Chavie opens by asking her mother how she feels about Chavie sharing her life so openly on social media. They then go on to talk about the fascinating connection Rivkie’s father had with the Lubavitcher Rebbe during his time in Paris while the family was trying to emigrate to America. Chavie asks her mom how she sustains her energy and commitment through forty years of leading Chabad Lubavitch of South Texas with her husband, Rabbi Chaim Block. Rivkie talks about evolving from the wide-eyed idealism of youth to a more grounded acceptance of challenges as opportunities for growth. Chavie shares a childhood story she’s never told before, and Rivkie speaks about her determination to keep working and growing despite societal expectations around age and aging.

Rivkie Block was born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and serves as the co-founder and director of Chabad Lubavitch of South Texas, which she and her husband, Rabbi Chaim Block, established 40 years ago. She is also the founder and director of the Gan Ganni Preschool in San Antonio, which she launched 36 years ago, that focuses on nurturing each child’s individual spirit and creativity. Rivkie and Rabbi Chaim are the proud parents of nine children, all of whom serve as Chabad emissaries around the world.

Referenced on the Pod

37:30 Montana Chai Anniversary Video Series

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Today’s episode is dedicated by Lewis and Maggie Sperber who have become dear friends and committed supporters of our work in Montana. Lewis and Maggie love that this podcast is a space for authentic Jewish conversations, honest debate on contemporary issues, and helps people feel connected in this journey we call life.

Chavie opens the conversation by reflecting on how Dr. Cohen was her doctor since she was just three years old. Dr. Cohen tells the story of his family’s fascinating immigration from Europe to the Texas-Mexican border in the early 1900’s when there was still a lot of resistance to Jewish immigration in the USA. He shares how he began his medical career as an ER doctor on Native American reservations, later exploring homeopathy and alternative healing. He talks about his time living on the road, immersed in nature, and how that experience shaped his desire to integrate the natural world into his healing practice. Dr. Cohen also opens up about his spiritual journey and how his Jewish practice evolved. Chavie recalls when Dr. Cohen moved with his family to San Antonio and helped form the first minyan alongside her father, Rabbi Chaim Block, the founding rabbi of Chabad Lubavitch of South Texas. Chavie and Dr. Cohen explore a wide range of health topics from balancing homeopathy with Western medicine, to finding nuance in vaccine conversations, and most importantly, learning to trust nature as a path to true healing. 

Dr. Larry Cohen was born in Texas and has lived in many other states throughout his life. He earned his MD in 1975, followed by one year of postgraduate work in psychiatry and internal medicine. He then joined the Public Health Service, working on the Navajo Reservation and later with the North Carolina branch of the Cherokee Nation. Afterward, he spent over a year traveling in a VW camper (what else!). He eventually returned to San Antonio to practice emergency medicine before pursuing further study at the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA. There, he collaborated with two other physicians and several PhD psychologists in a program that integrated classical homeopathy, nutrition, yoga, breathwork, biofeedback, meditation, and massage therapy. Later in his career, Dr. Cohen studied functional medicine and focused on treating complex chronic illnesses. He incorporated intravenous therapies and established a multidisciplinary clinic that included Chinese medicine, chiropractic care, massage therapy, nutritional counseling, and a PhD clinical psychologist.

Referenced on the Pod

0:08:55 – Hair, the Musical

0:10:25 – The Himalayan Institute

0:10:37 – Biofeedback

0:10:50 – Swami: Encounters with Modern Mystics by Doug Boyd

0:32:30 – Divided Legacy by Harris L. Coulter

0:44:53 – Homeopathic Psychology by Philip M. Bailey, M.D.

