Mother's Quest Podcast

Welcome to this year's special Father's Day episode with Jonathan Mooney, an amazing father who is also a dyslexic writer, speaker, activist, and self-described "do-gooder." Jonathan didn't learn to read until he was 12-years-old, was told he would be a high school dropout, and end up in jail.   But, instead, he forged a path to Brown University where he co-founded an organization and co-wrote a b...

This week for Throwback Thursday, as so many of us went to the ballots to place our votes, I knew I wanted to reshare this episode with then Assemblymember and now California Attorney General Rob Bonta. I also loved the dedication for this episode from Celia Ward Wallace who now is the co-founder of South LA Cafe. Both Rob and Celia have families that are rooted in activism and community organizin...

This Throwback Thursday, in the wake of the recent horrific gun violence in Buffalo, Uvalde, and countless other cities across the country, I knew I needed to bring forward this special episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast with mother, activist, and co-founder of the Trayvon Martin Foundation, Sybrina Fulton.   The tragic news has felt all the more real because I recently returned from Sybrina Fu...

Welcome back to another Throwback Thursday episode!   Hard to believe, but my oldest son Ryan is graduating from High School! So for this Thursday, I really wanted to bring back this first episode I ever recorded with him, at the milestone of his 13th birthday, just before his bar mitzvah.    This revisited version also includes the speech Ryan wrote at his middle school graduation, where we spoke...

"We need these manifestos. We need each other. And we need each other's stories."  — Graeme Seabrook For Season Seven, I'm excited to introduce our Throwback Thursdays segments! In honor of Mother's Quest turning 5 (such a great milestone!) we will be revisiting older episodes from the archives with messages that resonate more than ever. Whether you've heard the episode before, or its entirely new...

Welcome to this first episode of Season Seven of the Mother's Quest Podcast!   Today's episode was sparked by an experience I had on my most recent big milestone birthday. The morning of December 1st, I turned 50 and the podcast, which was a 45th birthday present to myself, turned 5.   As I often do, I began my morning practice reading a book on my bedside table; the one I grabbed this time was a...

Welcome back to the Mother's Quest Podcast.   I know it's been a while– a long while.    When my father, David Lieberman, died in December, I put the podcast on pause. And in many ways, it felt like I also put parts of my life on pause. But after months of navigating waves of grief, I'm finding my way back into my life and back to my voice.   Through laughter and tears, I recorded a special soloca...

I'm excited to welcome you to a special episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast that I am extremely grateful for, just in time for Thanksgiving, featuring the amazing Julie Lythcott-Haims and my 17-year-old son Ryan Neale. Julie is an incredible mother to two, a former Stanford Dean and New York Times bestselling author of the anti-helicopter parenting manifesto How to Raise an Adult, which gave ris...

I'm honored to share this special episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast. Thank you for showing up to this important conversation about two mothers and their quest for peace and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. Thank you for choosing to press play.  If ever there was a year demanding us to "show up" this has been one. From COVID to floods and fires and refugee crises...our consciousness has...

I'm honored to share this special episode with a woman who has been an incredible source of wisdom, support, and guidance in my life, a mentor and teacher who has helped me claim the "mystic" in me, Lindsay Pera. Lindsay and I connected in a magical way at a group dinner in San Francisco about four years ago. Though she was seated at the other end of a long table, she came up to me before the even...

I'm honored to share this special episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast, an interview of  me, led by Mother's Quest member Sneha Jhanb for her YouTube Channel Shift2Prosperity. In our conversation, Sneha helped me reflect on my Mother's Quest journey, how that led me to writing my first book and lessons learned along the way. "The Mother's Quest Inspiration Guide Vol 1. Engage" officially launched...

This Father's Day 2021, many of us are re-emerging and with so much change, I find myself wanting to return to words of wisdom that can ground me during this time of transition. Rather than recording a new episode with a father this year, I'm putting together an episode to highlight my favorite insights from fathers I've interviewed since the podcast began. So stay tuned for that episode coming ou...

