Chai on Life

Alex Segal

Chai on Life is a podcast for passionate Jewish women. We speak about all things that go into living an observant lifestyle in a way that's real and welcoming. Come learn from so many inspiring women out there!

  1. 2d ago

    77. Finding Hope When Things Go Dark with Matana Poupko Jacobs

    Today, I’m speaking with Matana Poupko Jacobs, the host of the Hope to Recharge podcast which is all about hope, healing and personal growth. Matana went through a profound journey through anxiety and depression, which she shares with us in the episode and now she works with others who are going through similar challenges. She meets people where they are, helping them navigate anxiety and depression by implementing practical, personalized tools that support their unique healing journey. Drawing from her lived experience, faith and years of learning from leading experts, she shares honest conversations that inspire resilience, emotional well-being and hope. Her goal is to show that healing is possible, growth is often found in the smallest steps and no one has to walk the journey alone. This is the perfect episode to release this week, as we approach Tisha B’Av. Sometimes it’s in the pain that we find the most connection. As they say, when there are cracks, that’s where the light can come in. In Matana’s story, we’re also learning about things that could be going on behind the scenes for anyone. So much of the time, we don’t know what another person is really going through. As we work on our ahavas chinam, or love for another Jew, in an attempt to rebuild the beis Hamikdash, Matana’s story can be a reminder of that. It can be a reminder to give ourselves more compassion if we’re going through something of our own and understanding that if you feel hurt or insulted by someone else, it may not be what you think. In the episode we speak about: -The moment that anxiety entered her life in a real, overt way and how that changed the course of her life moving forward -Her journey to heal — what that looked like, what got in her way and how she overcame immense challenge -What it looks like to reach out when you need help -What it’s like going through certain aspects of a religious lifestyle when you have OCD and how she worked through that — specifically when it comes to personal challenges like going to the mikvah -How she dealt with resentment that came up toward Hashem or her religious lifestyle and how she was able to persevere through that -How she deals with her challenges as a mother and all that motherhood entails -What she’s doing now to stay mentally healthy every day …and so much more! To get more from Matana, visit hopetorecharge.com Follow her on Instagram at @matanajacobs Two meditations she listens to: Morning meditation https://youtu.be/FmczMP1gQzk?is=VfKZO0zVrPAlEKCr Gratitude meditation https://youtu.be/xfD4HaBBc0I?is=tH8VHa9Hzn79hA-Z

  2. Jul 6

    Strengthening Ourselves Through the Three Weeks, Nine Days and Tisha B'Av with Educator Dr. Hilla Aboody [REPLAY]

    [This episode originally aired on July 29, 2024] Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, we are speaking with Dr. Hilla Aboody, an amazing teacher, mother, wife and mentor currently living in Eretz Yisrael who I invited to come on to speak about this heavy time on the Jewish calendar. Hilla has such a beautiful way of explaining things — it’s so deep and profound yet easy to comprehend at the same time. A little background on her: She is a wife and mother of five, living in Eretz Yisrael after making Aliyah 7 years ago from Brooklyn, NY. She is a teacher and Em Bayit (house mother) at Midreshet Eshel, a Sephardic seminary for post High school students from around the world. Her educational background includes studying at Michlalah and receiving her bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan University and a Master’s and PhD in Jewish History from New York University. She has published her study on Eliyahu the Prophet in Talmudic literature and midrashim in her book, “Through the Prism of Wisdom”. As an educator and kallah teacher, Hilla dedicates her time in guiding students to creating a relationship with Hashem and tips and tools to thrive in their marriages and in life. In our conversation, we speak about: -What the Jewish perspective is on sadness and pain -How we can connect to Hashem during this time and in this unique way, especially if it feels daunting for you right now -Why this particular time period brings about more heaviness and actually the reason why we take more precautions -The rich energy that lies in the months of Tammuz and Av — what the letters associated with each month mean, why the sense of each month is important and what we can individually and collectively take from all of that -Why crying is actually a sign of bravery -Practical things you can do now to get through this time with more faith, in a more connected way to yourself, Hashem and those around you -How to deal with difficult emotions with your kids …and SO MUCH MORE This podcast with Hilla is basically an hour long shiur. I got chills like 17 times as I was listening to her and it’s definitely one of the most important ones I’ve done so far in terms of our spirituality. 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!