0:45:22 – Dr. Samuel Hahnemann

0:46:40 – Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means

0:58:38 – Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad

1:14:34 – Homeopathic Remedies: For Health Professionals and Laypeople by Dale Buegel, Dennis Chernin, and Blair Lewis

1:15:06 – Homoeopathy for the First Aider by Dr. Dorothy Shepherd

1:15:35 – Helios Homeopathic Remedy Kits

1:54:58 – Chavie’s Essay: Walking Through the Fire of My Life

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Chavie begins the conversation by asking Rabbi YY how he manages his output of classes and public appearances while balancing personal responsibilities. Rabbi YY shares that although he has always maintained a heavy workload, he eventually realized that constantly jumping from one thing to the next can be a distraction. He shares a personal anecdote from when he was teaching a class to teenagers, and his own teenage children found it amusing that their father would have any relevant advice for teens. That was one of the catalysts for embarking on his own journey of self-discovery and reshaping his approach to teaching. Chavie and Rabbi YY discuss the importance of practicing an embodied Judaism and recognizing when ego or the self take control of the task at hand. Rabbi YY describes what it was like to memorize six to seven hours of the Rebbe’s lectures every week as a young student, and how that continues to impact him more than thirty years later. Chavie brings up how the concept of Moshiach can sometimes feel elusive. Rabbi YY offers that today, we can taste what it feels like to live in a Messianic era by letting go of the things we cannot control—the frequencies of ego, fear, insecurity, feeling overwhelmed or disassociated—and recognizing that we have the ability to touch coherence and oneness, which is the frequency of trust, surrender, faith, and love. These are the higher frequencies of redemption, which are not pulled down by the gravity of the earth—the frequency of guilt and shame.

Rabbi YY Jacobson is one of the most sought after speakers in the Jewish world today and a mentor to many thousands across the globe. He has traveled to hundreds of communities in six continents, educating and inspiring people of all backgrounds. Rabbi Jacobson was the first Rabbi ever to be invited by the Pentagon to deliver the religious keynote to the US Military Chief of Chaplains and to the National Security Agency. 

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Chavie and Tanya open the conversation by exploring the tension between being perceived as popular or “cool” but not actually feeling that way inside, and the journey towards truly accepting oneself feeling “cool” from within. Tanya reflects on her upbringing in Los Angeles as the granddaughter of Holocaust survivor Sam Menlo, who helped establish the contemporary Orthodox Jewish community in LA. She shares what it was like to grow up in the shadow of such a prominent family while navigating the challenges of being a child of divorce and often feeling like the “black sheep.” Chavie and Tanya discuss how essential it is to evolve within marriage and parenting, and how life’s ups and downs can ultimately be embraced as happy chaos.

Tanya Menlo-Heyman lives in Los Angeles with her husband, fellow LA native Avi Heyman, their four children, and a lively menagerie of dogs and cats. She is a community activist with deep roots in LA’s Jewish community. Her deep love for beauty, Judaism, and family—both human and furry—shapes a distinctive style that is entirely her own. Every detail of Tanya’s life is intentionally curated, reflecting her philosophy of using art, nature, and fashion to elevate the physical in her service to Hashem.

1:06:57 Gedale Fenster 

1:33:23 Dr. Brad Reedy

Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].

Chavie and Mimi talk about their shared sleep deprivation struggles, thanks to their kindred spirit, non-bedtime-conformist six-and seven-year-old daughters. Mimi shares how her idyllic childhood growing up in Miami Beach was disrupted at age ten when her nineteen-year-old brother passed away suddenly in his sleep. She reflects on the impact of experiencing grief at such a young age while also trying to make sense of the grief of the adults around her. Chavie and Mimi discuss the tension Mimi managed as a teenager—being the life of the party while silently struggling with an eating disorder that lasted until she gave birth to her first child. Chavie brings up how current beauty trends are drifting back toward an emphasis on thinness, after a brief period of body positivity. Mimi shares how she and her husband had a wake-up call right before COVID that launched them on a self-discovery journey involving alternative healing methods like psilocybin, ayahuasca, and breathwork. Chavie and Mimi talk about finding the right guidance for these experiences and how they can align with Orthodox Jewish values.

