Yocheved shares her background growing up in a loud, opinionated family as the quieter sibling sandwiched between strong personalities, and how her parents’ journey as baalei teshuva (people who became religious later in life) — including her father returning to school for a master’s in education — shaped her identity as an educator. Chavie and Yocheved compare birth order dynamics, with Chavie as the oldest of nine and Yocheved navigating not knowing where she fit, and how that later informed Yocheved’s certainty about becoming an educational advocate. Yocheved talks openly about struggling in traditional classrooms, loving college and research, and realizing that her strength was learning rather than schooling, which leads into a candid conversation about why so many children struggle in rigid educational systems and where responsibility really lies between schools and parents. The conversation turns personal as Yocheved shares her fertility journey, her decision to be open about shidduchim and PCOS, and what it was like raising children with very different temperaments, including selective mutism and multiple neurodivergent diagnoses. Chavie and Yocheved dig into nature versus nurture, letting go of outcomes in parenting, and how to set measurable goals without lowering expectations. They close by talking about confidence versus self-esteem, avoiding power struggles, trusting your gut as a parent, and how to show up to schools in ways that are effective rather than just emotionally validating.

Yocheved Shapiro, M.Ed. is a dedicated educator and advocate with over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. Holding a Master’s in Educational Psychology, she combines professional expertise with personal experience as a parent of three neurodivergent children, championing their success in every aspect of life. She is passionate about guiding and empowering parents and educators in navigating and gaining access to the appropriate resources to best support children.

This Week's Prompt How Do You Color Outside the Lines of Societal Expectations In Your Daily Life? This is a NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their hot takes on our featured topic!

Referenced On the Pod

• 10:39 Totally Unexpected! interview with Chevee Szokovski
• 48:47 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• 1:22:32 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
• 1:29:29 Ari Shapiro’s (Yocheved’s son) website
• 1:29:57 JEM - Jewish Educational Media
• 2:15:15 Totally Unexpected! interview with Sarah Immerman

Stay in touch with Yocheved!

WhatsApp: 718-501-2165

yochshap@gmail.com

Yocheved on Instagram

www.ShapiroEducationalConsulting.com

Yocheved's WhatsApp Group

Stay in touch with Chavie!

@chaviebruk on Instagram

www.totallyunexpected.blog

Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at chaviebruk@gmail.com.

Chavie and Yocheved start by bonding over their shared experiences navigating parenting struggles and challenges. Yocheved unveils her family’s roots in Iran, including the persecution and faith of the Mashadi Jewish community, and how her parents’ immigration to the United States eventually brought them into the Chabad community in Minnesota. Chavie and Yocheved talk about their shared curiosity about the human mind, and Yocheved reflects on being drawn to both Chassidus and psychology from a young age, which led her to pursue her PhD in clinical psychology at twenty-one. Chavie walks through Yocheved’s creative work as a photographer and filmmaker, and how that work grew into advocacy for children outside the mainstream in Crown Heights, including founding Lamplighters, a Chassidic Montessori school. They talk about what it looks like to pursue a life mission while raising children, and the constant tension between guilt and gratitude that follows. Chavie and Yocheved discuss the role of women in Jewish ritual spaces and what it looks like to push edges without compromising halachic values. Chavie closes the conversation by asking Yocheved about psychedelics and whether it’s possible to be on a healing journey without them.

Yocheved Sidof is a spiritual and social entrepreneur, teacher, and guide devoted to cultivating deeper ways of being rooted in Torah, presence, and lived faith. She is the founder of Ohmek, a contemplative community offering sacred spaces for spiritual deepening, healing, and remembrance through learning, ritual, and embodied practice. Yocheved leads healing pilgrimages to Poland and Israel, inviting participants to meet history, grief, and holiness with courage and consciousness. She draws on Jewish mysticism, trauma-informed wisdom, and decades of leadership experience, while currently pursuing a PhD in Transpersonal Research. Her work speaks to women seeking a spiritually grounded path that honors devotion, depth, and the quiet unfolding of the soul.

This Week's Hot Take Fast Fashion: Love it, hate it, or necessary evil? NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their hot takes on our featured topic!

Referenced On the Pod

• 1:18:53 Ohmek
• 1:26:55 Thomas Huebl
• 1:40:33 Tanya Chapter 42
• 2:04:50 Michal Carlebach's episode on Totally Unexpected!

Stay in touch with Yocheved!

https://linktr.ee/Yochevedsidof

ohmekliving.com

Yocheved's Weekly Class on Spotify

‎Open this link to join Ohmek WhatsApp Community

Stay in touch with Chavie!

@chaviebruk on Instagram

www.totallyunexpected.blog

Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at chaviebruk@gmail.com.

Chavie and Abi start off discussing how important it is to be selective with friendships as adults in order to preserve emotional bandwidth for deeper relationships. Abi shares her experience moving between Chabad and non-Chabad schools and how she was always drawn to creativity from a young age, from tinkering with Barbie clothing and scarves to studying fashion in school. She talks about working in retail fashion, stepping back to raise her children, and later joining a children’s wear store in Toronto. There, she became involved in everything from buying and visual merchandising to sales and running the store’s social media. Chavie asks Abi to walk her through her approach to growing an Instagram presence, including her top tips for reels and the tension between being real online without sharing more than feels right. Chavie and Abi also share date night ideas and talk about navigating relationships with people who struggle with anxiety. Chavie closes out the conversation by asking Abi to share her ideal daily routine. Abi explains that her non-negotiable is starting the day without her phone and giving herself a quiet buffer before everything else begins.

Abi Radcliffe is a Canadian modest content creator. She enjoys sharing light and easygoing content that bring joy. You can find her sipping black coffee at work or fleeing the country to discover new places. She is a mother of three plus a cat that is definitely considered her fourth child. Abi loves sharing fashion finds and content that is happiness inducing.

Referenced On the Pod

• 11:08 Andrew Huberman’s podcast, The Huberman Lab
• 57:25 Abi Radcliffe's Fierce & Frum blog
• 1:00:29 Astrology episode on Totally Unexpected! with Mendel Zirkind
• 1:18:36 Sha’ar Habitachon - Gate of Trust by Rabbeinu Bachya ben Yosef ibn Paquda
• 2:05:09 Moishe & Chaya Chanin’s podcast, Undecided & Committed

Stay in touch with Abi @abiradcliffe_ on Instagram!

Stay in touch with Chavie!

@chaviebruk on Instagram

www.totallyunexpected.blog

Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at chaviebruk@gmail.com.