Some careers unfold quietly—and then there are careers built in rooms where the stakes are high, the conversations are charged, and the pressure is relentless. Today's episode is about what it takes to earn a seat at those tables and keep it.

Meet Lisa Daftari: award-winning investigative journalist, foreign policy analyst, and founder and editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk, an independent global affairs platform focused on international security, human rights, and Middle East geopolitics. She's also the host of the highly acclaimed Foreign Podcast.

Lisa's expertise has taken her into some of the most influential rooms—briefing institutions like the United Nations and Congress, contributing exclusive reports for the Pentagon, and working closely with the White House during the rollout of the Abraham Accords. Her work has been recognized with the Medal of Valor, the Simon Wiesenthal Award, and the Champion of Freedom Award.

But this conversation isn't just about what Lisa does—it's about who she is, how she built resilience while navigating male-dominated spaces, and how she stays grounded while working in some of the most demanding fields in the world.

In this episode, Lisa shares:

• Growing up as a shy girl who rarely spoke unless answering a question
• How college opened her world: triple majoring, vocal performance, pre-med, EMT work, and falling in love with Middle Eastern studies
• The moment she realized her favorite thing was debating in class—and wishing she could do it as a job
• Being recruited by the CIA for clandestine operations (and why she didn't take it)
• The agent who told her, "You're too nice" to make it in the industry
• How integrity, loyalty, and respect became her greatest assets—not liabilities
• Navigating Iranian culture, studying abroad, and breaking barriers while staying conservative
• The challenges of being Iranian in a field where your heritage is both a blessing and an obstacle
• How meditation and surrender to God help her prepare for high-pressure moments
• Why does she see herself as a "vessel" in her work
• Balancing a demanding career with being a deeply present mother
• Waking up at 5 am and working until midnight to never miss a moment with her son
• Teaching resilience through modeling work ethic, just like her immigrant parents did
• The power of thriving on human interaction and learning from influential circles
• Why "only a tree can be a tree"—and why being yourself is your greatest brand

The information shared in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only.

✨Follow me on Instagram @JourneyWitRitaOrg

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Follow Lisa Daftari on Instagram @lisadaftari
• Visit The Foreign Desk at https://foreigndesknews.com/
• Listen to the Foreign Podcast
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

What does it really take to rise after life knocks you down? Not once, but twice? I’ve spent the last few months inviting remarkable women to sit on this couch with me, to be raw, vulnerable, and honest about the challenges that shaped them. And I knew—if I’m asking my guests to go there, then I have to go there too. In this deeply personal episode, I'm flipping the script and sitting down with someone who has walked beside me through my darkest moments: my therapist of 10 years, Lesley Lasker.

Lesley Lasker is a licensed marriage and family therapist and parent education specialist who has been an anchor in my life, guiding me through breast cancer, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and the unraveling and rebuilding that came with both. Today, she interviews me about the hardest chapters of my life, the moments I haven't shared publicly, and the lessons that shaped who I am as a mother, wife, and woman.

This conversation is raw, vulnerable, and honest. We talk about the fear of telling a three-year-old about cancer, the devastation of not being able to hold my seven-month-old son, the shame of needing a wheelchair, and all of the lessons along the way- including the moment I realized the universe was forcing me to stop, breathe, and just be.

In this episode, I share:

• How I discovered my breast cancer while nursing my newborn in the hospital
• The moment I knew something was wrong and called Lesley Lasker to help me tell my daughter
• Going through double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation with a six-month-old and a three-year-old
• The power of gratitude during treatment: "It could be worse. Be grateful."
• My second diagnosis: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder that left me paralyzed
• Losing 20% of my movement every day and planning for life in a wheelchair
• The fear, the waiting, the misdiagnosis, and the moment I learned it had become chronic (CIDP)
• How my community showed up: cousins taking my kids to camp, friends taking notes at the hospital, rabbis praying with me
• The shame and grief of losing my identity as an active, strong woman
• The life-changing lessons the universe taught me through both diagnoses
• Why I believe things happen FOR us, not TO us
• How these experiences led me to launch Journey with Rita and this podcast

The information shared in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment or therapy. If you are struggling with your mental health or are in crisis, please reach out to a professional for support. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support 24/7. Help is available, and you don’t have to go through it alone.

