Connecting Jewish Grandparents

In Parashat Chayei Sarah, we say goodbye to Avraham and Sarah, our first Jewish grandparents. But at the time of their passing, their influence on Yitzchak is unclear, leaving us to wonder: How do we know if our legacy is lasting? This episode explores the challenge every grandparent faces — not always knowing how our children absorb our love and values, yet still having the chance to shape future generations. We discuss how to intentionally leave a meaningful legacy, with practical tips and conversation prompts to deepen connection with your grandchildren today. Perfect for grandparents, parents, and Jewish families who want to strengthen intergenerational bonds, share values, and pass on traditions

Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan

Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy

18 Questions for Connection -Bring more joy and life to every conversation: https://grandplan.kit.com/questions

Visit the Grand Plan Website: bit.ly/GrandPland

Join the Grandparent Circle: bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

Want to discover your Jewish Grandparenting style? Take the free personality quiz: https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

Stay tuned with Connecting Jewish Grandparents:

Spotify: bit.ly/JewishPodcast

Apple: bit.ly/JewishGrandApple

YouTube: bit.ly/GrandPlanVlog

Parashat Vayera begins with Avraham running to welcome three mysterious guests. He prepares food, creates comfort, sets a table, gives his whole heart. And the angels barely speak in return. This week I share the story of Ana, a grandmother I am coaching. Her son asked on Friday if his family could come for Shabbat. She ran through her house to get everything ready. The cooking, the beds, the toys, the small details. She worked so hard to welcome them, just like Avraham, but she still worried that the connection with her granddaughters was not as strong as she hoped. Most grandparents know this feeling. You give so much. You prepare so carefully. And sometimes the children barely talk. Or seem distracted. Or just float in and out. In this episode I share research from Alison Wood Brooks and her book TALK: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Two simple steps can give grandparents more confidence: choose Topics in advance and ask thoughtful Questions. I will also share my “18 Topics to Open Conversation” resource that I use in Grand Plan coaching. These prompts can help you get your grandkids talking in ways that feel natural and connected. Avraham’s quiet encounter with the angels still changes the future. Small gestures can have huge impact. Your presence and effort matter more than you know.

Enjoy Your 18 Questions for Connections Guide → https://grandplan.kit.com/questions

Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan

Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy

Learn more about Grand Plan → What is Grand Plan?

Join the Grandparent Circle→ https://bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

In this week’s episode of The Grand Plan Podcast, Sharona explores how a single name can hold generations of meaning. When Avram becomes Avraham, his new name carries a mission, to become a father of many nations. What can this ancient transformation teach us about identity, legacy, and the names we choose and are given, especially as grandparents? Through personal stories, including Sharona’s own “Bubby on the move,” this episode invites you to reflect on how names shape who we are and what we pass on. Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz Learn more about Grand Plan → bit.ly/GrandPland Join the Grandparent Circle → bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

What do we choose to carry through life’s storms? In this episode of The Grand Plan, Sharona reflects on Parashat Noach and the role of grandparents in preserving family stories, traditions, and values for the next generation. Discover how the story of Noach teaches resilience, gratitude, and intentional legacy, and learn simple ways to create your own “ark” of love, memory, and connection for your grandchildren.

What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan

Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy

Learn more about Grand Plan → What is Grand Plan?

Join the Grandparent Circle→ https://bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores how the festival of Sukkot teaches us to embrace both struggle and success as essential parts of Jewish legacy. Our greatest family stories aren’t just about comfort or achievement, they’re about overcoming challenges, finding meaning, and passing those lessons on to the next generation.

✨ What struggles in your life have become part of your family’s legacy?

✨ How can grandparents and parents share stories of resilience with children and grandchildren?

✨ Why joy and legacy go hand in hand during Sukkot.

🌿 This year, let your sukkah, and your legacy, be filled with joy, light, and gratitude.

🌟 Ready to shape your legacy with intention? Book a free Legacy Call with Sharona today: https://calendly.com/grandplan

What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

Learn more about Legacy Coaching → grandplan.kit.com/legacy

Learn more about Grand Plan → grandplan.kit.com Join the Grandparent Circle: bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

#Sukkot #JewishPodcast #JewishLegacy #JewishTradition #GrandPlan #ConnectingJewishGrandparents #ZmanSimchateinu #JewishGrandparents

This episode is not just for Grandparents. EVERYONE will benefit from this perspective shift, as we finish Rosh Hashana and face the New Year. Many of us think of teshuva (repentance) as heavy, guilt-filled, or narrowly about fixing our wrongs. But Rav Kook, in his masterwork Orot HaTeshuva (Lights of Repentance), offers a radically different vision: teshuva is the pulse of life itself, a return to our deepest, Divine selves, a universal force of spiritual growth, and a joyful awakening that brings light to the world. In this episode, we’ll discuss:

