This week we discussed moods in relationships.

We explored how moods are like the weather, they come and they go. They are not permanent, they are not facts, and they are not the full story of who we are or who our partner is.

We spoke about the importance of being light-hearted around moods rather than taking them too seriously in the moment. When we react to a mood as if it is truth, we fuel it. When we step back, allow space, and don’t feed it — it passes.

If you feed it, it grows.

If you leave it, it goes.

This week we talk about what we believe is the most important thing in a relationship - the spirit of giving.

We explore the difference between giving because you should and giving because you want to.

We discuss why so many relationships lose that feeling over time and how reconnecting with it can change marriages, parenting and any type of relationship.

In this episode of Thoughts About Life, we explore a somewhat counter-cultural idea: success comes slowly.
We discuss why stability, patience, and consistency are essential for building anything meaningful. From Abraham’s journey, to running a business, raising children, writing books, doing better emotionally, and even caring for a marine fish tank, the message is the same: growth needs time, space and solid ground to build from.
We discuss why impatience doesn’t just stop us from carrying on, it stops us from starting in the first place, how small daily actions can quietly compound into something very meaningful, and why “quick fixes” whether in dieting, finances, or mental health so often disappoint.
This is a conversation about learning to trust the process, laying one brick at a time, and allowing life’s wisdom to work with us not against us.

In this episode of Thoughts About Life, we explore the contrast between living from obligation - “must,” “should,” and external pressure - and living from vision, inspiration, guidance, and your heart. Drawing on personal stories from parenting, work, faith, and powerful historical examples, we reflect on why life usually feels burdensome when we force ourselves into a box because we feel we must, and why effort often disappears when we’re genuinely guided.

From everyday moments to figures like Shimon Peres, Abraham, and the story behind the Kindertransport, this conversation looks at how vision, clarity, and inner guidance can lead people to do extraordinary things - not through willpower or self-pressure, but through alignment with something deeper.

An exploration of how to live with more ease, resilience, and meaning - by gently listening inward rather than driving ourselves harder.

In this episode, we share a conversation that emerged organically during a long drive - one that touches on marriage, parenting, community pressure, and what happens when major life decisions are made without a sense of inner vision.

In this episode, we explore a misunderstanding at the heart of so much human suffering: the belief that our experience of life is happening to us, rather than coming from us.

Drawing from real clinical experience, Chana shares powerful encounters with clients who have spent decades feeling victimised by life and overwhelmed by mental pain. Together, we question what happens when people are never taught the most basic truth about being human—that we are thinkers, and that thought creates experience.

We discuss why simply managing symptoms isn’t enough, why relief matters more than people realise, how habits of heavy thinking form, and why understanding this can gently reduce suffering over time. We also reflect on the growing mental health crisis among young people and what might be missing from how society responds.

A grounded, honest conversation about mental health, suffering, and what it really means to live well.

Shaul and Chana felt moved to reflect on the rawness of recent events following a horrific terror attack in Sydney. The conversation turns naturally to loss, fear, and how human beings respond when their world feels shaken.

They begin with compassion — for the lives lost, the families grieving, and those injured — and then explore deeper questions:

How do we respond to violence without losing our bearings? What does it mean to stay human in the face of suffering? Is it helpful to see ourselves as victims of history, or does that way of thinking come at a cost?

Drawing on Jewish tradition, philosophy, and lived experience, the discussion moves through themes of suffering and hope, personal versus philosophical perspectives, higher and lower states of consciousness, and the quiet power of light over darkness. The conversation also reflects on our modern relationship with media – the urge to film, watch, and consume tragedy – and what that does to our presence and our peace of mind.

This is not a political episode, nor a reactive one. It’s an honest, thoughtful reflection on how we might respond to tragedy with clarity rather than fear, with compassion rather than bitterness, and with a commitment to seeking understanding, and solutions.

Human instinct leans toward life. The human soul holds on to every moment it can, and none of us truly knows how we will experience diminished capacity until we face it ourselves. What one person imagines as a living hell, another may receive with grace, gratitude, and unexpected resilience.

In this episode, we explore how our assumptions about suffering, ageing, and worth often diverge from the lived reality. It is a gentle, reflective conversation about presence, dignity, and the surprising ways the human spirit reveals itself in difficult times.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, questions, and suggestions for future episodes.