Shira (Volk) Picker moved to Israel when she was 7. For the past few decades, Shira has oscillated between two worlds, the Chareidi and Zionist communities. In this episode, Shira shares what living through the Simchas Torah war, October 7th and the aftermath has been through her lens as an Israeli citizen, mother, and wife. To learn more about Shi…

Pesach is coming, and DMC is here for you with this replay of last season's pre-Pesach episode! Whether you’re defrosting your freezer or packing all the suitcases, we’re back to share conversations about the upcoming yom tov and help us get focused on the meaning of what we do. In this episode, we DMC with Esti Hamilton, a very relatable rebbetzin…

Many months ago we saw that Miriam Pascal Cohen was putting out a brand new Pesach cookbook, and we knew we had to snag her for DMC because she’d be everywhere promoting her book! But we also knew that with a cookbook called Real Life Pesach Cooking Miriam would be a perfect guest for our podcast. At DMC, we’re all in when it comes to anything “rea…

So many of us in Chutz LaAretz want to understand what it’s like for the women who are holding down the fort in Eretz Yisrael with their husbands off fighting this war. These mothers and wives are true heroes, taking care of everything without the support and presence of their husbands who are risking their lives to protect our Holy Land. We want t…

Purim is on its way, so we’ve invited who we think are two of the funniest (and maybe cleverest) ladies to grace the pages of Mishpacha Magazine, and that’s Chani Judowitz and Bracha Stein, the masterminds of The Kichels’ comics. We say that The Kichels is social commentary in its best form. They manage to point out silly things about frum life in …

So often the situation in Israel can feel dispiriting. We want to make a difference and contribute, but we don’t know how. Meira Kolatch, otherwise known as “The Official Meira”, shares with us how out of her desire to keep her friends and family informed about events in Israel, she accidently created a following of over 35k people on social media …

We all want to lead happy lives, but what about living beautiful lives? Gila Ross shares with us her favorite relatable lessons from Pirkei Avos that help us bring meaning, joy and love into our lives – all the things we need now more than ever. In this DMC we discuss: How Gila became the person she is today Why she wrote her book Living Beautifull…

Tziri Preis is one of those people who is living her dream. Classroom teacher turned podcaster and “General” of the Tehillim Army nightly Zoom and livestream, she reaches thousands of children (and their parents) each night. The Tehillim Army was Tziri’s response to October 7th, and little did she know what a need it would fill and the impact it wo…

These days, it seems Geula is very much on our mind. Geula, as our guest Faigy Blumstein explains, is very much a mindset as well hat needs developing. Geula, redemption, will happen with Hashem’s help in the future, but it isn’t something that we passively wait for. Every day we yearn for the Geula, and there are things we can do right now to put …

Welcome to episode 51 as Season 3 of DMC comes to a close! It’s time for a little recap of our year as we reflect on our experiences as the hosts of Deep Meaningful Conversations. We released 23 episodes this year and have had over 120k downloads. We’ve had on average 4000 listeners per episode. So thank you to all our loyal DMC listeners! Here’s t…

We hope all our listeners had a wonderful Chanukah! With any holiday or yom tov, there is that week after when we’re trying to get bedtimes back to normal, work schedules back to normal, and our eating schedules back to normal. But this year, we haven’t really had the luxury of “getting back to normal.” Nonetheless, taking care of ourselves during …

We all know the frightening reality facing Jewish students on college campuses today. The stories are horrifying and unbelievable. We want this episode to be somewhat uplifting as well, and that’s why we’ve invited Mariel Goldstein to speak with us. Mariel is the director of women’s education at MEOR Maryland, a campus-based organization dedicated …

The topic of processing our emotions applies at all times, but it’s especially relevant now. We know that there are ways we as individuals process our emotions in a healthy way, and process our emotions in an unhealthy way. Disclaimer: for anyone who is going through acute trauma due this war, this episode is not designed for you. This episode is a…

We’re thinking about all of our listeners during this extremely challenging time for the Jewish people worldwide, and here at DMC, we’re committed to providing content for you that will be helpful and hopefully uplifting. There are many heroes in this war, and some of them are the special individuals in Eretz Yisrael who have done whatever they can…

Like everyone right now, no matter where you live, our everyday lives are not the same due to the tragic unfolding of events in Eretz Yisrael. Certainly, our brothers and sisters in Israel are facing the most formidable challenges. Those of us watching and davening from afar are challenged in different ways, but challenged nonetheless. Eretz Yisrae…

Yom Kippur is our most serious and arguably most important Yom Tov in the Jewish calendar. But what happens if our feeling of overwhelm about the seriousness of the day (and the practical physical requirements of the season) robs us from feeling truly connected? More broadly, how does our mental health impact our Torah observance in general? When w…

Rosh Hashana is approaching and we want to give you some deep and meaningful content to think about in addition to the delicious meal planning! That’s why we invited Rebbetzin Slovie Jungreis-Wolff to DMC with us about finding focus this Rosh Hashana. Slovie herself is a well-spring of knowledge and inspiration and in this DMC, she shares her Rosh …

