The Messiness of Life

Award-winning writer, mythologist specialized in Celtic Studies, and a psychologist, Sharon Blackie, is also the bestselling author of “If Women Rose Rooted”. Sharon talks about her work with the feminine in myths, fairy tales and folklore and how these traditions can help us deal with issues we women are dealing with such as menopause, burnout, and the mother-daughter relationship. Sharon also talks about her mother Doris with whom she had a difficult relationship due to Doris’ alcoholism and controlling nature, and how she managed to distance, and heal, herself from this relationship, partially through learning how to fly a plane. She shares Doris’ lessons on tenacity, daring to be authentically yourself, and accepting that you’re not the center of every story.

To learn more about Sharon, her books and her work, please visit her website. 

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Therapist, coach and teacher specialized in mother-daughter relationships Rosjke Hasseldine, is also the author of “Mother-Daughter Puzzle” and founder of Mother-Daughter Coaching International. She talks about the major topics she deals with in her work: mother blaming and estrangement, mapping your mother-daughter history, patriarchy and culture of female service, and identifying your needs and voicing them. She also talks about her mother Tineke who was born in Indonesia, raised in the Netherlands, spent two years in a Japanese camp during WWII, and later immigrated to New Zealand.  Tineke was a mother of five who sacrificed her teaching career to take care of others. As Rosjke describes her, she was a stoic and emotionally silent woman who carried her martyrdom as a badge of honor. We learn from her to avoid a life of self-sacrifice for others and instead to find what we need and claim it for ourselves. We also learn that martyrdom isn’t actually good for anyone – it is more valuable to find your talents and joy, and share them with the world. We also learn that caregiving should be a two-way street of giving and taking.

To learn more about Rosjke and her work, visit her website. 

Subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter here. 

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

Connect with Ana on social media:

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Dunja Bonacci-Skenderovic is an independent consultant for elimination of violence against women. In the beginning of our interview, Dunja gives us an overview of types of violence women globally are facing today (from domestic violence, rape, trafficking, to femicide), shares some statistics, and shares what we can do to prevent violence against women - not only as women, but also as mothers. Dunja also talks about her Croatian mother Tanja, a mom of three, who was a rare female professor of engineering in former Yugoslavia (now Croatia), had a drivers license when her husband didn’t, always insisted on all domestic work being shared with her husband, and who faced her cancer treatment with enviable rationality and determination. Tanja teaches us about independence, about hard work and persistency, about tackling problems. But we also learn how important it is to be able to do nothing, to show emotions, to tell our children how proud we are of them, to celebrate small things in life, and to teach our daughters about their bodies and sexuality.

To learn more about ending violence against women, visit the UN Women website here.

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

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Lisa Friscia, Leadership Coach and founder of Franca Consulting, talks about her mother Franca who immigrated from Italy to America via Canada as a child, and later quit her corporate job to take care of her three daughters. Mama Franca teaches us to take care of people through details; to create a space where everyone is welcome and included; to respect those who have less; and to know your privilege and give back. Lisa talks about her own professional path from a teacher to the head of HR for a group of 25 schools, her dealing with burnout, and her decision to start her own consulting business. But one of the most interesting aspects of this conversation is the way Lisa connects self-care with work – she wonders if some of Franca’s frustrations came from quitting her work in order to care for others, and if keeping her work would have actually been an act of self-care for ther mom. A very important food for thought for many women. 

To learn more about Lisa and her consultancy, please visit her website. 

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

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Janice Malone is the founder and CEO of “Vivian’s Door”, an award-winning NPO assisting minority-owned entrepreneurs implement their ideas and grow their businesses. Janice is a mother of two who quit corporate America to become an entrepeneur in her early fifties, and subsequently  found “Vivian’s Door” in her early sixties. She talks about her American mother Pearlie who was a mother of 15 (yes, you read this right) and taught Janice to find solace in cooking; to lean on faith trusting that God will make way where we see none; to keep a clean house; and to have patience because life has a way of reshaping itself. Janice also talks about her inspiring professional journey and her new start in her 50s. She talks about being open to allowing God to work through you, about the magic that happens when we help others, and about how important it is to take care of ourselves – so we can be there for our children.

"Vivian's Door" was named after Vivian Malone Jones, the first Black University of Alabama graduate. To learn more about "Vivian's Door" please visit their wesbite. 

