Some of the most powerful acts of service begin not with a business plan, but with a broken heart. For Sara Jacobs, the loss of her mother became the foundation for a life built on compassion, community, and the belief that healing often happens not when we turn inward, but when we turn outward.

Sara is a mother, Kabbalah teacher, and founder and executive director of Maman, a grassroots nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and community support to individuals and families facing illness, crisis, and hardship across the U.S. and Israel. What began as a natural instinct to show up for others in her community has grown into a movement that has mobilized thousands of volunteers and touched countless lives. In this conversation, Sara and I reflect on our shared history, the spiritual foundations that shaped her, and the quiet, powerful ways that giving back can become its own form of healing.

In this episode, Sara shares:

• How watching her mother fight for her life as a teenager shifted her entire perspective and planted the seeds of Maman
• The spiritual foundation she built early on, rooted in Kabbalah, and why she began hosting women’s spirituality gatherings long before Maman existed
• How postpartum depression after the birth of her third child, combined with a pivotal conversation with her rabbi, became the unexpected catalyst for launching Maman
• Why imposter syndrome was one of her earliest and hardest challenges as a founder, and how she learned to lead a volunteer-based organization
• How walking into the homes of families in crisis brought both healing and grief, and why she kept showing up anyway
• The surprising ways that serving others has filled her own cup, even when she felt empty
• Why she tells young women navigating loss that they don’t have to become their mother, and what she says instead
• How giving back has strengthened her resilience, and why she believes that paying it forward is the work

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The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Learn more about Maman at www.mamanla.org
• Connect with Sara Jacobs on Instagram @mamannonprofit

• Connect with Rita @journey.with.rita_ and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources