Rise & Shine with Adrienne Gold Davis

Nostalgia, Memory, and Living in the Present

When does nostalgia strengthen us, and when does it keep us stuck?

Adrienne explores the pull of memory through everyday moments and classic Jewish texts, asking when looking back builds connection and hope and when it becomes an escape from the present. A reflective invitation to choose intention over habit and to live fully in the moment while staying rooted in what matters most.  

The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

Finding Strength When Life Feels Uncertain

What does it mean to remain faithful when life feels uncertain?

 

Adrienne Gold Davis sits down with Momentum’s Founding Director, Lori Palatnik, for a thoughtful conversation about Emunah, not as blind belief, but as lived faithfulness rooted in responsibility, courage, and presence.

 

In This Episode

• What Emunah really means beyond blind belief.
• Practical ways Jewish mothers can find strength and resilience in uncertain times.
• Reflections on leadership, responsibility, and presence from Lori Palatnik.
• How Jewish wisdom supports everyday challenges in family, community, and inner life.

 

The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

Encore Episode: The Blessing of Letting Go

From creeping in the bushes to protect her child to learning the divine art of stepping back, Adrienne Gold Davis candidly shares her struggle with boundaries in parenting. Joined by Jessica Berkowitz, this deeply honest episode explores Jewish teachings on gevul (boundaries), eruv (communal space), and tzimtzum (divine contraction)—offering timeless wisdom for raising confident children with love, humility, and spiritual clarity.

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This is an encore presentation from our Momentum Speaks: Parenting series.

As we revisit some of our most resonant parenting conversations, we’re bringing back episodes that continue to support Jewish mothers navigating family life with intention, strength, and love. We invite you to listen again or discover it for the first time.

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The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

 

 

Encore Episode: Can I Say That About My Kids?

What does it mean to speak about our children with honesty, love, and Jewish values? Adrienne Gold Davis and Jessica Berkowitz explore the fine line between storytelling and Lashon Hara (negative speech) as they unpack the power and purpose of our words. Together, they dive into parenting with intention, spiritual boundaries, and how to share our experiences without shame, offering Jewish wisdom to help mothers feel seen, supported, and not alone.

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This is an encore presentation from our Momentum Speaks: Parenting series.

As we revisit some of our most resonant parenting conversations, we’re bringing back episodes that continue to support Jewish mothers navigating family life with intention, strength, and love. We invite you to listen again or discover it for the first time.

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The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

 

 

Encore Episode: Internal / External Judgement

It’s one thing to feel judged. It’s another when the judgment comes from your own people. In this raw and real episode, Adrienne Gold Davis and Jessica Berkowitz talk about the shame that creeps in when you feel like you're not Jewish enough, or not the right kind of Jewish.

So if you’ve ever been side-eyed or second-guessed... this one’s for you.

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This is an encore presentation from our Momentum Speaks: Parenting series.

As we revisit some of our most resonant parenting conversations, we’re bringing back episodes that continue to support Jewish mothers navigating family life with intention, strength, and love. We invite you to listen again or discover it for the first time.

---

The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

 

 

Encore Episode: The Mommy Olympics

What does it truly mean to succeed as a Jewish mother, and what if the definition of success needs a spiritual makeover? In this moving and deeply personal episode, Adrienne Gold Davis sits down with Jessica Berkowitz, Senior Education Specialist at Momentum, to challenge the narrow, often toxic standards of achievement that dominate our homes, schools, and social media feeds.

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This is an encore presentation from our Momentum Speaks: Parenting series.

As we revisit some of our most resonant parenting conversations, we’re bringing back episodes that continue to support Jewish mothers navigating family life with intention, strength, and love. We invite you to listen again or discover it for the first time.

---

The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

 

 

Defining What’s Good

In this encore episode of Rise and Shine, Adrienne Gold Davis explores a question Judaism takes seriously: How do we choose good when we’re capable of imagining both good and evil?

Through a surprising story about “the sociopath test,” Adrienne unpacks how intelligence and intuition can be used to build or to harm – and why Jewish wisdom insists that what matters most is the path we choose. With teachings from Pirkei Avot, the concepts of Yetzer Hara and Yetzer HaTov, and the familiar “two wolves” parable, this episode offers a grounded, empowering reminder for Jewish women and mothers: small choices, repeated, shape the life you live.

 

If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

Emotional Resilience, the Body, and the Wisdom of Hannukah

What happens when emotional stress shows up not just in our hearts, but in our bodies? Adrienne explores the powerful connection between emotional climate, physical tension, and spiritual resilience through a Jewish lens.

Drawing from personal experience, Jewish wisdom, and contemporary insights, Adrienne reflects on how stress, grief, and inner “cold” can cause us to hunch, brace, and armor ourselves, physically and emotionally. Set against the backdrop of winter and the light of Hanukkah, this episode invites you to consider how we guard our own inner light while tending to our families and communities. A quiet call to unclench, to breathe, and to remember that preserving your own light is not selfish, it is sacred work.

 

The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

A Pink Dior Bag, a Bus Stop, and Hanukkah

At a gas-station pit stop in Israel, Adrienne witnessed an unexpected moment of unity and light. What begins as tension during a post-October 7 trip becomes a moving encounter between Jewish mothers and Bedouin Arab schoolgirls. A pink Dior handbag, a single compliment, and a shared desire for connection reveal a powerful lesson: light can break through even when we least expect it.

This Hanukkah, discover what it really means to unmask the hidden sparks around us and within us.

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The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org

 

Encore Episode: Don’t Give Up Before the Miracle Happens

Content Warning: This episode discusses addiction, alcoholism, mental health challenges, suicide, and generational trauma from the Holocaust. Carly's story is one of hope and recovery, but some listeners may find parts of the conversation emotionally challenging.

This encore episode revisits one of our most meaningful conversations. Adrienne Gold Davis sits down with author, educator, and recovery advocate Carly Israel, whose honesty and courage continue to touch so many. Together, they explore Carly’s battle with alcoholism and mental health, her journey through motherhood, and the hard-earned wisdom she now shares with others. Her story offers strength and perspective for parents and loved ones supporting someone in struggle.

They discuss the silence around addiction in Jewish families, the trauma carried by descendants of Holocaust survivors, and the awakening that comes with recovery. It is a conversation about survival, hope, and choosing to live with intention. At its heart, it reflects what it means to live wondrously. To find meaning in pain, purpose in truth, and resilience rooted in love.

If Carly’s voice resonates with you, we invite you to join us as she speaks live during our upcoming Zoom webinar on December 4. Learn more and register here: https://momentumunlimited.org/boost-livingwondrously/

 

Order your copy of Momentum's new book, "The Art & Practice of Living Wondrously", today.

 

The Rise & Shine Podcast Series is made possible by the generous support of Bonnie Vozar of Chicago, Illinois. If you would like to sponsor an upcoming podcast, please email us at info@momentumunlimited.org