Kylie Ora Lobell is the president of KOL Digital Marketing, a marketing, PR, and ghostwriting firm for Jewish organizations, authors, and business owners. She is also an award-winning writer who has been published in the Jewish Journal of LA, Washington Post, LA Times, New York Magazine, Aish, Chabad, and Tablet. You can follow her on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

In this episode, Kylie shares her extraordinary journey from a secular Christian upbringing to converting to Orthodox Judaism. She discusses her tumultuous childhood, questioning faith, and eventual embrace of Jewish practices after experiencing the warmth of the Jewish community.

Kylie delves into her struggles with depression, postpartum depression, the challenges she faced in her conversion process, and how Judaism is misrepresented in the media.

This episode is packed with inspiring anecdotes, offering a deep dive into the complexities and rewards of Kylie's faith and personal growth.

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar on Instagram.

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries, and/or check out my website tales-of.com to learn more about who I am and what I do.

Thank you for listening!

00:00 Introducing Kylie Ora Lobel

01:55 Kylie's Childhood and Family Background

03:42 Questioning Faith and Early Doubts

14:52 Meeting Daniel and Exploring Judaism

17:29 Discovering Chabad and Connecting with Faith

21:41 Conversion Journey and Challenges

33:28 Challenges and Reflections on Jewish Practices

46:51 Postpartum Depression and Community Support

01:01:09 Final Thoughts and Inspirational Messages

Today, Raphy Sassieni works at UserWay and plays a pivotal role in the vibrant Neve Shamir community of Ramat Beit Shemesh, loves mountain biking and has three beautiful children.

However, his journey to this fulfilling life wasn't always smooth.

At the young age of four, Raphy was diagnosed with cancer.

Now, in remission for many years, the journey undoubtedly shaped both him and the course of his life.

In this episode, we explore Raphy's transformative journey, his diverse upbringing, his dedication to the nonprofit sector, his love for Israel & Judaism, and his commitment to his community.

Furthermore, Raphy imparts invaluable insights on parenting, emphasizing the importance of fostering each child's distinct individuality, a principle instilled in him by his parents multiple times during his own upbringing.

So whether you're seeking inspiration, practical wisdom, or simply a heartwarming tale, tune in to this episode. It's certainly worth a listen!

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar on Instagram.

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries, and/or check out my website tales-of.com to learn more about who I am and what I do.

Thank you for listening!

From public school kid to chossid, Sean (Zeesha) Littman shares his story of determination and perseverance in this week's episode of Anything But Traditional.

Hear as he shares his religious journey, the epic story of how he met his wife Ilana, their journey to aliyah, having 5 daughters, his path to Ramat Beit Shemesh, and his awesome career in nonprofit marketing.

Lastly, make sure to listen until the end as he shares more about his incredible new business, GiveSuite.com, a marketing solution for the nonprofit sector.

To be in touch with Zeesha, you can email him at sean@catch22nonprofit.com.

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar on Instagram.

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries, and/or check out my website tales-of.com to learn more about who I am and what I do.

Thank you for listening!

Rabbi David Schlusselberg received his Bachelor's degree in psychology and Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University.

He has a master's degree in Jewish education from the Azrieli School of Jewish Education and currently works at the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, and serves as the Mashgiach Ruchani.

Last summer, he started his Instagram page, which now has over 12,000 followers, where he provides Jewish inspiration and education about Israel and antisemitism.

He has lectured at Columbia, Princeton, NYU, Maryland, Rutgers, and a few other colleges.

While his career is certainly fascinating, in this episode, we talk more about who Rabbi Schlusselberg is, his family, upbringing, dating experience, and immense struggle with anxiety.

There's a lot in this episode - so listen and be inspired!

Also, make sure to follow him on Instagram, check out his series Lessons From A Decade of Dating on YU Torah, and feel free to be in touch with him if you have any questions via email or phone 201-543-9308

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries.

Thank you for listening!

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Marna Becker is a natural networker, a social media enthusiast, an SDR leader, an activist, an educator, and a ball of energy. She was the youngest member of the board of the Jerusalem Business Networking Forum (JBNF), the predecessor of Made in Jerusalem, where she served for 5 years. In addition, she has worked successfully in both the B2B and B2C marketing and sales universe, where her passion for making processes more efficient and effective has shined through. She has worked with numerous startups, both here in Israel and abroad. She currently is the SDR Team Lead at UserWay.org

Marna is the founder of the Anglo Israel Job Network Facebook group that has over 15K members. The group helps more than 100 people find jobs in Israel each year.

She has spoken on the topics of networking effectively and the power of networking in Raanana at N4ES (Networking for English Speakers), in Gush Etzion at Hub Etzion, in Bet Shemesh at SUBS, and has taught a class on social media for the Temech Hub. She most recently spoke at an event sponsored by SDRs of Israel in Tel Aviv and virtually for the Innovate Summit.

In this episode, we delve into the many opportunities she tapped into over the years and how she created magic wherever she went, always learning from everyone she met.

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries.

Thank you for listening!

Please make your donations to:

Yad Yehuda to help students afford their gap year in Israel and make sure to include in the special instruction box that you heard of this cause from Anything But Traditional!

Thank you and Tizku L'Mitzvot!

While today Jordana Lobell is a mother to a precious son, her journey to him was not without pain.

In this episode, she shares her lengthy, devastating, and resilient journey through infertility, miscarriages, and stillbirth.

Let this episode inspire you.

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries.

Thank you for listening!

Please make your donations to:

Yad Yehuda to help students afford their gap year in Israel

• Make sure to include in the special instruction box that you heard of this cause from Anything But Traditional!

And Puah to help couples struggling with infertility.

Thank you and Tizku L'Mitzvot!

Reena Bloom is an audiologist and mom of 3, who is lives in New Jersey with her husband Jason. Reena is a cancer survivor and survived a rare type of sarcoma in the uterus. Unfortunately, to survive, Reena had to have a hysterectomy. This led to Reena and Jason finding a new way to bring their children into the world.

Today, Reena is very passionate about spreading awareness about her experience with surrogacy.

In this episode, Reena dives deep into this subject and shares how they found her surrogates, how they navigated the halachic challenges, the emotional toll of it all, and more.

If you've ever wanted to know more about surrogacy, especially in the Orthodox Jewish world, this episode is for you.

Enjoy the episode!

**For updates and conversations about these episodes, follow me at @talesoftamar

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with questions, comments, or inquiries.

Thank you for listening!

Donate now to Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington.

• Make sure to include in the special instruction box that you heard of this cause from Anything But Traditional!

Tizku L'Mitzvot!

In today's episode, we hear from Dov Carpe.

Today, Dov works in hi-tech and lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel with his five children, but Dov never thought life would be this way.

Growing up, all Dov wanted to do was be a rockstar.

But one fateful day, his life was forever changed as he had a near-death giving him a new chance at life.

Hear his story, his insights, and how his life was forever changed in this episode.

Thank you for tuning in!

**For updates and conversations about these episodes follow me at @talesoftamar

You can also reach out to Tamar@tales-of.com with any other questions, comments, or inquiries.

Thank you for listening!