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

Welcome to Journey with Rita: Building Resilience Together! I am Rita Naffas sharing the deeply personal story behind why I created this podcast and what it means to me to build resilience together with you.

I share:

• My journey as a breast cancer survivor and young mother
• How a Brené Brown quote changed everything and sparked Journey with Rita
• The moment my world flipped upside down was when I lost my ability to walk
• Why I believe resilience is a daily practice, not a destination
• What you can expect from our sacred space for storytelling and growth

Resilience isn't about never falling—it's about learning how to rise, again and again. And sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is share our story so others know they're not alone.

Journey with Rita: Building Resilience Together officially launches November 21st!

Tag me on Instagram and let me know what resonated with you from today's episode! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast