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© 2024 Schmooze with Suze
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Hi, I’m Suze. Here with your dose of culture, values and global citizenship- and where we tackle those topics others may consider off-limits.
A little about me, I’m a busy GenX mom who, quite frankly, wanted to grow up like the Brady Bunch… But ended up being raised in the shadow of Schindler’s List. So this means I’ve spent a lifetime navigating these mixed messages we get hit with daily. You know those conversations- where we wonder if it’s safe to speak our minds? Can we share our experiences? Voice our fears and concerns, or should we just keep our mouths shut?
Well, too bad. I need to know! But I’m no expert. So, I’m going to schmooze the experts and get their thoughts. Why? So when we engage with our kids, colleagues, or the countless committees we interact with, we can do it with competence, kindness, confidence, and maybe a bit of humor.
If this sounds like your cup of coffee- welcome to Schmooze with Suze!
45 Episodes
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I can remember the first person I blocked on social media.She unabashedly took to my comments to give unsolicited feedback, judgment and suggestions. She wrote that I was sharing too much personal information and I would never find a husband if I kept this up. She complained that I should show a better version of myself online “like everyone else.”And I remember calling my sister to complain about it. “Mommy is being so mean to me.”“You know you can block her,” said my much younger siste...
Back in the 1900s, as a child of immigrants to the United States, I remember always having to learn it on my own. My parents weren't familiar with American cultural norms and my world was pretty narrow. If I wanted to understand how private school girls acted, I watched "The Facts of Life." When it was time for high school, thankfully, "Beverly Hills 90210" launched. But when college came around, well, there wasn't a show that showed you how to apply, what picking a major meant, or how n...
Back in the 1900s there was a period of time that you could not safely stroll the streets of Manhattan for fear. I’m not talking about the high profile cases that made the news. Those weren’t the things that scared me. Violence that had statistics meant there were people following and tracking those crimes and those criminals. Also, money was invested into researching ways to avoid becoming a statistic. But for me, the real stories that didn’t make the big news, was people being hi...
For as far back as I can remember charity has been ingrained in me, like challah braided into my DNA. From my very first nursery school classroom, at my very first circle time, I recall proudly clutching my shiny copper penny and eagerly waiting that tzedaka box to get to me. Whether it’s passing the plate or the pushka, the value of giving is part of our foundation, so why does giving it to a "Foundation" sound scary to someone like me? And that’s what we’re going to tackle today…...
Growing up in 1970s, New York City, I felt like I was always living under construction. Things that got built for people to live in, single or multi-family- were filled instantly with residents, as quickly as their various family members were able to sponsor them, and shops too. Some stayed open and some didn't make it, but for every business that closed down, something quickly took its place. Nothing stayed vacant. People were hustling to make work for their families and communities. The cyc...
This episode I introduce new music in the INTRO and OUTRO. The piece, and the composer, are special- Dance With Me. It's the title- but also my invitation to this season.I've asked you to borrow my binoculars. We got interested... curious...We got funky. (Note the previous season's music. I choose with intention.) Now I am challenging you to trust me as we dance through the imaginary boundaries that tether us away from each other. I want to twirl toward tenacity...The composer, INBAL COHEN-RA...
Two decades ago I was a city girl living the city life walking distance to everything. And part of being a city girl living in a city is that its heartbeat and yours start to sync up. You start to care about its streets and sidewalks, the people and purpose that blend together to infiltrate every possibility for potential. Because, as a bridge and tunnel girl from birth, always just on the other side, I had never really gotten to know it intimately. Me and the city, we were on a ge...
I’m always talking about my start as an immigrant's kid. Despite my lack of accent, or so I think, my birthplace in New York City and my American audacity to claim what’s mine- my heart beats in a different language sometimes.And nuance matters. And so does me being the first in my family, to do some things, along with the importance of reaching back to pull the next person behind me up.But what about culture that has historically divided us can we use to unite and inspire us?And th...
Purposeis a feeling on the inside that throbs. Someone can pick, plan, program, participate, protest, protect, patronize, philosophize, philanthropy any Purpose. The throb can be Activated. ButWhen you’re born INTO Purpose YOU grow around ITLike scar tissue. The throb comes before you can even pick yourself apart from thePurpose. AndPlenty of people dull, dilute, diminish, discourage, derail, deny, defame, disconnect, deactivate Purpose That overpowers them.YetI have never been more det...
