CatharSIS: a Podcast about the Meaning of Life

You wouldn't know it just by looking at Dr. Jaffe today, but he was once convicted and sentenced to 1 year in jail for using, buying and selling hard drugs. After getting out of jail, it was impossible to find anyone who'd accept him for a job.

For many in the US, this situation leads people back to crime and in jail again, and so the cycle repeats. But for Dr. Jaffe, he attributes his success to the fact that he...

Sydney Estrada and Lauren Thomas, both Associate Marriage and Family Therapists, share how their experiences with racism, colorism, and racial trauma led to pursuing careers in therapy.

The discrepancies amongst the Black community within the education system, due to colorism, empowered Lauren to prioritize her practice for uplifting Black women of various backgrounds as well as unpacking racial trauma.

Sydney cu...

For most of us, death is a topic that was typically avoided in our households growing up. So, when a friend loses a loved one, it's difficult to know how to respond, especially if we've never experienced deep loss ourselves.

You don't know what to say, and don't want to say the wrong thing, so you say nothing. For those grieving, it can then feel like they are all alone.

With the help of her th...

More often than not, it's best to just keep things simple. Dr. Rafael Reisfeld, MD and Dr. Gabriel V. Rubanenko, MD, have known our dad for over 35 years, working together in the medical field and sharing a bond of being Israeli Americans.

Throughout those 35 years, our dad would continue to ask them the question, "What is the meaning of life?" Our guests each give their perspectives on the question, taking...

"You could have everyone love you, but if you don't love yourself, you'll never be happy."

These were the words Justine heard while in rehab after an alcohol addiction relapse. It was after hearing these words that Justine realized she couldn't keep doing things, like quitting drinking, just to please others...she actually had to want them for herself as well.

With over six years of sobrie...

You may be stuck, but you're not broken. This is what Justin Sunseri, LMFT and host of the podcast Stuck, Not Broken, wants you to know. He doesn't subscribe to the narrative that you are broken and need healing, but rather, your body is in a defensive autonomic state: flight, fight, shut down or freeze.

Better known as the "fight or flight" response, it is our body's natural physiological respons...

When couples say their vows at the altar, "through sickness and in health," you never really imagine that the sickness would come so soon.

Married couple Aron and Merhawit were caught completely off guard when Merhawit was given a cancer diagnosis while she was pregnant, and while Aron was in medical school.

Despite the heart-breaking, earth-shattering news, painful treatments, and hidden tears, this couple managed to find ...

In early January of 2018, Blaze Bernstein was only 19 years old when he was murdered in a hate crime. We had the privilege and honor of meeting and conversing with his mother, Jeanne Pepper Bernstein. She shares with us powerful messages about persevering in times of such despair, while emphasizing the power of hope.

Jeanne is an attorney, writer, speaker and advocate for the Kindness movement and advocates for the LGBTQ c...

Genesis takes Michal and Maayan on a journey in their conversation about hitting rock bottom, awakenings, living with uncertainty, and how to honor our grief and despair. 

When Genesis was 20 years old in the middle of her junior year at university, she found herself in jail, thousands of dollars in debt, no job to pay back the debt, all while trying to keep up appearances for her parents.

Genesis had hit bottom. ...

Join us as we have a raw and vulnerable interview with Ms. Wendei Melnick Smith, an international speaker and educator, who is also a licensed esthetician and product formulator. She shares with us her journey being diagnosed with PANS (pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome), Lyme disease, and got personal with us about her life's history.

Wendei is the founder of Peace of Mind Naturals skin care and the own...

What is our greater purpose here on Earth? Are you hungry for spiritual nourishment?

Many of us in today's modern society are hungry for spiritual nourishment. We may be brought up to believe that our value is based on how much we can produce for the least amount of money, leaving us to put our basic human needs of relationships, physical and mental health, and self actualization to the side.

This pulls us f...

Welcome to the very first episode of a new podcast, CatharSIS, a show about the meaning of life. Meet the creators of the show, Michal and Maayan, two sisters and professionals in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy, and learn why they decided to start this podcast.

They discuss how the recent passing of their father, an Oncologist/Hematologist, inspired this podcast and the mission behind it. Having often worked with...

Welcome to CatharSIS, a podcast about the Meaning of Life. We are two sisters, Michal and Maayan, who are both Associate Marriage and Family Therapists. 

We created this podcast in honor of our Dad, who was an Oncologist/Hematologist. He loved to ask everyone: “What is the meaning of life?” In other words, what brings your life meaning? What are constant themes in your life that have motivated you thus far? We will explore...