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Totally Unexpected!Author: Chavie Bruk
Chavie Bruk is a mother of five adopted children and is the co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Montana together with her husband. On her podcast, Totally Unexpected! Chavie sits down with guests to find out what was the one unexpected moment that changed their lives. She hopes listeners will see themselves in these stories, feeling a little less alone and a little more connected. Language: en Genres: Judaism, Personal Journals, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Yocheved Sidof: Straddling the Edges of Faith & Healing
Episode 36
Monday, 12 January, 2026
Chavie and Yocheved start by bonding over their shared experiences navigating parenting struggles and challenges. Yocheved unveils her family’s roots in Iran, including the persecution and faith of the Mashadi Jewish community, and how her parents’ immigration to the United States eventually brought them into the Chabad community in Minnesota. Chavie and Yocheved talk about their shared curiosity about the human mind, and Yocheved reflects on being drawn to both Chassidus and psychology from a young age, which led her to pursue her PhD in clinical psychology at twenty-one. Chavie walks through Yocheved’s creative work as a photographer and filmmaker, and how that work grew into advocacy for children outside the mainstream in Crown Heights, including founding Lamplighters, a Chassidic Montessori school. They talk about what it looks like to pursue a life mission while raising children, and the constant tension between guilt and gratitude that follows. Chavie and Yocheved discuss the role of women in Jewish ritual spaces and what it looks like to push edges without compromising halachic values. Chavie closes the conversation by asking Yocheved about psychedelics and whether it’s possible to be on a healing journey without them. Yocheved Sidof is a spiritual and social entrepreneur, teacher, and guide devoted to cultivating deeper ways of being rooted in Torah, presence, and lived faith. She is the founder of Ohmek, a contemplative community offering sacred spaces for spiritual deepening, healing, and remembrance through learning, ritual, and embodied practice. Yocheved leads healing pilgrimages to Poland and Israel, inviting participants to meet history, grief, and holiness with courage and consciousness. She draws on Jewish mysticism, trauma-informed wisdom, and decades of leadership experience, while currently pursuing a PhD in Transpersonal Research. Her work speaks to women seeking a spiritually grounded path that honors devotion, depth, and the quiet unfolding of the soul. This Week's Hot Take Fast Fashion: Love it, hate it, or necessary evil? NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their hot takes on our featured topic! Referenced On the Pod 1:18:53 Ohmek 1:26:55 Thomas Huebl 1:40:33 Tanya Chapter 42 2:04:50 Michal Carlebach's episode on Totally Unexpected! Stay in touch with Yocheved! https://linktr.ee/Yochevedsidof ohmekliving.com Yocheved's Weekly Class on Spotify Open this link to join Ohmek WhatsApp Community Stay in touch with Chavie! @chaviebruk on Instagram www.totallyunexpected.blog Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at chaviebruk@gmail.com.
