Thank You, Mama

enMay 23, 2023

Be Gentle With Yourself: Judith Holofernes on Being a Rock Star, Healing from Burnout and Reinventing Yourself

Singer, musician, songwriter and author Judith Holofernes (of German band “Wir Sind Helden”) talks about achieving – and then quitting - her dream life of a rock star in order to heal from burnout and reinvent herself. Judith shares the biggest lesson she learned on her fascinating journey, and also talks about growing up with her lesbian mom in a small town in Germany. Judith shares mama Cornelia’s lessons on tolerance, openness, curiosity and willingness to learn, and keeping a wide view on politics and history. Judith also talks about motherhood, entertainment industry, writing, life in Berlin, and ADHD.

You can visit Judith on her Patrion, or follow her on Instagram.

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enMay 09, 2023

Unapologetically Yourself: Jennifer Arthurton on Believing in Yourself, Following Your Heart, Not Taking Things Too Seriously, and Fabolous Midlife

Creator and host of “Old Chicks Know Shit”, Jennifer Arthurton, talks about her Irish mom Eilish, who left home at 17 to move to Germany, and later moved with her husband to the Caribbean, and then Canada. Eilish was always a free spirit, true to herself, never taking herself or any problem too seriously, experimenting with life, and believing in a power greater than us. Jennifer shares her lessons on believing in yourself, knowing that you can find a solution to every problem, being unapologetically yourself, and believing in a greater power. She also talks about lessons she learned from her guests, midlife women who live happy and fulfilled lives.

You can find Jennifer and her podcast on her website.

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enApril 25, 2023

Choice of Attitude: Ruth Nolan on women’s independence, being an empty nester and choosing how you see things.

Author, professor and a former wildland firefighter Ruth Nolan, shares her American mom Beverly’s lessons on being kind to people and teaching everyone with respect; choosing your attitude in life; being independent in voice, career, selfhood and financially; and it never being too late to explore life. Ruth also talks about why the struggle for independence often skips generations, why women can never stop fighting for their rights, and about the experience of being an empty nester after her daughter and her mother moved away.

Learn more about Ruth here.

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enApril 11, 2023

Raising Quirky Children: Tijana Lukovic on raising resilient children, nurturing their authenticity, and self-sacrificing mothers.

Illustrator Tijana Lukovic talks about her Serbian mom Ljiljana’s lessons: How do we raise quirky children with acceptance, and nurture their authenticity? Does motherhood need to equate to self-sacrifice? Is me-time selfish? How do we raise resilient children? What is wrong with being overprotective mothers? How can we support our children through burnout and dark times? Tijana also speaks about how becoming a mother to a little girl inspired her beautiful illustrations of “sacred women” surrounded with nature and magic. You can see Tijana’s work on her Instagram here. You can purchase her illustrations on her website here.

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To learn more about the "Thank You, Mama" creative writing workshop in June 2023, visit here.

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enMarch 28, 2023

Learning How to Learn: Scarlett Cochran on equality in partnerships, reinventing yourself, and a loving relationship with your children

Attorney, former marine, financial expert, and author of “It’s Not About the Money”, Scarlett Cochran, talks about her Guyanese mom Carol and her lessons. We learn about the value of education, and how important it is to teach our children how to learn; about always continuing to reinvent yourself in your career; about the importance of having a partner who is your equal in many aspects – and how this will enable you both to be present in your parenting. And finally, through her complicated relationship with her own mother, Scarlett learned to create a relationship with her children based on trust, love and respect. Scarlett also talks about changing our relationship to money, and how to make right financial decisions.

To learn more about Scarlett, please visit her website.

