Looks Like Work

 In this candid conversation between old friends and former co-founders, Hannit Cohen—VP R&D at Easy and Chedva's past CTO at Emerj—shares her journey through tech's boom-bust cycles from the late '90s and ever since. From starting as a programmer in the Israeli army to becoming one of the few female CTOs in tech, Hannit discusses the strategic choices that shaped her career, including the difficult decision to step back from deep tech to raise her three children. They explore what it truly means to build diverse teams (Hannit's current team is 50% women), the importance of creating psychologically safe work environments, and why asking "What do you want to be when you grow up?" never gets old. The conversation touches on the harsh realities of raising money as female co-founders, the myth of work-life balance, and why the best managers plan for their employees' careers beyond the current company.
Key Topics:
Navigating tech's cyclical nature through multiple boom-bust cycles
Strategic career planning: From programmer to CTO by 35
The difficult choice between high-level tech roles and family time
Building truly diverse teams
The evolution (or lack thereof) of workplace culture for women in tech
Why "unlimited vacation days" is the greatest scam in tech
The challenges of being self-employed when you love coding but hate business
Raising money as female co-founders doing "soft" social good work
Creating psychological safety and shutting down inappropriate workplace behavior
Mentoring as the most enjoyable part of leadership
Notable Quotes:
"You don't have to have a wonderful idea to succeed. You need to have a decent idea... What matters more than that is the execution on all bases."
"At the time, programming was a world of the youngs... You knew for sure that your only way to have a career in this world will be to become an executive."
"The higher you get, the percentage [of women] goes down a lot."
"You don't have to live with this masculine bullshit around you."
"When I look at my job, I think that's a very crucial part of it, to look at my people and tell, okay, they're working here now, but it's only a step."
Hannit's Powerful Question: "What do you want to do when you grow up?" (Asked to herself and her team members at every stage of their careers)
Resources Mentioned:
Hannit Cohen on LinkedIn
Emerj - The startup Chedva and Hannit co-founded
The Curiosity Lab - Strategy sessions for leaders by Chedva
Chedva's newsletter - Weekly musings and questions

In this profound conversation, Liza Futerman, a somatic educator, practitioner, and artist, shares her journey from Soviet Russia to Israel, her academic journey pursuing advanced degrees at Oxford and Toronto, and how movement and language became her twin resources for navigating identity, loss, and healing. Liza's life took an unexpected turn when her mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. This led her back to movement through contact improvisation, particularly mixed-abilities dance, where she discovered new ways of understanding leadership, disability, and what it means to be human. The conversation explores how major life disruptions - from immigration to divorce to witnessing war in one's neighborhood - can reconnect us to our bodies and reshape our relationship with uncertainty.
Key Topics:
Immigration and identity: Finding home between Russian, Hebrew, and English
The body-mind split and the journey toward integration
Using photography and narrative to communicate with a parent with Alzheimer's
Contact improvisation as a path to healing trauma and anxiety
Mixed-abilities dance and the intersection of visible and invisible disabilities
Somatic approaches to grief, money, and taboo subjects
Leadership as a question rather than certainty
How major life events force us to reconsider our relationship with control
The nervous system's response to crisis and the importance of discharge
Academic competition versus embodied learning environments
Notable Quotes:
"As opposed to Russian and Hebrew, my self did not exist in English. And so I could shape it the way I wanted."
"Whatever is hard, whatever is challenging can be done easier, can be done in a more gentle way."
"If something is hard, it means that it's not getting the right support."
"I came to this class and we were invited to lie on the floor. And it was just like an answer to all of my prayers."
"All of a sudden I was dancing in the studio with people with wheelchairs... And that made me feel human again."
Liza's Powerful Questions:
"How should a human be?" (from Kelly Rodriguez)
"How to ask questions?"
"What support do I need and how to ask for that support and where to ask the support from?"
