relief

59:30 — The Bigger Conversation: Judgment, Social Media, and Choosing Without Guilt

01:02:00 — What This Generation Has Witnessed and What It Means

01:04:00 — Chag Sameach and Closin

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Life in Israel Right Now: Real Stories from Friends on the Ground

In this powerful and personal episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast, we take a step out of the carpool line and into the real lives of people we know and care about.

We’re joined by Nava Mermelstein (yes… Asher’s sister) and her son Meir Simcha, along with recent Olim Sarah and Yehoshua Auman, who many of you may remember from our hometown of West Hempstead. Since making Aliyah, their lives have taken on a new reality as they raise families in Israel during the recent war with Iran.

They share what daily life actually looks like right now, from the sudden blare of sirens to the routine of heading to the mamad (safe room), and the strange balance of navigating real danger while still doing all the normal parenting things: getting kids to school, making dinner, and arguing about bedtime.

But this conversation isn’t just about fear or headlines. It’s about resilience, community, faith, humor, and the incredible ability of families to keep moving forward even in uncertain times.

We hear what it feels like the first time a siren goes off, how children process moments adults struggle to understand, and the surprising ways life still finds moments of normalcy — and even laughter.

It’s a conversation about Aliyah, parenting, perspective, and what it means to build a life in Israel even when the world feels upside down.

This episode offers a rare and deeply human window into what life looks like on the ground right now... told not by commentators or analysts, but by friends.

And yes… there are a few classic Carpool Guys moments along the way.

If you’ve ever wondered what daily life in Israel feels like during times like these, this episode will stay with you.

Chapters & Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Welcome to the Carpool Guys Podcast
• 00:43 – Introduction: The Reality of Life in Israel Today
• 01:04 – Firsthand Accounts: Interview with Nava Mermelstein and her son Meir Simcha
• 07:34 – The Sound of Sirens: Emotional Responses to Air-Raid Alerts
• 09:14 – Adapting the Routine: Daily Life Under Pressure
• 13:56 – The Move to Israel: Reflections on Making Aliyah
• 14:34 – Finding Light: Faith, Hope, and Miracles
• 18:03 – Strength in Numbers: Community Solidarity and Respect for Soldiers
• 22:12 – The Great Snack Debate: Favorite and Overrated Israeli Treats
• 30:21 – Introducing Sarah and Yehoshua Auman: Perspectives on Security and Home
• 43:24 – Looking Up: Witnessing Missile Interceptions
• 45:46 – Kids in Crisis: Humor and Resilience in the Younger Generation
• 52:05 – Deep Dive: Food Quirks and Cultural Guilty Pleasures
• 58:14 – Living with Constant Alerts: A Summary of the "New Normal"

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This episode starts in serious territory and ends somewhere uncomfortably close to home.

Asher, Dave, and Jon open with a raw conversation about the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping story and the unsettling feeling of violence “not supposed to happen here.” The guys unpack media reactions, double standards, the NBA controversy surrounding Deni Avdija, and the uncomfortable cultural conversations that follow global events.

But then the episode pivots.

High school acceptance week hits close to home. The stress. The comparisons. The tension. The rejection. The identity questions. The transfer portal jokes.

And that leads to the real conversation of the night:

Kids. Phones. Parenting. And the uncomfortable truth that before we tell our kids what to do… we might need to look at ourselves first.

When do you give a child a smartphone?
Are we raising anxious kids or modeling anxious behavior?
Are we frustrated with their screen time… while scrolling ourselves?

This episode becomes less about controlling kids — and more about owning the behavior we model.

It’s funny. It’s honest. It’s a little uncomfortable.

Which means it’s probably important.

If you’re navigating parenting in the age of smartphones, social pressure, high school decisions, and digital overload — this one’s for you.

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👉 Share this with a parent who needs it

00:58 – The Nancy Guthrie Story
A serious warm-up conversation about kidnapping, media attention, and why stories like this shake us.

05:36 – NBA Controversy & Deni Avdija
Spike Lee, social media reactions, and the absurdity of singling out an Israeli athlete.

09:47 – High School Acceptance Week
Jon introduces the emotional rollercoaster of acceptance day.

10:34 – The Stress Our Kids Feel
Comparisons, curiosity, rejection, and how kids process it differently.

12:57 – Starting Fresh vs. Needing Anchors
Dave’s experience going somewhere alone — and why every child is wired differently.

16:19 – The Pivot: Kids & Cell Phones
When do you give a child a phone? And why is this so complicated?

17:00+ – The Bigger Question: What Are We Modeling?
Before we lecture our kids about screen time… what are we doing?

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Snow days, Zoom school, airport chaos, parenting fails, awkward Publix conversations, and AI anxiety—this episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast has it all.