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

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enMarch 14, 2023

Reinventing Family: Eva Feldman on Defining "Woman" and "Family", Dealing with Panic Attacks and Avoiding Impulsive Behavior

Eva Feldman is a psychologist and psycho-educational influencer. On her Instagram feed @TooMuchEva, she shares wisdom and inspiration to help us analyze our inner life, including many of her Croatian mom Lada’s lessons. In this beautiful episode, we learn from Lada that when someone throws you a ball, you don’t need to catch it. To believe them when they say they’re not good enough for you. That every panic attack is weaker than the one before, and that in order to manage it, you should dive into panic instead of fighting it. To beware of partners who put you on a pedestal. That you don’t have to get married and have children to be a woman. That we can be great mothers, even if this wasn’t modeled by our own mothers. Eva also talks about allowing ourselves sadness and other uncomfortable emotions. And about showing our children how to heal conflicts in partnerships.

You can find Eva on Instagram under @TooMuchEva.

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enFebruary 28, 2023

Hearing Your Mother's Story: Nayomi Munaweera on healing the mother-daughter relationship, listening to people's stories and finding happiness.

Nayomi Munaweera is the award-winning author of novels “Island of a Thousand Mirrors” and “What Lies Between Us”. She has been named one of “Twelve Women of Color Writers You Need to Know” by Bustle Magazine and “One of the Asian American Women Writers Who are Going to Change the World” by Electric Literature. Nayomi talks about her Sri Lankan mom Upamali who first immigrated to Nigeria and then to the USA, where she founded and successfully ran Montessori schools. We learn about how important it is to hear our mother’s (or anyone’s) story, about divorce and finding new happiness in one’s 60s, about the resilience of South Asian immigrants in the US, and about arranged marriages. Nayomi also talks about the civil war in Sri Lanka, about patriarchy and healing our mother-wound. She shares her enlightening experience with ayahuasca, which lead her not only to appreciate her mother but also to feel the urgency of honoring and healing Mother Earth.

For more about Nayomi and her work, please visit her website.

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enFebruary 14, 2023

Emotional Availability: Amanda Craig on parenting tweens, connecting with our children, education, and finding purpose.

Amanda Craig is a licensed marriage and family therapist in NYC and Connecticut, and the author of “Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Kid: Connect with Your Tween While They Are Still Listening.” Amanda talks about creating an early emotional connection with our children, about why she wrote a book about parenting tweens, and about her American mom Sharon, a single mother who worked three jobs to provide for her two daughters. Amanda shares lessons she learned from her mother about substance use and parenting, education as source of independence and self-confidence, about taking care of your finances, and the importance of finding your purpose.

You can find Amanda's book on Amazon. To connect with Amanda, you can find her on Instagram or LinkedIn.

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enJanuary 31, 2023

Simplicity and Strength: Arlyn Kostelac on being a stay-at-home mom, sexual abuse, and living a simple life.

Stay-at-home mom Arlyn Kostelac talks about her Philipino mom Felina’s life and lessons. We learn about harsh circumstances of being a working-class woman in the Philippines, about loss, sexual abuse in families, domestic violence, and femicide. From mama Felina, we learn lessons on resilience and hard work, self-sacrifice for your children, and being resourceful and creative. We also learn that we are stronger than we think, that we shouldn’t care too much about other people’s opinions of us, about being content, and about the importance of friendships. Arlyn also talks about her decision to be a stay-at-home mom, and about wanting her family to live a simple and mindful life.

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enJanuary 16, 2023

Failure is Not an Option: Doroteja Gradistanac on staying authentic, being your own source of recognition, and feminism.

Doroteja Gradištanac, Head of the Austrian radio station “FM4”, shares her Serbian mother Lola’s lessons. Lola finished medical school while pregnant with Doroteja, and moved to Austria together with her husband and older son for a job in an Austrian hospital - and a better life for her family - leaving eight months old Dodo behind for two years. She went on to build a career as an anesthesiologist, create a new life in a foreign country, raise two children, and successfully battle cancer. From mama Lola, we learn to not blindly follow group pressure; to not feel guilty about getting help as a working mom; to work hard and not allow failure as an option; to not depend on a man; to create a family as a safe space; and to be there for yourself, and not dependent on the recognition of others. We also talk about feminism, about the value system in the Balkans vs. the US, about the long road to self-discovery, and about the importance of how women are pictured in the society. Dodo also talked about learneing from her grandmother and her aunt, acknowledging the huge importance of ancestorial wisdom.

