Inspired to Lead

From chemical engineer to Fortune 500 director of engineering to co-founder and CEO of the Stein Center — Deena Stein's career defies the playbook. In this episode of Inspire to Lead, host Talia Meshiach sits down with her close friend Deena to unpack a story of ambition, risk, and reinvention.

Deena opens up about starting her career at Procter & Gamble at 22, leading a team of union workers twice her age who tried to break her, and how she learned that real leadership comes from earning trust, not authority. She shares how she and her husband Avi built parallel careers — hers climbing the corporate ladder at Abbott/AbbVie to director of a 300+ person organization, his training as a specialist dentist — before making the leap to build the Stein Center together from the ground up, including a bold, ground-up construction of their own state-of-the-art dental facility.

This is a candid conversation about redefining success on your own terms — at work, in marriage, and in life.

Timestamps:

1:00 Welcome to Inspired to Lead

9:50 Their mission was to break me: starting out at Procter & Gamble

14:34 Learning leadership and earning people's trust

16:23 Moving to Columbus, Ohio for her husband's specialty

20:30 Starting at Abbott/AbbVie in pharmaceutical manufacturing

28:30 Husband decides to buy his own dental practice

32:18 Building their own facility from the ground up

39:05 On being risk-averse (and taking the biggest risk of her life)

45:44 Working with your spouse without working together all day

62:06 Leaving corporate in 2019 right before COVID hit

63:40 What would you tell your younger self?

66:35 What is your purpose?

68:17 Closing thoughts: the power of friendship

This episode was made possible by our friends at Roth&Co. , innovators in accounting and business advisory.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and watch the full conversation on YouTube.

#InspireToLead #WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #DentalCEO #WorkingCouples #CareerAdvice #SmallBusiness #WomenInLeadership #Podcast

What's the real difference between a $1,000 couch and an $8,000 couch that look identical? In this episode of Inspired to Lead, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Avigail Nadav, founder of OC & Co Living, a global custom furniture and manufacturing company serving designers, architects, and hotels worldwide.

Avigail pulls back the curtain on the complex, often secretive world of manufacturing in China — from touring factories that don't match their showrooms, to spotting fake materials, negotiating with vendors, and building a team across three continents. She shares the real story of how she and her husband went from furnishing their own flipped apartments to running a global manufacturing business, the costly lessons learned along the way, and how she built trust with factories most people never get access to.

Beyond business, Avigail opens up about the challenges of being a mother of four while traveling internationally, running a business through war in Israel, and building a marriage that's also a business partnership.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome & introduction

1:02 – What we'll cover in this episode

4:57 – Solving designers' dreams

4:34 – How it all started

4:37 – Her career at Freightos & learning logistics

29:20 – The $1,000 vs $8,000 couch mystery

31:13 – The "iceberg" theory of manufacturing quality

52:46 – Her upbringing & her mother's inspiration

53:38 – Building a business through war in Israel

59:29 – What's next for the company

67:37 – Final message to the audience

Thanks to our friends at Roth & Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory, for making this conversation possible.

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Summary In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Bracha Banayan, family nurse practitioner and founder & CEO of IV Drips and Hello Dose, for a deep and inspiring conversation. They explore the science behind GLP-1 medications, why weight loss has never just been about willpower, and how hormonal health is transforming medicine and longevity. Bracha also opens up about her entrepreneurial journey — bootstrapping two companies from scratch — and shares candid reflections on dating, heartbreak, egg freezing, and learning to surrender to life's process.