Why Rav Kook saw teshuva as a source of joy, not guilt

The personal and cosmic dimensions of return

How teshuva connects to family, legacy, and passing on values

What it means to see teshuva as a path of hope and creativity 

Book a free legacy coaching call with me: https://calendly.com/grandplan

The book I referenced: https://a.co/d/fz8IO3e

What does the sound of the shofar awaken in you? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores the deep meaning of the shofar on Rosh Hashana, the Kingship of the Almighty, the awakening of the soul, and the personal call to step into your role and potential as a grandparent. Through stories and reflection, you’ll discover: ✨ How crowning G-d as King parallels embracing your role as a pillar of continuity in your family. ✨ The shofar as a spiritual “wake-up call” for intentional grandparenting. ✨ Practical ways to use this season to strengthen your legacy and create joyful Jewish traditions. The shofar calls us not just to listen, but to act. As a grandparent, you have the power to shape your family’s story for generations. 🌟 Ready to make your legacy intentional? Book a free Legacy Call with Sharona to imagine your legacy and create a plan to live it: https://calendly.com/grandplan 🎧 Tune in and let the sound of the shofar inspire you this new year. #Shofar #RoshHashana #JewishPodcast #JewishGrandparents #JewishLegacy #JewishTradition #GrandPlan #ConnectingJewishGrandparents

As we prepare for Rosh Hashana, Judaism invites us to pause and reflect through a practice called Cheshbon HaNefesh (חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ), literally “soul-accounting.” In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores how grandparents and parents can use this timeless practice of spiritual reflection and self-inventory to shape their legacy with intention. Together, we’ll ask: 

Where have I lived my values this year? ]

Where do I want to grow in the year ahead?

How can I share this practice with my children and grandchildren?

Sharona shares stories, Jewish wisdom, and practical steps for weaving Cheshbon HaNefesh into family life, making it more than just a High Holiday ritual but a legacy of mindfulness and meaning passed across generations.

Join the journey of reflection, renewal, and legacy.

Ready to make you work on this together?

Book a Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan

Learn more and explore the Joy Kit at https://bit.ly/CirclesJoy

What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

Learn more about Grand Plan → bit.ly/GrandPland Join the Grandparent Circle:

bit.ly/GrandPCommunity #CheshbonHaNefesh #JewishPodcast #RoshHashana #JewishGrandparents #SpiritualReflection #JewishTradition #GrandPlan

How much influence do grandparents really have in their grandchildren’s lives? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona shares her background in Social Work and explores Systems Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Spheres of Influence to reveal how grandparents impact not just the home, but the entire ecosystem surrounding their family.

From the microsystem of family rituals and weekly calls, to the macrosystem of Jewish values and traditions, grandparents play a powerful role in shaping identity and legacy. Sharona ties these ideas to her Joy Kit circles, showing how practical, joyful activities can bring theory to life across generations.

Whether you’re a grandparent near or far, this episode will inspire you to see your influence as ripple effects of love, values, and presence. Discover how to strengthen your role in your family system while honoring parents, traditions, and community.

✨ Ready to make your circles of influence intentional? Learn more and explore the Joy Kit at https://bit.ly/CirclesJoy

What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

Book a Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan

Join the Grandparent Circle: bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

#JewishGrandparents #JewishLegacy #FamilyHistory #GrandPlan #ConnectingJewishGrandparents #LifeLessons #Heritage #JewishTradition

What does it take to turn love, wisdom, and tradition into a lasting legacy? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona discusses the importance of Grand Plan, forming an intentional legacy that your grandchildren will carry forward for generations.

Drawing on over 20 years in Jewish education, Sharona shares why having a plan matters, what steps to include, and how grandparents can overcome common challenges like distance, busyness, or uncertainty. With practical tools, Jewish wisdom, and heartfelt encouragement, she shows how even small, consistent acts of connection become the foundation for continuity.

Whether you’re a grandparent or part of the middle generation, this episode will inspire you to begin crafting your own “Grand Plan” for Jewish values, family traditions, and lifelong memories.

Start today: Write down 3 values you want to pass on. That’s the beginning of your legacy.

If you’ve ever wondered how to pass down your wisdom, keep traditions alive, and make your mark on the world, this episode is for you.

What is your grandparenting personality? Quiz → https://bit.ly/Grandparentquiz

Book a Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan

Join the Grandparent Circle: bit.ly/GrandPCommunity

#JewishGrandparents #JewishLegacy #FamilyHistory #GrandPlan #ConnectingJewishGrandparents #LifeLessons #Heritage #JewishTradition