What happens when kindness runs unchecked? In this re-aired episode of Human & Holy, we sit down with Miriam Cohen to explore the deep spiritual journey of over-giving, codependency, and emotional depletion—and how Jewish wisdom offers a path to healing.

Season Six launches on Sunday, Sep. 7! ✨

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

While Human & Holy is currently on a season break, we're revisiting some of our most meaningful conversations from seasons past.

This week's episode rerun is a conversation with Ester Zirkind, exploring the concept of Moach Shalit al Halev, the mind ruling over the heart. In a personal accounting of this idea, Ester speaks about the importance of our emotions in the equation. Using the mind to guide the heart is not about suppressing emotions. It’s a spiritual reframe: how to honor your heart while allowing your mind to gently lead the way.

Stay tuned for Season 6 landing on Sunday, Sep. 7 ✨

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction: Season Break & Re-airing Beloved Episodes

01:00 – Meet Ester Zirkind: Educator, Author, and Shlucha

02:15 – What Is Moach Shalit al Halev? The Mind Governing the Heart

04:00 – Growing Up Emotional in a Culture of Emotional Restraint

05:40 – Shame Around Sensitivity: A Personal Struggle

07:00 – Discovering the Enneagram & Sefirot Connection

09:00 – Finding Her Place: Embracing Tiferes and Deep Feeling

10:30 – The Path to True Self-Understanding and Emotional Leadership

12:00 – Why Naming Feelings Is the Key to Mastering Them

13:45 – Teaching Girls to “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”

15:00 – The Power of Regulated Emotion in Conscious Living

16:45 – Accepting Differences: Understanding Others Through Soul Roots

18:00 – Esther’s Book: A Memoir Born of Midlife and Honesty

19:30 – Four Years of Illness, Grief, and Redemption

21:15 – The Life and Loss of Baruch Menachem Mendel

23:00 – Choosing Risk, Choosing Life: A Mother's Courage

24:45 – Battling Illness While Rebuilding Faith

26:15 – The Power of a Supportive Marriage

27:30 – Choosing Gratitude Over Bitterness

29:00 – On Missing Eretz Yisrael and Spiritual Longing

30:30 – Disappointment, Bitterness, and Faith in Divine Timing

32:00 – The Balance Between Emotion and Intuition

33:30 – How Do You Know If You’re Getting It Right?

35:00 – Give Yourself Time: Practical Emotional Guidance

36:30 – Respecting Your Process, History, and Emotions

38:00 – Grieving Honestly as a Path to Healing

39:15 – The Pain Is a Pathway: Choosing to Feel and Grow

40:20 – Final Reflections

What does it actually look like to internalize the identity of the soul as our own? To approach our own reflection with a deep understanding of our essence, of the way it does not hinge on anything but the piece of G-d inside? In this episode, Shterna Ginsberg explores how to stop depending on others for your sense of self and find the infinite worth that lies within.||

To find more of Shterna's work, visit www.energizedliving.org.

To sponsor an episode, please visit humanandholy.com/sponsor or email us at [email protected].

Human & Holy is currently on a season break. This episode originally aired in June 2022.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - The Search for Sense of Self

0:36 - Meet Shterna Ginsberg

1:47 - What is the Neshama?

2:59 - Roots vs. Fruits: Why We Miss Our Essence

4:34 - The Self-Care Problem: No Self to Care For

6:09 - How to Bridge Concept to Experience

7:21 - Hidden Hashem in a "Realistic" World

8:07 - Power Dynamics: Who Controls Your Life?

10:57 - Healthy vs. Unhealthy Dependency

11:48 - The Inner Island of Love & Dignity

13:41 - The Bell Story: Faith Must Be Practiced

16:08 - Chochma, Bina, Das: Three Steps to Integration

18:32 - Dealing with Inner Resistance & Toxic Self-Talk

19:29 - Setting Up Your Internal "Fire Department"

20:45 - The Shaitel Story: Practical Soul Identity

22:37 - Essence vs. Personality: What's Really You?

25:40 - "Just Be Nice"

26:38 - No Excuses for Not Shining Your Light

28:18 - Marriage Without a Self: The Dangerous Dynamic

30:14 - "I'll Give You Everything for a Sense of Self"

32:40 - Parenting from Wholeness vs. Neediness

34:16 - The Apple Story: When Identity Depends on Details

36:10 - Unconditional Love Requires Soul-Centered Identity

38:21 - Root of All Problems

40:45 - "You Are Worthy" - Empty vs. Soul-Based Truth

43:08 - The Virtual Reality Experiment

46:27 - Living in Hashem's Reality vs. Virtual Reality

48:44 - Breaking Through the Barrier

50:35 - Practical Integration: Using Daily Mitzvos

52:28 - The Bell System: Connecting Dots in Your Day

54:04 - Who Is the Self?

Freidy Yanover speaks about our challenges being signs that can direct us towards the next step of our journey. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d. If we are open, we can allow them to nudge us more deeply into our lives and relationships with G-d.