We all want to be more resilient, to bounce back during times of stress and upheaval. But is resilience just about bouncing back to who we were before we experienced adversity, or is it more? On this episode of DMC, we sit down with Professor Leslie Gutman, author of Resilience: A Jewish Guide to Facing Adversity, Fostering Strength and Living your…

Being happy is an aspiration that is thrown around so easily and often, we wonder if it’s really even a goal in life. But happiness is crucial for healthy children, and we’re going to be talking all about it with our guest, Beth Perkel. Beth is an author, freelance writer and essayist. Her recent book is called Light At the Beginning of the Tunnel:…

This episode of DMC is about spiritual self-care. This means, what are we doing to take care of our neshama? What are we doing to invest in our connection to Yiddishkeit and Hashem? Because if we don’t take care of our spiritual side, we know what happens. It’s the same with when we don’t take care of our bodies, or our relationships, or our linen …

It’s the Three Weeks, and we knew we wanted to provide something meaningful for us all to help us get in the mindset of this unique period in the Jewish calendar. As we’re leading up to Tisha B’Av, we really should be thinking more about mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro since sinas chinam, baseless hatred, is the reason given for the destruction of the…

Nechama has been chained to a dead marriage for the past 9 years. She spent years trying to fight for her freedom. Recently, after 2 years of persistence, Nechama obtained a psak, an authoritative ruling on halachic matters, that permits Nechama to obtain the get through force. Now, Nechama turns to us to join her in the fight, not only for her fre…

On this DMC, we’re talking about tefillah, prayer. We want to get real, we want to get practical and we want to get inspired. Our guest is Sara Blau. Sara is passionate about tefillah and making prayer relevant. Her brand is providing inspiration for the Jewish woman, so she’s a perfect guest for DMC. Sara’s a public speaker and the author of 29 bo…

We get a lot of feedback from women that they’d like to hear more episodes about marriage and parenting. So this episode is devoted to the topic of marriage and we’re DMCing with a very special person, Rivke Gardner. Rivke is “a marriage mentor for mentors” – and a marriage coach for everybody. She went on her own quest to improve her marriage afte…

It’s fair to say that every Orthodox woman has her own unique relationship with tznius. There are many factors at play that determine the nature of her relationship: education, upbringing, societal and familial influences, peer dynamics, and religious background, amongst others. Whether tznius is your favorite mitzvah or your biggest struggle, it’s…

Whatever “chizuk” means to you, we all need it. Whether it’s inspiration, validation, support or cheerleading, chizuk is what keeps us going when the going gets tough, or when we’re just not feeling it. Chizuk isn’t just for those of us who may be struggling religiously. We all can use a boost of strengthening to help us get through our daily lives…

Let’s say we’re struggling with a challenge in our life. We can weather the storm on our own, or we can reach out to someone for help. But who? Sometimes it’s a family member or friend. Other times a rebbetzin or rav is our first avenue of support. Or a mental health professional. Or all of the above. In our modern world, many seek advice via socia…

What can we learn from the wisdom of the Eishes Chayil that can be applied to our modern lives? Our guest today is Shira Hochheimer, author of Eishes Chayil: Ancient Wisdom for Women of Today. On this episode, we explore the connotations the Eishes Chayil has for us, and the implications it has on our lives. We discuss: The backstory behind how Shi…

Trigger warning: this episode discusses sexual abuse as well as addiction. Rachel is a mother, wife, writer and all around passionate human. In this episode, Rachel bravely shares her experiences of childhood sexual abuse, her struggle with endometriosis, her experience with addiction and how she has taken her experiences and used them to help othe…

Pesach is coming, and DMC is here for you! Whether you’re defrosting your freezer or packing all the suitcases, we’re back to share conversations about the upcoming yom tov and help us get focused on the meaning of what we do. In this episode, we DMC with Esti Hamilton, the most relatable of rebbetzins, to give us some chizuk and inspo for Pesach. …

Anxiety is something we all have to deal with as human beings, even if we don’t have a clinical diagnosis. And if we do struggle with clinical anxiety, let’s try to take away the stigma surrounding mental illness, so YES we are all in for a DMC about anxiety. Especially one designed for frum women who are already dealing with so many additional dem…

Zeya is a queen when it comes to kosher comedy. Between her shows, youtube videos and her social media posts, Zeya makes us laugh about our foibles and everyday realities as frum women. However in this interview, we get deeper than expected about the power of comedy and the meaning Zeya finds in the work she does. This DMC is just in time for Purim…

This episode of DMC is about the art of everyday living, and we couldn’t have this conversation without our guest, Raizy Fried, who is the queen of this art. Raizy’s been called the Jewish Martha Stewart, her platform Inspired Living is devoted to helping women run their homes more efficiently, entertain with practicality and style, and learn all t…

