Melissa and Elisheva consider career transitions and confronting fear and anxiety around change. They check in with Rebekah Pearlman, who has made several brave and bold career changes and she shares her refreshing and inspiring outlook, teaching us to be honest about our fears, but not let them stop us. 

Find Bekah at @rebekah.the.doula

After an epic 90s nostalgia night, Melissa and Elisheva consider and visit their past selves, the ways in which their lives have met or deviated from their expectations, and try out this viral trend prompt of meeting your younger self for coffee. 

Thanks to the incredible Lisa for organizing the 90s party and for generally being an inspiration. 

Also, this is the kind of music switchboard/equalizer (not synthesizer) referred to during the conversation

Melissa and Elisheva interview Lisa Rich Galinsky of Lisa Rich Photography about her journey, her overwhelming and inspiring experience since October 7th, and her aspirations for the future. Stick around to the end for Lisa's exclusive reveal :-)

Lisa is a Family Photographer, army wife and mama to 4 on a mission to capture family magic in the most authentic way. In the past year, Lisa has documented many army families across Israel and created boutique events that bring glimpses of joy and light to army wives, displaced families & widows.

Follow Lisa on Instagram @lisarichphoto

Melissa and Elisheva get a sneak peek at the gorgeous new book Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women and a chance to interview the inspiring authors behind it, Julie Silverstein and Tami Schlossberg Pruwer. 

Julie is a messaging strategist and former speechwriter for the Ambassador of Israel to the United Nations. She grew up in San Francisco and now lives in Jerusalem with her husband and five children. 

Tami Schlossberg Pruwer is a brand strategist who loves crafting stories for causes she cares about.  Tami was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in Antwerp, Belgium. She now lives in Tel Aviv with her husband and their two children. 


Get your copy of Chutzpah Girls on Amazon or from Koren Publishers 

Follow Chutzpah Girls on Instagram: @wearechutzpahgirls
Follow Chutzpah Girls on Facebook
Shop Chutzpah Swag and check out more on www.chutzpahgirls.com 

Melissa and Elisheva interview Danielle Renov, famous for her Peas Love & Carrots Instagram page and best selling cookbook and most recently the launch of her Micro Peas mini cookbook series! They discuss the ways in which mothers nourish their children, body and soul, and how - after recently becoming a celiac mom - often the way we cope with our child's dietary restriction can be a reflection of our bigger parenting values. 

Make sure to stick around for 2 special guest appearances at the end of the interview. 

We're now on Instagram @motherlandpod - follow us and never miss an episode drop!

Melissa and Elisheva interview Paula Kweskin, founder and director of The 49%: a film and media production company that centers stories of women to advance human rights. Paula's journey is a reminder to all of us to be atuned to every opportunity and nudge from the universe, and her perspective on life will uplift you.

Learn more at https://www.the49percent.org and follow them on Instagram!

Melissa and Elisheva are back after a long hiatus! Catch up with them and hear their life updates as they set the stage for the upcoming episodes.

In this episode, Melissa and Elisheva interview Devorah Levine Katz about her journey through career and motherhood, and how they both evolved over time. Her story is both unique and relatable, and her message about integrating your worlds as a mother and professional is sure to inspire. 

Devorah is a mother of five, a long-time educator, and the current entrepreneur behind Meshek 48, a workshop and event space on Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim.

This episode launches our series on Career and Motherhood with Dyonna Ginsburg. Dyonna is the CEO at Olam and an inspiring example of a leader who accomplished one professional achievement after the other before becomming a mother (she continues to achieve today as well!). She graciously shares her story and her perspective on the ways motherhood has impacted her role as CEO, how she juggles career and family now, how motherhood felt compared to her work, and more.
Prior to OLAM, Dyonna served as Director of Education and Service Learning at The Jewish Agency; Executive Director of Bema'aglei Tzedek, an Israeli social change NGO; and co-founder of Siach, a global network of Jewish social justice and environmental professionals. A frequent lecturer, she was named "one of Israel's 50 most inspiring women" by Nashim magazine in 2015. Dyonna was the recipient of the Schusterman Fellowship and the World Council of Jewish Communal Service’s Ted Comet Exemplar Award for Outstanding Leadership in Strengthening the Jewish People. She currently sits on the advisory boards of Yanshoof and the Global Jewry initiative. Dyonna has a BA in International Relations from Columbia University and an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew University.

