She found meaning where she least expected it — her childhood faith

Sarah Hurwitz grew up in what she would describe as a culturally Jewish home. But it wasn't until she reached her 30s that she really connected with the spiritual identity she was raised with. (Sarah Hurwitz)

I was set up on a friend date recently with a woman named Sarah Hurwitz. Mutual friends had been telling me about Sarah for years. She was one of the few women to serve as a speechwriter for President Barack Obama in the West Wing before she transitioned to lead speechwriter for first lady Michelle Obama. So she's this accomplished person with some good anecdotes for a dinner party, for sure. But people kept saying we should meet because she's interested in all the spiritual stuff that I'm leaning into these days.

So we met at a Lebanese restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C., and proceeded to talk about the meaning of life over stuffed grape leaves, hummus and way too many other side dishes.