Timestamps

• 1:40 – Bracha introduces herself: nurse practitioner, entrepreneur, New York City
• 2:16 – The founding of IV Drips: on-demand IV infusions at home
• 3:46 – Bootstrapping with $20K, faking different voices, first hires
• 5:10 – Launching on Yom Kippur & breaking into the Jewish community
• 9:35 – Scaling during COVID: overnight demand surge
• 10:30 – Expanding to New Jersey, Florida, Louisiana & beyond
• 11:36 – Shifting to Hello Dose: the weight loss journey that changed everything
• 13:20 – Why weight loss is biology, not willpower
• 14:15 – How Ozempic changed the conversation around obesity & shame
• 16:15 – GLP-1 vs. tirzepatide vs. retatrutide — what's the difference?
• 19:03 – Ozempic for addiction, binge eating, alcohol & smoking
• 20:45 – The next drug: retatrutide & muscle loss concerns
• 23:19 – How GLP-1s rewire the brain's reward system
• 24:42 – Hormonal imbalance, PCOS, perimenopause & fertility
• 26:29 – Microdosing for longevity: why Bracha thinks everyone over 50 should be on GLP-1s
• 27:18 – The cardiometabolic & anti-inflammatory benefits beyond weight loss
• 28:40 – Removing the shame from Ozempic
• 32:14 – Side effects: when they happen and why they're user-dependent
• 35:33 – Microdosing forever as a longevity strategy
• 35:48 – GLP-1s and pregnancy: what you need to know
• 38:25 – Hello Dose today: 22 states, telehealth, holistic care
• 40:57 – Growing up in Monsey, family, and the road to medicine
• 42:00 – Dating journey, egg freezing, and going public about it
• 43:43 – Embracing challenges: caterpillar to butterfly
• 46:40 – Surrendering to reality vs. fighting life
• 50:34 – Comparison, confidence & the people you surround yourself with
• 53:03 – 10-year vision: sell both companies, impact metabolic health, start a family
• 59:26 – Fast Five Q&A
• 1:01:32 – Final advice: build muscle, hydrate, sleep, get on a GLP-1, live with curiosity

About the Guest

Bracha Banayan is a 36-year-old family nurse practitioner based in New York City with nearly a decade of clinical experience. She is the founder and CEO of IV Drips, a concierge IV infusion company operating across more than 20 U.S. cities, and Hello Dose, a telehealth platform helping patients optimize their metabolic health through GLP-1 medications, HRT, and peptide therapy. A passionate advocate for longevity medicine and precision care, Bracha is also a forthcoming author of a book on GLP-1 medications and debunking weight loss myths. Known for her sense of urgency, boldness, and deep belief that every challenge is a catalyst for growth, Bracha Banayan is on a mission to help people live longer, stronger, and healthier lives.

This episode is brought to you by Roth&Co innovators in accounting and business advisory.

What does it take to build something that moves people — literally and figuratively? In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Sue Gilad — Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and co-producer of Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders, Who's Tommy, and Buena Vista Social Club — for a conversation about creative risk, resilience, leadership, and what the theater industry can teach us about life.

Sue's path wasn't a straight line. She started as an actress, realized her real joy was in building — the team, the story, the room — and pivoted to producing before most people even knew that was a career. Today, she's behind some of the most celebrated shows on Broadway, driven not by the promise of profit, but by an irrational, unwavering love for the art form.

This episode is about far more than Broadway. It's a frank, joyful conversation about the power of rejection, the discipline of creativity, what it means to lead a room full of artists, and why the skills of a theater kid might be exactly what the world needs most right now.

Timestamps:

3:10 — What does a Broadway producer actually do?

5:34 — Finding the show: 8-10 years to develop a Broadway musical

6:37 — The art meets commerce challenge — and what makes a story evergreen

9:07 — How scripts get optioned and what writers actually get paid

14:30 — Each show is its own startup: fiscally and artistically

17:41 — From actress to producer: the pivot that changed everything

20:28 — The first show Sue ever produced — and the friend who handed her the script

22:07 — "I loved being in the room where we're all strangers — and two weeks later you can't imagine one person being gone"

26:32 — How Sue builds her team and what the "no jerks rule" really means

29:13 — The CEO and the janitor: what it means to lead a Broadway show

30:01 — Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders, and the moment a show tells you it needs to fly

31:37 — Investors, risk, and why you can't make a living but you can make a killing

35:30 — Recoupment on Broadway — and why it's getting harder

36:09 — The Stay Gold Project: turning teenage boys into theater kids

36:49 — Ticket prices, access, and the fight to bring new audiences into the theater