  3. Jun 29

    75. You Were Never Broken: Rethinking Healing & Living with Intention—with Therapist Aliza Tropper

    Today, I’m speaking with Aliza Tropper. Aliza is a licensed psychotherapist and the founder of Heartful Mental Health, a therapy practice based in Cedarhurst, NY.  Aliza has more than a decade of experience helping adolescents and adults navigate anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, and life transitions. She takes a holistic approach, integrating mind, body and soul, and uses evidence-based therapies such as EMDR, CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and more. Her work combines practical tools with deep emotional insight to help people create meaningful, lasting change that is in alignment with their values. This conversation is all about a whole lot of that. I’ve been thinking so much about healing lately. In our social media focused world, healing can sometimes be contained to 1 or 2-minute sound bites or six-slide carousel posts when in reality, it’s hard to fit our lives in a box. While there is so much learning, community and validation that can come from social media, a lot can also be lost. Sometimes it feels like if we just did this one thing that this Instagram post is saying, we would be better — if we just read that one book or bought that one product, we would finally feel healed or have the lives we wanted. We need to remember to go outside the screen to have those real conversations and debrief and connect — there is never a substitute for that. As I spoke to Aliza, I realized that with all the chasing, there also has to be recognition of what is being accomplished every day, there has to be space for emotion — all of them — for the duality of what makes someone human. Becoming healed isn’t a destination that you stay at, but a vibrant journey that continues to bring us to new levels of growth. Aliza is so good about breaking down some of the big concepts we see or hear about and making them understandable and really feel doable. In the episode, we speak about: -How healing itself can become an addiction -What DBT and CBT are — the differences between them and how we can utilize them for growth -How to live more in alignment with our values -What to do when uncomfortable emotions arise -How we can work to reprogram our nervous systems to feel more calm -How to live life with more intention -How to break free of comparison culture and a consumer-based society -How to make friends as an adult and why it feels different than it may have before -How to work on building self-esteem -The power of integrating spirituality in your healing journey …and so much more! To learn more from Aliza or to work with her, visit Heartfulmentalhealth.com Find her on Instagram @alizathetherapist Email her at Aliza@heartfulmentalhealth.com

  4. Jun 15

    74. Make Torah More Relevant Every Day with Author Katia Bolotin

    Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today I’m speaking with Katia Bolotin, the author of Making it Relevant: Timeless Torah Wisdom for an Ever-Changing World which came out at the end of last year. Katia is an author and speaker as well as a pianist, songwriter and composer of contemporary classical music. She is known for inspiring audiences with teachings that are both deeply rooted in Torah as well as being contemporary. Her writing is warm, clear, and emotionally resonant — grounded in real experience rather than theory. As I moved through her book, I really felt that. Each chapter focuses on a different parsha and is relatable and easy to read. It makes the parsha approachable and offers at least one practical takeaway or exercise you can do to really bring the Torah’s teachings immediately into your life. It could be fun to learn with a friend or chavruta for that purpose as well and really motivate each other. In the episode, we speak about: -Why she decided to write a book on parsha specifically -How we can use the Torah as the greatest self-help book -Why life is more like a ladder and less like a bridge and what that ladder can teach us  -How Katia grounds herself through Torah -The dangers of comparing oneself to others and how to work on that in both a physical and spiritual way -What the duality present in the Torah can teach us about the world -What masculine and feminine energy look like through a Torah lens -The best way to transmit Torah to our children ...and so much more! Get Katia’s book here. Follow Katia on Instagram here and through her website here. 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!

