America's Top Rebbetzins – Details, episodes & analysis

Our kids have all types of feelings and emotions, and they may not yet know how to process those feelings and regulate their emotions. This can result in temper tantrums, yelling, crying, stealing, and expressing a wide array of behaviors that tend to drive us crazy as parents. So what is our children's bad behavior REALLY trying to tell us? When kids act out, they are telling us that they have deep and strong emotions. They need to be heard; they need to have their feelings acknowledged and validated. They need us, as parents, to remain calm and in control, because when we are calm and in control, we make them feel safe. We need to be present for our children in a loving way, even when we set boundaries for them. We can let them know that they are not able to do something, while at the same time showing then compassion and empathy. Emunah Steier, a psychiatrist, therapist, and mother of 3, who is passionate about family communication, shares the following tips for parents:1. We need to cultivate our consciousness that our kids are innately good; they are precious, holy souls that were hand picked specifically for us to parent. We don't always know what is going on inside of them that causes them to behave a certain way, and we need to connect with them to open a dialogue so that they can share their thoughts and feelings with us.2. We need to let our children know that ALL feelings are ok. Certain behaviors are not ok, but all feelings are acceptable.3. When our children do something to trigger us, we need to realize that it's not really them who is triggering us; it's something that already exists within us that is being triggered. We then need to take some time to sit with ourselves and explore what it is inside of us that we need to address and heal.Throughout our conversation, Emunah shares many examples and relatable personal stories that show how we can address "bad" behavior with our good kids, while judging them favorably.For further information, please email: atrebbetzins@gmail.com

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠

How do we guide our older teens as they transition into adulthood? What is our job as parents? What role do we play in the lives of our teens?Parenting coach and parenting workshop facilitator, Miriam Leibowtiz, answers these questions as she guides us in our parenting journey. The job of a parent is to help our children develop into the person that he or she was created to be, even if who they are is different from the way we would have wanted them to be. As children grow into teenagers and young adults, parents shift from the role of caretaker to the role of guide. When parents treat their teens with warmth, give them unconditional love, and set boundaries for them, without imposing their will on their child, they are giving that child the space to figure out who they really are. Often, when we try to impose our will on our teens, they will have a counter will to resist what we tell them to do. We need to actively listen to them, allow them to express their feelings, validate their feels, and accept them for who they are--even if they are different from us.As parents, we need to mourn and let go of the preconceived notions we had that our children were going to be a certain way. We need to feel our pain, and then to let go of it. We also need to have compassion on ourselves for the pain that we have gone through in our childhood. When we have empathy for ourselves, we will be able to be open to how our teens are feeling, and have empathy for them. This will help us have a soft heart and relate to our teens with love, which will foster connection. Miriam explains the above concepts in beautiful detail.Contact: atrebbetzins@gmail.com

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠

What is it like to be a Jew in Peru? Do they have kosher food? A mikveh? A minyan? What do they do for Hanukkah? Purim? Pesach? Shabbat?

Rebbetzin Sara Blumenfeld, co-director of Chabad of Peru, talks about Jewish life in Lima, Peru. When Rebbetzin Sara, and her husband, Rabbi Zalman Blumenfeld, first came to Lima, there was no kosher food, no Hanukkah candles, no menorahs. In fact, there were terrorists instead. She describes living without electricity! From there, she helped to create and foster a Jewish environment that now has Torah classes for women and men, a large Pesach seder, parsha of the week sheets for both adults and kids, Hamantaschen for Purim, a mikvah, and other Jewish amenities that make being Jewish in Peru much easier than it has been in the past.

Rebbetzin Sara speaks about the purpose of the Chabad emissaries all around the world (including Peru). Their purpose is to wake up the Yiddishkeit of each Jew; to wake up the soul of a Jew. Rebbetzin Sara also emphasizes that everything we do is to bring Moshiach! May he come today!!

Contact: atrebbetzins@gmail.com

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bracha Goetz, a popular author of inspirational books for children, did what many people struggle to do everyday...she overcame an eating disorder. For those who have been down this road--emotional eating, binge eating, bulemia, anorexia, overeating--Bracha offers hope in the form of the Pleasure Ladder. Bracha tells her story of disordered eating while she was a student at Harvard University. She explained that the purpose of life is to experience the greatest pleasure possible. She refers to the 5 levels of pleasure that can be found on the Pleasure Ladder. These 5 levels of pleasure correspond to the 5 levels of our soul.   

