🎧 Jewish Grit | A Podcast by Olami Mentorship: Hosted by Rabbi Shlomo Landau and Abbey Wolin

You can have the degree, the hustle, and the ambition — but if you don't know how to build real relationships, you're leaving your biggest opportunities on the table. Networking isn't about collecting contacts. It's about showing up for people before you need anything from them. In this episode of Jewish Grit, Jeffrey Meshel — real estate veteran, master networker, and author of On...

You're starting out in your career, trying to figure out: •⁠ ⁠Which skills to build •⁠ ⁠Which doors to walk through •⁠ ⁠Which bets are worth taking In this episode of Jewish Grit, Howard Morgan — one of the earliest internet pioneers and a venture capitalist behind companies like LinkedIn and Uber — shares: •⁠ ⁠How he learned to see around corners •⁠ ⁠What it really takes to build a career wit...

You've worked hard, done everything right, and then something outside your control threatens to take it all away. What do you do next? In this episode of Jewish Grit, Yael Simon, a philanthropic strategist who has helped deploy over $300 million for some of the world's most influential family offices, opens up about the career crisis that almost ended everything — and how it became the foundation...

You're early in your career, trying to figure out your path — and the fear of making the wrong move can feel paralyzing. What if the wrong move is actually the point? In this episode of Jewish Grit, Arash Gohari, founder of 27 Capital, breaks down the exact mindset that took him from law school dropout to real estate fund manager. Arash fled Iran as a child and built his career from a payphone cal...

huva Morris is the first female divorce mediator at the Beth Din of America, bringing legal training, Jewish law, and deep emotional sensitivity into one of the most difficult moments a family can face. In this episode of Jewish Grit, Ahuva shares her journey from law school to the Beth Din, the challenges of carving out a new role as a woman in a traditional space, and the wisdom she has gained a...

His Mom believed in him. The banks didn’t. His parents gave him their entire life savings. The banks still said no. So he got on a plane to New York — and refused to come back empty-handed. That moment became the foundation of a 50-year career building some of the most iconic developments in the U.S. This isn’t just a real estate story. It’s about belief, resilience, and what happens when someone...

Everyone wants success. Very few know what to do after they get it. In this episode, Harvey Pava breaks down the mindset required not just to win—but to stay in the game. From learning the hard way about complacency, to building a life anchored in responsibility, faith, and consistency—this is a masterclass in long-term thinking. This conversation isn’t about one big moment. It’s about the habits...

She thought she was losing weight. She ended up gaining an entirely new career trajectory. What started as a personal struggle turned into a complete career pivot — from law school ambitions to building a wellness brand with 12 locations, a national product line, and a loyal following. But this isn’t a story about weight loss. It’s about what happens when you stop overthinking — and just try. No m...

He had everything, then it all collapsed. Meet British-born financier Henry Stimler. His story isn’t just about success — it’s about how he lost everything and built it all back again. Henry arrived in New York with just $400 and no formal training, yet built a fast-moving financial empire in his 20s… only to see it collapse overnight in the 2008 financial crisis. In this episode, Henry shares the...

What do you do when logic says you’re done — but you’re not? When you hit your limits — in work, in life, or within yourself? Jonathan Landau shares a powerful mindset: you always have another gear. Finding that next gear is what builds resilience, fuels optimism, and helps you move forward when things don’t go to plan — in your career and far beyond it. This isn’t just about business. It’s a stra...

Chaya Sokol is a registered dietician who took a risk, built a company with 300+ employees, and wakes up every morning loving her job. In this episode she shares her journey, her thoughts on why many entrepreneurs don't succeed and her advice to anyone starting out.

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, shares the story behind one of the internet’s most influential platforms — and the personal lessons that shaped his journey. In this conversation, he reflects on humility, learning to listen, and why success ultimately comes with a responsibility to give back. A thoughtful look at leadership, empathy, and using your influence to help others.

If winning is your only motivator, you won’t stay in the game. Before coaching leaders at Google and Facebook, Tania Friedlander was a professional athlete. Catch her sage advice: ✔️ Pursuit of perfection will burn you out. ✔️ Don't live in the gap. Stop defining yourself only by how far you still have to go. ✔️ Get a mentor — you can’t see your own blind spots. ✔️ Anchor yourself in purpose. Tani...

