Chai on Life

Hi guys! Welcome to COL's first solo episode. Today, I thought it could be fun to talk about the backstory behind Chai on Life, why I wanted to start it, what it all means to me and some lessons I've learned along the journey. With everything that I'm doing and all the people I've been speaking to I wanted to give context about the mission and the focus of it all. This is definitely straying from the traditional structure but it's fun to mix things up and G-d willing we will be back with an amazing new guest next week! Thanks so much for listening. If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast (or you just think would make a great guest!) email me at alex@chaionlifemag.com or send me a DM on Instagram @chaionlifemag [https://www.instagram.com/chaionlifemag].

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. Today we are talking all about Kislev. I am honored to be joined by Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin, who is the daughter of Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h. She is a mother, grandmother, and teaches for HINENI [https://hineni.org/], the organization in Manhattan that Rebbetzin Jungreis started. She has lectured for shuls, kiruv organizations and schools in the Metropolitan area and beyond. Chaya Sora also writes a weekly parsha commentary that you can get through Hineni’s email as well as columns in various Jewish newspapers including Jewish Vues, Monsey Mevaser, Jewish Voice and London Jewish Tribune. Her writings can also be found on Torah AnyTime. This conversation is so important because Kislev, as we all know, falls out during the darkest time of the year. The days are getting really short and the cold is settling in. Israel has been fighting a war for more than a year now and it’s truly unfathomable that so many hostages are still in captivity. Antisemitism is rising around the world in tragic ways and it’s normal to feel fear. Chaya Sora is going to help us work through all of that. Even though it’s dark in Kislev, we all also know it’s the month of miracles. It’s when Chanukah starts and the name, Kislev, itself comes from the meaning “security” or “trust.” We are in a time when we need miracles. We need to deepen our trust in Hashem and maybe, we all need a little bit of a boost.  In the episode, we speak about the power we all have to leave a powerful legacy behind, how little things we do can really add up and change the lives of others, what was behind her mother’s magic when it came to connecting with other Jewish souls, the strength we can get from Kislev specifically when we are feeling low or burnt out, how to cultivate happiness from within and so so much more.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal, and today, we are talking all about friendship. I’ve wanted to do a podcast on friendship for awhile now and this conversation was sooo cathartic and therapeutic. A lot of what we discussed are topics that I think are on a lot of our minds yet hard to speak about openly. Laura Marder was the perfect person to have this conversation with. She is a trained clinical social worker and the Director of the Circles Facilitators at CORE [https://coretorah.org/], an organization aimed at fostering meaningful relationships between Jewish women through authentic conversation and connection. As a note, reference Shasta Nelson’s Ted Talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/shasta_nelson_frientimacy_the_3_requirements_of_all_healthy_friendships?subtitle=en] on friendship, coined as "Frientimacy," in the episode, so if you’re looking to watch that entire video, you can click on the link in the show notes. Whether you’re trying to make new friends, working to nurture or deepen existing friendships, wanting more time for friendship in your life, or anything else in that realm, this episode is for you and I am so excited for you to hear it. If you want to get in touch with Laura, you can email her at LMarder@coretorah.org [LMarder@coretorah.org].

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I’m Alex Segal and today, I am speaking with Nomi of Nomi Knows Nutrition. Cheshvan is a time when people want to put their goals into action. We reflected in Elul and Tishrei, came up with what we want our intentions to be going into this new year, and Cheshvan really is the quiet time afterward to set things into motion and make things happen. For many, working on or maintaining good health habits is a big goal. Maybe it’s eating more whole foods, finding time to exercise, or making going to sleep earlier a priority. Maybe it’s spending less time on your phone or social media or maybe it’s even trying to be just a little bit more positive each day. These are all things that Nomi is helping us with on today’s episode.  Nomi is a double board-certified nutritionist and health and wellness coach, affiliated with Duke Integrative Medicine at Duke University. She holds a Master of Science in Nutrition and Functional Medicine. Her undergraduate and graduate research topics have included the psychology of long-term weight-loss maintenance and the role of nutrition in ADHD. She has a private coaching practice in Jerusalem and on Zoom, with clients from all over the world. Additionally, Nomi runs educational workshops on nutrition, healthy lifestyle essentials, and behavioral change. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Clinical Nutrition and researching the relationship between the estrobolome and female hormone disorders. She can be reached at nomi@nomiknows.com [nomi@nomiknows.com] or on Instagram @nomiknowsnutrition [https://www.instagram.com/nomiknowsnutrition/?hl=en]. P.S. Nomi is starting a new coaching group on December 1! If you are interested, you can reach out to her directly on her website or through Instagram. Learn more about Nomi's backstory on Inspiration for the Nation [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nomi-spain-levy-a-korean-models-journey-home/id1619028254?i=1000676303760].

Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. Today, we are talking all about Moshiach. It’s Cheshvan and on the surface, Cheshvan seems like a chill, catch-up kind of month. The chagim are over, we’re back to routine and Cheshvan gives us the time to do so. But is that all Cheshvan is for? Like pretty much all things in Judaism, how things appear on the surface are well, just the surface and there is a whole world of depth underneath. As I was researching more about Cheshvan I learned that it is soooo Moshiach centered. If you learn from the Sefer Yetzirah or the Book of Formation, which you can read about on inner.org [http://inner.org], you will learn that the letter of the month, sense of the month, tribe and so much more are all connected to Moshiach. To be honest, Moshiach is something I’ve struggled with over the years becoming religious and being religious. It’s something that I am taught to want, yet also something I don’t actually know that much about. So for awhile now, I’ve been determined to learn more and really understand more and I knew Faigy Blumstein was the perfect person to do so with. Faigy Blumstein [https://www.instagram.com/faigy.blumstein/?hl=en] does not call herself a lecturer, but someone who loves to share. A passionate educator and school psychologist, she is dedicated to living a Hashem-centered life. As part of the Thank You Hashem women’s division, Faigy draws on chasidic teachings and the light of the Baal Shem Tov, to inspire others. Her heartfelt approach helps women deepen their connection to Hashem, integrating spirituality into everyday life in a meaningful and modern way. And let me tell you this conversation gets deep. We talk about how she got into Chassidus in the first place, how it can connect you in ways you never could have imagined, what Moshiach even means, how we can all work to bring Moshiach, why Cheshvan is the time reserved for Moshiach, how Israel connects to all of this and so so much more. We also learn about the connection between Cheshvan, Moshiach and Rochel Imeinu. Tonight, Monday night, the 11th of Cheshvan begins Rochel Imeinu’s yahrtzeit and our conversation brought such a new light to Rochel that I wasn’t aware of before. It is hashgacha pratis that the podcast is coming out right before so hopefully we can all use our connection to Rochel Imeinu to feel more strength and a new kind of vitality with our Yiddushkeit. Learn more: Cheshvan on Inner.org [https://inner.org/times/cheshvan/cheshvan.htm] Thank You Hashem [https://tyhnation.com/collections/all?sort_by=created-descending&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxKy5BhBbEiwAYiW--2tPXczo8c2LR74NnioJr-JqLXSnJwSVy1vSpya2W5KJEVqUcyBMGhoCyPIQAvD_BwE] Listen to Faigy's Cheshvan Playlist: Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6WV02JkN75bH56bp3AJwTO?si=IkOXgU8pTlm3qrrdDsCFTw&pi=u-W0zjhA66SY6t] Apple [https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/%D7%97%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9F/pl.u-ZmKlcVJAVr4]