38:27 — Social media and how it drives ticket sales today

42:32 — The rise of Orthodox women's theater: a new creative frontier

45:28 — AI, creativity, and why analog theater is going to matter more, not less

46:23 — COVID and Broadway: 18 months dark, and how they kept skills alive

47:33 — "You can't make a living, but you can make a killing"

51:37 — Rejection in theater — and why "no" never means no forever

51:40 — What theater kids become in the real world

59:30 — October 7th, antisemitism on Broadway, and Sue's most important contribution

1:02:03 — Fast Five: rock bottom moments, sacrifices, skydiving with her daughter, and her message to women

About the Guest: Sue Gilad

Sue Gilad is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer whose credits include Moulin Rouge!, The Outsiders (Best Musical, Tony Award 2024), The Who's Tommy, Buena Vista Social Club, and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, among others. She began her career as a performer, discovering along the way that her true passion was building — assembling teams, developing stories, and creating the conditions for theatrical magic to happen.

A longtime collaborator with producing partner Larry Rogowsky, Sue is known for her relentless optimism, her refusal to treat rejection as permanent, and her deep belief that theater has the power to open hearts and change minds. Through initiatives like the Stay Gold Project and the Matinee Mission, she works to bring first-time theatergoers — especially young people — into Broadway houses across the country.

Sue is a proud mother of three, a passionate advocate for the arts in education, and someone who would happily pay for the privilege of doing what she does.

This episode was made possible by our friends at Roth & Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory. We are grateful for their continued partnership in making these conversations possible.

What does it take to be a woman with a loud voice in a world that keeps telling you to be quiet? In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt — journalist, rebbetzin, and co-founder of the Altneu Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side — for a conversation about ambition, authenticity, and what it really means to lead.

Avital's path has been anything but conventional. A Russian-born writer who published her first viral essay at 20, landed bylines in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, and Foreign Policy, and spent years as a features editor and news editor before pivoting to co-build one of New York City's fastest-growing Orthodox synagogues — all while navigating the deeply complex terrain of being a bold female voice in the frum community.

This episode is about far more than one woman's story. It's a frank, urgent conversation about the cost of conformity, the crisis of female spiritual leadership in Orthodox communities, and why, if we don't change, we're going to lose an entire generation of women.

Timestamps:

• 2:39 — Avital's background: growing up Russian-speaking, a literary home, and big dreams
• 5:34 — The power of teachers and mentors in igniting ambition
• 6:37 — Being told her drive for ambition was a "yetzer hara" — and going for it anyway
• 9:07 — Writing for Haaretz, personal essays, and finding her voice as a religious woman
• 11:36 — The Forward years: breaking stories on the Orthodox community and navigating controversy
• 12:52 — Going viral before going viral was a thing; the tznius essay at age 20
• 17:41 — Writing about her dating life and using authenticity as a filter
• 20:28 — Freelancing and hitting her byline bucket list: NYT, The Atlantic, Vogue, and more
• 21:08 — The reality of gatekeeping in journalism and being relentless despite rejection
• 22:07 — "Winners always find a way to win"
• 22:22 — Meeting her husband: the story, the promise she broke, and the NYT essay that brought them back together
• 26:32 — Writing a book: 700 words a day and the unglamorous daily discipline
• 29:13 — Why the digital world has flattened us — and why that's dangerous
• 30:01 — On shidduchim, being yourself, and differentiation in dating
• 31:37 — "It's gonna be really hard to build leaders — especially women — who aren't bold enough to be authentic"
• 31:45 — Building genuine belonging vs. conformity in frum community life
• 35:30 — The controversy and the courage: hate mail, threats, and choosing truth anyway
• 36:09 — Post-October 7th: a shift in priorities and the luxury of community criticism
• 36:49 — How the Altneue Synagogue was born — out of crisis, pregnancy, and 40 people in a living room
• 38:27 — The convergence: how Avital's journalism career and community building came together
• 42:32 — From a living room minyan to 600 people and the Pierre Ballroom
• 45:28 — October 7th and the surge of young Jews searching for connection
• 46:23 — Building real commitment: charging membership before they had a building
• 47:33 — The shul as a product: finding the gap and doubling down on differentiation
• 51:37 — "When you engage the women, you engage the whole family"
• 51:40 — "We felt the hand of God in this" — 722 member families and counting
• 59:30 — "There should be leadership on both sides of the mechitza" — Avital's defining statement
• 1:02:03 — Women spiritually checking out vs. going "woke" — what Avital is actually worried about
• 1:05:08 — Materialism as the symptom of women with no inner spiritual life
• 1:08:14 — Halacha vs. Masorah: having the honest conversation
• 1:12:14 — "If we don't change, we're going to lose" — what senior Rabbonim are actually saying
• 1:15:09 — "We are so afraid of female voices" — the media we consume and the messages it sends
• 1:18:45 — The JWE's mission and why this podcast exists
• 1:19:25 — Modeling: the text from a young woman that Avital saved
• 1:20:10 — Blurred girls' faces in magazine ads and the message sent to young women
• 1:37:39 — Fast Five: controversial thing she's ever done, her superpower, and her final message