Resources Mentioned:
Liza's website
Liza’s TEDx talk about dementia
"What We All Long For" by Dionne Brand
"Maus" by Art Spiegelman
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 In this deeply reflective conversation, Myriam Hadnes, facilitator, podcaster, and founder of Workshops Work, joins Chedva to explore the intersection of facilitation, belonging, and authenticity. Growing up with an Israeli father and German mother in Germany, then living across continents, Myriam embodies the intercultural perspective she brings to her work. They discuss how facilitators often begin as children trying to make everyone feel included, the tension between belonging and authenticity, and why corporate "professionalism" might be the cage we need to break free from. Myriam shares her journey from discovering she's a facilitator while reading Priya Parker's book to writing her own choose-your-own-adventure book about unprofessionalism—because sometimes the most professional thing you can do is be human.
Key Topics:
Facilitators as the observing, sensitive children who make everyone get along
The physical reaction to exclusion and the urge to include everyone
Creating psychological safety in multicultural corporate teams
The tension between belonging and authenticity (Gabor Maté)
Why "going through the motions" of emotions can heal
Remote work and the lost art of kitchen gossip
Unprofessionalism as reclaiming our humanity at work
The difference between fixing ourselves and accepting ourselves
How modeling comfort gives others permission to be authentic
Why corporate professionalism no longer fits our times
Notable Quotes:
"I think we very early unconsciously start facilitating our families. We are often the children... observing, very sensitive to what's going on, very sensitive to what's not outspoken."
"I have this inner urge to include everyone, to listen to people, to not teach them and tell them, but help them develop their own thinking."
"What they very quickly realize is what they need is a little bit more compassion to themselves and to each other."
"The most disarming moment is to feel seen. Not the superficial kind of hello and tap on the shoulder... but really feeling seen and heard."
"If we can see it, we can do it."
"We've forgotten that the world of work is not about being professional. It's about being human."
"If we continuously feel like we're not good enough... we'll start pretending just to cover it up... And then we'll end up as imposters pretending that we are someone who we're not."
Myriam's Powerful Question: "What would you do if you were not afraid?"
Resources Mentioned:
Workshops.work - Myriam's boutique agency
"The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker
Gabor Maté's work on belonging vs. authenticity
The Curiosity Lab - Concentrated strategy container
Chedva's newsletter - Weekly musings and questions
 

 In this powerful conversation, Dr. Orit Kamir—feminist scholar, human rights researcher, and initiator of Israel's sexual harassment prevention law—joins Chedva to explore how narratives shape our reality and why feminism requires constant vigilance. Orit shares her journey from believing in Israel's "equality myth" to becoming blacklisted for her feminist advocacy, and how she foresaw the current regression in women's rights. They discuss the insidious power of patriarchal storytelling, from biblical Eve to modern "tradwife" content, and why doing feminism "for show" can eventually manifest real change. The conversation touches on the importance of reclaiming our terminology, maintaining hard-won habits of equality, and understanding that women's rights are human rights—especially when both are under attack.
Key Topics:
The "equality myth" and feminist awakening in different cultures
Being secretly blacklisted for feminist advocacy—and the relief of vindication
How narratives, language, and images shape patriarchal reality
The Donna Reed to "tradwife" pipeline—why old patterns keep returning
Sexual harassment law in Israel—30 years of progress and pushback
Why "going through the motions" can lead to real cultural change
COVID and war as moments that expose underlying patriarchy
The extreme right's talent for co-opting feminist language
Reclaiming feminism, learning, and our right to ideology
Why universalism matters—feminism as part of human rights
Notable Quotes:
"I was brought up into the equality myth... that sexual inequality was something that belonged elsewhere. It was a part of other cultures, but certainly not mine."
"We live through narratives... What we see and what we remember, what we recall and what we understand are stories."
"Denial is not my strength. So when I saw this, I understood what it meant."
"We do not learn from the experience of previous generations. And so we have to repeat their mistakes over and over again."
"Habits are important... These habits are what creates reality."
"You can't be a feminist if you're a racist. You can't be a feminist if you want to abuse people economically."
Orit's Powerful Question: "If something is meaningful when I do it for others, is it not just as meaningful when I do it for myself?"