Level 1 (the lowest level corresponds with the Nefesh soul): Physical Pleasure--this includes natural foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, etc., as well as movement like walking in nature and doing yoga.  

Level 2 (corresponds with the Ruach soul): Love--focusing on the virtues of another person fills us with an emotional feeling toward that person.  

Level 3 (corresponds to the Neshama soul): Doing things that are meaningful, like acts of chessed (acts of kindness) where we help others.  

Level 4 (corresponds to the Chaya soul): Creativity--bringing out our uniqueness by using our G-d given talents and putting them to action in this world.  

Level 5 (the highest level corresponds to the Yechida soul): Being in a state of transcendence, otherwise known as a state of awe where you feel connected to yourself, to those around you, and to Hashem.  

Bracha Goetz wrote a book teaching kids to make healthy food choices, enjoy exercise, and get enough sleep to stay healthy. This book is called Let's Stay Healthy.  All of Bracha's books can be found on this website: https://www.goetzbookshop.com/

Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠

Rebbetzin Haya Uzan, and her husband, Israel Uzan, are the Chabad emissaries in Abuja, Nigeria. In this fascinating interview, Rebbetzin Haya talks about the Jewish community of Nigeria, and the incredible infrastructure that she and her husband were able to create to serve the Jewish community. Rebbetzin Haya worked with her husband to build a mikvah, create a pre-school, and teach classes to women and also to men in the community. They even built a kosher supermarket in Abuja with kosher meat imported from South Africa! Rebbetzin Haya and her husband also started a program called Chabad Aid, which helps the non-Jewish Nigerian population. There is such incredible work that is being done by the Jewish community of Nigeria!

Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Rebbetzin Rachel Isaacs, the rebbetzin at the Rebibo Center for Jewish life in Phoenix, Arizona, talks about the importance of being yourself. We are all unique individuals created by G-d. We all have a unique purpose in life. When we feel comfortable in our skin, we can feel free to be who we are, and only then, can we accomplish what we are meant to do in this world. Everyone contributes to the world with their own talents and abilities. Rebbetzin Rachel also talks about helping our kids feel like they belong and also to feel proud of who they are. There is a balance between fitting in with everyone else and still being true to yourself. Children (and adults alike) need to be the best version of themselves.

Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Rebbetzin Simone Broide of the Boca Raton Synagogue discusses a variety of chesed activities that can be done by people of all ages. She also talks about family chesed projects. There are so many ways that people can get involved in acts of kindness and touch the lives of others, affecting then in a positive way.  Acts of kindness benefit the giver as well as the receiver.

Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Rebbetzin Abby Fink, the rebbetzin of Young Israel of New Rochelle, talks about the importance of being part of the Jewish community. She discusses the significance of every single Jew in the community and also talks about how each person has their own unique talents that they can contribute to make the community strong and vibrant. Rebbetzin Fink also talks about the delicate subject of what a person can do if they feel that another congregant hurt them or wronged them. It's a great perspective on why Jewish community is so vital to Jewish life and how each Jew is special and needed.

Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Rebbetzin Chaya Chitrik of Chabad of Istanbul, Turkey, shares with us some powerful life changing perspectives on seeing the revealed good in our lives. When we proactively seek out the positive aspects of people and situations, and when we really rewire our brain to look for our blessings (instead of things that are going wrong), we draw down revealed good from Hashem. You see what you focus on. When we seek out the positive, our world doesn't change; how we see it and how we experience it changes. Think good and it will be good is not just a saying--it's a way of life.

Contact: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Rebbetzin Miriam Mammon talks about the often forgotten mitzvah of self-care. When you take care of yourself, you are really and truly able to give of yourself to others. When you just give and give and give, you feel depleted emotionally and exhausted physically. You become bitter and resentful, and then no one really benefits from your giving. However, if you do make the time to take care of yourself (and it doesn't have to be a lot of time), you fill yourself up so that you can give to others without resentment.

Rebbetzin Miriam also talks about what self-care really is, and she also discusses knowing the right type of self-care to give yourself. If you are giving to yourself physically, but what you really need is emotional or spiritual self-care, you will not feel fulfilled. When you give yourself the right kind of care, you begin to come to life!

Contact: ⁠atrebbetzins@gmail.com⁠

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.

To learn more, visit: ⁠https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/