Mondays with Mayra - Living Life Forward, Sharing Wisdom Back

In this fascinating interview, Marc Davidson, the President of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Cal-State, Long Beach, discusses the organization's role in reinventing education for older adults. Moving beyond the confines of retirement, OLLI embraces the philosophy that one is never too old to learn, offering a curriculum centered on the pure joy of learning, free from the pressure...

My friend Amy Coney Barrett whom I never met and who sits on the US Supreme Court and with whom I have a lot in common needs to know how I feel about certain issues as we both are mothers who have birthed and adopted children, white and brown, and both are practicing Catholics yet our beliefs are so different.  This mother worries about the inheritance our kids will get as Amy is also. Free speech...

Host Dr. Mayra Fernández, mom of 17 children, 11 adopted, shares her thought-provoking ideas with her video friends in an "Open Video" to Amy on the Supreme Court whom she considers a fellow traveler with much in common: their womanhood, their educational background, Notre-Dame, their association with the island of Hispañola, their faith and .... a great love for their children, both birthed and a...

They had a dream: to be a songwriter! They realized that precious dream at Cal-State Long Beach's OLLI Center, a university withing a university with outstanding professors teaching the Elders of the communities around them. Watch, listen, observe that it is never too late with the right place, the right teachers and right dream to make it happen. These Elders prove it!

There are all kinds of grieving. You grieve for a lost key (yikes!) to lost friends, precious family members (who are you going to call in the middle of the night when your life is falling apart?), a home, a spouse (we don't want death to part us!). But, perhaps, the deepest wound to heal from is the death of your child. It doesn't make sense. It's totally unfair. It doesn't follow the cycle of li...

Southern California was drenched with rains over a year ago. The rains caused great damage to people, businesses and housing. Then in the spring, flowers bloomed in this semi-desert land, flowers we had never ever seen before! Mayra shares some of them with us. So too our lives are deluged with pain and circumstances out of our control. If we hang in there long enough, believe enough, surround our...

"Monday Mayra" brings us to the realization that, "What fun to be 83 and not give a hoot about what anybody thinks!" Here at the beach, one can dress fancy or prancy, call out a friendly hi! and not worry if they answer back. With Ash, her  co-host puppy, she shares a fun afternoon on the beach while giving  a fun and wise twist to her visit.

Visitors want my recipe for my super delicious and very nutritious breakfast cakes. But I just throw ingredients in. A lo loco! So here is the recipe for my Nutritious Delicious Crazy Breakfast Cakes!

Sharing My New Toaster Oven in Manner Easy to Understand and Not the  Least Bit Boring what with a Cute Puppy as Co-Host!

Stories are everywhere. They entertain us. They instruct us. They inspire us. We just have to look around. What family stories do you have? Who do you meet along your walks who look like they are living a great story be it sad, happy, etc. I take different paths. Let me share a few of them with you.

Where did Dr. Mayra Fernandez get the inspiration for her successful parent workshops? As a child, she dreamed of a better life—not just for herself, but for all children. That dream became her mission. Today, as an educator and advocate, Dr. Fernandez empowers parents with tools to help their children thrive: nutritious and delicious meals, loving and logical discipline, and brain-and-heart-based...

You love your adult children. So why don't they call? Why do they forget your birthday? Mother's Day? Where did you fail them? Dr. Mayra Fernandez, mother of 17 children (yes, 17!) asks the same questions! Find out what her answer is! You'll be pleasantly surprised. Well, maybe not so pleasantly. But you'll be surprised!

I have a lover who has let me down, Amazon by name! Very famous. Very rich! All I wanted was a bike I could ride to church, swimming, shopping. Listen to my story and cry with me.

Hair! In the Bible and the Koran, hair is mentioned. It's honored and condemned. It can be a woman's glory or a pain in the neck. Is there a personal hair story of glory or pain in your life? What about funny or creative ones? Dr. Mayra shares hers. She also asks you to share yours!

Father's Day we meet Miguel Santini, an extraordinary man who has come from the proverbial Rags to Riches while involving and lifting up his family. Miguel Santini started selling used tires, then his own mechanic shop, then learning how to repair and paint cars, (body shop) then to get government contracts to repair government cars, then jump to diesel trucks! And surely there's another "then..."...

A dad shares: "My child makes a mistake? The end of the world? No, the beginning of a wiser one!" Learn how this very sccessful father disciplines his five  children. First, he asks for their forgiveness for making his own the mistakes. View how it goes from there, the great lessons his children learn and the results.

A little boy saves his mommy from certain death, "Daddy, stop! You are hurting mommy."  Karen Connell's son, 6, raised his arms when the cops came,  guns drawn: "Don't shoot! We're the good guys!" he exclaimed. He knew he was the good guy yet his mother like many women in domestic violence situations had convinced herself otherwise. Karen, an incredible role model, explains the why, the how,  the...

A mother grieves the death of her daughter Suni so she writes a children's book to share Suni's life. Mom wraps her arms around the chair with her daughter's hanging school shirt to feel Suni's love and smiles. Her little grandson, sensitive and loving, does exactly the same. Mom then feels her daughter smiles as well. @mondayswithmayra

Southern California witnessed heavy rains this past year.  We struggled. Mother Nature felt badly about it and rewarded us with beautiful flowers which Mayra shares. Mayra dedicates this video  to her cousin, James Yuhas, Sr., her favorite veteran who fought in Korea for love of country at age 17 (yes, he lied!). PTSD was his reward.

A freeeee concert in beautiful Long Beach Airport with the famous Second Wind Band of professional musicians honoring Mother's Day!

Ron Gilbert, né Bernstein, fled a boring life to impersonating gangsters and other characters on stage and film. A glittering life followed: Broadway,  Hollywood, local theatres all over the world, television, acting and writing. He had a great time! Ron Gilbert invites you to his world.

She Was Left for Dead—But That Was Only the Beginning In a brutal act of violence, a husband slashes his wife’s throat. As blood pours and hope fades, it’s her 6-year-old son who springs into action, saving her life. She escapes, collapsing in the street—until a doctor, by sheer miracle, happens to walk by. But this isn’t just a story of survival. It’s a story of transformation. Against all odds,...

Last on "Mondays with Mayra," Karen Connell shared how her marriage to the charismatic, brilliant and handsome Michael led her into a marriage filled with the horrendous acts of control and violence. Finally she had had enough and snuck out with her young son. With months in a women's shelter she learned how to survive without him. She found out that he had started  going to AA. Could he possibly...

A Preview of a great story to come next week. The Love of her life charms her into total submission. Their son, 6, saves her from certain death.  Dr. Mayra previews this extraordinary and compelling story and a taste of the interview for next week.

Allow me to introduce Kaylie and Jose, a couple who hold a special place in my heart. Married for just over two years, they are proud parents to two little ones under the age of two—two lively boys who, I’m honored to say, call me "Abuelita." Over the past few years, they've become like family to me and I have had the honor of being in their lives. This past month, I’ve had the privilege of spendi...