The TrailBLAZER Pod

Nine days postpartum, Chaya walked into a photo studio in a wig and full makeup. She told everyone she was doing great. On the inside, she was drowning.

That photo shoot cracked something open. Over the next months she moved through undiagnosed postpartum depression and anxiety. She was convinced she was the only one struggling.

A year later she realized how far from normal it had been. Three months after that she was pregnant again. She spent the second pregnancy researching postpartum care obsessively and designing specific support systems. The second postpartum was unrecognizable from...

Yehudis Kornfeld stopped being afraid of aging.

That's not where she started. She watched her grandmother suffer frp, Alzheimer's for years. Both her parents have heart disease. Her father has prostate cancer. Her father-in-law fell at 70 and was never the same. By the time Yehudis had her fifth baby at 39 and turned 40 the next month, the fear she'd carried for decades was finally sitting in her own body.

She went looking for a way out and found electrical muscle stimulation (EMS); a workout in a full-body suit that fires every major muscle at once. She...

She doesn't want to inspire change. She wants to create it. And she learned the difference at 17.

Mussie shares the Shabbaton at 17 that redirected her whole career, why she thinks the reason people avoid therapy is that we've called it "for broken people" too long, why the therapeutic relationship is a mirror of every other relationship in your life, and the line that stopped me mid-interview: "It's not pathological. It's just weird."

A conversation about therapy, advocacy, mental health, identity, self-worth, and why humble isn't the strategy for women who want to make change.

Effort without structure is just chaos. That's the thesis Blimi Adler has spent six years proving.

She's a business structurist. She helps founders trade the busy-14-hour-day feeling for a business that actually moves. Plus two newer offerings, CEO Mode and Launch Mode, that meet earlier-stage founders and first-time business owners where they are.

Blimi shares how she got here. From a childhood spent trying to fit into a box that didn't have her shape, to an accounting career , to the coaching course she bought that reset her whole trajectory. Plus the business plan she...

One in three women describe their birth as traumatic. Toby Deutsch was one of them. Then she had a miscarriage, discovered neuroplasticity, and rewired herself into a completely different person for her second birth, which was redemptive, and the foundation of the company she now runs.

Toby shares how years of searching for her calling all pointed to the thing her own body finally taught her, and how she built Gentle Beginnings around helping other women prepare for birth the way she wishes someone had prepared her.

Plus: the neuroplasticity fact that reframes everything (pregnant...

At twelve, she was running a nanny agency from the middle school bathroom. At fifteen, she'd hired her first CEO. At twenty-six, she's building the first digital infrastructure for post-intensive-care recovery, because modern medicine got so good at saving lives it created a whole new syndrome, and nobody built a system to catch it.

Noa played business the way other kids played house. She never really stopped.

Noa shares how her curiosity about people and problem-solving followed her from childhood into studying cognitive neuroscience at Brown University, working in healthcare technology, and eventually founding a...

What if the imposter syndrome you can't shake was actually a shared secret across every room you've ever walked into?

When Miriam Sheril was a Federal Reserve intern in January 2009, her job was to read the meeting agenda out loud. She spent three days a week nauseous leading up to it. Instead of asking am I in the wrong career?, she found herself asking who else in this room is faking it? a question that would carry her through fifteen years at the Fed, the launch of FedNow, and the leap to running US strategy at a U...

What if every zig and zag in your career was actually the path, not the detour?

When Heidi Oshin was twenty years into a law career she didn't love, she didn't ask did I waste the time? She asked what's next? and pivoted to build a program for twice-exceptional children, then Menemsha Films, then during pandemic week one, Chaiflicks, the largest streaming service dedicated to Jewish-themed stories anywhere in the world.

In this episode Heidi shares how three completely different careers stacked into one life — and what that life taught her about pivoting, about being the on...

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you turned out to be the thing that saved you?

When Amanda Spiro was 21, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Instead of asking "why me," she found herself asking something most people never get to ask: what is this trying to teach me?

In this episode, Amanda shares how cancer became the catalyst for the most precious chapter of her life, meeting her husband during chemo, deepening her Jewish identity, and finding a clarity she'd been searching for since childhood.

Connect with Amanda:

She said to herself "I'm done being a victim," and started a business. 

Malky grew up in Boulder, Colorado, Chabad shluchim's daughter, one of eleven, sandwiched in the middle. The quiet one who wanted to be seen and despised being seen at the same time. She found her one safe space in writing, first teenage angst, then poetry, then eventually a livelihood.

Malky's story isn't a comeback narrative. It's a flip. She'd been in postpartum depression, bills she couldn't cover, when one morning she decided she was done being a victim. The copywriting business launched i...