Jon Ackerman, Asher Dworetsky, and Dave From Flatbush kick things off debating the most controversial modern parenting question: Is a Zoom snow day even a real snow day? From kids celebrating surprise days off to parents questioning what learning actually happens on Zoom, the guys break down why snow days should stay sacred.

From there, the conversation takes a turn into classic Carpool Guys territory:
✈️ Airport pickup mishaps
🚗 Becoming an Uber… to become an Uber
🍪 The unspoken rules of taking snacks from someone else’s house
⭐ Giving (and receiving) five-star ratings—both earthly and divine

Along the way, they share winter vacation highlights, parenting moments that test your patience (and your dignity), celebrity misidentifications, and one unforgettable Publix checkout encounter involving Bible verses, Israel, and a heartfelt “Shalom.”

The episode wraps by teeing up a bigger Shabbos-table conversation: how AI is changing our lives, our kids, and the way we think about learning, work, and the future—and whether we should be excited, terrified, or both.

If you love podcasts about parenting, Jewish life, family humor, modern fatherhood, relatable conversations, and real-life chaos, this episode is for you.

👉 Follow @carpoolguyspod, leave a 5-star rating, and tell us what topic you want to hear next.

⏱️ Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 – Cookie Etiquette & House Rules
Is it okay to take snacks when you’re doing someone a favor? Where do we draw the line?

00:56 – Surprise Snow Day Energy
Kids celebrating, parents coping, and the joy of one more day off.

02:05 – The Zoom Snow Day Debate
Should snow days still be sacred—or has Zoom changed everything?

03:27 – What Are Kids Actually Learning on Zoom?
Honest takes from parents who lived through it.

04:15 – Multi-Day Snowstorms: What’s the Right Balance?
Snow day vs. Zoom day—how should schools handle it?

05:31 – Fire Drills, Payback, and Vacation Chaos
When real life mirrors your job a little too closely.

06:06 – Like, Subscribe, and Join the Community
Why the Carpool Guys care so much about listener engagement.

07:41 – Being Recognized IRL
From Shabbos taps on the shoulder to pizza shop shout-outs.

08:31 – Podcast Topic Requests Gone Wrong
Why “global warming” might not be a Shabbos-table hit.

09:27 – Airport Pickup Gone Sideways
No keys, slow Uber drivers, and a lot of stress.

12:22 – The Snack Question Returns
Black-and-white cookies, pantry boundaries, and moral dilemmas.

13:39 – Five-Star Ratings (Earthly & Heavenly)
Uber reviews meet Jewish philosophy.

14:27 – Happy Birthday & Mazel Tov Corner
Celebrations for friends of the show.

15:52 – Winter Vacation Stories & Parenting Moments
Fire alarms, celebrity mix-ups, and unforgettable meltdowns.

21:05 – Parenting Through Public Temper Tantrums
Judgment, discipline, and standing your ground.

23:18 – Publix, Bible Verses, and Jewish Anxiety
An interaction Jon will never forget.

26:48 – Introducing the Big Topic: AI & The Future
Are we helping our

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Would you want to crash-land here?! 😳🐊

Dave takes us inside the Florida Everglades, explaining exactly why this is the last place you’d ever want to make an emergency landing… and yes — there are ALLIGATORS.

This moment is funny, terrifying, and somehow educational all at once — the kind of real-life storytelling that only happens when parenting, travel, and bad hypotheticals collide.

👉 Listen to the full story on the latest episode of the Carpool Guys Podcast.

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Winter break sounds relaxing — until it actually begins.

In this episode of The Carpool Guys, Asher, Dave, and Jon dive into the realities of winter break and family vacations, exploring the excitement, stress, anxiety, and unexpected joy that come with extended time off and traveling together. Through relatable stories and plenty of humor, they unpack why winter break often feels like anything but a break.

The conversation touches on the pressure to create the “perfect” family vacation, the stress of travel and logistics, and the temptation to compare your holiday experience to everyone else’s highlight reel. Asher, Dave, and Jon make the case for prioritizing authentic experiences over perfect photos, embracing the chaos when things go wrong, and recognizing that the most meaningful holiday memories are often unplanned.

They also share practical, real-life advice on planning family vacations that actually fit your family’s needs, avoiding empty parenting threats while traveling, making intentional time for your spouse during school breaks, and using humor as a powerful tool to navigate family challenges.

Whether you’re packing bags, already on the road, or just trying to survive winter break at home, this episode offers laughter, perspective, and reassurance that you’re not doing it wrong — you’re just living real life.

• 00:00:00 Introduction to Winter Break
• 00:03:00 Family Vacation Anxieties
• 00:06:00 The Importance of Authentic Experiences
• 00:09:00 Navigating Family Dynamics
• 00:12:00 Creating Lasting Memories

Please rate and review The Carpool Guys!

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Send us a question, a comment, birthday wish, shoutout, or anything else fun and positive, and maybe we'll feature your addition on the next episode of The Carpool Guys Podcast!