✨Follow me on Instagram @JourneyWitRitaOrg

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Lesley Lasker, LMFT at Lasker & Associates: https://laskerandassociates.com/lesley-lasker-lmft/
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

New Year's resolutions often set us up for disappointment: long lists of goals, mounting pressure, and the weight of unmet expectations. But what if there was a better way? What if instead of waiting for January 1st to give us permission to change, we embraced a process that honors our growth every single day?

In this episode, I share the three powerful practices that have carried me through 15 years of personal transformation, major life challenges, career shifts, and achieving goals that once felt impossible. These aren't quick fixes or empty promises. They're intentional practices that bring clarity, strengthen belief, and reveal the ways we might be standing in our own way.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I don't believe in New Year's resolutions and what I do instead
• How vision boarding creates clarity and trains your mind to recognize your desires
• The power of writing gratitude letters to the universe in the past tense, as if your goals have already happened
• Why resistance while writing reveals limiting beliefs you need to work through
• The importance of working hard, then releasing control and trusting the timing
• How manifestation isn't magic. It's about aligning your actions with your vision
• Why this process has been transformative for me over 15 years
• A challenge to replace resolutions with vision boarding, gratitude letters, and intentional action

When we stop waiting for a date on the calendar and start stepping into a process that nurtures our growth, aligns with our dreams, and honors the life we're meant to live, that's when real transformation begins.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

Follow @journeywithritaorg on Instagram to keep building resilience through proven guiding principles, practical tools, and weekly inspiration.

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

As women, we're encouraged to be emotionally resilient, spiritually resilient—but financially resilient? We don't talk about that enough. That part of the conversation can feel intimidating or even off-limits. But not here, not today.

Meet Roxana Maddahi: financial advisor, president of Maddahi Wealth, and contributor for Forbes and HuffPost. Roxana's journey isn't just about spreadsheets or portfolios. She's seen what it's like to lose everything—to watch her savings slip away when Lehman Brothers filed for the biggest bankruptcy in history. Out of that painful experience rose her dedication to help others avoid the same struggles.

In this conversation, we explore what financial resilience really means—and how to build the habits, knowledge, and mindsets that help us withstand and recover from financial shocks like illness, job loss, market downturns, or divorce.

Disclaimer: This conversation is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial professional for guidance tailored to your personal situation.

In this episode, Roxana shares:

• The mindset of a financially resilient person: accepting that emergencies are inevitable
• Why meditation is essential for managing financial stress and making clear decisions
• How to build an emergency fund (and why it doesn't have to be all liquid cash)
• The biggest misconception about the stock market—it's not gambling
• Why women are as financially literate as men but 44% less likely to believe it
• Her story of working at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 bankruptcy
• Why she invested her life savings in Lehman Brothers stock—and lost it all
• How watching families lose everything shaped her mission to provide good guidance
• Why 90% of women will have to manage their finances alone at some point
• The importance of finding a financial advisor who truly understands you

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Follow Roxana Maddahi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxana.maddahi/?hl=en
• Visit Maddahi Wealth for more information: https://maddahiwealth.com/
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

Gratitude isn't meant to be a once-a-year tradition reserved for the Thanksgiving table. It's something we can weave into our daily lives—a practice that shapes how we see the world, respond to challenges, and move through each day.

In this solo episode, I share my personal journey with gratitude, from hearing Oprah talk about gratitude journals as a teenager to how this simple practice carried me through breast cancer, miscarriages, and Guillain-Barré syndrome when I temporarily lost the ability to move.

In this episode, I share:

• How Oprah Winfrey's gratitude journal practice changed my life as a teenager
• Finding gratitude during breast cancer—feeling lucky to have treatment options and access to incredible doctors
• The moment I became paralyzed and was overwhelmed not by fear, but by the kindness of those who surrounded me
• Why gratitude is like a pearl in the ocean—you have to dive deep through murky waters to find it
• The science behind gratitude: How it rewires your brain and reduces anxiety
• Practical ways to build gratitude daily: savoring moments, journaling, dinnertime reflections, and the gratitude shift
• Teaching my children to look for the good, even on hard days
• Why gratitude doesn't mean pretending everything is okay—it means choosing to focus on what helps you move forward

When gratitude becomes part of how we live—not something we only visit once a year—life truly begins to shift. We start seeing beauty in ordinary moments, we become more resilient in hard times, and we realize that even when everything feels uncertain, there's always something to be thankful for.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

Follow @journeywithritaorg on Instagram to keep building resilience through proven guiding principles, practical tools, and weekly inspiration.