Chaya grew up in Long Beach, California, Chabad rabbi's daughter, one of seven, smack in the middle. From thirteen, she had a job: a ninety-minute drive each way to teach Hebrew school. By her twenties she was teaching toddlers in Greenwich, Connecticut, building bulletin boards so elaborate the director asked her to write a curriculum book. She loved it. Then her husband Bruce bought a defunct furniture company. They spotted a gap: nothing in the furniture market was chic, stylish, and affordable. Tov Furniture was born in their basement.

Today Tov is a cult brand. While every...

She got labeled with a learning disability. Turns out that was the superpower.

Yael Morris, founder and CEO of Decode, joins Faye for a conversation that doubles as a masterclass in listening. As a young girl, Yael got labeled with a learning disability and spent years convinced she wasn't capable. She ran a marketing agency during COVID, and discovered her clients couldn't answer the most basic question about their own customers. So she went and asked them herself. Decode runs third-party interviews with lost-deal prospects and churned customers to get the truth no salesperson can pull out...

She built the company she wished existed: real humans, real problems. Not a task app. Not a chatbot. A partner.

Lizzy's parents used to ask her: "did you try?" instead of "what'd you get?", the kind of message that builds a kid who finishes a degree in two and a half years against everyone telling her not to risk it. At twelve, she saw an Israeli soldier and decided she was going to be one. She fought her way into combat command course as an Jewish American: Hebrew not great, shoes not the right size, mental block...

What does it look like to make a plan, follow it perfectly, and then have to write a better one in a new country at 19?

Hadas Frank, AI strategic consultant and educator, joins Faye for one of the most clear-eyed founder conversations on the show. Hadas was diagnosed in third grade with learning challenges, told to lower her expectations, and pushed by her mother into grinding 90s, an accelerated university program in tenth grade, and a meticulous plan for an Israeli government career. Then at 19 she married an American, moved to New York, and used her work-permit...

What does it look like to use the tools of acting to live a fuller life?

Melissa Weisz, actor, writer, producer, and facilitator, joins Faye for a personal and powerful conversation around identity and taking up space.

Melissa opens up about stumbling into acting through a Yiddish-language Romeo and Juliet, discovering on her first scene that her messy emotions finally had a place to go, and how she now teaches women to use acting techniques as life tools, to feel their own feelings, take up space in a room, and stop performing the polite version...

She grew up Jewish in Siberia, where being Jewish was encoded in your passport but impossible to practice. Then in 2017, she saw something on American TV that looked exactly like Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda. That moment changed everything. This week, scholar and author Izabella Tabarovsky joins Faye to talk about Soviet Jewish identity, anti-Zionism on American campuses, and what the refuseniks can teach Jewish students today.

Connect with Izabella: 

What happens when a girl with no tech background, no resources, and no roadmap decides to teach herself to code, and ends up at Google, Y Combinator, and building her own AI compliance company? Esty Scheiner, founder and CEO of Shiboleth, joins me for one of the most honest and inspiring founder conversations on the show.

Esty opens up about teaching herself to code in high school with almost no resources, landing a spot at Google's prestigious Security Summer Institute, doing coding exercises in a notebook during seminary with no internet access, dropping out of NYU at 19...

She went from babysitting to Wall Street and built a money coaching business along the way. This week, Debbie Sassen joins Faye to talk about the go-get-'em mindset that shapes not just your career, but your entire relationship with money. From early money memories to financial literacy and entrepreneurship, this conversation will change the way you think about wealth.

Connect with Debbie:
🌐https://debbiesassen.com/about-me/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/debbiesassen/
🎙️ The Jewish Entrepreneur Podcast:https://debbiesassen.com/podcast/

Connect with Faye:
🌐 https://thetrailblazerpod.com/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazerpod/
📩 https://t...

What does it really mean to live and lead in alignment?

Yael Simon joins me to explore the powerful intersection of identity, ambition, faith, and leadership. She reflects on growing up with strong influences, from family aspirations to religious identity, and how those forces guided her early career path and definition of success.

But along the way, she began asking deeper questions about self-worth, people-pleasing, and the pressure to meet external expectations. Yael shares how learning to pause, reassess, and trust her own values transformed the way she approaches leadership, decision-making, and personal growth.

A lot of us think in black and white; success or failure, strong or weak, hustle or quit. But what if the real growth happens in the gray?

In this episode, I sit down with Riki Zahn, founder of After Hours Club, a mental health-focused art and wellness community creating mindful, immersive, and creative experiences.

In this episode, Riki opens up about losing her father at a young age, navigating post-grad depression, and feeling the quiet loneliness that often comes with entrepreneurship. Through her own healing journey, she built After Hours Club, a safe space...

In this episode of The Trailblazer Pod, Leah Sroka, a personal jeweler in NYC's Diamond District, uncovers her journey from retail floors to founding her own fine jewelry business. Leah shares the lessons she learned building her career, from mastering the craft of jewelry-making to navigating the intricacies of entrepreneurship as a woman.