This episode originally aired in Feb., 2022

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction: Season Break

01:10 – Freidy’s Story Begins: From Chassidic Home to Spiritual Awakening

02:45 – Chassidic Thought vs. Chassidic Lifestyle

04:30 – The Turning Point: Tragedy and the Birth of Conscious Connection

06:15 – Asking “What Now?” Instead of “Why Me?”

08:00 – A Letter to the Rebbe—and a Life-Changing Response

10:30 – From Challenge to Clarity: The Path to Purpose

12:45 – Understanding Nisayon as a Path to Nes (Miracle)

15:20 – Flags in the Desert: Imagery, Identity, and Divine Direction

17:00 – Mourning Honestly While Seeking Meaning

19:00 – From Personal Loss to Helping Others Heal

21:00 – The Need for Constant Renewal in Our Relationship With Hashem

26:00 – Learning at 4am: Motherhood, Torah, and the Drive to Go Deeper

28:30 – Every Life Has Challenge, So Every Life Has Opportunity

30:20 – Going Deeper in Torah Study: Not Just Reading, But Absorbing

32:45 – How Footnotes & Sources Unlock Spiritual Depth

34:40 – Advice for the Woman Living in Challenge: Feel First, Then Ask “What”

36:30 – Our Mind and Heart Are Meant to Work Together

38:00 – What Flag Is G-d Waving in Your Life?

While we take a season break, we’re bringing back this conversation with Rus Devora Wallen, who shares her own experience with a stroke, and lessons from her clients on how the greatest descents in our lives are often a preparation and a catalyst for unparalleled ascent.

Find more of Rus Devorah’s work on toratherapeutics.com ||

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction

1:55 - Meet Devora Wallen: Licensed Clinical Social Worker

3:25 - Understanding Yerida L'Tzorech Aliyah (Descent for Ascent)

5:46 - The Stroke Story: Shavuos Morning Crisis

7:26 - Emergency Signs: When Something Goes Wrong

9:50 - Hospital Experience & Spiritual Tools

12:15 - The Turning Point: Gratitude & Second Life1

3:44 - Physical Transformation: Better Than Age 25

15:26 - Managing High Energy Positively

18:11 - Client Story: Postpartum Psychosis Recovery

21:07 - Mirror Neurons & Relationship Dynamics

23:41 - Unexpected Healing: Tourette's Syndrome Improvement

24:44 - The Three-Legged Stool: Mind, Body, Soul

26:36 - Depression

29:02 - Caring for Aging Parents & Life Changes

30:43 - The Bike Ride Breakthrough

31:41 - Moving Creates Motivation

34:14 - Mitzvah Leads to Mitzvah

35:20 - Three-Legged Stool Method Explained

37:35 - Bedtime Breathing Contest Technique

39:45 - Basic Breathing for Beginners

41:12 - Live Meditation Demonstration Begins

45:01 - Post-Meditation Discussion & Benefits

46:54 - Mental Muscle Training & Daily Practice

48:14 - Meditation as Mental Exercise, Not Relaxation

49:30 - Closing Thoughts

While Human & Holy is on a season break, we’re bringing back this conversation with Chayale Tzukernik, where we explore the role our thoughts play in the way we view the world.

Chayale speaks about bridging the gap between her intellectual understanding of an idea and its practical implications in her life. We discuss questioning our natural thought processes in order to guide them towards a more objective truth, and how to practically reframe our experiences in order to align them with a more G-dly perspective of the world.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction: Struggling with judgmental thoughts

01:10 – Season break announcement

01:42 – Meet Chayale Tzukernik

03:05 – Why thought is central in Chassidus

04:38 – The transformative power of thought

06:45 – Internal vs. external harmony through intentional thinking

08:10 – Reframing control: from force to gentle inner teaching

10:00 – Bridging the gap between knowing and living Torah ideas

12:03 – Making Torah personal: internalizing Hashem’s love

13:44 – Choosing thoughts vs. controlling them

15:40 – Thoughts as clutter: does it spark joy?

17:32 – From default judgment to G-dly perception

19:00 – Questioning our own perceptions: trusting Hashem’s view over ours

21:20 – Releasing attachment to negative thoughts

22:20 – Reframing fear through divine perspective

24:30 – Parenting and fear: letting go of control

26:07 – Moving self out of the center, putting G-d in His place

27:50 – Thinking good

28:40 – The case for conscious thought selection

30:20 – Judging others: from coercion to spiritual re-alignment

33:10 – Practical steps to retrain your thoughts

35:10 – Replacing old narratives with Torah truth

36:45 – Personalizing Torah ideas to real relationships

38:30 – Applying Chassidus to judgment in daily life

40:00 – Looking for evidence of the soul in others

41:30 – Final thoughts: transformation through gentle redirection

42:55 – Outro: Season 6 returns Sept 7

While we take a season break, we’re bringing back this unforgettable conversation with Devorie Kreiman, a mother, educator, and woman of deep faith who has lived through unimaginable loss.

In this episode, Devorie shares the raw journey of losing multiple childre, and the lifelong work of finding G-d in the depths of grief. With honesty, courage, and spiritual clarity, she teaches us how to move from “life is impossible” to “I am possible,” holding pain and faith in the same breath.

