Totally Unexpected!

Chavie opens the conversation by reflecting on how Dr. Cohen was her doctor since she was just three years old. Dr. Cohen tells the story of his family’s fascinating immigration from Europe to the Texas-Mexican border in the early 1900’s when there was still a lot of resistance to Jewish immigration in the USA. He shares how he began his medical career as an ER doctor on Native American reservatio...

Chavie begins the conversation by asking Rabbi YY how he manages his output of classes and public appearances while balancing personal responsibilities. Rabbi YY shares that although he has always maintained a heavy workload, he eventually realized that constantly jumping from one thing to the next can be a distraction. He shares a personal anecdote from when he was teaching a class to teenagers,...

Chavie and Tanya open the conversation by exploring the tension between being perceived as popular or “cool” but not actually feeling that way inside, and the journey towards truly accepting oneself feeling “cool” from within. Tanya reflects on her upbringing in Los Angeles as the granddaughter of Holocaust survivor Sam Menlo, who helped establish the contemporary Orthodox Jewish community in LA....

Chavie and Mimi talk about their shared sleep deprivation struggles, thanks to their kindred spirit, non-bedtime-conformist six-and seven-year-old daughters. Mimi shares how her idyllic childhood growing up in Miami Beach was disrupted at age ten when her nineteen-year-old brother passed away suddenly in his sleep. She reflects on the impact of experiencing grief at such a young age while also try...

Chavie and Tonia connect over their shared upbringing as daughters of Chabad emissaries in Texas, reflecting on how empowering it was to carry so much responsibility from a young age. Chavie asks how Tonia maintained her creative spirit as a teenager, within a system that often values conformity, and Tonia shares how her strong intuition drew towards the deeper, mystical teachings of Chassidus, wh...

Simi Polonsky, co-founder of The Frock NYC, joins Chavie to reflect on her journey from a stable and joyful childhood in Coogee Beach, Australia to navigating the loss of her first husband, Shua, at just 31. Chavie and Simi explore whether hardship must always be the catalyst to “doing the work, and how Simi’s return to working with her sisters at The Frock, after Shua’s passing, was a vital part...

Chavie and Lisa begin by bonding over their shared experience as podcast hosts and reflecting on Chavie’s participation in Lisa’s program. Lisa traces her path from personal trainer to certified health coach, eventually pursuing a Master’s and Doctorate in Social Work and launching a holistic and integrative health coaching business. She shares her health journey, beginning with being sent to Weig...

Chavie and Malka begin the conversation by reflecting on their shared experience of marrying young and expecting to have children right away. They discuss the harsh reality of infertility, the emotional toll of repeated interventions, and the pivotal decision to stop and consider new options. Together, they break down the step-by-step process of choosing adoption, challenging the notions of a homo...

Chavie begins the conversation by sharing her struggles with skincare and the transformative experience that led her to Linda, forming a deep friendship along the way. Linda reflects on what it was like to be born in Hawaii, grow up in Washington State, and move to Japan with her family for middle school. She shares how, after returning to the West Coast for college, she started out in retail, tra...

Chavie begins the conversation by asking Chaim about his childhood, growing up under the Rebbe’s wings in Crown Heights. He shares how idyllic it was to live in the Rebbe’s presence and how it permeated every aspect of daily life. He also reflects on some of the negative influences he absorbed as a yeshiva student, particularly the “you are with us or against us” mentality. Chaim talks about how h...

Mina and Chavie begin by reminiscing about their high school days together in Chicago. Mina reflects on how her parents nurtured creativity in each of their children, inspiring her to explore photography and writing. She then shares the earth-shattering moment when, at just eight years old, she learned her brother passed away as an infant due to a genetic condition. She and Chavie discuss Ambiguou...

Brochie talks with Chavie about pausing her interior design business after having twins, which created an "empty space" for her to explore a new approach to design. She shares how she discovered Human Design, which focuses on identifying one's unique gift to share with the world and the most natural way to do so. Chavie and Brochie discuss how and if this aligns with Hassidic and Jewish values of...