She dives into why virality doesn't equal sales, why diamonds aren't a simple investment, and how pressure shaped her career, while peace defines her success today. Leah also discusses the importance of networking, confidence, and using your unique strengths to grow a business with...

Michelle Mozes, rebrand expert, business coach, and creative entrepreneur, joins us for an honest conversation about personal branding, authenticity, and building a business that supports real life; not burnout.

Michelle opens up about her journey with anxiety and depression, how fear became a catalyst for growth, and why finding yourself is an ongoing process at every stage of life. We dive into big-picture vision, scaling a business smarter (not harder), creativity in chaos, and what it truly means to stand out in a crowded market by being fully yourself.

This episode is especially powerful for...

In this episode, we sit down with Melanie Goldberg Silver,  writer, attorney, and author of Bedtime Stories for Strong Jewish Girls to talk about identity, resilience, and the power of storytelling. Raised in Brooklyn with a richly diverse Jewish heritage, Melanie shares how her early experiences with anti-Semitism shaped her worldview and ultimately led her to activism, writing, and a legal career focused on combating terrorism finance.

For Melanie, writing became a vital outlet for self-expression and advocacy, from her college years to navigating unexpected professional pivots later in her career. Her children's book, Bedtime Stories for S...

What happens when Jewish women in business come together with intention, support, and shared values? In this episode, Faye, Chana, and Rosie explore the power of community, collaboration, and connection for women entrepreneurs.

The conversation dives into why networking events and safe spaces are essential for Jewish women navigating business, family life, and ambition.

You'll hear how collaboration (not competition) leads to successful ventures, why professional communication skills are vital, and how identifying gaps in resources can spark new business opportunities. Most importantly, this episode celebrates women learning from each other, sharing experiences, and building...

What does it mean to lead as a Jewish woman today?

In this honest conversation, Jessica Cohen shares her journey from a driven young girl with big dreams to a woman serving her community through public service. From law school and life pivots to confronting anti-Semitism and finding the courage to run for city councilwoman, Jessica reflects on how identity, resilience, and community shape leadership.

This interview explores what it looks like to embrace ambition as a woman, balance multiple roles without shrinking yourself, and show up for your community, even when it's hard. Jessica...

This week's guest is Donna Griffit, world-renowned corporate storyteller and pitch alchemist. Donna shares how she became a storytelling expert, helping founders find their voice, cut through the noise, and own their narrative. We explore entrepreneurship, why self-promotion isn't bragging, and the unique dynamics women navigate, and the opportunities they can claim in building and funding companies. This conversation is about asking for what you want, telling your story with intention, and turning inflection points into opportunity.

Sound Bites

"The storyteller has to tell her own story."

"You have to find y...

Kylie Ora Lobell reflects on a childhood shaped by feeling unseen, the ways food and writing became coping mechanisms, and how those experiences ultimately led her to a deeper search for meaning. In this conversation, Kylie opens up about identity, faith, rejection, and the power of community, offering an honest and relatable perspective on what it means to find belonging and purpose. Whether you're navigating your own spiritual journey or simply looking for more meaning in your life, this episode has something for you.

Sound Bites
"You have to keep trying whatever it is you want...

For Elissa Sagoskin, sports have always been more than a pastime; they're a part of who she is. Now, she's channeling that passion into coaching and representing Jewish female athletes on the world stage, with her sights set on the 2028 Olympics. Elissa is also a mother to her son, Amichai, who has cerebral pals, and through him, she's learned to flip the script on how we see bodies, movement, and minds. She challenges us to celebrate different ways of being in the world, reminding us that she doesn't see disability… she sees ability.

Sound Bites

"I...

What happens when the whispers of your intuition are louder than you realize yet you still don't know how to listen? In this episode, Dr. Zahava Berkowitz, founder of Ima Acupuncture, reflects on the quiet signals she once brushed aside, the life-altering choices that followed, and the moment she finally understood her inner guidance had been trying to steer her all along. And when she did trust that inner voice, she went on to create a thriving, healing-centered practice helping others reconnect with themselves.

Sound Bites
"I was really nervous, and I thought it was normal"<...

Yael Dahan is the founder of Penny's Dance studio. Yael's dream of starting her own dance studio came to fruition when she decided to take control of her career path. She had limited resources but a burning passion. Penny's Dance Studio is named after and in honor of her grandmother Penny who shared her love for dance, hard work and helping others with her granddaughter. Yael shares the values that shaped her, the courage it took to follow her own path, and the joy she's found in building a community around movement and legacy.

Penny's Dance Studio<...