About the Guest: Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt

Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt is a journalist, rebbetzin, and community builder based in Manhattan. A daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrants, she grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey, in a deeply literary home, and knew from childhood that she wanted to be a writer. She studied at Stern College for Women (Yeshiva University) and went on to build a distinguished career in journalism, with bylines in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, Glamour, Haaretz, and The Forward, where she served as features editor. She later served as news editor at The Real Deal, covering New York City politics and real estate.

Avital is also the co-founder of the Altneu Synagogue, an Orthodox congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which she built alongside her husband, Rabbi Benji Goldschmidt. What began in 2020 as a living room minyan of 40 people has grown into a community of 722 member families — known for its intellectual rigor, inclusive spirit, and vibrant women's section. The shul has become a model for engaged, differentiated community building in the modern Orthodox world.

A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Avital is currently at work on her first book. She is passionate about female leadership in the frum community, the importance of authenticity, and helping women reconnect to a rich inner spiritual life.

This episode was made possible by our friends at *Roth & Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory. We are grateful for their continued partnership in making these conversations possible.*

What does it take to go from Upper East Side housewife to seven-figure entrepreneur? In this episode, host Talia Meshiach sits down with award-winning artist and designer Elizabeth Sutton for a raw, inspiring, and deeply honest conversation about building a creative empire — from scratch, on her own terms.

Elizabeth opens up about losing everything, navigating divorce while pregnant with no money, the tragic loss of close friends, and how desperation — not confidence — became the catalyst for one of the most fearless entrepreneurial journeys you'll ever hear. She shares her hard-won wisdom on turning creativity into a business, the systems every artist needs, and why standing up for her values after 10/7 — even when it cost her $300K in contracts — was the best thing she ever did.

Whether you're an artist trying to monetize your talent, a woman rebuilding after loss, or an entrepreneur questioning your path, Elizabeth's story will leave you fired up and ready to move.

Topics covered: monetizing art, licensing deals, pricing your work, building systems, social media branding, financial independence, faith, mental health, and alignment over everything.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Cold open & intro

0:35 – Introducing Elizabeth Sutton: artist, designer, single mom

1:45 – Turning creativity into a business — the "starving artist" myth

3:40 – How to price your artwork (costs, margins, and your hourly rate)

6:10 – Seven figures and still just getting started 6:45 – Why IP is an undervalued asset class

10:30 – What artists get wrong about inventory and systems 17:45 – Certificates of authenticity — how to create your own

18:25 – Limited vs. open edition prints: maximizing your art revenue

27:00 – How Elizabeth built her social media brand from Instagram 28:00 – Her story: housewife, loss, divorce, and starting over

31:20 – Pregnant, broke, and filing for divorce — finding the courage

34:00 – "Pure fear and desperation" — the real source of her drive

37:30 – The car accident that changed everything

43:00 – The moment she almost lost her faith in God 46:00 – Don't attach worth to money — attach it to alignment

50:00 – Why she walked away from investors after 10/7

55:00 – Losing $300K–$400K in contracts after standing up for Israel

1:01:00 – The ChatGPT conversations that unlocked her capital strategy

1:04:00 – When you wanna do something, you get it done

1:11:00 – Faith, mental health, and nervous system regulation

1:17:00 – Breathwork, dancing, painting as therapy

1:25:00 – Rejecting the victim mentality after trauma

1:28:00 – If I die today, did I chase my dreams?