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

What happens when the woman who appears to “have it all” pulls back the curtain and shares her failures, talks openly about mental health, and dispels the myth that women can have it all?

Meet Roxana Eli: accomplished litigation attorney, devoted mother of two, and the first female elected president in Sephardic Temple's 100-year history. In this raw conversation, Roxana pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to break barriers while staying true to yourself.

In this episode:

• Failing the bar exam
• Why "balance" is a myth for working mothers
• Making history at Sephardic Temple
• The panic attack that changed everything
• Being open about therapy and medication
• Missing her daughter's school event and breaking down
• Why asking for help is a superpower
• Mom guilt and how to handle it
• The power of saying no
• Why hiring help isn't shameful
• Being the only woman in the boardroom
• Mental health in our community

This conversation is about more than success. It's about the messy, beautiful journey of becoming who you're meant to be.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

References:

• Follow Roxana Eli on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rox_eli/?hl=en
• Follow Sephardic Temple on Instagram
• https://www.instagram.com/sephardictemple/
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

When successful litigation attorney Melody Godfred started hallucinating spiders crawling on her walls every night, she knew her body was sending an urgent message: this perfect job with the ocean-view office wasn't her path. In this transformative conversation, Melody shares how she left law to become a poet, author of five books, including "Moon Garden: Poetry for Manifestation," and a voice for women reclaiming their authentic selves.

Her journey back to the 9-year-old poet she'd buried under decades of achievement offers profound lessons about listening to our bodies, trusting our intuition, and believing we deserve the life we're meant to live.

In this episode:

• Why did she hallucinate spiders every night as a litigation attorney
• Following happiness vs. following expectations
• The art of not filling every moment with distraction
• Teaching kids to fail without shame
• Why "superwoman" is a lie we need to abandon
• Manifestation through moon cycles and nature
• Lucky girls find parking (and why belief matters)
• Fighting for thyroid health after years of medical gaslighting
• How a stranger's DM saved her thyroid
• Asking for help without shame
• Vision boarding for intuitive clarity
• Why vulnerability is a superpower

Melody reminds us that resilience isn't just about pushing through—it's about allowing ourselves to evolve, trusting the process of transformation, and believing in what's waiting on the other side.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

References:

• Follow Melody Godfred on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melodygodfred/?hl=en
• Visit Melody’s website: https://www.melodygodfred.com/
• Get "Moon Garden: Poetry for Manifestation" at your favorite bookstore: https://www.melodygodfred.com/moon-garden-poetry
• Subscribe to Melody's newsletter for weekly inspiration
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

What happens when a spiritual leader's own faith is shattered by unimaginable loss? And how does community become the thread that holds us together when everything falls apart?

Meet Rabbi Nicole Guzik: Co-Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, the first woman to hold that role in the congregation's 100+ year history, licensed therapist, mother of three, and my dear friend. In this deeply personal conversation, Rabbi Guzik opens up about the role of faith in building resilience and shares the story of losing her close friend in her twenties—a loss that tested everything she believed about God.

In this episode:

• Why faith becomes the anchor for some and a struggle for others
• The difference between transactional faith and unconditional love
• How to find your way back to faith after feeling abandoned by God
• The story of Abraham and the stars—your pain is real, but there is more to your story than you can imagine
• Rabbi Guzik's journey from small-town synagogue kid to co-senior Rabbi and therapist
• Losing her friend, Hannah, to a drunk driver during Rabbinical school
• Coming together as a community to heal
• How shared pain creates bonds that hold us like family
• Why loneliness has become a plague in our post-COVID world
• The role of community in healing and rebuilding faith
• Coffee addiction, baking as meditation, and 90210 binges
• Why being open and vulnerable is essential to finding strength

This conversation is about more than faith. It's about the messy, beautiful journey of finding your way back to hope when life breaks your heart.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

References:

• Follow Rabbi Guzik on Instagram @rabbiguzik
• https://www.instagram.com/rabbiguzik/
• Follow Sinai Temple on Instagram @sinaitemple: https://www.instagram.com/sinaitemplela/
• Learn more about Sinai Temple Mental Health Center at https://www.sinaitemple.org/
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources