Rise & Shine with Adrienne Gold Davis

Gratitude Without Toxic Positivity

Adrienne welcomes back Jessica Berkowitz to explore a Jewish approach to gratitude that makes room for sadness, struggle, and unanswered questions. This episode pushes back on toxic positivity and offers a gentler, truer practice, one rooted in awareness, intention, and compassion.

 

If gratitude feels hard right now, you’re not doing it wrong. This conversation meets you exactly where you are.

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 Six-Year-Old’s Lesson in Human Dignity, Oneness, and Jewish Values

What does human dignity look like when it’s lived, not explained?

In this episode of Rise and Shine with Adrienne Gold Davis, Adrienne shares a powerful experience from ADI Negev, an inclusive rehabilitation village in Israel. During a visit with Jewish educators, a six-year-old nonverbal child offered a wordless but unmistakable lesson in kevod habriyot, the Jewish value of honoring every human being.

Through this moment, Adrienne reflects on the deeper meaning of the Shema, the idea of oneness, and how Jewish values are meant to show up in real life, not as concepts, but as actions.  A grounding reminder that sometimes the clearest wisdom comes through presence, connection, and the simple act of reaching out a hand.

 

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

I Think You’re Wrong, and I Love You

What is the real antidote to baseless hatred?

 

In this episode, Adrienne Gold Davis is joined by educator and thought partner Jessica Berkowitz for a grounded, honest conversation about unity, disagreement, and what Jewish wisdom actually asks of us in divided times. Drawing on classical sources and lived experience, they explore why “baseless love” is not enough, how boundaries can be an expression of care, and what it means to practice unity without uniformity in our families, communities, and the Jewish people.

 

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

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