Rachel “Ruchy” Lebowitz is a go getter. At the age of 17, the hassidic born young woman got her GED, went to college, and grew numerous businesses. Now, she uses her knowledge to help entrepreneurs implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System. In this episode, Ruchy and I discuss the need for women to be empowered to know their finances, protect …

Female performers have had a renaissance in recent years, especially with live performances and concerts. In this episode of DMC, we go backstage with Chanale Fellig-Harrel, otherwise known as Chanale, who published her first album in the late 90s and she was one of the few frum female artists out there putting out albums and performing at the time…

In this episode of Deep Meaningful Conversations, we’re going deep with all things personal development with our guest, Jackie Glaser. Jackie is all about accessing your greatness and living life on purpose. She's a life coach, a dating coach, a leadership developer – and was the resident psychologist on the Today Show in Australia. She also served…

I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Rabbanit Henkin, founder and Dean of Nishmat, one of today’s most acclaimed Jewish educators and a leader in re-drawing the landscape of Torah leadership and scholarship for women. She has headed Nishmat’s beit midrash for thirty years, where her legendary, infectious love of Torah inspires generation a…

Welcome to a brand new season of Deep Meaningful Conversations, powered by Town Appliance! Parents in the audience, do you ever feel that while you have gained tools from the various parenting classes you’ve taken, some things feel left out or not addressed fully? No one parenting approach can fit all sizes – parents and children included – but the…

We could all use that "older sister" who knows the answer to everything and gives us those tips and tricks to make our lives run smoother. Between Carpools, the lifestyle website for the busy Jewish woman run by five talented women, fills that need beautifully. We sat down and had a DMC with Leah Schapira, known at the ultimate connecter. Like it s…

In this DMC, we’re talking with Dr. Leslie Leslie Ginsparg Klein about the history of the Bais Yaakov Movement, the lessons and legacy of Sarah Schenirer, and about girls education today. Dr. Klein is the Academic Dean of Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary & College in Baltimore. She speaks on Jewish history, Tanach, leadership and communication s…

G-d works in mysterious ways. After already cancelling my recording with Jackie Glaser, I debating pushing it off yet again. After this conversation and exercise about how to accept our mental health struggles in order to not only go through it, but grow through it, I see how incredible Jackie truly is and how deep this concept is. Jackie had a pri…

Shoshanna is no stranger to standing up when she sees someone in danger or something problematic happening in the world. Shoshanna is the cofounder of Chochmat Nashim, an organization that fights extremism in the Jewish community. In this week’s episode, Shoshanna and I discuss how her journey of advocacy began and where it is taking her, and count…

Love it or hate it (or some feeling in between), meal prep and cooking is a big part of our lives as frum women. Some of us are systems people, with our weekly menu plan and shopping list carefully constructed and executed. Others are more off the cuff, preparing meals that feel right at the moment, as needed (and praying that we have the ingredien…

Parenting is all-encompassing and all-consuming, even if you’re not a helicopter parent. At the very bare minimum, we are tasked with keeping our offspring alive. Yet we also want to facilitate our children’s emotional, spiritual, psychological, physical, social and academic growth! And we very much don’t want to hinder their growth and development…

Alex does a whole lot of good in the Jewish community. She is a writer, a podcast host, and most recently, the creative director of Faces of Orthodoxy. With so many sources of media portraying Orthodoxy in a negative light, Alex and I discuss what she and her team is doing to help reinforce Orthodox Jews’ pride in their faith and lifestyle to learn…

24 years ago during candlelighting erev Yom Kippur, Chanie Bochner made the decision that she wanted to help others who were going through the same struggle as she was. What started as a grass-roots effort to support couples experiencing infertility morphed into an international organization that to date, has helped bring over 10,000 babies into th…

We’re entering the high holiday season. Quick, what’s the first word that enters your head? If it has anything to do with lists, shopping or cooking, don’t worry, you’re not alone. But brownie points to any of you who thought teshuva! This period is filled with both spiritual and physical demands. And as busy women, it’s easy to get stuck in the ma…

Welcome to our 20th episode of DMC! In this episode, we sit down with Zahava List to discuss mental health. She shares with us her own journey to mental health, her perspectives on stigma surrounding mental health in the frum community, and how and why she founded Chazkeinu, an organization which provides chizuk for all Jewish women coping with men…

For this episode, we’re going with “work-family synergy” instead of the ubiquitous “work-life balance.” Why? Because balance, quite literally, means 50/50. And we all know when it comes to work and home life, that’s not always realistic or ideal. Synergy connotes a combination, hopefully one that is mutually advantageous. And it doesn’t tell us tha…

Ever read something so triggering because you know it’s the truth but you’re not ready to accept it? Well, that happened to me with Sarah Pachter. Sarah is an international speaker and author who is passionate about teaching Torah and empowering people through the written and spoken word. In this week’s episode, Sarah and I discuss how she got onto…