To Guide Your Emotions, Feel Them First | Ester Zirkind [Rerun]

While Human & Holy is currently on a season break, we're revisiting some of our most meaningful conversations from seasons past. This week's episode rerun is a conversation with Ester Zirkind, exploring the concept of Moach Shalit al Halev, the mind ruling over the heart. In a personal accounting of this idea, Ester speaks about the importance of our emotions in the equation. Using the mind to guide the heart is not about suppressing emotions. It’s a spiritual reframe: how to honor your heart while allowing your mind to gently lead the way. Stay tuned for Season 6 landing on Sunday, Sep. 7 ✨ * * * * * * * To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.com To support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor. Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨ Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. * * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Introduction: Season Break & Re-airing Beloved Episodes 01:00 – Meet Ester Zirkind: Educator, Author, and Shlucha 02:15 – What Is Moach Shalit al Halev? The Mind Governing the Heart 04:00 – Growing Up Emotional in a Culture of Emotional Restraint 05:40 – Shame Around Sensitivity: A Personal Struggle 07:00 – Discovering the Enneagram & Sefirot Connection 09:00 – Finding Her Place: Embracing Tiferes and Deep Feeling 10:30 – The Path to True Self-Understanding and Emotional Leadership 12:00 – Why Naming Feelings Is the Key to Mastering Them 13:45 – Teaching Girls to “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” 15:00 – The Power of Regulated Emotion in Conscious Living 16:45 – Accepting Differences: Understanding Others Through Soul Roots 18:00 – Esther’s Book: A Memoir Born of Midlife and Honesty 19:30 – Four Years of Illness, Grief, and Redemption 21:15 – The Life and Loss of Baruch Menachem Mendel 23:00 – Choosing Risk, Choosing Life: A Mother's Courage 24:45 – Battling Illness While Rebuilding Faith 26:15 – The Power of a Supportive Marriage 27:30 – Choosing Gratitude Over Bitterness 29:00 – On Missing Eretz Yisrael and Spiritual Longing 30:30 – Disappointment, Bitterness, and Faith in Divine Timing 32:00 – The Balance Between Emotion and Intuition 33:30 – How Do You Know If You’re Getting It Right? 35:00 – Give Yourself Time: Practical Emotional Guidance 36:30 – Respecting Your Process, History, and Emotions 38:00 – Grieving Honestly as a Path to Healing 39:15 – The Pain Is a Pathway: Choosing to Feel and Grow 40:20 – Final Reflections