The TrailBLAZER Pod

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you turned out to be the thing that saved you? When Amanda Spiro was 21, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Instead of asking "why me," she found herself asking something most people never get to ask: what is this trying to teach me? In this episode, Amanda shares how cancer became the catalyst for the most precious chapter of her life, meeting...

She said to herself "I'm done being a victim," and started a business.  Malky grew up in Boulder, Colorado, Chabad shluchim's daughter, one of eleven, sandwiched in the middle. The quiet one who wanted to be seen and despised being seen at the same time. She found her one safe space in writing, first teenage angst, then poetry, then eventually a livelihood. Malky's story isn't a comeback narrative...

Chaya grew up in Long Beach, California, Chabad rabbi's daughter, one of seven, smack in the middle. From thirteen, she had a job: a ninety-minute drive each way to teach Hebrew school. By her twenties she was teaching toddlers in Greenwich, Connecticut, building bulletin boards so elaborate the director asked her to write a curriculum book. She loved it. Then her husband Bruce bought a defunct fu...

She got labeled with a learning disability. Turns out that was the superpower. Yael Morris, founder and CEO of Decode, joins Faye for a conversation that doubles as a masterclass in listening. As a young girl, Yael got labeled with a learning disability and spent years convinced she wasn't capable. She ran a marketing agency during COVID, and discovered her clients couldn't answer the most basic q...

She built the company she wished existed: real humans, real problems. Not a task app. Not a chatbot. A partner. Lizzy's parents used to ask her: "did you try?" instead of "what'd you get?", the kind of message that builds a kid who finishes a degree in two and a half years against everyone telling her not to risk it. At twelve, she saw an Israeli soldier and decided she was going to be one. She fo...

What does it look like to make a plan, follow it perfectly, and then have to write a better one in a new country at 19? Hadas Frank, AI strategic consultant and educator, joins Faye for one of the most clear-eyed founder conversations on the show. Hadas was diagnosed in third grade with learning challenges, told to lower her expectations, and pushed by her mother into grinding 90s, an accelerated...

What does it look like to use the tools of acting to live a fuller life? Melissa Weisz, actor, writer, producer, and facilitator, joins Faye for a personal and powerful conversation around identity and taking up space. Melissa opens up about stumbling into acting through a Yiddish-language Romeo and Juliet, discovering on her first scene that her messy emotions finally had a place to go, and how s...

She grew up Jewish in Siberia, where being Jewish was encoded in your passport but impossible to practice. Then in 2017, she saw something on American TV that looked exactly like Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda. That moment changed everything. This week, scholar and author Izabella Tabarovsky joins Faye to talk about Soviet Jewish identity, anti-Zionism on American campuses, and what the refuseniks...

What happens when a girl with no tech background, no resources, and no roadmap decides to teach herself to code, and ends up at Google, Y Combinator, and building her own AI compliance company? Esty Scheiner, founder and CEO of Shiboleth, joins me for one of the most honest and inspiring founder conversations on the show. Esty opens up about teaching herself to code in high school with almost no r...

She went from babysitting to Wall Street and built a money coaching business along the way. This week, Debbie Sassen joins Faye to talk about the go-get-'em mindset that shapes not just your career, but your entire relationship with money. From early money memories to financial literacy and entrepreneurship, this conversation will change the way you think about wealth. Connect with Debbie: 🌐https...

What does it really mean to live and lead in alignment? Yael Simon joins me to explore the powerful intersection of identity, ambition, faith, and leadership. She reflects on growing up with strong influences, from family aspirations to religious identity, and how those forces guided her early career path and definition of success. But along the way, she began asking deeper questions about self-wo...

A lot of us think in black and white; success or failure, strong or weak, hustle or quit. But what if the real growth happens in the gray? In this episode, I sit down with Riki Zahn, founder of After Hours Club, a mental health-focused art and wellness community creating mindful, immersive, and creative experiences. In this episode, Riki opens up about losing her father at a young age, navigating...

In this episode of The Trailblazer Pod , Leah Sroka , a personal jeweler in NYC's Diamond District, uncovers her journey from retail floors to founding her own fine jewelry business. Leah shares the lessons she learned building her career, from mastering the craft of jewelry-making to navigating the intricacies of entrepreneurship as a woman. She dives into why virality doesn't equal sales, why di...

Michelle Mozes, rebrand expert, business coach, and creative entrepreneur, joins us for an honest conversation about personal branding, authenticity, and building a business that supports real life; not burnout. Michelle opens up about her journey with anxiety and depression, how fear became a catalyst for growth, and why finding yourself is an ongoing process at every stage of life. We dive into...

In this episode, we sit down with Melanie Goldberg Silver,  writer, attorney, and author of Bedtime Stories for Strong Jewish Girls to talk about identity, resilience, and the power of storytelling. Raised in Brooklyn with a richly diverse Jewish heritage, Melanie shares how her early experiences with anti-Semitism shaped her worldview and ultimately led her to activism, writing, and a legal caree...

What happens when Jewish women in business come together with intention, support, and shared values? In this episode, Faye, Chana, and Rosie explore the power of community, collaboration, and connection for women entrepreneurs. The conversation dives into why networking events and safe spaces are essential for Jewish women navigating business, family life, and ambition.  You'll hear how collaborat...

What does it mean to lead as a Jewish woman today? In this honest conversation, Jessica Cohen shares her journey from a driven young girl with big dreams to a woman serving her community through public service. From law school and life pivots to confronting anti-Semitism and finding the courage to run for city councilwoman, Jessica reflects on how identity, resilience, and community shape leadersh...

This week's guest is Donna Griffit, world-renowned corporate storyteller and pitch alchemist. Donna shares how she became a storytelling expert, helping founders find their voice, cut through the noise, and own their narrative. We explore entrepreneurship, why self-promotion isn't bragging, and the unique dynamics women navigate, and the opportunities they can claim in building and funding compani...

Kylie Ora Lobell reflects on a childhood shaped by feeling unseen, the ways food and writing became coping mechanisms, and how those experiences ultimately led her to a deeper search for meaning. In this conversation, Kylie opens up about identity, faith, rejection, and the power of community, offering an honest and relatable perspective on what it means to find belonging and purpose. Whether you'...

For Elissa Sagoskin, sports have always been more than a pastime; they're a part of who she is. Now, she's channeling that passion into coaching and representing Jewish female athletes on the world stage, with her sights set on the 2028 Olympics. Elissa is also a mother to her son, Amichai, who has cerebral pals, and through him, she's learned to flip the script on how we see bodies, movement, and...

What happens when the whispers of your intuition are louder than you realize yet you still don't know how to listen? In this episode, Dr. Zahava Berkowitz, founder of Ima Acupuncture, reflects on the quiet signals she once brushed aside, the life-altering choices that followed, and the moment she finally understood her inner guidance had been trying to steer her all along. And when she did trust t...

Yael Dahan is the founder of Penny's Dance studio. Yael's dream of starting her own dance studio came to fruition when she decided to take control of her career path. She had limited resources but a burning passion. Penny's Dance Studio is named after and in honor of her grandmother Penny who shared her love for dance, hard work and helping others with her granddaughter. Yael shares the values tha...

What if networking wasn't just about collecting contacts, but about connecting with purpose? Welcome back to the TrailBLAZER Pod. In this episode, Lirone Glikman CEO of The Human Factor, author of The Super Connector's Playbook, speaker, and global networking expert, shares how authenticity, energy, and even rejection can become your greatest assets. From the power of asking for advice to building...

Allison Chait, artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Shabbos Brushups ; the makeup line redefining faith and self-expression. In this episode, she shares her journey from a creative childhood to studying at FIT, finding spiritual inspiration in Israel, and launching a brand that blends beauty, identity, and community. She opens up about balancing business with belief, advocating for Israel, and how...

Dr. Aimee Baron is the founder of I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, but her journey started long before that. A lifelong dreamer of becoming a pediatrician, she built her career caring for other people's children all while silently grieving her own losses. After suffering six miscarriages, including four in the second trimester, she finally became pregnant with her twins. But even in her deepest pain...