What if networking wasn't just about collecting contacts, but about connecting with purpose? Welcome back to the TrailBLAZER Pod. In this episode, Lirone Glikman CEO of The Human Factor, author of The Super Connector's Playbook, speaker, and global networking expert, shares how authenticity, energy, and even rejection can become your greatest assets. From the power of asking for advice to building real community, Lirone reveals how true success starts with genuine human connection. Get ready to rethink how you build relationships and maybe, rediscover your purpose along the way.

Sound Bites

Allison Chait, artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Shabbos Brushups ; the makeup line redefining faith and self-expression. In this episode, she shares her journey from a creative childhood to studying at FIT, finding spiritual inspiration in Israel, and launching a brand that blends beauty, identity, and community. She opens up about balancing business with belief, advocating for Israel, and how her products empower Jewish women to feel confident without compromise. 

Sound Bites
"I always felt good in my own skin."
"You should really love what you do."
"I want to share love, that's it."

Dr. Aimee Baron is the founder of I Was Supposed to Have a Baby, but her journey started long before that.

A lifelong dreamer of becoming a pediatrician, she built her career caring for other people's children all while silently grieving her own losses. After suffering six miscarriages, including four in the second trimester, she finally became pregnant with her twins. But even in her deepest pain, no one around her was talking about pregnancy loss or fertility treatment.

So instead of staying silent, she built what she needed: a community. I Was Supposed to...

Maayan Aviv, the CEO of ⁠American Friends of Natal⁠, brings both American perspective and Israeli grit to her work in trauma support. Her military service gave her a front-row seat to resilience, and her nonprofit leadership demands it daily. She reflects on leadership, identity, and the hope that someday her organization won't need to exist.

American Friends of Natal supports Natal; Israel's Trauma and Resiliency Center.

Follow American Friends of Natal: https://www.instagram.com/americanfriendsofnatal/

Follow Maayan Aviv: https://www.instagram.com/maayanaviv28/

From the scars of childhood trauma to the healing work of parenting Dr. Robyn Kloslowitz; a clinical psychologist, shares how understanding trauma reshapes not only our personal growth but the way we raise our children. We'll explore the difference between guilt and shame, why community is essential for healing, and how parenting can become a path to mending the inner child. We delve into her book Post traumatic parenting and how the impact of trauma matters more than the content of trauma.

Sound Bites

"All research is me search."

"You can heal your...

Allison Gandlin shares her unique journey from being a dancer to becoming the 2024 NFL Flag Player of the Year. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of being a female athlete in a male-dominated sport, the importance of teamwork and leadership, and how her Jewish identity has shapes her values. Allison reflects on her experiences with imposter syndrome, the significance of recognition, and her aspirations to spread positivity and love through sports. She emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and the responsibilities that come with being a trailblazer.

Sound Bites

"I always felt kind of a little...

This week's guest is Rachel Lebowitz, founder of Empowered COO. In this episode, we delve into the complexities of vulnerability, accountability, and the journey of self-discovery for women. We discuss the pressures women face in both personal and professional spheres, the importance of redefining roles, and the impact of upbringing on identity. Rachel shares her insights on navigating gender dynamics in business, the shift from codependency to empowerment, and the significance of making personal choices. The conversation emphasizes the need for women to embrace their strengths while acknowledging their weaknesses, ultimately encouraging people to create small, intentional changes in...

Aja shares her journey from growing up in an Italian family to discovering her Jewish identity and pursuing a career in fashion. She discusses the challenges of balancing motherhood, entrepreneurship, and her commitment to her values. Aja's story highlights the importance of community, creativity, and personal growth. She shares how she's balancing motherhood and identity while designing a brand- and a life - that reflect her values and her heart.

Sound Bites

"I wanted to go to art school."

"It was a journey for me."

"I converted at 23"

Check...

Lauren Hofstatter, also known as the Orthodox Therapist, is a Licensed mental health counselor who focuses on intimacy and relationships. In this episode, she shares insights on intimacy, relationships, and the unique challenges faced by women in the Orthodox Jewish community. Lauren emphasizes the significance of genuine support and understanding in relationships, while also addressing the misconceptions surrounding intimacy in Judaism. Through her experiences, she aims to empower women to find their voices and navigate their paths with confidence.

Sound Bites

"I needed something for me."

"It's okay to not be perfect."

Meet Estee Stimler ; writer, lyrcistic, PhD Researcher in comedy and unapologetic trailblazer. In this conversation, she opens up about the layered realities of Jewish identity, and her own creative journey from speechwriting to the musicals and plays. With warmth and wit, Estee explores how humor shapes family bonds, why positive representation matters in Jewish media, and how art can balance self-expression with social responsibility. Her work is driven by a belief that creativity thrives without competition and that empowering others is the surest way to make space for diverse voices to shine.

Takeaways

G...