To round off the 3-part series on child birth, Melissa and Elisheva wanted to peer into the world of women who have given birth during Israel's current war. To do this, they interviewed doula extraordinaire Janice Cohen to hear about what she's been seeing in hospitals over the last four months.

They also interviewed friend of the pod Bracha Lamm Berger who takes us through the rollercoaster ride of her third trimester, birth, and post-partum period while her husband has been serving the IDF in Gaza.

Melissa and Elisheva reflect on the gaps between the births women want / plan for versus the births they get. How can we move forward from a birth experience that wasn't what we wanted or one in which we felt agency? We were privileged to interview Yael Hirsch-Biderman, a pregnancy and birth professional - certified doula, childbirth educator, group facilitator and a mentor of childbirth experience processing. Yael offers therapy following traumatic births, miscarriages and other losses.

Trigger warning: this episode may not be for you if you are struggling to build your family or have had significant birth trauma.

Yael is proudly part of the BOT: Birth Oriented Thinking professional community as well as the “MENIFA” association for certified doulas in Israel.

Yael is also involved in several nonprofits including: TOMCHOT BE'AHAVA - childbirth guidance and support by professionals for young women between the ages of 14 to 26 from at-risk backgrounds;
The birth freedom Israel movement – advancing the rights of woman during pregnancy and birth and LAHAV – professional support for parents dealing with premature babies

Yael can be found at the following places:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/YaelHirschBiderman
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hirschyael/

Melissa and Elisheva launch a mini-series on the topic of child birth by getting personal and sharing their own birth stories and history.

Trigger warning: this episode may not be for you if you are struggling to build your family or have had significant birth trauma. Please be kind to yourself in exercising judgement about whether to listen. We love you and support you in your journey.

Stay tuned for the coming episodes in the series that touch on different aspects of birth.

In this episode, Melissa and Elisheva take on a taboo subject, MONEY, with the help of Debbie Sassen, an inspiring money coach and mother of eight!

Debbie Sassen is a Business and Money Coach and host of the Jewish Entrepreneur Podcast. She helps entrepreneurs create consistent $5k-20K months and build wealth, in alignment with Jewish values.

Because money is intimately involved with everything we do in business, Debbie believes that clearing your money blocks makes everything else in business easier. Her coaching combines business strategy, sales expertise, and money mindset to help entrepreneurs dissolve the limiting beliefs that keep them underearning.

Debbie believes that no woman should undercharge, undersell or dim her light to build financial sustainability for her family.

Website: https://debbiesassen.com/


Learn about her book, The $1K Investor: Simple Smart Steps to Start Investing with $1K or Less https://debbiesassen.com/book

Melissa and Elisheva interview Sara Liss Landa, Assistant Deputy Director at the New York City Council and long-time political activist.

Sara is the President of the Board of Directors of Zioness and supports the organization Grow Torah

Sara references the YouTube series Crash Course: U.S. government and politics which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOfse2ncvffeelTrqvhrz8H

Melissa and Elisheva update about where they're at and what they are learning during this time.
Life decisions being affirmed or challenged and new empathy being discovered for other experiences.

For their main topic, they dig into some of the career questioning and reevaluating they are witnessing as the war progresses, and debate the merits of optimally deploying professional skills vs. seeking optimal mission and meaning from work.

Melissa and Elisheva clarify the podcast goals, then address some listener feedback.
They then delve into the episode's main topic: fostering resilience in our kids, especially in the face of adversity. Elisheva breaks down 4 components of the war that challenge parents, and Melissa shares the parenting values that guide them.

Notes:
Elisheva referred to a study from Emory University that was tested in the wake of 9/11. Read about it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/the-family-stories-that-bind-us-this-life.html

In this episode, Melissa and Elisheva interview Naomi Eastman, a health coach, personal trainer, and mother of three. Her husband, Aryeh, was called up to miluim (reserve duty) on October 7th, and has been serving ever since.
Naomi is a resident of Carmei Gat in the south of Israel.

Melissa and Elisheva discuss what they're seeing around them, outside their homes. How are their respective communities and environments reacting to Israel's current War? Next, they discuss the uncertainty, the impossibility to plan, and are honest in exploring the limits of their commitment to living in Israel.

Melissa and Elisheva introduce the podcast and jump right in to their personal experiences during Israel's current war against Hamas. The events in Israel on October 7th have changed us forever. We are still processing it, and check in with one another from opposite sides of the world.

Praying for peace and the speedy return of all hostages.