Homeless Youth in Mat-Su Valley, Alaska Helped by the Rebbe’s Letter

Michelle Overstreet is an avid reader. She’s the type who will devour a book swiftly, and leave sticky notes on the pages she especially likes. Overstreet was born and raised in Alaska, and in 2009, after pursuing two college degrees, she moved back to the state from Arizona, settling in the scenic Matanuska-Susitna Valley north of Anchorage.

“When I came back, it was very clear to me that we needed help for homeless youth,” Overstreet said. In 2010, she founded My House Mat-Su, an organization with the goal of empowering homeless and at-risk youth to be contributing, self-supporting members of their community.

This past spring, Rabbi Mendy Greenberg of Chabad’s Mat-Su Jewish Center in Palmer, Alaska, invited Overstreet and her organization — along with some eight other local groups — to partner with Chabad for a book signing at the Wasilla Public Library, held in honor of the Rebbe’s Birthday on 11 Nissan, marked as Education and Sharing Day. 

The book was Letters for Life, by author Levi Shmotkin. It explores the Rebbe’s insights on emotional health and wellbeing. Overstreet got her copy, and read it cover-to-cover. By the time she was done, there were two dozen sticky notes lining its pages.

“At that point, I thought about a podcast about Lessons in Life,” Overstreet told Lubavitch.com. “I felt that a podcast about the book would be valuable to our clients: homeless people striving to become independent and successful. It resonated with myself and my staff.”

“I get comments from listeners talking about how inspirational the podcast is every week.”

Thus far, Overstreet and Greenberg have recorded five podcast episodes in a series titled, “The Liberating Effect,” exploring the Rebbe’s teachings on emotional wellness and self-improvement. 

With titles like “See Others,” “Build Healthy Habits,” and “Know You’re Not Alone,” the podcast has delved into the Rebbe’s universal message. 

Overstreet was the one who came up with the name for the podcast, after the Rebbe’s letters helped her during her time of pain after her husband passed away unexpectedly in January, 2025. “During this period in my life when I am in deep grief, there is something liberating about these letters of the Rebbe,” she explained. “The way it’s broken down [by Shmotkin], and the tasks and the suggestions that are given are sometimes so simple that it seems that it couldn’t be possible for them to be this impactful.”

Overstreet recalled reading a letter in which the Rebbe talks to a young person about being too wrapped up in themselves. “You’re overthinking everything, stop thinking so much,” she recalled reading. “And I think that’s a tendency for grief; you overthink everything,” she said. Instead, the Rebbe directs, the person should focus on giving to society, “The opportunities are many, and the need is great.”

To overcome her own sadness, Overstreet focused on helping others. “I have had to live that more than at any other time in my life.”

Now, Overstreet is sharing them with others. “The Rebbe taught that the world, stripped to its essence, is a divine, spiritual organism. And each and every one of us plays a special role. Therefore, inner wellness is not achieved by retreating into our own minds, but by plugging into the larger healthy whole outside ourselves,” she said on a recent motivational video addressed to her clients. 

“A focus on living with a higher consciousness transforms our minds and can insulate us against depression, addiction and other mental health concerns. This means that working with a group to heal from trauma or addiction, and helping one another like we do here with peer support, is not only liberating for the person receiving it, it offers the giver an opportunity to reach outside their own mind to connect with the greater world and realize their own worth and the value they bring to the world,” she concluded.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a chance to be around discussions about the Jewish faith and its ancient wisdom,” Overstreet told Lubavitch.com. “I enjoy how Rabbi Mendy shares about that in the podcast; it makes it feel tangible and accessible: this is right here, our community member talking about it. It’s ancient wisdom from the Jewish People that we should be aware of, and that is affecting people here and now.”

The Liberating Effect is available at themyhousepodcast on all podcast platforms.