About Our Guest — Elizabeth Sutton:

Elizabeth Sutton is a self-taught, award-winning artist, designer, and entrepreneur based in New York City. A sixth-generation New York Jew and single mother of two, Elizabeth built her creative business from the ground up after her marriage ended and her family's finances collapsed overnight. Today she runs a multi-faceted brand that spans luxury fine art commissions, tile and rug collections, fashion accessories, a dinnerware line, and her first-ever retail store on the Upper East Side (897 First Avenue, NYC).

Known for her bold, colorful aesthetic and even bolder voice, Elizabeth has partnered with brands like Tile Bar, Bloomingdale's, Eden Roc Saint Barts, and One&Only Hotels. She hit her first seven-figure year, self-funded a Chesed mission to Israel after 10/7, and is currently building toward her first capital raise to scale her IP catalog.

Follow Elizabeth: 📸 Instagram: @ElizabethSuttonCollection | @ElizabethSuttonHome 🛍️ Shop: elizabethsutton.com

Inspired to Lead is made possible by our friends at Roth & Co. — innovators in accounting and business advisory.

Enjoyed this episode? Rate us wherever you listen, and watch the full conversation on YouTube. Like, subscribe, and share to help us reach more incredible women like you.

Until next time — stay inspired to lead.

What does it take to walk away from a 3-generation family business with just $7,000, rebuild it under your own name, raise six kids, design jewelry for the red carpet, and become an elected voice in a global Zionist party — all at the same time?

In this episode, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Elisheva Chase, president and owner of Reiss Diamonds in Chicago. Elisheva is a third-generation jeweler who transformed a wholesale diamond house into a full-service custom jewelry studio — designing pieces by hand, sourcing ethically, and building a fiercely loyal clientele from scratch. After October 7th, Elisheva channeled her platform into action: coordinating gear for IDF soldiers, going viral with her hand-drawn Israel map jewelry, and earning a seat on the board of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

This is a conversation about legacy, reinvention, the real cost of building something, and trusting the process even when the path isn't clear.

Guest: Elisheva Chase is the president and owner of Reiss Diamonds, a Chicago-based custom jewelry studio and diamond house. A third-generation jeweler Elisheva designs one-of-a-kind pieces and distributes diamonds to retailers nationwide. She is an educator at the JCK Jewelry Show, an activist for Israel, and an elected board member of the World Zionist Organization. She is a mother of six and a passionate advocate for women in business.

📍 Chicago, IL | 📸 Instagram: @reissdiamonds.co

🎙️ Episode Timestamps

0:58 — Welcome & Intro: Meet Ellie Chase, president of Reese Diamonds

3:45 — Growing up in a diamond house: 3rd generation jeweler origins

5:15 — How the diamond supply chain works: mines to retail, explained

18:20 — The first custom design: a green emerald and a pivotal client

26:45 — Balancing motherhood & career: 6 kids, long commutes, and the Sunday cook

30:43 — Practical tips for working moms: family systems that actually work

36:25 — Going independent: Starting Reese Diamonds with $7,000

52:25 — Opening the retail store: Growing fast without a loan 59:21 — October 7th changes everything: From jeweler to accidental activist

1:01:15 — Moving to Israel at 16: How early hardship built her resilience

1:04:22 — The viral Israel map jewelry & partnering with PK Heart

1:09:15 — Rapid fire Q&A: Biggest mistakes, unseen sacrifices & scariest risks

1:14:02 — What she knows now: "Trust the process. Keep going."

