Shloimy Fuchs was born and bred in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and currently serves as a mashpia in Yeshivas Bais Menachem of Wilkes Barre (now located in the Poconos).

In this episode of the Neshamos podcast, Shloimy talks about his struggles with anxiety, addiction, and low self esteem. In his younger years, he was a “problem student” who was expelled from yeshiva and spent time on the streets shoplifting and committing petty crimes. Later, he sought comfort in alcohol, relationships, and a party lifestyle, which only led him further away from his true self.

In this episode, Shloimy takes us along on his journey through different Yeshivas, different stages of religious commitment, and his growth along the way.

With the help of therapy, meditation, Alcoholics Anonymous, and supportive mashpias and friends, Shloimy turned his life around and began living a conscious, meaningful, and proactive life. Today he continues to grow and maintain his mental and spiritual health and helps others do the same.

“It’s doing the work, taking the steps,” Shloimy reflects. “It’s a daily avodah and it brings you closer to yourself and to the truth. It’s a blessing to have these tools that I can use to heal myself.”

Rochel Spangenthal is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and writer from North Carolina. At a young age, Rochel’s family made the transition to a religious lifestyle, becoming Baalei Teshuva and joining the Chabad community.

Rochel took her religious responsibilities seriously, determined to be the perfect daughter and student and aspired toward a relationship with a man befitting her religious status. She was scrupulous in her Torah observance, carefully maintaining her distance from men as she sought a “good” shidduch (match).

As an adult, Rochel experienced sexual assault and began questioning everything: herself, her relationship with G-d, her status as a religious Jew, her future and any future relationships. She believed she was “ruined.” Rochel was told she had to hide her story and be ashamed of what had happened to her so that it wouldn’t impact her reputation and her shidduch chances. 

In this episode, Rochel relates how her experience launched the beginning of her journey toward growth and healing. She talks about how she shared her story with others, and the reactions she received as a result. Now, Rochel has integrated her story into who she is today and uses it to drive herself forward. She has learned that she has an untouchable, innate purity regardless of her circumstances.

“Bad things happen and we can’t go back, but we can choose how we go forward,” she concludes.

Schneur Lakein is a Miami-based entrepreneur who grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. At three years old, Schneur lost his mother, and his father passed away just twenty years later. As a result, Schneur struggled with feelings of abandonment, loneliness, and a desperate need to prove his strength and independence to both himself and others. As he progressed first through primary and high school and later on to the Israeli army, he began to understand how his mindset, self-beliefs, and inability to open up were limiting everything from his performance to his relationships and ultimately his quality of life. A self-development workshop proved to be a major turning point for Schneur. At the age of 26, he began to let go of his victim mentality, transform his perspectives, and choose to live consciously. 

Today, Schneur focuses on self-growth and creating his own identity. “When you choose to accept what happened to you, you have power,” he reflects. “You are no longer a victim of an unchangeable past.” His message? “You’re bigger than your circumstances, whatever they may be, and nothing is beyond your reach. Whatever hole you’re in, you can dig your way out by choosing your life exactly the way it is, every single day.” 

We’d like to give a special shoutout to Schneur, who was one of our very first guests here at Neshamos.org back when we launched the organization with our first-ever event in May 2018. At the time, he took the stage to share his story in front of a crowd of hundreds of people, setting a precedent and shattering stigmas around mental health. You can watch the full video of his speech here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzAAb3xWi5coYtWciFy9MgwvsoU8hF258

Growing up, Rachel (Ruchi) Lebowitz felt misunderstood and unheard. She struggled both at home and in school, secretly harming herself and, in her own words, attempting to make herself “smaller.”

When Ruchi got married, she thought she’d “made it.” It quickly became apparent, however, that her husband had a serious gambling addiction. In addition to the problems his addiction inflicted on their marriage, they two could barely stay afloat financially.

As Ruchi sought help for her husband’s addiction, she discovered that she struggled with codependency, feelings of low self-worth, and more. Instead of placing the blame solely on her husband, she learned that she had to focus on growing and repairing herself, first.

After years of therapy and work, Ruchi and her husband gained the tools they needed in order to grow, heal, and ultimately build a strong marriage.

“The beauty of growth is that once you get over the big, painful jump, growth becomes something subtle, painless, and beautiful. The healthier you become, the easier the growth and change become, too,” Ruchi shares.

Neshamos.org would like to wish Ruchi and her husband a warm Mazal Tov on the birth of their son, Gaddy, who was born just after this podcast was recorded.

A short snippet from the episode dropping this Sunday i.y.h. (November 8th) at 6pm.

Singer/Songwriter/Rabbi Yossi Rodal of Carlesbad, CA talks about losing his sister at the age of 12,  struggling with the feelings of loss and grief, coming to the  realization that he needed help to heal, and eventually embarking on the  road toward healing and using his music as a tool toward that end.