Today, I am speaking with Batya Sherizen, who is the author of the newly released book, “Dying to Be Me,” which speaks about her personal journey through a harrowing life-threatening condition she was diagnosed with when she was pregnant with her sixth child.

During the pregnancy, she had to be on bed rest for months, live in the hospital for a month at a certain point and ultimately, give birth via C-section in an incredibly scary and truly dangerous surgery that she almost didn’t survive. This book speaks about that experience and so much more. She explains it as an “eye-opening memoir about self-acceptance, love and embracing the present.”

I don’t have favorite episodes because I truly love all of the guests and conversations I have yet this one left a particularly strong impact on me because of its depth and the vulnerability Batya shared when telling more about her story and all she went through.

In the episode, we speak about

-The type of person Batya was before this experience and how she has evolved since

-How she lived with the idea thinking death could be coming and how it changed her day-to-day world

-What “living up to her potential” now means to her and how that view differs from the past

-What it was like going through this experience while also being a mother to five other children — we go really in depth here into the reaction her kids had, what it was like when she couldn’t physically be present for them, the self-love and acceptance she went through as a mom, woman and so much more

-Her relationship with Hashem and how that has completely evolved and grown

-Her relationship with her husband throughout this experience and how afterward, they both went about working through all that happened

…and so much more!

To get Batya's Book, click here.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. This episode is one that is long awaited for me to release. It is my birth story from my third son that happened over the summer.

As I share in the podcast, with Chai on Life we often speak about self-growth, spirituality, connection to Hashem, self-love and compassion and more all along those lines, so it feels like a missed opportunity not to share how I have grown through the experience of giving birth for a third time with all its struggles, fears and emotions. This episode is giving a real glimpse into where my brain was at both then and now and how my relationship with Hashem has grown and changed throughout the last six months.

They say that when you give birth, you're not just giving birth to a baby but to a mother. I believe that happens anew each time. So here, my story.

If there is someone you want to see on The Chai on Life Podcast, email me at alex@chaionlifemag.com or send me a DM @chaionlifemag. See you next week!