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

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In this beautiful Christmas special, we’re learning from the most famous of all mothers: Mary, the Mother of God. My guest Christine Valters Paintner is the author of “Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal”. Christine has a PhD in Christian Spirituality, is an abbess and the author of over twenty books on spirituality. Christine tells us about her American mother Suzanne, a United Nations employee, who struggled with rheumatoid arthritis but turned her suffering into a gift for others as she earned an MA in social studies to became an advocate for people with disabilities. Suzanne teaches us to empower other people, to not be victims but turn challenges into gifts for others, and to embrace the power that comes with older age. In the second part of the episode, we talked about Holy Mary and her lessons: to show up in the world, to accept the calling to create, to embrace the power of the sacred feminine (such as the intuition, creativity, dreams, gestation), and to be a loving and present witness both in birth and death, positive and negative. Suzanne also talked about one of the most important lessons for most women: that we’re not responsible for everything, and that sometimes, we also need to be taken care of. Finally, she talked about healing our ancestors by healing ourselves. And I invite you to think about Mary and her presence, and what she represents to you, during these holidays. I wish you, dear listeners, blessed holidays and a happy 2024! 

To learn more about Christine, please visit the Abbey of the Arts website.

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To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

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Einat Nathan is a mother of five, a parenting expert, a counselor, and the bestselling author of a parenting book called “My Everything”, which got translated in 11 languages. Einat talks about her Israeli mother Miriam who died at a young age from Multiple Sclerosis. From Miriam, we learn about connecting to others and being able to rely on yourself; about beauty and importance of the whole spectrum of emotions; and about learning not to be a people pleaser. Einat openly talks about raising five children and having a career, about stillbirth, and raising an autistic child. From her, we learn one of the biggest and most freeing truths: that life is messy. And that it’s good that way. 

To learn more about Einat, please visit her website. 

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

To connect with Ana on social media:

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Jojo Mehta is a co-founder of “Stop Ecocide”, the global campaign to make ecocide (destroying the environment) a crime at the International Criminal Court. Jojo shares lessons she had learned from her mother, singer and poet Jehanne Mehta, whose work is deeply connected to nature and her Celtic roots, but also lessons she had learned from Mother Earth. From Jehanne, we learn about grounding and finding joy in connecting with our land and planet Earth; about writing and love of language; and the fine balance of simultaneously liberating and supporting our children. From Mother Earth, we learn to recognize that we are part of a whole; that life is cyclical and comes in seasons; that we can regenerate if we allow ourselves time and peace; and that we need to keep a large perspective in mind, not get bogged down by little dramas. Jojo also talks about her inspiring work, tells us how to take action - and together, we celebrate a huge milestone: a day before our conversation, EU criminalized environmental damage “comparable to ecocide.”

You can learn more about Jojo and "Stop Ecocide", and take action here. 

To learn more about Jojo's mom Jehanne Mehta, please visit her website.

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

To connect with Ana on social media:

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Author of “The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Mothering and the Mind-Baby Problem”, Julie Phillips, talks about what she learned through writing a book about the intimate struggles of brilliant 20th century artists as they tried to balance the demands of creative work with the demands of motherhood. Jullie's lesson: we can keep centered in our creative space even if we do it in little bits. Julie also shares her mom Kit's lessons on being curious and wanting to understand the world by naming things; connecting with loved ones by reading out loud; and the value of not parenting too much. Julie also talks about setting boundaries, and having to figure out the professional world by herself as her mother was a stay-at-home mom. 

To learn more about Julie's work, please visit her website.

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

To connect with Ana on social media:

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Beating all odds, as a young female student, in a country ruled by men, archeologist and writer Parveen Talpur single-handedly set wheels in motion for the establishment of the Department of Archeology at the University in Karachi, Pakistan. She went on to Cornell University, where she worked on decipherment of the ancient script from the Indus Valley Civilization, and publish a few books. Parveen tells us about her mother Zeib, who as a newly married woman lived in purdah (women’s segregation). After giving birth to six children, Zeib moved with her family to the city, received education and started writing stories of the women in her village. Hear Parveen’s inspiring sotry of determination, and Zeib’s story of cher hange  – relatively late in life - from a simple village girl to an open-minded city woman. In this beautiful and informative conversation, Parveen shares Zeib’s lessons on determination; it never being too late for personal evolution; fighting for women’s rights, whatever the circumstances; and the magic of storytelling.

You can learn more about Parveen and her work on her website. 

To learn more about Parveen's writing retreat in Greece, please visit here.

To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

To connect with Ana on social media:

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