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enJanuary 03, 2023

Guided Meditation: Relax, Rejuvenate and Center Yourself.

As a holiday special, instead of an episode, I’d like to give you a little gift in form of a guided meditation. Since I started meditating in 2000 as part of my tai-chi practice, meditation stayed my daily habit. It has helped me to stay sane and healthy through all these years marked by many challenges. If you’ve never meditated before, maybe I can motivate you to start. If meditation is part of your practice, maybe I can bring some new aspects to it. If you find my voice soothing, it’s a bonus - and a special gift for Tiffany, my dear friend who asked me years ago to record myself talking to help her fall asleep. I hope this meditation will help you relax, center yourself, and feel re-energized.

I wish you blissful holidays and a fantastic 2023, and I’m very excited about sharing more amazing women, their mothers, and lessons with you in the New Year. I am deeply grateful to you for sharing this journey with me.

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

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enDecember 20, 2022

The Power of Your Voice: Gayle Brandeis on Listening to Your Intuition, Knowing You Can Make a Difference, and Healing from Loss.

Gayle Brandeis is the award-winning author of the memoir “The Art of Misdiagnosis: Surviving My Mother's Suicide”, the novel in poems “Many Restless Concerns", as well as several novels, a poetry collection, and a writing guide. Her essay collection “Drawing Breath” will be released in 2023. Gayle’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Salon, and more. In this episode, Gayle talks about healing from her mother’s suicide, living with her delusions, and using writing to instigate change. From Gayle’s mom Arlene, we learn about using art and creativity as a source of meaning and joy, listening to your intuition, and knowing that your voice can make a difference. We also learn about the importance of setting boundaries, and the art of navigating conflicts.

Gayle mentions “American Foundation for Suicide Prevention” as one of the most important resources that helped her with her healing process. For more information, please visit their website.

For more information on Gayle and her work, please visit following links:

Gayle's website: http://gaylebrandeis.com
Gayle's forthcoming book, Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, The Body, and Loss from Overcup Books (February, 2023)
An essay from the collection, "My Shadow son: A stranger insisted he was my child for more than a decade"
Gayle's Twitter: https://twitter.com/gaylebrandeis

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enDecember 06, 2022

Surviving by Adapting: Dana Rimawi on Dealing with Change, Faith, and Reinventing Yourself an any Age.

Dana Rimawi is the CEO and founder of A’myn, a company that promotes social justice through rugs designed and hand-made by local artisans and refugees. She talks about her Palestinian mother Fairuz who was forced to leave her home in West Palestine in 1948 and has since lived in Jordan, Syria, USA and Saudi Arabia. Mama Fairuz teaches us about being adaptable and flexible, reinventing yourself at any age, being financially independent, thinking positive and visualizing, having faith, growing from any given situation, and always learning and working. We talked about the experience of being a refugee, and how it becomes a generational trauma. Dana speaks about learning to stand to your identity, as difficult as it can be in some situations, and preparing your children for the real world, and real people, out there. She shares her own journey of a Palestinian American born in Kansas, raised in Texas and currently based in Jordan, and talks about her work with refugees, something she also learned from her mom.

You will find Dana's rugs on the A'myn webiste.

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enNovember 22, 2022

From a Daughter to a Child: Regina V. Carico on Healing from Sexual Abuse, Body Positivity, and Gender Fluidity.l.

A paramedic, and a sexual abuse awareness advocate, Regina V. Carrico, talks about their own experience as a sexual abuse survivor and what we are still missing in child sexual abuse prevention. Regina also talks about gender identity and being gender fluid. They share lessons they learned from their mom Bozena, a Polish nurse, on cultural appreciation and curiosity; love for learning; financial and practical independence, and gardening. Regina talks about wishing they learned from their mother how to take a break, how to love their body, how to be non-judgmental, and how to talk about their feelings. We learn about Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD or body dysmorphia) and the effects our criticism of our bodies has on our children, as well as the effect of being overly judgmental.

