Chai on Life

Alex Segal
  • 5.0 (24)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 3D AGO

    63. Becoming a Vessel for Abundance with Author & Podcaster Cathy Heller

    Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast! I’m Alex Segal and today, I’m speaking with Cathy Heller, podcaster, author and speaker. Cathy is a renowned teacher, top ranked podcaster and bestselling author. She hosts one of the top spiritual podcasts, The Cathy Heller Podcast, which has been downloaded over 45 million times, and she’s the author of the USA Today bestselling book, Abundant Ever After: Tools for Creating a Life of Prosperity and Ease. She’s a practitioner of the law of reception, and has a deep understanding of the universal principles of manifestation. Cathy guides individuals on a transformative journey towards unlocking their highest potential. Drawing from the wisdom of Jewish mysticism and ancient teachings, Cathy illuminates the path to spiritual growth and abundance. Through her unique approach, Cathy empowers students to embrace their innate ability to receive and manifest their desires effortlessly with a focus on meditation and mindfulness practices. --->>>> To join Cathy's Abundant Life Program (as mentioned in the intro) click here! You can do a trial week for just $1. With that, you get a daily meditation and journaling exercise sent to you every morning, live calls with Cathy, a private Facebook community, replays and teachings of all her other work and more. Click the link to get all of the details and to sign up. We recorded this while I was on maternity leave but it’s just as relevant now. It actually feels like the perfect time to put it out as we are about halfway through the Jewish year. It’s a really great time to check in with yourself, see where you’re at when it comes to the goals you set, refresh and refocus as we head into a new season. In the episode we speak about: -How Cathy got started with her own podcast and business she built -Why she feels it’s way more to focus on “pro-semitism” instead of antisemitism. -How to become the vessel to draw in the life you want -The guilt people may feel around having "too much" -Why so many people feel shame around prosperity and how to transcend that -Getting closer to Hashem through abundance …and SO MUCH MORE. 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!

    58 min

  2. FEB 1

    [REPLAY] Ground Yourself this Tu B'Shevat and Beyond — The Power of Connecting to the Earth with Neve's Yehudit Refson

    This episode originally aired on February 10, 2025 (but it's just as relevant today!) Enjoy the replay as we begin Tu B'Shevat tonight. -- Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and if you're anything like me, Tu B’Shevat is kind of a holiday you acknowledge, but maybe gloss over on a deeper level. This year, I am putting a stop to it. Yehudit Refson (⁠@the_jerusalem_farmhouse⁠) is the director of grounds, arts and renovations at Neve Yerushalayim. She is an amazing person who has totally transformed Neve’s campus in the time since she moved over there. We actually did an ⁠interview⁠ nearly four years ago for the Chai on Life website which I am linking in the show notes where you can learn more about how and why she got into the entire gardening journey and how she transformed the earth into a space that was beautiful already, but now is bursting with plant and animal life. Now, the girls at Neve don’t just learn Torah inside the classroom, they really enhance their learning outside of it. Instead of just learning about shemitta, they’re living it with the plants around them. On Rosh Hashanah, they’re touching actual pomegranates and other simanim from their own garden. They’re doing tashlich in their own pond. They plant the arba minim for Sukkot. It’s really a full interactive experience that undoubtedly leaves you with so much more than you would get just from hearing about these things. In our conversation, we go even deeper: -She speaks about the land’s connection and parallels to women -The root word of land in Hebrew, adamah, and how the word itself shows our connection to the earth -We talk about the power of being in nature in regards to our five senses and the impact on our mental health as a result -We go deep into Shevat as I referenced and how the energy of this time is all about renewal -At the end, we discuss practical ways to live a cleaner, greener life and how to just jump into gardening I left our conversation feeling really excited and invigorated to get started with something when it comes to gardening and actually being with the earth and I have a feeling you may feel the same way afterward. I love this episode so much and can’t wait for you to hear it. Resources: ⁠How to make a Tu B'Shevat Seder⁠ via Aish.com Follow ⁠@the_jerusalem_farmhouse⁠ on Instagram

    58 min

  3. JAN 26

    62. Understand Your Body: Talking Inflammation, Hormonal Health & Real Wellness — with Functional Nutritionist Nilli Grutman

    Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today, I am speaking with Nilli Grutman. Nilli is a functional nutritionist who works with women to feel empowered and in control of their health. She has a degree in biochemistry and nutritional sciences and really looks at health from a macro approach to see the full picture of what her clients are dealing with. She helps them identify the root causes of hormonal imbalances and offers natural tools, evidence-based nutrition and sustainable practices to restore that hormonal balance in the body and nurture lasting self-care. In the episode we speak about: -What you should talk to your doctor about at your annual visit and what labs to ask for to get a better view of how you’re doing health-wise and hormonally as well as when to get them — she also shares a list that you can bring to your doctor which I’m including in the show notes -What inflammation actually is and how to understand its presence in your body -If everyone should be getting their hormones tested -What it means if it takes longer to get pregnant than you think it “should” — this was a super interesting conversation and honestly quite calming -The effect our reproductive health has on the rest of our bodies whether or not you are trying to conceive -The impact stress and anxiety have on the body and how we can begin to manage that -Nilli’s opinion on the role of a GLP-1 when it comes to weight and health management, plus what you must make sure you are doing if you are on one -How we can work to create a life of balance in an unbalanced world — and I say work intentionally because it is a process and one that is ever-changing For Nilli's complete list of what to test for at your next doctor's appointment (as referenced in the episode), click here. If you want to work with Nilli, you can get in touch with her via nourisheddaily.com.

    1h 4m

  4. JAN 19

    61. When Parenting Feels Too Hard: Practical Strategies for Tantrums, Sleep and Big Emotions with Yael Sunshine Komer

    Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I’m speaking with Yael Sunshine Komer, a parenting coach and sleep consultant. Yael (Sunshine) Komer, M.A. in Child Development, helps families navigate sleep and behavior challenges with evidence-based tools and real-world understanding. With years of private practice experience, she brings science down to earth with warmth, humor, and practicality. Since I’m in the little kid stage of life, I love speaking about parenting because it’s so applicable and truly such an avodah every single day. There are endless topics to discuss, mindset shifts to tackle and personal work we’re doing daily to become the parents and people we want to be. In the episode, we speak about: -All things baby sleep and sleep training -Plus, we answer a ton of questions related to kids slightly older: --How do I calm myself down when my child is having a tantrum? --How can I regulate myself emotionally when my child needs that emotional regulation also? --How do I help them learn the skills to do so? --How can I be there for them and take care of the other things I need to do in that moment whether that’s taking care of a baby, making dinner, or answering a call? --How do I get to the root cause of an issue with a child and uncover what help they may need? --How can I relate more to my kids when it’s hard to connect? --How can I create intrinsic motivation in my kids? --How can I positively connect and utilize the time when things are calm? There is sooo much jam-packed in there and our conversation is filled with examples from both of our lives so you can really visualize a scenario and get tangible takeaways that apply to your own life.  Yael is open to taking on new clients for either parenting help or sleep coaching so you can reach out to her at Yaelsunshine89@gmail.com.

    1h 2m

  5. JAN 12

    60. The Surgery She Almost Didn’t Survive — and How It Redefined Her Life with Batya Sherizen

    Today, I am speaking with Batya Sherizen, who is the author of the newly released book, “Dying to Be Me,” which speaks about her personal journey through a harrowing life-threatening condition she was diagnosed with when she was pregnant with her sixth child. During the pregnancy, she had to be on bed rest for months, live in the hospital for a month at a certain point and ultimately, give birth via C-section in an incredibly scary and truly dangerous surgery that she almost didn’t survive. This book speaks about that experience and so much more. She explains it as an “eye-opening memoir about self-acceptance, love and embracing the present.” I don’t have favorite episodes because I truly love all of the guests and conversations I have yet this one left a particularly strong impact on me because of its depth and the vulnerability Batya shared when telling more about her story and all she went through. In the episode, we speak about -The type of person Batya was before this experience and how she has evolved since -How she lived with the idea thinking death could be coming and how it changed her day-to-day world -What “living up to her potential” now means to her and how that view differs from the past -What it was like going through this experience while also being a mother to five other children — we go really in depth here into the reaction her kids had, what it was like when she couldn’t physically be present for them, the self-love and acceptance she went through as a mom, woman and so much more -Her relationship with Hashem and how that has completely evolved and grown -Her relationship with her husband throughout this experience and how afterward, they both went about working through all that happened …and so much more! To get Batya's Book, click here.