Culturally, I used to be tzemisht- which is one way in Yiddish to say confused. Born in this country, but English wasn’t my first, or even my second, language. My family was confident that I would learn to speak it the old-fashioned way, by watching Sesame Street and General Hospital… And by going to “programs in the Y.” In my childhood neighborhood, the center of Jewish life was the Boro Park Y. By high school I had gotten certified as a lifeguard and my first referral was to the ...
I always had a lot of words. Probably the byproduct of being raised surrounded by non-English speakers. There was a language barrier. It separated them- so it separated me. But not just the words- the nuance, the inflection. Also the frustration, resentment, despair, shame— all of my discomfort stifled by the sounds that made up their sentence fragments. And when they struggled or sputtered, they turned to Suzie- Speaker at Large. It also made me the conduit. For the translation. But als...
Why does the ‘why’ behind historical events matter in shaping our present and future? How are we, as parents and citizens, responding to the responsibilities of raising the next generation with strong values and cultural identity, especially amidst the explosion of the information age? I want to delve into the significance of context in portraying history and the risks of misrepresentation. Listen in as I advocate for being protectors of truth, fostering empathy and character in our chil...
Are you ready to meet my coach? In this episode I share why I am inspired by my spiritual trainer, international speaker, educator and author Ruchi Koval- who cultivated a program designed to make me the judgmentally-leanest, non-meanest, finding-a-better-way-than-to-fight-machinist I have ever been!In her book Soul Construction: Shape Your Character using 8 Steps From The Timeless Jewish Practice of Mussar, we embark on a soul-searching journey into exploring how our relationships can s...
Back in the 1900s, when I was away at college, the first high holidays rolled around. It was such a schlep home, that I opted to stay on campus. Considering this was my first time not sitting beside my mommy at my parents' place of worship where I had grown up, I remember being excited to shop around. I had only *heard* of other denominations. And after 12 solid years of hardcore religious studies- plus a gap year in Israel- I was ready to explore.I felt so much like Goldilocks attending...
(This episode was taped on May 16, 2023. ELECTION DAY in Jacksonville, FL and the results were unknown.)I have a friend who has been seeing a therapist for about 15 years and one day she says, “I feel like this is all still here.” And the therapist responds, “it always will be.”My friend becomes upset and she shouts, “how could you say that? I thought, after all, this time I would come to an aha moment and feel relief and it would be gone.”The therapist replies, “I didn't say you wo...
Back in the 1900s, after you took your SATs, colleges and universities would flood your parents ACTUAL, LITERAL mailbox with brochures and catalogs. While this sounds like a “barrage of garbage”… it was, in fact, very wanted and welcome because back then, the only other way to know about colleges was in your guidance counsellors office, the local public library, or if you bought the annual guide yourself. There was no “look it up online.” The one that I was obsessed with was Flagler Coll...
Back in the 1990s, my daily commute to downtown Manhattan had me shlepping past the Fulton fish market to my fancy office building with windows overlooking South Street Seaport. The Meatpacking District, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem… Undesirable and not on a real estate listing anyone would touch. Until someone had the vision to see the possibility and make that investment. And once it started… Well, fish market became FiDi and Meatpacking was rebranded as the Highline and it all suddenly seemed so...
This season on Schmooze With Suze we are embarking on a tour of icons here in Northeast Florida. What makes here the place and now the time? Well, let’s start with what is an icon?An icon is a person or a thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere. Do we need icons? And that is what we are going to tackle today…Name dropping is a thing where I’m from. Who saw who at what spot? How one got a hookup for reservations or tickets to ...
Rise and shine! It’s a beautiful day for a beautiful day. Be happy. Be kind. Always do your best.Think good and it will be good. I sprinkle positive messages to my kids and myself throughout the day. Why? Because studies show that we grow, flourish and thrive when that is our environment. Alternatively, the effects of negativity- in environment, language and attitude can be permanently detrimental. It is not always easy to find the rainbows between the raindrops… So what if y...
In April, I attended an Interfaith Panel Discussion followed by a Kosher for Passover- Iftar break the fast. The discussion was about what comes after death… But I was totally taken by the life in the room. The connection to God, and commitment to curiosity, was palpable. There seemed to be no wrong answers. The program began with the Jewish evening prayers and concluded with something I have never before stood to witness- but have heard hundreds of times before- in Israel- the Muslim ca...
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