Resources Mentioned:
Dr. Orit Kamir's website (in English and Hebrew)
Dr Kamir’s new book (Hebrew)
Dr Kamir’s latest book in English
The Israeli sexual harassment prevention law of 1998
Professor Catharine MacKinnon
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 In this deeply personal conversation, Iona Holloway, founder and keynote speaker at Brave Thing, joins Chedva to explore how becoming a mother at 35 sharpened her already strong opinions and shortened her bullshit filter. They dive into the transformative power of motherhood, the difference between being special and being precious, and what it really means to be brave. Iona shares her journey from a struggling 29-year-old to finding freedom through inner work, and how pregnancy and motherhood shifted her from deep emotional facilitation to helping others shine through public speaking. The conversation touches on the 5 and 95 rule, time travel within ourselves, and why sometimes our greatest strengths come from accepting we're not coming to save ourselves—we have to do it.
Key Topics:
How motherhood intensifies both fierceness and vulnerability
The difference between being special and being precious
Strong opinions, loosely held—and respecting others who disagree
The 5 and 95 rule: making your inner child happy and your 95-year-old self proud
Pivotting in different stages of life
Moving from Scotland to the US and finding permission to heal
Bravery as the collision of strength and vulnerability
 
Notable Quotes:
"I'm operating on the principle that if this is the time I've got, then I may as well be living as true to whatever the current version of Iona exists."
"None of us are special, but we are all very precious things."
"At any given time, you have to decide that you are the one that you have been waiting for, looking for, needing. No one is coming to save you."
"Your body's a scrapbook and it holds the memories of your life in its pages."
"Bravery is where strength and vulnerability collide—strong with your heart turned on."
"If someone's giving you 10 minutes of their time, then you better make it worth their attention."
Iona's Powerful Question: "Someone in your life needs a braver version of you to exist. Who is your someone?"
Resources Mentioned:
Iona Holloway's website
Star Power - Iona's 5-week speaking intensive program
Follow Iona on social media @ionaholloway
Ghost: Why Perfect Women Shrink - Iona’s bestselling book
CuriosityGPT - Free tool for gateway questions
The Curiosity Lab - Chedva's concentrated strategy process
Chedva's newsletter - Weekly questions and musings
 

 In this profound conversation, leadership and intuition expert Tal Shavit joins Chedva to explore the intersection of spirituality and business, feminine leadership models, and the courage to follow inner guidance. Tal shares her journey from McKinsey consultant to co-leading Double You retreat with 11 women, her transformative year prioritizing spiritual practice, and the pivotal moment she said no to a 60-day meditation retreat because her inner voice told her she wanted "to be in the world with friends." Together, they discuss how jealousy can be a powerful pointer to our desires, the difference between productive rest and rest as productivity, and what it means to bring intuition into real-world leadership decisions. The conversation touches on hustle culture recovery, the vulnerability required for creativity, and how our backgrounds affect our relationship with safety and risk-taking.
Key Topics:
Co-leading an organization with 11 women and exploring feminine leadership models
Using jealousy as a compass for understanding what we truly want
The intersection of spiritual practice and business leadership
Learning to prioritize rest as part of the work, not separate from it
How hustle culture affects millennial women even when we consciously reject it
The relationship between safety, vulnerability, and creativity
Bringing intuition and inner guidance into practical decision-making
How personal background affects our relationship with risk and failure
The relationship between perseverance and avoiding difficult questions
Creating space for playfulness and curiosity in professional settings
Notable Quotes:
"If there's jealousy that's coming up, this is a pointer that there is something that's important for me."
"Top athletes spend between 20 to 40% of their time in complete rest... A huge part of the build is through the rest periods."
"The way that I see intuition or inner guidance is not just Tal or Chedva's personal thing - is the ability to connect to that which is wider from within ourselves."
"There's no way I will play and be silly, truly, if I'm not feeling safe, but this is also a huge catalyzer for creativity and innovation."
"Our bodies remember these things... our experience of failure and safety, depending on our background, is completely different."
Tal's Powerful Question: "In a world of no failure, like there's no way for you to fail, and no cost... What is the most exuberant, beautiful, enlivening, energizing vision you have for your life?"
Resources Mentioned:
Tal on Linkedin
Double You retreat - women's leadership retreat organization with 1,000+ active members
Stephie Knopel on Looks Like Work
"Growing on the Job" - book about adult development theory in workplace settings
Brené Brown's work on vulnerability and organizational safety
Gateway questions and cohabitating with big questions

 In this deeply moving and wide-ranging conversation, Tiffany Yu — CEO and founder of Diversability and author of The Anti-Ableist Manifesto — joins Chedva to unpack what it means to live, lead, and love in a world not built with all bodies in mind. Tiffany shares her powerful journey from childhood trauma and societal shame to outspoken disability advocate, community builder, and proud disabled woman. Together, she and Chedva explore identity, grief, community, the labor of disclosure, and what it really takes to ask (and answer) better questions.