  5. Jun 9

    73. Feed Your Family Without Living in the Kitchen with Guila Sandroussy of Tasty and Hasty

    Welcome back to The Chai on Life Podcast! Today, I’m speaking with Guila Sandroussy, the creator of Tasty and Hasty which is an Instagram account and website filled with kosher food recipes that as the name suggests, are both fast and delicious. Since summer is finally here, I’m sure we all want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the sunshine and Guila is helping us with just that. She is spilling all her tips to cooking more efficiently whether it’s for Shabbat or weeknight dinners. In our conversation, we speak about: -How she got started as a food blogger -How her Moroccan background influences her cooking today, and also how it doesn’t -Where she gets the inspiration for her recipes and how you can do the same -How to plan out your weekly meals in a way that is not overwhelming and makes it feel so easy -Her Shabbat planning and cooking process broken down -Why challah has become a mitzvah she feels really connected to and how she makes time for it -She takes us behind the scenes of her content creation process from how long things take to film to the editing and even answering messages -How she brings cooking into her motherhood journey with her kids — from helping them become less picky eaters to bringing them into the kitchen with her when they’re interested in learning …and SO MUCH MORE Some of the things we discussed in the episode: Recipes from Guila with 9x13, sheet-pan ideas and freezer tips Quick-meal links: Easy 9x13 Chicken and Rice 9x13 Kids Pasta Follow on Instagram: @Tastyandhasty If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email alex@chaionlifemag.com or send a DM @chaionlifemag.

  6. Jun 2

    72. Connect to Hashem in Just Eight Seconds with Rebbetzin Sara Yoheved Rigler

    Welcome back to The Chai on Life Podcast! Today, ’m speaking with Rebbetzin Sara Yoheved Rigler. For those who do not know Rebbetzin Rigler, she is a best-selling author, speaker and teacher and this is actually her second time on The Chai on Life Podcast. She is our first second-time guest and I am so grateful for her for returning. The reason she is back is to discuss her brand new book, 8 Seconds to Connect with Hashem: Mitzvah Mindfulness for Women. The whole idea of the book is about turning everyday actions into moments of connection. With clear guidance and short intention statements, even routine tasks―like drinking water or doing laundry―can become meaningful mitzvos. I was blessed to hear about this concept from Rebbetzin Rigler on one of her classes through Jewish Workshops and after reading an early copy of the book, tried practicing it on my own. As you’ll hear more about in our interview, it’s truly a transformational idea. In a really small way, you can change your whole relationship with Hashem for the better. In our conversation, we speak about: -Why she wanted to write this book -Why this action creates so much more love for and with Hashem -How to do this when things feel tough and you’re going through challenges in life -The importance of doing a mitzvah with simcha -The two things that might get in the way of doing this practice effectively — and how to both watch out for and overcome those -Why you can apply this concept to literally anything you’re doing throughout the day — even serving Hashem with your yetzer hara …and so much more! For the most up to date information, you can go to the book’s website, 8secconnect.com. To listen to the first episode with Rebbetzin Rigler, click here. More relevant links: Order the book on Amazon Sararigler.com Hello Habit app

  7. May 26

    71. What Are We Teaching Our Kids About Money? With Financial Coach Rivky Rothenberg

    Today, I’m speaking with Rivky Rothenberg. Rivky is a CPA and financial coach who helps families make sense of their money and build a strong, values-based financial foundation.  She works with couples to create clear, practical systems at home so they can raise children with healthy money habits and avoid the patterns that lead to entitlement. She also guides engaged and newlywed couples through the early financial decisions that shape their future, helping them get organized, communicate well, and start off on the same page.  Drawing on her background in accounting and years of hands-on experience, Rivky focuses on giving families both clarity and tools—so they can feel confident in their finances and in the example they’re setting for the next generation. I loved speaking with Rivky because money is one of those things that is still a bit taboo and nice to speak about with a real professional, someone who has seen a lot and can speak from that experience. In the episode, we speak about: -How she got into financial coaching -The language we can use to speak to our kids about money even from a young age so they develop a healthy mindset around it. -How to speak to teens and older kids about money in a way that makes sense to them and teaches them the value of it -How to deal with money differences that come up in marriage, which almost always happens as each person comes in with their own money styles, backgrounds and triggers -How to develop more emunah and bitachon into your money mindset …and so much more! For more from Rivky or to work with her, visit rivkyrothenberg.com.

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About

Chai on Life is a podcast for passionate Jewish women. We speak about all things that go into living an observant lifestyle in a way that's real and welcoming. Come learn from so many inspiring women out there!

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