Let's Begin with Jenna Arnold

Who are we when the systems around us keep telling us what to want, believe, and become? Jenna Arnold speaks with Zvika Krieger, technology adviser and spiritual leader of Chochmat HaLev, about AI, certainty, community, and the search for meaning beyond work. Drawing on his experience as Facebook’s first director of responsible innovation, Krieger examines the difference between allowing speech an...

Before AI, Jewish stories imagined artificial beings made by human hands. What did those stories ask of their creators? Jenna Arnold speaks with Jewish scholar David Zvi Kalman and Adamah’s Adam Sher about the golem, technological power, and the responsibility that begins when we build something capable of changing the world. Kalman traces the golem from an unformed human being to rabbinic stories...

The Pope has weighed in on artificial intelligence. Where are the Jews? With DZ Kalman, we explore why the Vatican's attempt to establish moral guardrails for AI is such a consequential moment, what Jewish history teaches us about the concentration of power, and why the unlikely story of Heinz ketchup might offer a surprisingly useful model for turning values into enforceable standards. Full trans...

AI can tutor, entertain, and answer almost any question. But if it removes the struggle, what does a child lose the chance to learn? Jenna Arnold speaks with Brooklyn Children’s Museum president and CEO Atiba Edwards, child-development psychologist Tovah Klein, and Jewish scholar David Zvi Kalman about play, resilience, and the responsibilities adults cannot outsource. Edwards asks whether time sa...

What happens when technology promises to keep a conversation going after death? Jenna Arnold speaks with grief educator CJ Infantino, death doula and Buddhist chaplain Alex Sarkissian, and Jewish scholar David Zvi Kalman about grief bots, digital memory, and what it means to be witnessed. Drawing on the death of his wife and his experience raising three children, Infantino challenges the idea that...

In an age of synthetic creation, what makes art more than an image? Jenna Arnold speaks with artist, journalist, and NYTimes Best Selling author, Molly Crabapple, artist and producer Stephanie Lepp, and Temple of the Moon lead artist James Gwertzman about memory, disagreement, and the communities we build by making things together. Crabapple traces her family’s artistic inheritance into the histor...

Long before dating apps, humans built systems for helping people find one another: families, communities, matchmakers, rituals, intuition, and a good amount of unsolicited advice. Jenna Arnold speaks with Greta Tufvesson and Nikki Lewis of The Bevy, Molly Tolsky of Hey Alma, Phillipa James of Fate, and Rabbi Yonah Schiller of Common Era about what happens when one of humanity’s oldest social techn...

Artificial intelligence is extraordinarily good at giving us an answer. Jewish tradition is unusually interested in what happens before we arrive at one. Jenna Arnold speaks with Rabbi Jason Bonder, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Or, and David Zvi Kalman about havruta—חַבְרוּתָא, the ancient practice of learning in partnership through questioning, disagreement, and interpretation. A true havrut...

In 1977, humanity sent the Voyager Golden Record into space as an attempt to explain ourselves to an intelligence we could not imagine. Nearly fifty years later, we are building another record of who we are through artificial intelligence—one assembled from our books, images, histories, arguments, omissions, and digital traces. Jenna Arnold is joined by Sasha Sagan, Sara Wolkenfeld, and David Zvi...

What if some of the answers we need for the future have been hiding in the past? Command F is a podcast about the relationship between ancient and modern technologies. As artificial intelligence reshapes how we create, remember, relate, grieve, raise children, make meaning, and understand ourselves, host Jenna Arnold turns toward 5,000 years of Jewish thought, ritual, storytelling, argument, and i...

Many of you knew this space as Let's Begin, a podcast focused on the questions keeping parents and caregivers awake at night. But underneath those conversations was an even bigger inquiry. One I kept returning to in every part of my life. How do we live with complexity without demanding that everything or everyone fit neatly into one box? That question has now grown into The Land of AND, a home fo...

In a world where parents are drowning in expectations and kids are buried under extracurriculars, how do we step back, loosen up, and actually enjoy the ride? Jenna sits down with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a leading expert in child development, and her son, EGOT winning Composer and Lyricist, Benj Pasek, for a playful yet profound conversation on raising curious, creative kids. They tackle the myth o...

This episode offers a tender reflection on the evolving roles of parents, the uniqueness of each generation, and the deep connection between mother and daughter, all while exploring the vital importance of showing up for children in a way that nurtures their emotional needs and individual growth. Lauren reflects on the challenges she faced as a mother in a rapidly changing world, offering wisdom a...

Ever find yourself deep in the trenches of parenthood, wondering if you're supposed to be quoting a parenting expert, a viral Instagram reel, or that one book you read (half of) last year? We've all been there–trying to keep up with the tidal wave of advice coming from social media, experts, podcasts (hi!), and even that random stranger in the grocery store. It's a lot. In this episode, Jenna sits...

Jenna and Zach Rausch, lead researcher of the NYT Best Seller, The Anxious Generation explore how screen time has become a cornerstone of modern parenting—offering both convenience and unintended consequences. They discuss the divisive nature of phones, which have reshaped childhood while balancing technology's educational potential. Jenna and Zach advocate for clear, thoughtful boundaries while a...

This podcast issues a bold challenge to parents raising boys: reject the outdated model of toughness and dominance and instead teach empathy, curiosity, and vulnerability. These traits are the keys to raising boys who can thrive in a world that values humanity over control. Mark Greene warns of the dangers of "man box" culture, where boys are pressured to suppress emotions and assert power. But wi...

Let’s begin, at the beginning of Sesame Street. In today’s episode Jenna sits down with Sesame Workshop’s CEO, Sherrie Westin to discuss the origins of Sesame Street, their partnership with Begin, and why its mission is more vitaI than ever before.  Since 1969, the characters of Sesame Street have reflected their audience, helping kids (and parents) see versions of themselves on screen. The cast o...

In this gripping episode of Let's Begin, Jenna sits down with Reshma Saujani, the founder of Mom’s First and Girls Who Code, and author of Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work. As both an activist and a mother, Reshma opens up about the crushing weight of comparison culture and perfectionism that so many parents wrestle with today. With a staggering 41% of caregivers reporting overwhelming stress,...

Valarie Kaur, renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, educator, and best selling author, joins Jenna for a timely conversation around processing the news with our children. While these conversations and resulting questions from our kids can feel heavy and intimidating to navigate, they provide a valuable opportunity to instill the roots of empathy while teaching them how other people’s perspectives...

Kristen Bell, actress, children’s book author, and mother of two joins Jenna for a refreshing conversation about the magical gift of natural curiosity in children and the beauty of embracing uncertainty as parents.  Whether it’s admitting that you don’t know the answer to your child’s question or embarking on an imaginative storytelling journey together, Kristen, Jenna, and child development exper...

We’re trying to equip our children with the skills they need while questioning what others deem important. In today’s episode Jenna is joined by Kier Gaines, a licensed therapist, former special education teacher, content creator and father. Kier and Jenna share what milestones (actually) matter most to them, which ones they’re working on and which ones we can spend less time thinking about. At Be...

As parents and caregivers we’re performing the ultimate balancing act: doing everything we can to tee our kids up to thrive while navigating a fulfilling path of our own.  If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed by the complexity of this dual journey and wondering where to start, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s Begin. Hosted by activist, author, and mother, Jenna Arnold, in partnership with the...