    1h 3m

  6. JAN 5

    59. Master Your Way to More Restorative Sleep with Expert Psychologist Sarah Chana Radcliffe

    Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today I am speaking with Sarah Chana Radcliffe, a psychologist from Toronto, Canada. If her names sounds familiar to you, that is because her expertise, depth and breadth is vast and she has been sharing her wisdom and advice for years now through books, articles and classes. She is the author of “Raise Your Kids without Raising Your Voice,” “The Fear Fix,” “Harmony at Home,” “No More Tics,” and more books on Jewish family life and emotional wellbeing. She is a weekly columnist for the Family First section of Mishpacha magazine and in conjunction with Jewish Workshops, has produced numerous webinar courses on parenting, marriage, anxiety and stress management. She is the head of the Sarah Chana Radcliffe Parenting Academy where she trains and certifies parenting coaches internationally. You can get more from her at Dailyparentingposts.com. In this episode, we are focusing on getting you not only more sleep, but better quality sleep so you can live on less of it if that’s the stage of life you’re in. In our conversation, we speak about: -The challenges of simply being a human being in the world -Remedies for healing and how the brain works when it comes to certain modalities -Why worrying is actually a choice and not something we have no control over -How to rewire our brains to accomplish anything personal you are working on -Why you may be having trouble sleeping and what’s going on below the surface that’s causing it -How different people truly need different amounts of sleep and the perspective we can gain from that -So many different remedies to help you sleep better — she really goes through a lot of ideas from the super simple and easy to the ones that require more time and focus (with a seemingly huge payoff) -How to get ourselves to actually go to sleep earlier and why we have such a hard time doing so …and so much more! Here, all of the sleep methods she mentioned in the episode: Bach Flower Remedies: White Chestnut Saje aromatherapy  Sleep Well Restful Sleep Oil Blend Silva Method  Holosync Book: The Joy of Doing Nothing See you next week!

    50 min

  7. 12/30/2025

    58. Birth Story + Spiritual Reflections from the Break

    Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. This episode is one that is long awaited for me to release. It is my birth story from my third son that happened over the summer. As I share in the podcast, with Chai on Life we often speak about self-growth, spirituality, connection to Hashem, self-love and compassion and more all along those lines, so it feels like a missed opportunity not to share how I have grown through the experience of giving birth for a third time with all its struggles, fears and emotions. This episode is giving a real glimpse into where my brain was at both then and now and how my relationship with Hashem has grown and changed throughout the last six months. They say that when you give birth, you're not just giving birth to a baby but to a mother. I believe that happens anew each time. So here, my story. 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. See you next week!

    56 min

  8. 12/15/2025

    57. Manifest the Life You Want: Expert Guidance from Ayelet Polonsky of The Manifestation Method

    Today, I’m speaking with Ayelet Polonsky, a Kabbalistic Manifestation Expert. She is the Creator of The Manifestation Method and a skilled, passionate and trauma-informed facilitator in the world of manifestation and healing. She’s had quite a journey to get to this point in her life — after college she was led to the Amazon jungles of Peru, then India for six years and then finally to Israel where she spent eight years studying and teaching Jewish mysticism, known as Kabbalah. Ayelet now lives on the East Coast with her husband and two children. With the development of The Manifestation Method, Ayelet synthesizes Kabbalistic wisdom and modern psychology to help individuals heal their past traumas, and transform their dreams into reality. She is a trained expert in hypnosis, trauma healing, somatic experiencing and meditation. Ayelet's approach is a harmonious blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, EFT, and Somatic Experiencing, all combined with her signature hypno-visualization techniques.  Manifestation is something I’ve been interested in for awhile and have been wanting to explore through a Jewish lens. I’ve learned a little bit about it in secular spaces and in this conversation with Ayelet, we really get to the root of what Jewish manifestation actually looks like. We speak about: -Ayelet’s journey to getting to where she is today doing this work -How Jewish manifestation differs from the secular interpretation and some myths about it she’s correcting -Why manifestation is a lifestyle — not just a singular practice and what that looks like -Her methodology and the specific goals she helps clients achieve -The power of our words and the way our conscious and subconscious brain works to create a new reality -What true faith and bitachon really feels like -How our trauma (whether it’s with a big t or small t) informs the inner work we do today and what that trauma can be used for -Creating the vessel for the things we want in our lives to actually happen -The power of rituals -Seeing miracles in our everyday lives and how to manifest more of them -The unbelievable power we can all take from the Chanukah lights and bring into our everyday lives -How she manifested her husband …and SO MUCH MORE. Ayelet just takes my questions and brings them to a whole new level with her responses. She both elevates them and takes them deeper in a way that will change how you see the world, your relationship with Hashem and how you deal with the struggles in your life. To get in touch with Ayelet, visit ayeletpolonsky.com. Follow her on Instagram at @ayeletpolonsky.

    1h 4m
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5
out of 5
24 Ratings

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!

Information

  • Creator
    Alex Segal
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alex Segal
  • Show Website
    Chai on Life

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