Mimi Minsky writes like she breathes—honest, healing, and a little bit holy. She speaks and writes professionally for mainstream media, brands, businesses, and private clients, and she leads healing writing circles that crack people wide open. Mimi believes words, people, and connection are the medicine.

57:21 Dr. Joe Dispenza, Louisa Hay, Abraham Hicks Publications, Dolores Cannon, Neville Goddard 

59:08 This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan, How to Change Your Mind Netflix Documentary

1:19:57 G-D, Rationality, & Mysticism by Dr. Irving Block (Chavie’s Grandfather) 

Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].

Chavie and Tonia connect over their shared upbringing as daughters of Chabad emissaries in Texas, reflecting on how empowering it was to carry so much responsibility from a young age. Chavie asks how Tonia maintained her creative spirit as a teenager, within a system that often values conformity, and Tonia shares how her strong intuition drew towards the deeper, mystical teachings of Chassidus, which harmonized naturally with artistic outlets like spoken word poetry. Chavie and Tonia explore how concepts like bittul (self-nullification) and modesty can sometimes be misdirected to disempower women, which misrepresents the Torah’s intent. Instead, they agree that these values belong within the broader framework of one’s service of Hashem and should never be weaponized as measures of their connection to G-d.

Tonia Chazanow is a writer, artist and spoken word poet. She hosts the Human & Holy podcast and teaches weekly Tanya classes. She is passionate about Torah study, gathering Jewish women, and the power of the arts to better understand ourselves and G-d.

Simi Polonsky, co-founder of The Frock NYC, joins Chavie to reflect on her journey from a stable and joyful childhood in Coogee Beach, Australia to navigating the loss of her first husband, Shua, at just 31. Chavie and Simi explore whether hardship must always be the catalyst to “doing the work, and how Simi’s return to working with her sisters at The Frock, after Shua’s passing, was a vital part of her healing. Simi and Chavie explore the power of creative self-expression, not for the attention, but as a vital outlet for being seen and witnessed. Simi shared how she is grappling divorce being part of her story—while maintaining the gratitude she feels for having Yaniv, her second husband in her life. Simi shares that today is facing her soul’s deepest fear of being alone, and how that is allowing her to model to her daughters that they, too, have the strength to weather these life changing moments. Simi shares the feelings of rage, anger and then also realizing the deep intimacy of “standing alone with Hashem in a dark room” in those moments and how she has never felt closer to Hashem. 

Simi Polonsky is a dynamic force of creativity, spirituality, and resilience. With an unshakable passion for expression and connection, she merges artistry with a deep relationship with Hashem, walking through life with purpose and authenticity. A proud solo mother of three, Simi co-founded The Frock NYC, a pioneering fashion brand that helped reshape the conversation around modesty. Though the brand has evolved, its spirit lives on through a vibrant community and creative presence. Through her writing, creative direction, and speaking, Simi shares from the heart—inviting others into honest, soulful connection and empowering women to show up fully in their truth. 

Chavie and Lisa begin by bonding over their shared experience as podcast hosts and reflecting on Chavie’s participation in Lisa’s program. Lisa traces her path from personal trainer to certified health coach, eventually pursuing a Master’s and Doctorate in Social Work and launching a holistic and integrative health coaching business. She shares her health journey, beginning with being sent to Weight Watchers at age nine and reaching 300 pounds by the time she was seventeen. Then, after losing 150 pounds through extreme dieting, Lisa found herself physically unwell and emotionally unraveling. She shares with Chavie how this crisis propelled her to investigate why diets fail, ultimately leading her to discover the connection between trauma and health. Chavie and Lisa explore how our societal obsession with triggers and the desire to “feel safe” at all times desensitizes us from coping with uncomfortable feelings and circumstances that aren’t actually threatening to our safety—emotional or otherwise. Lisa shares that if we learn to accept feelings we don’t like, we can rely on other tools to find comfort rather than immediately turning to food. Once we learn to do that, it becomes okay to rely on food for comfort—as long as we feel in control and aren’t dependent on it for a sense of safety.

