Dr. Indigo Willing believes the essential elements of a healthy life include doing fun things often, taking risks, and being connected to a community that makes you feel good about who you are.
Sometimes inspiration comes from sources very close to home. While spending more time with his family during the Covid-19 pandemic, Jeffrey was inspired to pass on his experience and values to younger generations by writing a children’s book starring his own grandchildren, I Don’t Want to Turn 3. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Gramps Jeffrey about his business background, his transition from entrepreneur to author of children’s books, and why he believes influencing younger generations is our true purpose. In this episode, Lynne and Jeffrey discuss: His first book, The Secrets of […]
As a young woman, Dorit Sasson moved to Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces as a lone soldier. After 18 years, Dorit returned to the United States, and those decisions, along with the details of her life in both places, inspired two memoirs about straddling cultures, languages, and definitions of home. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Dorit speaks with host Lynne Golodner about her books, Accidental Solider and Sand and Steel, which were driven by her determination for self-exploration, observation and a desire to connect. As someone who identifies as Israeli by culture and […]
It took 10 years for Karen Baum Gordon to write and publish her memoir, The Last Letter: A father’s struggle, a daughter’s quest, and the long shadow of the Holocaust, under the guidance of a friend who was an editor at McGraw-Hill. The book expands on a synagogue speech and explores generations of her family through letters, while grappling with the ancestral trauma and psychological legacy of terror, genocide and persecution.
Nancy Sharp experienced an exceptional grief when her husband died from brain cancer at the age of 39 when their twins were toddlers. She eventually left New York City for Denver to start over amid the mountain air. She left a public relations career and became a Guided Autobiography instructor, as well as the author of the bestselling memoir, Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living. Her writing and her work inspire resilience. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Nancy speaks with host Lynne Golodner about her writing process, her passion for […]
When Ramona Pintea turned 40, she decided to close her interior design business and start a new path following her true passion — art. During the beginning of the pandemic, she created a piece called Mother Earth which looks at the hope amongst all the terrible things happening. She shared it on Facebook and discovered a huge audience of supporters which spurred her to create the art series Urban Queen. In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Ramona speaks with host Lynne Golodner about the importance of making art about women, for women. Her bright and colorful paintings […]
Learning how to write and channel your voice is an act of bravery, says Patrick Hicks, which may lead you to become more adventurous in other parts of your life. The author of more than 10 books, including The Collector of Names, Adoptable and This London, Patrick is the latest guest on the Make Meaning Podcast. In this episode, Patrick speaks with host Lynne Golodner about whose history is real history, how to pay homage to the possibilities, and why an American whose ancestors came from Northern Ireland writes about the Holocaust. A professor at Augustana University in South Dakota, […]
Growing up in the Chabad Lubavitch community, Bassie Shemtov always knew she’d devote her life to service. So when she married and moved to Michigan, she and her husband set about dedicating their life and family to building friendships with people in isolation.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, Jim Rajan speaks with host Lynne Golodner about how difficult it was to leave a creative industry to infuse his life with more meaning. “If I’m not living my truth, I am wasting my life,” he says. “I needed a more spiritual way of living, more connected to self and the world.”
Harry Sherwood studied with yogis, martial arts masters, professors and psychologists, devoting thousands of hours to meditation and earning a religious studies degree from the University of Michigan.
What does a high school teacher do after retirement? Teach about Ethics, of course. At least that’s Rabbi Yonason Goldson’s journey, from a “repentant hitchhiker” to an ordained Orthodox rabbi to a jolly grandfather who converts ancient wisdom into modern-day lessons on operating by a set of ethical imperatives.
This episode’s Make Meaning podcast guest, Jessica McCormick, is part of an effort to reimagine how American Judaism can be. As director of the Jewish Emergent Network Rabbinic Fellowship, Jessica oversees seven innovative Jewish communities across America.
