In this episode of In Search of More, I sit with Michael Benmeleh, one of the foremost personalities in the Jewish community in South Florida when it comes to bringing Torah teaching to the masses.

We spoke about his journey, from running Torah classes to creating The Lighthouse Project. It has since become something more heart-centered and expansive. He’s brought in breathwork, meditation, and a focus on deep inner work, all grounded in Jewish wisdom, especially the teachings of Rabbi Nachman.

One of the major turning points for him was a retreat in Tulum with Rav Doniel Katz. Something opened up there. A deeper relationship with God, with himself, and with his purpose to help others access real healing. Not through performing. Just through being present.

We also talked about the challenge of holding sacred space, especially when it comes to gender. He’s been thoughtful and direct about what it takes to create real containers where men and women can do meaningful work without crossing boundaries. He speaks honestly about leadership, responsibility, and what it truly means to hold space for transformation.

Toward the end, we got into some of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves about the appropriate boundaries and separation between men and women in healing spaces, and how to make those spaces safer, holier, and more accessible. We also spoke about the challenge of staying connected to tradition while opening up to new ways of speaking to the Divine, something Michael refers to as the elephant in the room in Judaism. It’s always been there, but until recently, many have pretended it’s not a part of Jewish life.

If you’re someone who’s not just looking to learn but to open, to feel, to heal, I think this one will hit home.

See you on the other side.

Eli

In this week’s episode of In Search of More, I sit down with Dr. Charlie Powell — and this one really stayed with me.Charlie’s lived a life most people couldn’t make up. He started in biomedical engineering, then became a combat medic in the Gulf War, a trauma ER doctor, cosmetic surgeon, patent holder, successful businessman. From the outside, it looks like strength and success. But underneath it all, he was holding a lot — PTSD, exhaustion, and the emotional weight of everything he witnessed on the front lines.What I love about Charlie is that he didn’t just accept the system. He called bullshit. He saw how broken traditional medicine was — especially when it came to trauma and mental health — and went looking for more. He ended up diving into plant medicine, psychedelics, and all kinds of alternative healing. Not because it was trendy. Because nothing else worked.We talked about forgiveness, about parenting, about how even addiction and pain can become teachers if you’re willing to stop running and actually feel. This episode is a reminder that healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken — it’s about facing what hurts, and letting it teach you who you really are.Later in the episode, Charlie opens up about a documentary he’s working on called Healing Heroes: No Mind Left Behind. It started small — just him trying to connect with a few vets — but it’s grown into this beautiful, raw look at what it really means to carry trauma and still choose life. The film is all about veterans and first responders finding healing through connection, conversation, and yes, psychedelics. But most of all, it’s about not doing it alone.If you’ve ever felt like your pain isolates you, like no one could understand — this one’s for you. It’s a call to stop hiding and start healing.See you on the other side,Eli

In this episode of In Search Of More, I sit down with Roovy Shapiro for one of the realest, hardest conversations I’ve had on the podcast. Roovy talked about depression, suicidal thoughts, and growing up with deep emotional neglect. Not in a dramatic way—just straight up, the truth. The kind most people carry around quietly because saying it out loud feels like betrayal.What we kept bumping up against was this impossible thing—how do you speak honestly about your life when your truth might hurt your family. When healing means saying stuff that might offend the people who raised you. We’re not trying to shame anyone or burn it all down. But silence doesn’t heal. So what do you do with that?Roovy didn’t come on here with a five-step plan or some perfect Instagram-ready version of healing. He talked about what it looked like to fall apart after yeshiva, to hit rock bottom during COVID, and to slowly piece himself back together. What stuck with me was how he saw it—not as “I’m broken” but “this is what I was taught, and I can unlearn it.”We got into parenting, marriage, what it means to try and show up different than the generation before us. Not to be better. Just to stop handing down pain we never asked for.This episode doesn’t have easy answers. That’s not the point. The point is we’re finally asking the questions. Out loud.See you on the other side,Eli