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enNovember 08, 2022

Living Life Passionately: Dr. Wendy Smith in Both/And Thinking, Community, and Allowing Time for Fun.

Professor of Business Administration at the University of Delaware and co-author of “Both/And Thinking”, Dr. Wendy Smith, shares three of her Canadian mom Jewel’s most important lessons: It’s all about people, so create a community; focus on possibilities, not obstacles; and make time for fun in life. We also spoke about Wendy’s work with strategic paradoxes, and how now, more than ever, we need to shift from either/or thinking to both/and thinking. Wendy discusses this “inclusive” way of thinking and shares a few tips on using it every day to grow from dilemmas (like balancing work and family) instead of shrinking from them. We learn about the history of paradox theory, and its connection to quantum physics, psychoanalysis, and spirituality.

You can learn more about Wendy and "Both/And Thinking", and connect to her, here:

Book Website: www.bothandthinking.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendykimsmith/

Twitter: @profwendysmith

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wendy-Smith-111141458290288

Instagram: @prof.wendysmith

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enOctober 25, 2022

Values and Wings: Natasha Mahtani on Values, Faith and Arranged Marriages.

Relationship and Divorce Coach, Natasha Mahtani, shares her Sindhi Indian mom’s lessons on giving children values and wings, having faith in something bigger than yourself, and the fine line between tolerance and enabling unaccaptable behavior. We also spoke about Sindhi Hindus and why they moved all around the world (Natasha was born in Liberia, West Africa), about breaking generational cycles, about semi-arranged marriages, and about our mothers learning self-care from us.

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

To follow her om social media, find her on Instagram.

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enOctober 11, 2022

Doing It the Other Way

Cathi Hanauer is the New York Times bestselling author of three novels and two essay anthologies, including the 2002 bestseller "The Bitch in the House" and the follow-up, "The Bitch is Back," which was an NPR “Best Book” of 2016. She’s published articles, essays, and criticism in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Elle, O, Real Simple, and many other magazines, and is the founder, along with her husband, Dan Jones, of The New York Times “Modern Love” column.

Cathi talks about her American mom Bette who got married at 20 and raised four children while making her controlling husband her priority. Cathi learned from Bette what she didn’t want in her marriage; that instead of seeking perfection, you can let things go and concentrate on your priorities; to not be selfish; and to strive towards patience, acceptance, and empathy for others. Cathi also learned that sometimes, you must use lies to protect yourself or your children. And finally, a huge lesson: children can’t fix their parents’ marriage.

For more about Cathi and her work, please visit her website.

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enSeptember 27, 2022

Showing Up For Life

Deb Flashenberg is the founder and director of “Prenatal Yoga Center”, the first of its kind in New York City. Deb shares how her American mom Harriet rebuilt her life, showing up for her children after her husband passed away in an accident and leaving her a widow at 55. We learn from Harriet about being in (but not wallowing in) dark times; making your friends into your family; allowing yourself to enjoy life; and resilience and hard work. We also hear a recipe for a joyous “3^rd act”; what it was like being a child in the 1970’s - and how our generation tries to be great parents by learning from these experiences.

To learn more about Deb and her "Prenatal Yoga Center", please visit her website.

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enSeptember 13, 2022

Setting Your Goals

Elizabeth Yang is the CEO and founder of Yang Law Offices based in Los Angeles, and a best-selling author with a total of 6 books including “Social Marriage”. Elizabeth shares her Taiwanese/Chinese mother Kelly’s fascinating immigration story, and her lessons on being organized and setting goals; being independent and self-sufficient; the importance of learning and education; resilience; and the importance of learning languages. Elizabeth also spoke about creating your own mother figure, Transformational Training, The Secret, and manifesting.

To learn more about Elizabeth, please visit her website.

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