Chavie and Michal compare notes on growing up outside mainstream religious communities, and speaking Yiddish and Hebrew, respectively, as their first languages. Michal shares how she developed a passion for education early on and always knew she wanted to be a teacher.  Chavie and Michal then discuss how although teaching might not be the most glamorous career, it is such a powerful position and s...

Sheva and Chavie begin by discussing the value of dark humor as a coping mechanism for navigating life’s painful moments. Sheva reflects on her childhood, growing up in the desert of Tucson, Arizona, on a beautiful 10-acre property raised by her hippie parents. After being expelled from high school, she attended a school for troubled youth. At 15, she found a job and eventually left home at 16. Sh...

Shaina and Chavie start off by reflecting on Shaina’s upbringing on Shlichus (Chabad outreach) in 1970s Los Angeles. They explore how the unique challenges of her childhood and teenage years pushed her to grow up before she had the tools to manage her emotional and mental health. As a young parent, Shaina was determined to break the cycle, so she sought help to equip herself with the skills to rai...

In this episode, Chavie and Sheva dive into the intersection of fashion and spirituality. Sheva shares her journey from being a fashion-forward teen with limited resources to founding a spiritually-driven fashion magazine that empowers Jewish women to embrace their essence. She reflects on transforming mivtzoim, (Jewish outreach), in high school from a dreaded task into something cool and inspirin...

Sarah and Chavie begin by discussing how Sarah started journaling as a young child, which ignited her love for self-expression. They explore the tendency for kids to box themselves into labels and emphasize the importance of letting them know it’s okay to have fun and embrace who they are. The conversation shifts to the "Suffering Olympics" and hustle culture, where unhappiness and hardship are of...

Moshe shares his journey with Chavie growing up as a shy introvert in a large family and developing a debilitating anxiety with many physical symptoms that went unexplained for years. Life took a dramatic turn when his wife had a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor, propelling him into a journey of healing and self-discovery. Moshe shares how he found The Emotion Code, a method to release...

Chavie and Shoshana begin with an account of Shoshana's challenging childhood before she found a fresh start with the Bruk family in Bozeman, Montana. Shoshana shares what it was like to be the eldest of her new siblings while integrating into an observant Jewish household and community. Wanting to fully commit, she attended an all-girls Chassidic boarding school, only to find herself feeling alie...

In this episode, Mendel tells Chavie about his first encounter with astrology on a random night in Brooklyn. A man read his chart and he was fascinated by how accurate the reading was. That set him on a journey to learn everything he could about astrology and the human psyche. Mendel also shares about how he became interested in farming as a young boy in Israel. He decided to turn his dream of far...

Chavie and Chana begin by connecting over their shared Chicago connection and their mutual appreciation for living in the mountains. Chana shares how she immediately felt at home in Tzfat, Israel after attending seminary there. They also bond over embracing a variety of personal and professional talents, rather than conforming to societal expectations of sticking to a single lifetime career path....

Chavie and Elisheva begin by discussing the challenges and benefits of creating free content on social media. Elisheva shares how her love for words started at a young age and how she always aspired to be a therapist. She eventually specialized in relationships and sexuality after noticing that very few were addressing this topic within the Orthodox Jewish community. They also highlight the import...

Sara Miriam Smith has a master's degree in special education and is the author of, "Are You My Mother?" Chavie and Sara Miriam talk about how they met on social media and then became friends in real-life. They discuss how hard parenting is and that instead of beating ourselves up when we make mistakes, we should believe in "our own goodness." Then, Chavie and Sara Miriam dive deep into Sara Miriam...

Introduction to my new podcast: Totally Unexpected! I love people and I love hearing their stories. I want to know who they are, how they got there, what didn’t go as expected, and what they did about it. That passion and curiosity led me to create “Totally Unexpected!” I've had my own fair share of unexpected twists and turns; a permanent infertility diagnoses, five adopted children with varying...