Find out more about Devorie Kreiman and purchase her book, "Even If I'm Not" at www.devoriekreiman.com

This episode originally aired June 2022. Season 6 returns on Sunday, Sep. 7.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction: Season break

00:53 – Meet Devorie Kreiman and her story of loss and faith

02:15 – Losing her first child: the diagnosis and heartbreak

03:30 – A pattern of illness: discovering a genetic condition

04:40 – The sudden, tragic death of her son Yossi

06:15 – Teaching HaYom Yom the day Yossi died

07:30 – The mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles through grief

08:55 – Beginning the spiritual journey of doing what feels impossible

10:00 – The early years: grieving four sick children

11:40 – The pain of stopping to have more children

13:15 – What her sick children taught her about unconditional love

14:30 – Navigating deep jealousy, pain, and spiritual honesty

16:00 – How her son's passing reshaped her identity and reality

17:50 – The quiet, paralyzing grief after Yossi’s death

18:40 – “Even If I’m Not” – the story behind the title of her book

20:30 – Frozen with pain: knowing truth but struggling to live it

21:30 – The role of EMDR, EFT, and therapy in healing

22:30 – A powerful memory from Simchas Torah: “I’m possible”

25:00 – The final day of shiva and a miraculous moment of hope

26:45 – Tapping into the soul’s strength: “We are possible”

28:00 – The deeper awareness of a soul’s journey and Hashem’s plan

29:00 – Spiritual growth vs. prolonged grief – finding the balance

30:00 – Becoming a grandmother to Yossi’s namesake

31:40 – Navigating bittersweet joy through birth and loss

33:00 – Real-time self-talk: making space for grief and joy

34:30 – Reclaiming rituals like Shabbos candles with new meaning

36:15 – The lifelong challenge of answering “How many children do you have?”

37:20 – Deepened joy and gratitude that grows through loss

38:30 – Appreciation, laughter, and high-quality living after grief

39:40 – Final advice: how to bring Chassidus into daily struggle

41:00 – “We need light in the tunnel, not just at the end”

42:00 – Closing thoughts: a life of small lights, faith, and awareness

43:10 – Outro: Human & Holy Season 6 returns September 7

Wrapping up Season 5 of Human & Holy! We will be going on a season break and re-airing some favorite episodes until Season 6 airs on Sunday, Sep. 7 ✨

To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, share your feedback or guest recommendations, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

A conversation about singlehood, self-worth, and the spiritual journey of opening yourself up to receive G-d's blessings. Jackie, a former psychologist turned global dating mentor, shares powerful insights about faith and personal identity, her story of finding her soulmate at 44, having a baby at 50, and the profound inner work she experienced during that time.

To contact Jackie or learn more about her courses, you can find her at jackieglaser.com or find Jackie on Instagram: datingbyjackieg

EPISODE SPONSOR:This episode is sponsored by Tov Bookkeeping, founded by Tova Munitz. Message @TovBookkeeping on instagram or Whatsapp 323-770-9356 to book a free 20 minute consultation.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction & The Power of Inner Shifts

01:25 - Meet Jackie Glaser: Psychologist Turned Dating Coach

04:00 - Helping Others Dissolve Inner Blockages

06:00 - Single by Design, Not by Punishment

08:15 - Jackie's Journey

11:00 - 14 Years of Waiting: Wrestling with Hashem

13:30 - The Myth of "Not Being Whole Enough" for Marriage

16:00 - Soulmates, Timing & Hashem’s Bigger Plan

18:10 - Crushed to Create: The Olive Oil Analogy

20:00 - Spiritual Bypassing vs. Real Inner Work

23:00 - Mirror Moments: Patterns That Reveal Our Growth Areas

26:15 - How Self-Worth Impacts Dating & Relationships

28:30 - Building Self-Trust through Somatic & Emotional Work

32:00 - Dissolving Fear & Receiving Blessings

35:00 - How We Project Internal Beliefs onto Others

38:00 - Rejection, Self-Worth & Emotional Resilience

41:00 - Our Flaws Are Filters, Not Failures

44:00 - Shadchanim, Boundaries & Trusting Hashem

47:00 - True Bitachon: Trusting Hashem in Action

49:30 - Real Life Example: Surgery, Fear & Hashem’s Protection

53:00 - The Role of Anxiety as a Spiritual Opportunity

56:00 - Loneliness, Desperation & How to Nurture Ourselves

59:00 - Healthy Yearning vs. Desperation in Dating

01:02:00 - Who You Marry Reflects Where You’re At

01:04:00 - Manifesting, Misconceptions & Hashem’s Role

01:06:30 - How to Support Single Friends with Sensitivity

A lesson from the red heifer about how faith is not something that is created or imposed on our lives, but is the ground that everything instinctively rests on.

Also: being a channel for giving to others despite our own blockages, leaning into our engraved experience of faith, and the invitation in the unexplainable laws within the Torah.

Based on a talk from the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Parshas Chukas, Chelek Alef.

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To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at [email protected]

To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.

Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨

Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.