Welcome to Season Six of the Mother's Quest Podcast and this special Mother's Day episode, which shines a light on the untold stories and far-reaching impact of mothers and in particular Black mothers. For this episode, I had the honor of talking with Anna Malaika Tubbs, the brilliant biographer of the groundbreaking book The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr, Malcolm X, and...

In loving memory of Edd Conboy, who through the gift of reflection helped me see myself so that I may also see others. I'm honored to bring you this special bite-sized reflection from my own E.P.I.C. Life as a bonus to Season Five.  The show has been on a pause between seasons and will begin again in May, in time for Mother's Day. Until then, I invite you to catch up on episodes that you've missed...

I'm honored to share this special finale interview of Season Five of the Mother's Quest Podcast. Each season, I invite one person from my inner circle to interview for the finale. And this time, I knew exactly who I wanted to be in conversation with...a mentor and coach who has had a tremendous impact on the person and parent I am today, Leslie Medine.  I'm releasing this episode on December 21st,...

I'm honored to invite you along for this conversation with my speaker coach and friend Alexia Vernon, about the responsibility we have to clarify what matters most to us and to speak our truth. Recorded the afternoon before election day 2020, this episode arrives at just the right moment. Because no matter what comes next, we understand more than ever now the importance of using our perspectives,...

At the time of this episode's release, we are at a crossroads in the United States. This election of 2020 is one of the most important in our history. As activist Michael Skolnik says, the election is not 7 days away. The election is now.  What can we do in our last few days before the conclusion of the election of 2020? Like so many of you, I am asking myself what matters most and what I can do t...

Hello and welcome to a very different episode on the Mother's Quest Podcast.  Michael Skolnik, who is a political activist and friend of mine, has been sharing a series of posts on Instagram that call me to action every time I see them. The last one I saw a few days ago said this: "The election is not 30 days away. The election is over in 30 days. The election is now. Vote early."   Like so many o...

In this episode, I'm honored to welcome back Paola Mendoza, along with the co-author of her new book Sanctuary, Abby Sher with an urgent conversation for this moment, just a month away from our next election. Paola is an acclaimed film director, activist, author and artist working at the leading-edge of human rights all alongside being a devoted mother to her 7-year old son. A co-founder of The Wo...

It was many months ago, as the whole world was first shutting down and sheltering in place, that I sat down to a conversation with leadership coach and strategic parenting expert Heather Chauvin. As Back to School unfolds now with unique challenges for so many of us, I wanted to bring this episode to you, filled with wisdom that can help light our way...based on a question Heather asks herself…"Ho...

In this "Bite-Sized Reflection from Living my E.P.I.C. Life" Minisode I Talk About: How/when I learned about the importance of ending well to begin well at the youth development organization Alternatives in Action  The transformative Milestone Hike Experience I had on my 40th birthday How I've used the same components of that hike to acknowledge milestones with my son Ryan (we even recorded a podc...

I'm excited to share this beautiful conversation with Tembi Locke, that centers around the wisdom of our matriarchs and the seeds they plant within us to pursue our journeys, to create space for resilience, love, and creativity, and to invest in ourselves so we can serve the collective good. Tembi is a distinguished keynote speaker, writer, advocate, and American actor with more than sixty TV and...

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of recording a powerful episode with the co-host of the While Black Podcast, Darius Hicks. In addition to releasing that conversation here, Darius shared it on the While Black Podcast feed and since then, over 10,000 people have tuned in. If you haven't heard it yet, I encourage you to add it to the top of your playlist. As an exchange, I asked Darius if I could sh...

I'm honored to share this special Father's Day Episode with a devoted father, successful entrepreneur and fellow podcaster who has become a friend, Darius Hicks. Known as "Vince" on the acclaimed While Black Podcast, Darius channels his rage at the injustices Black people experience in our country by focusing it on empowering, educating, and inspiring African Americans to go and grow. While Black...

I'm honored to bring this special episode of the Mother's Quest Podcast to you with mother, activist, writer, co-founder of the Trayvon Martin Foundation and an inspiration to so many, Sybrina Fulton.  The episode is the last in a series I've recorded for the Women Podcasters in Solidarity Initiative on the subject of gun safety and the intersectional impact of gun violence on our communities.  Un...