With humor, honesty, and vulnerability, they discuss how disability isn't something to fix, but something to understand — in ourselves and in each other. This episode also touches on the nuances of being perceived as “inspiring,” the cultural shift around visibility, and what happens when we stop hiding and start naming our truths out loud.
Key Topics:
The “second origin story” of disability: from shame to self-acceptance to ownership
What makes a question inclusive — and what doesn’t
The hidden labor of showing up with visible or invisible disabilities
From Wall Street to advocacy: how Tiffany built community in every chapter
Inspiration vs. objectification: the danger of “inspiring by existing”
What pride looks like after trauma, loss, and healing
The evolving language of neurodivergence and identity
The power (and politics) of naming — ourselves, our needs, our truths
Building access into everything — including your own work and rest
Joy as resistance, biking as healing, and naming your bike “Stanley”
Me → We → Us: how transformative change begins at the personal level
Notable Quotes:
“Community was always the through line. Before I was a disability advocate, I was a community builder.”
“Disability is not something to fix. It’s an identity, a culture, a perspective — not a problem.”
“I had to unlearn that I was broken. And learn that I get to take up space.”
“Be curious — but respect boundaries.”
“If you took disability out of the picture, would you still describe that person as inspiring?”
“We need curiosity that connects, not curiosity that intrudes.”
Tiffany’s Powerful Question: “What’s something that brought you joy recently?”
Resources Mentioned:
The Anti-Ableist Manifesto by Tiffany Yu
Diversability
Stella Young’s TED Talk: “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much”
Emily Ladau, disability advocate
Dreamers & Doers Community
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 In this inspiring conversation, Tali Slonim, CEO and founder of The Stretcher and author of "Unleash Your Talent," shares her journey from corporate HR executive to entrepreneur, coach, and author. Together, Chedva and Tali explore the concept of the "zone of genius" - that sweet spot where passion meets ability - and how major life changes like divorce, loss, and global events can force us to reevaluate our priorities. Tali opens up about her transformation from workaholic to someone who has found sustainable success by questioning traditional work paradigms and asking herself what's truly right for her. The conversation touches on the power of daily writing, the importance of bringing your whole self to work, and how vulnerability and authenticity in business can actually increase credibility and trust.
Key Topics:
The zone of genius: where passion and ability intersect
Transitioning from corporate workaholic to balanced entrepreneur
How major life events (divorce, loss, COVID, war) reshape priorities
The slash (multi-hyphenate)  lifestyle: managing multiple roles and identities
Daily writing as a practice for self-discovery and connection
Bringing authenticity and vulnerability to professional spaces
The importance of questioning "what's right for me" vs. external expectations
How personal tragedies can provide life perspective and proportionality
Writing a book in three months while in flow state
Creating physical spaces that reflect and support your work
Notable Quotes:
"When you work in what you're passionate about, it only looks like work. It doesn't feel like work."
"We are both recovered workaholics."
"On your stone, no one writes 'she didn't spend enough time at work' or 'she was a great HR executive.' People always talk about the kind of friend you were, about the kind of mother, the kind of person you were."
"Once you're in [the zone of genius], it almost feels like you're volunteering, because it's stuff that you would be ready to do for free."
"Work is important but it's not everything... It's part of my life. I'm also other things. It's not 100% of my identity."
 
Tali's Powerful Question: "What's truly right for me? What's right for my values, what's right for my long-term journey, what makes me feel good even physically."
