Totally Unexpected!
Totally Unexpected!
Chavie Bruk
Anna Sherman: Life After Brain Surgery
2 hour 11 minutes Posted Feb 23, 2026 at 10:00 am.
The Jeff Seidel Foundation
Yeshivas Bircas Hatorah
0:00
2:11:56
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Show notes
Chavie and Anna begin with Anna’s roots in Toronto and what drew her toward becoming more religious in high school, navigating the tension between the world she grew up in and the one she was choosing. Anna opens up about her first two marriages and what it felt like to be a young divorced woman in a community where it was taboo and kept hush-hush which leads to Chavie and Anna reflecting on the progress made in removing shame around taboo subjects. Anna then shares how she met and fell in love with her current husband, and Chavie asks how she learned to trust herself again after so much trauma. Anna talks about becoming a therapist, how lived experience shaped her empathy, and then walks through the moment a mass was discovered in her brain. Chavie and Anna go step by step through the days leading up to surgery, the spiritual serenity she felt going in, and the recovery she is still navigating today.
 
Anna Sherman is a Registered Psychotherapist, dedicated wife, mother of twin girls, and stroke survivor who underwent brain surgery. She works with individuals, couples, and families, helping her clients heal from trauma, fears, and emotional blocks. Anna lives in her hometown of Toronto, Canada.
 
This Week's PromptAre two hour podcasts too long?This is a NEW segment at the end of every episode featuring voice notes from listeners with their HOT TAKES on a featured topic!  
 
Referenced On the Pod
Therapy Modalities Chavie & Anna Reference:
EFT: Emotionally Focused Therapy
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
IFS: Internal Family Systems
 
Stay in touch with Anna!
www.annashermanrp.com
Anna on Instagram 
Stay in touch with Chavie!
@chaviebruk on Instagram
www.totallyunexpected.blog 
 
Want to sponsor or dedicate an episode? Reach out to Chavie on Instagram or by email at [email protected].