The KAVANA Podcast with Melinda Strauss

Libby Walker is known for her parodies on TikTok, most famously as the hilarious Jewish mom Sheryl Cohen (inspired by her own mother). Libby is a comedian and proud Jewish woman who bares it all on social media, using laughter to spread positivity. I am so inspired by Libby's grit, her ability to adapt, and how she gives so much of herself to help others. 

Libby shares her own original content and also works with tons of companies on TikTok, including Aish, Hillel International, Birthright, and Lost Tribe, the new cool Jewish hub modeled after Bar Stool to create Jewish fun and relatable content. 

Libby recently started her own podcast, Jewish Mom Approved, which can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube: https://youtu.be/CwwVQQsPyFs

Follow Libby on TikTok and join her 20K+ followers: https://www.tiktok.com/@libbyamberwalker

Check out Lost Tribe on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@losttribeesports

Follow Libby on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libbyamberwalker/

A lot has happened in my life since my last episode aired in September 2020. Let's just say a global pandemic, a Presidential election, and TikTok have played a huge role in my own personal growth. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue sharing on the podcast until some really awesome humans reminded me that what I do here is special. Highlighting Jewish people living intentional lives, giving them a platform, and giving the listener the opportunity to learn and be inspired is amazing! I won't ever take that for granted. To those of you who reached out asking me to keep going, I want to say a BIG thank you. You know who you are and because of you, I'm back! 

Esty, the founder of I Don't Cook But I Give Out Recipes, one of the most popular kosher food Facebook groups with over 45,000 members, talks about how she started her group and her love for the community she has built. We also talk a lot about parenting! Esty runs a blog and Instagram account, @cookingwithtantrums, and shows us all what it's like to be a real parent with lots of kids, lots of cooking to do, and lots of forgiveness. And if you don't know what #weallpoop means, you haven't listened to the podcast yet 😂 

A few places you can find Esty: 

I Don't Cook But I Give Out Recipes on Facebook

@Cookingwithtantrums on Instagram

Easy Does it with Esty Wolbe on Kosher.com

We literally could not stop at just one topic! Breezy and I have been friends for many years and this interview went in so many different directions that I can actually say this podcast is for EVERYONE! Breezy, the owner and designer behind clothing line Love and Laughter and owner of Breezy's Gifts, shares about her entrepreneurial spirit and what drives her, but we also spent some time discussing her abusive marriage and how she healed and found herself again. 

Find Breezy on Instagram at:

Shop Love and Laughter here: https://shoploveandlaughter.com/

Listen to Breezy's interview on The Good Sign: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4BE7nag5Bk5WFgcwjxrN2W?si=Ez8qjF98RIKwosmCerMpnA

If you would like to reach out to Shalom Task Force, please visit https://www.shalomtaskforce.org/ 

If you are being abused or you even think you are being abused, please call the domestic abuse hotline 1-718-337-3700. Your call will be anonymous.   

Hop on the soul train with KK (also known as Karen Koren, but really everyone calls her KK and you'll hear why)!!! KK is a public speaker, kallah teacher, and teen mentor, who also hosts her own podcast,  Soul Sessions.  In this episode, KK and I discuss everything from the way her upbringing helped shape her as a strong spiritual woman to her daughters diagnosis with alopecia.  

Listen to Soul Sessions with KK: anchor.fm/karen-koren

Check out KK on Instagram: www.instagram.com/soultrainkk/

Heather Cox, Co-Founder and President of Certify My Company, is someone who continues to reinvent herself as her passions grow! Heather decided to become an entrepreneur at 30 years old and shares some incredible insight on how she started her business and how she found herself. Certify My Company assists diverse businesses with all aspects of certification, helps to increase their visibility in supplier markets, and connects certified businesses with the corporations eager to do business with them. If you want to know more about what all of that means (I had no idea certification for diverse businesses even existed!), you definitely want to listen to this interview because Heather is changing the world as an advocate for diversity!  

Fun fact about Heather (and you'll hear more about it on the podcast): She is a former acro-gymnast, tightrope walker and juggler!

Check out Heather on Instagram at www.instagram.com/certifymyco

To learn more about Certify My Company or see if your business can get certified, check out www.certifymycompany.org

Rivky Itzkowitz is the designer and owner of Impact Fashion NYC, a luxe modest fashion line cut to fit real body shapes. Rivky's dresses run from sizes 2-24 and they are absolutely gorgeous!!! What inspires me most about Rivky is that she is hustling to build the life and business of her dreams. Whether she's sewing wedding dresses in the back of the classroom or building her own business from the ground up, Rivky doesn't make excuses. I can't wait for you to listen to Rivky and get inspired to go after your own dreams! 

Check out Rivky on Instagram: www.instagram.com/impact.fashion.nyc

Shop Impact Fashion: impactfashionnyc.com

Welcome back to season 2 of the KAVANA Podcast!! Today, I'm sharing the story of my diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes. I was 18 years old, a freshman in college, and living away from home in NYC. Perfect time for diabetes to enter my life, right?!?!? 

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and let me know how much you love it! 

I like to think of Sam Adler as the kitchen dancing queen of Instagram and my Backstreet Boys sister, but she is so much more than that! Sam is also an incredibly talented food stylist, photographer, and baker who has turned her talent into a thriving business. She is currently teaching a food styling mastermind, running her food photography business, and sharing beautiful and original recipes on her blog, frostingandfettuccine.com. One thing you will always get from Sam is honesty and she shares it all right here in this episode! Investing in yourself is how you grow, whether it's in your business or in your personal growth, and I can't wait for you to get inspired by what you hear!

Follow Sam on Instagram: www.instagram.com/frostingandfettuccine

It was a true honor to sit down with Sarri Singer for this interview. Until 9/11, Sarri worked a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. Deeply moved by the tragedy of 9/11, Sarri decided to resign from her position in December 2001 and move to Israel to help victims of terror. On June 11, 2003, Sarri was on Bus 14 in Jerusalem when an 18 year old Palestinian terrorist dressed as a religious Jew boarded and blew himself up. 16 people were killed, including all those seated and standing around her, and over 100 people were injured. Sarri was hospitalized for two weeks and then returned to New Jersey to be with family. Her story became high profile. She appeared on television stations such as CBS, FoxNews, CNN and radio interviews. She spoke before Congressmen and Senators in Washington, D.C. and politicians in New York and New Jersey. In September 2003 she returned to work and volunteering in Israel. In June 2004, she returned to the United States to take care of ongoing medical issues associated with her attack. Sarri is the Founder and Director of Strength to Strength (www.stosglobal.org), which focuses on bringing together victims of terrorism together from around the world and assisting with long term psychological needs. Sarri has addressed audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Israel and continues to share her unique insight into the ongoing struggle for victims of terror in Israel and around the world. Sarri is currently the Director of Career Services at the Lander College for Women, A Division of Touro College and working on her Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies at Rutgers University.

Fun Fact about Sarri: two and half years ago, a good friend forced her to run with her in the Miami half marathon and she's found that she loves running, especially in the mornings. It's her downtime to think and try and get some clarity. 

Find out more about Strength to Strength: http://stosglobal.org/

Sarri on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarrisinger/

Sarri on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarri.singer

Sarri on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarrisinger

Follow Strength to Strength on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stosglobal/

Follow Strength to Strength on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stosglobal