Lisa Schlosberg is the founder of Out of the Cave, LLC, where she combines her comprehensive expertise as a licensed social worker, integrative nutrition health coach, certified personal trainer, and registered yoga teacher to guide emotional eaters toward physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and healing. Maintaining a 150-pound weight loss for more than a decade by healing her relationship with food (through emotional healing, somatic experiencing, mindset shifts, and more), Lisa discovered that her lifelong struggle with "morbid obesity" and “disordered eating” were symptoms of unprocessed trauma and emotional stress. This realization fueled her passion for helping others navigate similar challenges with a heart-centered, trauma-informed approach. Her strengths-based philosophy is rooted in the belief that using food to cope is a valid method of managing stress, and it is possible to heal from the inside out. Driven to make her work accessible to all, Lisa hosts the Out of the Cave podcast, where she shares powerful client stories and expert insights to inspire global transformation.

Referenced on the Pod

Stay in touch with Lisa!

www.outofthecave.health

Apply for The Out of the Cave Group Program Here

Lisa’s Instagram

Lisa’s Facebook

Lisa’s YouTube Channel

The Out of the Cave Podcast

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Want to sponsor an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].

Chavie and Malka begin the conversation by reflecting on their shared experience of marrying young and expecting to have children right away. They discuss the harsh reality of infertility, the emotional toll of repeated interventions, and the pivotal decision to stop and consider new options. Together, they break down the step-by-step process of choosing adoption, challenging the notions of a homogeneous family where everyone looks alike and shares the same background. Malka shares her experience of adopting a Black child while living in Crown Heights, where the values established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe promote inclusivity, yet daily life presented painful challenges. She and Chavie explore their differing approaches to raising a family of choice, weighing the mental health implications of giving space to grief over infertility, the nuances of acknowledging differences between biological and adopted children, and the complexities of being White parents to Black children in a world that sometimes views such a decision with suspicion. They also discuss the progress in conversations around race in the Chassidic community and the hope it brings for their children.

Malka Groden is an adoptive mother of three children. Every day, she thanks G-d for her infertility, without which she would not have been blessed with her beautiful family. She oversees fundraising at a Jewish nonprofit and loves the opportunity to spend time with and learn from generous individuals.

Referenced on the Pod

Adopting Our Daughters by Rabbi Chaim Bruk 

PUAH Fertility

Lessons in Heichaltzu

The Rebbe’s Words to Mayor David Dinkins

The Rebbe Didn’t Discriminate, Neither Should We

Should White People Adopt Black Kids with Jada Pinkett-Smith

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This episode is dedicated by Chaim Meir Hazan and his fiancé Sandra Chokron in honor of Mrs. Chavie and Rabbi Chaim Bruk. 

Want to sponsor an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].

Chavie begins the conversation by sharing her struggles with skincare and the transformative experience that led her to Linda, forming a deep friendship along the way. Linda reflects on what it was like to be born in Hawaii, grow up in Washington State, and move to Japan with her family for middle school. She shares how, after returning to the West Coast for college, she started out in retail, transitioned to the tech industry at Microsoft, and eventually found her way to Bozeman, where she embarked on a new career in skincare. Together, Chavie and Linda explore the connection between skin, body, and the nervous system, the power of showing up as we are, and the tension of being in the wellness industry when the products are so often driven by harmful trends. 

Linda is a holistic esthetician who believes in safe, non-toxic skincare, touch-focused techniques, and non-invasive technology that supports skin health. She believes that skin health comes from understanding how our body’s systems operate and are linked. Living in the sunny and arid mountains of Montana, she puts a significant emphasis on how the environment and climate can influence skin health.

Referenced on the Pod

Always consult your aesthetician, and consider your budget, lifestyle, and environment when making decisions about your skin care.

Microcurrent Facials

Red Light Therapy Masks & LED Face Masks

LED Light Therapy

Surgeon Compares Facial Tissue With & Without Fillers+Botox

Stay in touch with Linda!

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Want to sponsor an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].