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.

In this episode, we reflect on a widespread—but often unspoken—belief that quietly undermines many relationships: the idea that “If you loved me, you’d do this for me.” Whether it’s taking out the bins, dressing a certain way, or showing up to an event, partners frequently use behaviour as a measure of love.

But does action really reflect feeling?

We explore why tying love to behaviour inevitably leads to pressure, resentment, and insecurity—and why it can never create the emotional reassurance people are truly seeking. Shaul explains how love is fundamentally a feeling, not an action, and why that feeling can never be found in someone else’s compliance.

Chana discusses how real transformation happens when individuals reconnect with their own loving feeling, rather than demanding love from their spouse. Respect, expectations, and emotional needs all look different from this quieter, gentler place.

A thoughtful conversation about why love begins in the heart, not in behaviour—and how that single insight can turn a relationship around.