1:16:09 — Final message to women everywhere

💛 Support the JWE Conference Scholarship Fund The JWE Conference powered by Her is coming April 27th in Newark, NJ. Help us put more women in the room — donate to the scholarship fund: https://thejewishwomanentrepreneur.app.neoncrm.com/forms/jwescholarship

Buy your ticket to the JWE Conference thejwe.com/conference

This episode is sponsored by Roth & Co — Innovators in accounting and business advisory.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen. Watch on YouTube and share with a woman who needs to hear this today.

In this episode of Inspire to Lead, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Malka Katzav, owner of Big Drop NYC — a 35-year-old fashion retail brand — in sunny Miami. Malka shares her incredible journey of taking over her family's business at just 22 years old with no fashion or business degree, surviving the collapse of brick-and-mortar retail, navigating COVID, and rebuilding into a thriving brand known for making women feel celebrated and confident.

Timestamps:

2:19 – Meet Malka: Background & Family Story

2:52 – The Origin of Big Drop & How It Got Its Name

4:28 – Growing Up with Two Entrepreneur Parents

7:25 – Big Drop's Philosophy: It's Not What You Sell, It's How You Make Women Feel

9:45 – Practical Tips for Creating the "Magic Sauce" in Retail

12:17 – Team Commission Structure That Changes Everything

18:07 – Leadership Lesson: Hire Right So You Don't Micromanage

20:59 – Building a Brand Identity Through Digital & Social

26:03 – The Moment Malka Chose Big Drop Over Her Dream Career

28:09 – The Hardest Years: Taking Over at 22 with No Experience

31:46 – Letting Go of the Old Team & Starting from Scratch

38:11 – Biggest Lessons & Why There Are No Mistakes, Only Building Blocks

40:35 – Trusting Your Gut vs. Fear: How to Tell the Difference

44:56 – Surviving COVID: From Zero Revenue to Launching Online

48:28 – The $5,000 Order She Thought Was Fraud

51:26 – Getting Out of a 30-Year Lease: The Power of Honesty

55:21 – How COVID Became the Best Thing for Her Career

60:00 – Finding Her Social Media Manager by Divine Coincidence

66:27 – Closing New York & Going All-In on Miami

69:13 – The Future of Retail: Experiential Shopping

71:08 – How to Get Brands Into Your Store

73:17 – How Motherhood Changed Her Leadership

74:49 – Legacy: What She Wants to Leave Behind

77:53 – Fast Five: Advice to Her 22-Year-Old Self

78:49 – Superpower: Empathy as a Leadership Tool

79:51 – The Sacrifices No One Sees

81:06 – Most Exciting Moment: The 35th Anniversary Celebration

84:12 – Final Message: "Color the World with Your Own Colors"

Guest Summary: Malka Katzav is a 32-year-old entrepreneur, first-generation on both sides , who took over Big Drop NYC from her father in 2015. What started as an overstock operation in a New York studio apartment in 1990 has evolved into a celebrated specialty boutique in Miami with a growing online presence. Malka is known for her empathy-driven leadership and her mission to make every woman who walks through her doors feel seen and celebrated.

In this episode of Inspired to Lead, host Talia Mashiach sits down with Ruth Zukerman — co-founder of SoulCycle and founder of Flywheel Sports — for a raw and powerful conversation about building two iconic fitness brands, being pushed out of the company she created, and finding the strength to start over at 52.

Ruth shares how she went from aspiring dancer to accidental fitness pioneer, how a painful divorce led her to discover spin, and the devastating partnership betrayal that cost her everything she built — while her former partners walked away with $90 million each. She also opens up about the personal growth, therapy, and resilience that carried her through each reinvention.

Timestamps:

1:22 – Meet Ruth Zukerman

2:24 – Ruth's early dream of becoming a professional dancer

4:37 – Getting married and putting career aside

8:42 – Divorce and discovering spin at the Reebok Club

11:49 – Becoming a spin instructor and building a following

13:08 – Innovating with music and personal recognition

15:53 – The idea to open a standalone spin studio

17:57 – The three co-founders come together

20:48 – Choosing partners: lessons on friendship vs. business

24:19 – Opening SoulCycle: the hole-in-the-wall on 72nd Street

27:07 – Business explodes — the Hamptons barn

30:10 – Word of mouth, no advertising, no signage

33:08 – Scaling to the Upper East Side

36:07 – No operating agreement: a costly mistake

38:24 – The partnership unravels — Ruth is pushed out

42:20 – Going back to teach at SoulCycle as an employee

44:40 – The birth of Flywheel Sports at age 52

46:55 – What Ruth did differently the second time

49:58 – Flywheel grows to 42 locations and gets acquired

51:31 – SoulCycle sells — each partner makes $90 million

53:58 – The emotional toll and how Ruth processed the loss

55:18 – Resilience, reinvention & life's biggest lessons

59:37 – Advice on partnerships, contracts & knowing yourself

1:15:37 – Closing thoughts & sponsor message

Guest Description:

Ruth Zukerman is an entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker best known as a co-founder of SoulCycle and the founder of Flywheel Sports. A former dancer turned fitness industry pioneer, Ruth helped create the boutique fitness movement and grew Flywheel to 42 locations before its acquisition. She is the author of a memoir and business book sharing the life lessons behind her journey. Ruth is the keynote speaker at the upcoming JWE (Jewish Women Entrepreneurs) conference.

Come meet Ruth live at the JWE Powered by HER Conference and in person on April 27, 2026 in Newark NJ. Spots are limited. By your ticket today at thejwe.com/conference and use code PODCAST to save $10 off your ticket .

This episode is sponsored by Roth and Co., innovators in accounting and business advisory.

In this inspiring conversation, international matchmaker Rivkah Fox joins Talia Mashiach to discuss revolutionizing the traditional matchmaking model in the Jewish community. Rivkah shares her journey from volunteer matchmaker to professional entrepreneur, setting up nearly 50 couples since 2019 while building a sustainable business model. The discussion explores the challenges of monetizing a mitzvah, the importance of setting boundaries, and why the community needs both volunteer and professional matchmakers. Rivkah opens up about her creative approaches to dating—from anonymous bio posts to spontaneous blind dates—and how she's making matchmaking more accessible and fun for the next generation.

[1:48] How Rivka set up Talia's daughter

[5:00] Rivka's husband's role as Penn campus rabbi & their kiruv mission

[14:15] Rivka's family background & father's ba'al teshuva story

[21:45] The volunteer vs. professional matchmaker distinction

[28:20] Why women struggle with monetizing chesed work

[35:40] The moment Rivka decided to go professional

[41:20] Pushback & the discomfort of charging for mitzvos

[53:30] The transformative conversation with the business coach

[1:03:20] How charging changed client dynamics

[1:10:00] Addressing the "only wealthy people get help" concern

[1:18:45] Building systems: assistants, databases & AI

[1:22:30] Creative matchmaking approaches (Instagram polls, blind dates, spontaneous connections)

[1:30:00] The painful phone call that changed everything

[1:45:00] Educating the community about shadchan gelt & hakaras hatov

[2:00:45] Advice for singles: Be the person you're looking for

[2:03:20] The importance of Instagram in kiruv & staying connected

[2:05:15] Rivka's superpower & message to her younger self

Guest Summary

Rivkah Fox is an international professional matchmaker based in Philadelphia with nearly 50 successful matches since 2019 and a database of 4,000 singles. She holds a graduate degree in education with a focus in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Married to a Penn campus rabbi, Rivkah is a mother of four who has pioneered innovative matchmaking approaches including Instagram-based anonymous profiles, public voting on date pairings, and spontaneous video call setups. She's passionate about creating sustainable professional models for matchmakers while maintaining accessibility across all economic backgrounds. Her work spans eight countries and breaks traditional barriers in the Orthodox dating world through creativity, technology, and a fresh perspective on this mitzvah. This Episode is brought to you by Roth & Co. Innovators in accounting and business advisory. To learn more visit https://rothcocpa.com/ Early Bird tickets for the annual JWE Powered by Her Conference are now live! to purchase tickets visit Thejwe.com/conference. Use code PODCAST to save an additional $10 off your purchase.