Resources Mentioned:
"Unleash Your Talent" by Tali Slonim
Tali Slonim on Linkedin
"The Big Leap" by Dr. Gay Hendricks (zone of genius concept)
CTI (Co-Active Training Institute) coaching methodology
Get access to CuriosityGPT and find your gateway questions
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 In this profound conversation, filmmaker Tal Barda shares her journey of documenting the unseen realities of our world. Growing up between cultures (Israeli, French, and American), Tal developed a fearless curiosity that drove her to explore places and stories most people prefer to avoid - from prisons to Gaza, from ultra-Orthodox communities to immigrant families navigating tradition versus personal freedom. She discusses her recent film I Shall Not Hate about a Palestinian doctor from Gaza, which was completed just one week before October 7th, and how that tragedy transformed both the film's meaning and her mission as a filmmaker. The conversation explores the intersection of curiosity and introspection, the challenge of belonging when you're always the outsider, and how witnessing difficult realities can lead to personal transformation and social change.
Key Topics:
Using documentary filmmaking to reveal hidden and ignored realities
The power of curiosity as a driving force for personal and professional growth
Growing up between cultures and how that shapes perspective
The challenge and responsibility of filmmaking during times of conflict
Balancing personal safety with the calling to witness difficult truths
The difference between telling big stories through small, human lenses
Finding belonging as a perpetual outsider
The intersection of art, activism, and human connection
Managing the intensity of extreme subject matter while maintaining humanity
Notable Quotes:
"I'm always looking at reality, but the reality that most of us prefer not to see or to ignore."
"If you meet one person and then you can't continue generalizing everything around and you can't continue being so polarized."
"Reality is much stronger than what you planned."
"I feel that 50% of a solution would be just first realizing there's a problem or realizing a reality that we prefer maybe not to look at."
"I feel more lively there [in extreme situations]."
"We can all see ourselves in many different forms and characters. We all have different parts of our personality in ourselves."
"Let the void be a void. We don't have that understanding in our modern society that it's okay that there's a void."
Tal's Powerful Question: "How am I witnessing whatever is taking place and the violence around and doing enough... Am I allowing myself to deal also with my personal issues and questions through these stories?"
Resources Mentioned:
I Shall Not Hate - Tal's documentary about a Palestinian doctor from Gaza (currently screening in 50 cinemas across France)
Prison series "Tזalmon" on Channel 11 (contact Tal if you want to view it internationally)
"Criminal File 512" series about the crime world
Tal on IMDB
Pecha Kucha Festival (Tel Aviv)
Follow Tal's work through Instagram
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In this deeply personal solo episode, Chedva takes us through her 17-year entrepreneurial journey - from translator to blogger to design journalist to marketing agency owner to tech startup founder and back to founder mode with her new venture, Consider. After recent trips to New York and Greece for conferences, she reflects on the seductive pull of "founder mode" and how easily we can lose ourselves in the pursuit of our dreams. Drawing inspiration from seeing Audra McDonald in the Broadway musical "Gypsy," Chedva explores the dangerous intersection of resilience and ambition when they're not balanced with introspection and question-asking. She shares her own experiences of getting sucked into work identity and offers a powerful warning about how positive traits like determination can turn against our values when left unchecked.
Key Topics:
The evolution of a 17-year entrepreneurial journey across multiple industries
The seductive danger of "founder mode" and losing yourself in your work
How resilience without introspection can make you turn on your own values
The importance of maintaining identity and life outside of your business
Learning to integrate work and personal life rather than compartmentalizing
Growing up multicultural and the sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere
The challenge of sustaining passion projects without burning out
Using Broadway's "Gypsy" as a metaphor for entrepreneurial obsession
The necessity of regular check-ins with yourself and your values
Notable Quotes:
"Resilience without questions or introspection can quickly make you turn on yourself, on your loved ones, and on your values."
"When I don't regularly check in with myself and question my own automatic behavior... I can find myself alone, burnt out, and perhaps even worse, working towards something that is opposed to my values."
"I actually love my life and I wanna be part of it."
"I didn't really love my life back then... a lot of that time I didn't want to stay with my own questions."
Chedva's Powerful Question: "When do these positive, celebrated behaviors or values like resilience and being hardworking turn on us or make us help turn on ourselves? And how can we ask ourselves better questions when it comes to it?"
Resources Mentioned:
Consider.club - Chedva's new venture focused on transformative question-asking
CuriosityGPT - AI tool for asking better questions
chedva.substack.com - Weekly newsletter with questions, musings, and thoughts and specifically this issue about integration
Broadway shows: "Gypsy" starring Audra McDonald, "Death Becomes Her"
Orca Global Network - Global network of Israeli business owners