Podcast
Totally Unexpected!
Hosted by Chavie Bruk · EN
Join Chavie as she discovers the one totally unexpected moment in her guests’ lives that changed everything. These are real stories about pain, joy, and struggle, the moments that make us human. Chavie is obsessed with personal growth and doesn't shy away from the hard conversations. She covers topics like Jewish astrology, parenting taboos, health and wellness, adoption, race, and sexuality inside the Orthodox Jewish community and beyond.
Chavie Bruk is a mother of five adopted children and the co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Montana together with her husband, Rabbi Chaim Bruk. On Totally Unexpected! Chavie doesn't just interview her guests, she sits with them for long, unfiltered conversations where they laugh, cry, and share the stories that shaped who they have become. Chavie also writes a weekly essay on Substack about the unexpected moments in her life, the one's happening in real time that are challenging her, stretching her, and helping her grow. Sign up for free here: www.TotallyUnexpected.blog.
14episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Chaim Bruk: Our Infertility & Adoption Story
Mar 902:28:36Tap to summarizeChavie sits down with her husband, Rabbi Chaim Bruk, the podcast’s first returning guest, just ahead of their 20th anniversary. For the first time, they walk through their entire infertility and adoption journey from beginning to end. They revisit the moment they received the excruciating diagnosis of permanent infertility and how they charted their own path in a world where infertility and adoption was still taboo, and their decision to go public when the expectation was to keep these struggles hush-hush. They walk through each of the five adoptions and the unique challenges each of them faced: Chaya, their first baby, born a premie in Moscow, Russia; Menny, a Black child born in Maryland; Zeesy, and the discovery of her life-threatening rare metabolic disorder; how Shoshana joined the family as a pre-teen, and Chana Laya, their only child born in Montana, and the unique relationship they still maintain with her birth grandparents. As always, Chavie and Chaim tell their story with their iconic banter, drama, and humor. Rabbi Chaim Bruk is the Co-CEO and spiritual leader of Chabad Lubavitch of Montana. He moved to Montana in 2007 with his wife Chavie, where they launched a renaissance of Jewish life across the state. They are raising their five children in Big Sky Country, where they enjoy nature daily. Chaim loves teaching Torah, writing about Judaism and current events, and has an obsession with kosher sushi. This Week's Prompt Is Falling In Love Overrated? This is a NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their HOT TAKES on a featured topic! Referenced On the Pod 2:32 Totally Unexpected! on Youtube 3:19 First Interview with Rabbi Chaim Bruk on Totally Unexpected! 17:05 Bonei Olam Financial Assistance for Infertility Treatment 1:57:07 Interview with Shoshana Bruk on Totally Unexpected! Stay in touch with Rabbi Chaim! www.jewishmontana.com www.instagram.com/chabadmontana X @MontanaJew Weekly Torah Class on Youtube Montana's Jewish Voice Stay in touch with Chavie! @chaviebruk on Instagram www.totallyunexpected.blog Totally Unexpected! on Youtube Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at chaviebruk@gmail.com.
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Anna Sherman: Life After Brain Surgery
Feb 2302:11:56Tap to summarizeChavie and Anna begin with Anna’s roots in Toronto and what drew her toward becoming more religious in high school, navigating the tension between the world she grew up in and the one she was choosing. Anna opens up about her first two marriages and what it felt like to be a young divorced woman in a community where it was taboo and kept hush-hush which leads to Chavie and Anna reflecting on the progress made in removing shame around taboo subjects. Anna then shares how she met and fell in love with her current husband, and Chavie asks how she learned to trust herself again after so much trauma. Anna talks about becoming a therapist, how lived experience shaped her empathy, and then walks through the moment a mass was discovered in her brain. Chavie and Anna go step by step through the days leading up to surgery, the spiritual serenity she felt going in, and the recovery she is still navigating today. Anna Sherman is a Registered Psychotherapist, dedicated wife, mother of twin girls, and stroke survivor who underwent brain surgery. She works with individuals, couples, and families, helping her clients heal from trauma, fears, and emotional blocks. Anna lives in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. This Week's Prompt Are two hour podcasts too long? This is a NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their HOT TAKES on a featured topic! Referenced On the Pod 38:20 The Jeff Seidel Foundation 41:39 Yeshivas Bircas Hatorah Therapy Modalities Chavie & Anna Reference: EFT: Emotionally Focused Therapy EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing IFS: Internal Family Systems Stay in touch with Anna! www.annashermanrp.com Anna 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.
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Mushky Yiftach Hashem: Becoming the Duct Tape Queen
Feb 902:32:08Tap to summarizeChavie starts off by diving into Mushky’s early relationship with creativity. She talks about her mother noticing her artistic tendencies and her love of crafts being nurtured by her grandfather. Mushky shares how she came back from seminary and rediscovered the pull toward crafts, including when she realized if you can make something out of duct tape, you can make anything. Mushky explains how designing and wearing duct tape outfits became a form of safety, giving her structure and permission to perform and show up on camera. Mushky shares about her major lifequake moment, losing her job, having to leave Los Angeles, and the healing journey that followed. Chavie and Mushky talk about anger and how it rises as a sign of misalignment, and they also dive into podcasting and The Sisters Chat. Chavie talks about the different roles podcasts can play, and how she feels her role is to hold long-form conversations and resist the urge for quick content. Mushky aka the Duct Tape Lady is the founder of On a Roll Crafts, an Instagram content creator, and the creative force behind beloved clay and tambourine kits used by Shluchos and Jewish organizations across the U.S. and beyond. A longtime educator turned craft creator and co-host of The Sisters Chat podcast, Mushky blends chinuch, creativity, and performance to make Yiddishkeit hands-on, joyful, and totally unexpected. This Week's Prompt Do kids get to choose their own values or do parents always decide? This is a NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their hot takes on a featured topic! Referenced On the Pod 44:40min Kathy Heller’s podcast, Everything Is Energy 47:45 Camp Crate 49:17 Mushky on Tovido 49:21 Mushky’s YouTube channel 49:22 Mushky on Kosher.com 50:03 Michelle Moses 1:34:16 The Sister’s Chat podcast 2:18:31 Sara Miriam Smith on Totally Unexpected! Stay in touch with Mushky! Mushky on Instagram Aloomacrafts.com The Sister's Chat Mushky's YouTube channel Info@onarollcrafts.com 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.
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Yocheved Shapiro: A Parent’s Guide to School Advocacy
Jan 2602:27:17Tap to summarizeYocheved 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.
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