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

I pulled this one from the archives. This conversation with my friend Ryan Carter was recorded more than a year ago. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I’d share it. Was my relationship ready for it? Was there enough here to make it worth posting? I kept coming back to it. And honestly, the timing couldn’t be more appropriate. I needed to hear what I said back then, because I’ve fallen into the exact pattern I’m calling out in this episode.This one is about what marriage actually demands from us. The kind of personal growth few other things require. It brings up the wounds we might otherwise avoid and forces us to either face them or settle for something less.We talked about learning to communicate, rebuilding trust, staying emotionally present, and the pressure of being providers without going numb. For men, that often means not withdrawing, not checking out, not losing ourselves in anger, and not silencing what we really feel just to keep the peace. For women, it can show up as stepping into control mode, trying to manage the relationship instead of staying open to receive. Both patterns create distance.The real work in a relationship is staying present within it. That’s what this conversation is about. Two friends being honest about what it takes to grow through the hard stuff.See you on the other side,Eli

In this episode, I sat down with Jack Cohen, Head of Jewish Education at Hebrew Academy high school in Miami Beach, to talk about what it really takes to lead and educate in today’s world. Jack didn’t come from the typical background—he grew up outside the traditional Jewish system and found his way into it later, which gives him a different lens. Where most people see a tug-of-war between individuality and tradition, Jack doesn’t. He sees them as deeply connected, even dependent on each other—and once he explains it, I doubt you’ll be able to see it any other way. His whole life and message are about harmony—Tiferet in its truest sense. Not by accident, but through both the circumstances life handed him and the intentional choices he’s leaned into. He roots his ideas in Torah, in higher education, and in real-world experience. It’s not just talk—it’s integrated, lived. And what an appropriate time to release this conversation—during the Sefira cycle of Tiferet, when balance, truth, and beauty are at the center. We talked identity, mental health, humility, and what it means to lead without ego. Grounded, honest, and refreshingly unpolished.See you on the other side,Eli

This one’s close to home—and it feels urgent, especially for Jewish teens right now.I sat down with Saadiah Klein to talk about something a lot of people don’t want to touch: Porn. It’s everywhere. Quiet, constant, and doing real damage. Saadiah shares his story—starting from the first time he got exposed—and we talk about how easy access through tech is messing with our heads, hearts, and connection to something deeper.I’ve spoken about porn addiction before, but what Saadiah shares is something completely different. We’re 20 years apart—and the gap is massive. I was already in my 20s when the iPhone came out. He grew up with one in his hand. That changes everything. The speed, the access, the intensity—it’s a whole different beast.This isn’t just about right and wrong. It’s about what happens when we forget who we are. When fake connection starts replacing the real thing. When we lose touch with ourselves, with each other, with God.If you’re a teen, a parent, or just trying to find something real in a world full of noise—this one’s for you.See you on the other side,Eli

In this episode of In Search of More, I sit down with my brother and friend Omar Pinto. We just got back from a men’s retreat, and honestly, we’re still in it—raw, cracked open, figuring it out in real time. We talk about what happens when men actually have space to move, to feel, to drop the act and remember who they are underneath it all. Omar shares his path—addiction, ayahuasca, emotional sobriety, real growth. Not the Instagram version. The kind that costs you something. At one point, Omar talks about a decision he made after a powerful ayahuasca experience—he started drinking again, convinced he was no longer an addict. Three years later, the truth of that choice has come into focus, and he doesn’t shy away from what that reckoning looked like. We get into fatherhood, childhood wounds, old stories we didn’t even know we were still carrying. The quiet ways we check out. And what it takes to come back.

This one’s an invitation—to feel more, hide less, and lead from your gut even when it scares you to the core. If you’re on the path, or trying to be, this one’s for you.

See you on the other side,

Eli

In this episode of In Search of More, I sit down with Levi Shmotkin for a conversation that felt less like an interview and more like a farbrengen—a raw, real, and deeply honest exchange about what it means to grow, to heal, and to live with purpose. We touched on the teachings of the Rebbe, our personal stories, and how the descent—yeridah letzorech aliyah—is often where the real work begins. We didn’t shy away from the hard stuff: addiction, isolation, the pain that comes with family, and the complicated process of reconnecting with yourself and with others.What I appreciated most was how naturally the conversation moved between Chassidic ideas and real-world experience. We spoke about how healing doesn’t mean escaping life, but learning how to show up fully within it—through practices like Shabbat, through structure, through community, and most importantly, through truth. This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt stuck between who they were raised to be and who they’re becoming. If you’re on a path of healing, this one will speak to you.Eli Nash