He’s argued before the United States Supreme Court. He’s also gifted a Boston Celtics jersey to a Chassidic Rebbe. Josh Kahane is a partner at Glankler Brown PLLC in Memphis who lives at the intersection of ambition and faith. In this episode of Jewish Grit, he shares: ⚖️ What it felt like to win a constitutional case at the highest court in the land 🏀 How a high school basketball tournament beca...

After losing his mother at seven, resilience became part of his DNA. From Wall Street to launching his own firm, he climbed fast — only to discover that money without meaning isn’t success. In this episode: •⁠ ⁠The loss that shaped his drive and how grit is daily. •⁠ ⁠The career move mistake that forced him to rethink everything •⁠ ⁠Why success is never linear •⁠ ⁠His blunt advice to his sons and...

In a world where the automotive industry is still very much a man’s game, Fanny Hanono is rewriting the rules. As the force behind GFX Automotive, she opens up on Jewish Grit about what it really takes to build a brand through the highs and the lows—without losing your soul along the way. ✔️ Leading with confidence as a woman in a male-dominated industry ✔️ Keeping her engine steady through prayer...

Stranded mid-flight with Shabbat minutes away, Andrew did something that would quietly change the course of his life. He borrowed a stranger’s phone on the plane. That decision — and his commitment to Shabbat — led to an unexpected connection, a career-defining opportunity, and ultimately, everything that followed. In this episode, Andrew shares: ✅ The chance encounter on a flight that became the...

How do you stay steady when you don’t know what’s coming next? In this episode, Avi Schron, property magnate and Owner of Cammeby's Management Co LLC, reflects on faith, lifelong learning, and leadership — from a child’s hospitalization to navigating high-stakes business decisions. We talk about: ✅ Remaining grounded when outcomes aren’t clear ✅ Teaching yourself new skills instead of waiting fo...

How to leave fear, and your ego, at the door. In this episode, Chaya shares the mindset shifts that carried her from starting with nothing — no degree, no stability, no guarantees — to building a thriving real estate business. In this conversation, she unpacks: ✔️ How ego, disguised as caution, quietly blocks growth ✔️ What failure taught her that success never could ✔️ How faith changes the way y...

In this episode of Jewish Grit, Faigy Rabinowitz, founder of metziahs.com, shares what it really takes to build something from nothing — without waiting for certainty. You’ll hear how to: ✅ Stop overthinking — and grow without a perfect plan ✅ Push through dead ends and disappointment without letting them define you ✅ Build confidence while progress (and income) is still small ✅ Balance ambiti...

At 19, Daniel moved from Israel to the U.S. completely alone. No roadmap. No backup plan. And when things fell apart, he hit rock bottom with no one to guide him. Looking back, he’s sure of one thing: *a mentor would’ve changed everything.* In this episode, Daniel gets real about: ✅ The hidden cost of figuring life out alone ✅ Hitting rock bottom without guidance — and why that hits harder ✅ A...

There was a life before. And then there was everything that came after. Maya Namdar is the founder of Maya’s Place, a modern women’s fashion brand that grew from custom pieces in her family home into a global business. But her story isn’t only about entrepreneurship. It’s about choice. In this episode of Jewish Grit, Maya speaks about building a brand while raising a family, navigating faith and i...

How does a man trusted with billions also sit at a Vegas poker table to elevate the game? Gershon Distenfeld—Director of Income Strategies at AllianceBernstein—shares how discipline, integrity, and purpose shaped both his career and unexpected success in poker, where he donates every win to charity. In this episode: 🃏Managing risk in the markets and in Vegas 🃏Why poker became a platform for doin...

Can AI Replace Marketers? Only if they forget the one thing she says matters most. In this episode, Tzivia Cohen, founder of 14 Minds, opens up about the unexpected turns that shaped her career, her confidence, her spirituality — and her voice as a proud Jewish woman navigating a complicated world. Nothing about her path was linear. Everything about it is inspiring. She talks about: ✔️ The moment...

What happens when life’s biggest challenge becomes the spark for your deepest growth? In this episode: •⁠ ⁠How Marc shifted from a thriving real estate career toward a life of mindfulness and purpose •⁠ ⁠The FBI investigation he was ultimately vindicated in—and how the experience deepened his sense of gratitude •⁠ ⁠The transformative trip to Israel that helped him reconnect with his identity and v...