Rise & Shine with Adrienne Gold Davis

A doctor once checked a man’s heart by holding his hand. The man was confused. The pain was in his chest. But the doctor knew the hand tells you how the heart is working. In this week’s Rise & Shine, Adrienne takes that idea further. Jewish tradition sees Tzedakah, often translated as charity, as righteousness: something we practice, not something we wait to feel. In a season when holding on can feel safer than giving, that matters. It can start small. A dollar, ten times. A compliment you’d usually keep to yourself. An hour you didn’t think you had. You don’t need to feel generous to begin. 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 [email protected]

A flash storm and an extension cord run between two basements. Adrienne Gold Davis explores Gam Zu L’Tovah, “this too is for the good,” and why it’s a phrase to steady yourself, not to comfort someone else. You’ll leave with a tool for resilience and a better way to show up for people who are hurting. 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 [email protected]  

Why do some kids grow up loving being Jewish while others drift away? Miriam Belsky, a day school parent and national day school leader, joins Adrienne Gold Davis to make the case for Jewish education. You'll leave with a clearer way to weigh cost, safety, and identity for your own family.   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 [email protected]

You did everything right, and it still didn’t work out? Measure yourself by your effort and aspirations, not your results. Rooted in Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of Our Fathers, this episode will help you loosen your grip on outcomes and keep going anyway. 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 [email protected]

This week on Rise & Shine, Adrienne explores a Jewish teaching many people get backward. Judaism doesn’t say, "Don’t judge." It says judge favorably. Give others the same benefit of the doubt you give yourself, and protect their dignity even when you disagree. 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 [email protected].

Motherhood gives us a deep sense of being needed. When that shifts, it's easy to feel adrift. On this week's Rise & Shine, Adrienne Gold Davis shares an honest admission: what she thought was generous protection was often control. 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 [email protected]

Pregnant with her first child, Adrienne was terrified she felt nothing and afraid she wouldn't love her baby. Everyone told her the same thing: "You'll see." They were right. Love didn't arrive first. It grew with every feeding, every sleepless night, every diaper. Jewish tradition connects ahavah, love, to hav, to give. We come to love what we give to.   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 [email protected]

The power went out next door and stayed out for three days. My husband came home the minute it was safe to drive, found an extra-long extension cord, and ran it from our back door into our neighbors' house so their food wouldn't spoil. Nobody asked him to. Later I told a friend about it. She isn't Jewish, and she said something I didn't expect. From everything you have taught me about Judaism, isn't that the whole point? Sharing your power and your light. I burst into tears because she was right.   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 [email protected]

If you are carrying something against someone who never apologized, this episode offers a place to start without asking you to pretend you are fine. Adrienne opens with what an old friend told her years later: she used to be jaded, judgmental, and very good at holding a grudge. Becoming a mother in her thirties forced her to ask what she actually stood for, and the answer came from Jewish wisdom she chose to act on before it felt natural. 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 [email protected]    

Teshuvah, the Jewish practice of return, is easy to talk about and genuinely hard to do. In this Rise & Shine conversation, Adrienne Gold Davis walks through the four steps of Teshuvah: cessation, regret, confession, and resolution, with author and educator Carly Israel, who has been sober for 27 years. Carly explains why nothing else works until you stop, why regret arrives after you stop rather than before, and how confession moves you from feeling bad about yourself to seeing the facts clearly. Adrienne is candid about her own struggle with control and what it cost her as a parent. Together they land on something you can use before Rosh Hashanah: choose one small action, repeat it every day, and let the behavior change the thinking. 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 [email protected] If you're listening to Rise and Shine, chances are that something you've heard here has stayed with you. Maybe it made you think differently. Maybe it gave you language for something that you were feeling. Maybe it helped you feel more connected to yourself, your Jewish identity, Israel, or the Jewish people. Over the years, I've received thousands of messages from women sharing how Momentum has impacted their lives — from this podcast to the journey of growth in Israel and beyond. And I've seen what happens when that spark takes hold. When you inspire a woman, that impact ripples outward to her family, her community, and the next generation. And we have a lot more work to do. So at a moment when Jewish families are navigating so much uncertainty, we have a choice about the Jewish future that we want to create. Because the future isn't something we wait for. It's something we build together. During Momentum's Mothers Move the World campaign, September 9th and 10th, I'm asking you to build it with us. Support Momentum today, and help more women live their Jewish values, strengthen their families, and shape the Jewish future. Visit causematch.com/MothersMoveTheWorld to make a donation. Thank you.