Should Have Listened to My Mother Podcast

Deborah was full of life. According to Mike, "she was working and traveling all the time. She did volunteer work. I travel just like my mom. She traveled for business and enjoyed it. She was trying to become a rehab counselor before passing " Higher education was always on Mike's mom's radar as was a "job with benefits." Deborah was committed to volunteer work. She often volunteered at a counselin...

Henry Woodman, a really interesting entrepreneur and father was wonderful explaining the complexities of his mother's behavior.  He and his two siblings had to juggle so many crazy situations that would never have happen in a "normal" family.  Henry shares stories of his mother that are truly shocking and unfortunate for any children to have to had to experience. And again, when you take into acco...

"She had a really, really good life," says  Stephanie about her mother. That said, it was a good life, yet complicated. As a young girl, Joanie had many friends, and so many were drawn in by her joyful energy, big heart and infectious laugh. Joanie's father owned a women's clothing store and  she got to ware  the newest designs of dresses and outfits from the shop on a regular basis. She love her...

My initial thought was to find information about  William Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden.  I was curious as to the role she played or didn't play in her son's life.  That search led me to Shakespearian expert and Columbia University English Professor, James Shapiro.  His initial responses was, "your podcast will last about 30 seconds because we don't know much about her."  That said, he mentione...

Jackie Dubrovich and I had a wonderful conversation about her families historical journey to to America. We also took a few minutes to share our similarities. Interestingly enough, both of us have stories to share of an Olympic experience, but from different perspectives. It was fun to reminisce about my experience at the 1980,  XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. These particular...

"Dorothy" was the name that the institution assigned to this new born baby girl that had been dropped off at this facility by the unmarried biological mother. At this time, there was unprecedented prejudice against illegitimate children and unwed mothers. This facility was government run and theoretically a highly regarded home for foundlings from the ages of 5 to 12 years old. At which point they...

Letting go of the busyness, was a gift Jennifer gave to herself.  Her grandmother was always keeping busy as was her mom, but Jennifer wasn't happy just doing things that she didn't really want to  do. My guest wanted to satisfy her interests of both the right and left sides of her brain.  Becoming an engineer seemed like a logical career choice because her father was an engineer.  Twenty years la...

Gerry Strain is a former Football player in Scotland. He played Football ( known as Soccer in America) for many many years and eventually he had to come to the understanding that he wasn't going to rise to the professional level that he aspired to for many reasons. He feels it had a lot to do with not being from the proper socio-economic class.  Eventually, Gerry became an agent and now he's the D...

In time, Tina became "the fixer" in the household. The fights and yelling was too much for Tina and she also took on the role of being her younger sister's protector.  She felt that she needed to calm everyone down most importantly for herself to feel safe. Feeling abandoned and neglected early on in her life, my guest's mother, was a highly sensitive child and she didn't get as much attention as...

Beth was raised in Worcester, MA and she was the youngest of three children. Unfortunately, she was born seventeen years after her second oldest sister. She was basically raised as an only child and  unfortunately didn't get much attention from her parents. Alan's grandparents felt that she was a pretty blond haired, blue eyed young lady and that she'd get married and start a family. They never in...

Throughout my conversation with Jordan, she spoke of what a loving family  she's a part of. So much open conversation,  a vast view of politics and current events going on in the world. Jordan is quick to point out that "my entire life I was raised in such an unapologetically feminist household. Both parents are/were feminists and both parents believed in female leadership." So it's no real surpri...

At 50, Julie's mom got divorced, became a real estate agent and started a new life.  Julie Campbell says, " we are more than our fears." And she knows first hand that it's possible to move on from your past and move on from your limiting beliefs. Julie is a New York actor and founder of Center Stage Connections, where she uses her acting background and tools to help others "move beyond limiting be...

Sarah is a writer and this is the  first time her work has been published in the New York Times. the link is below.  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/style/modern-love-looking-for-my-mother.html This is an unusual love story where a Pakistani woman proposed to her lover which was culturally not the norm. They were both young and very much in love. Unfortunately, Kaukab, translated from Arabic, m...

This is a story of a woman who didn't realize she had neurological conditions that were perhaps altering her abilities until she was in her forties. You ask how is that possible? Well, Sadie thought that everyone was just like her. She assumed everyone else's brain worked just like hers. Her biggest cheerleader was her grandmother, who since Sadie was a little girl, has catalogued everything her g...

My guest grew up in Chicopee, MA, a mill town, textiles/paper, with hard working moms and dads just trying to provide for their families. The  large immigrant community was trying to develop new skills while developing new ties with their new neighbors.  Ken's father's family was from Quebec, Canada and his mom, Cindy, her family immigrated from Scotland.  There's quite a bit to this story that Ke...

As a licensed Marriage and  Family Counselor, author and public speaker, Roya Dedeaux hears lots of 'mom' stories. The one she's most proud of is the story of her own mother, Pam. Pam and her siblings as well as her mother, Roya's grandmother, were all educators.  Education and learning was always a topic of concern whenever they got together.   So when Roya's mom said she wanted to 'unschool' Roy...

As a teen, Sam neglected to really connect with his mother. Unfortunately, Eleanor  passed away at a very young. In time, as a journalist, Sam realized  he had the skills to research his mom's past and get to know her from the beginning. In "Who She Was, My Search For My Mother's Life," you'll find the story of a beautiful young woman who had so many hopes and dreams and life, WWII, the Holocaust...

Did your mother ever suggest you take a 'SeaMester'-a semester off from college to sail to the caribbean and keep a journal? Or maybe your mom convinced your dad to quit his job and jump in the car for a once in a lifetime family vacation to Alaska? Or how about, forgo Christmas in order to participate in an anti Vietnam war protest in DC? Most likely not, but Tim Wacker's mother did . Ronnie Wack...

Rachel's father was a prominent doctor and pastor in Brazil. Unfortunately, Rachel's dad passed away when she was only 9 months old. After a few short years, Theresa, Rachel's mother, finds herself moving to the US on behalf of a sponsorship from a Christian church mainly because of her diseased husband's reputation. The two women relied heavily on the church community for support, including every...

In his 20's, Kevin took a job unexpectedly and stuck with it for a while. He made great money, had a car and beautiful girlfriend, but he realized he still wasn't happy on the inside. He was caught up and looking for happiness in the wrong places. Now he's motivated and confident and he's helping others get to that "next lever in life"-one that matters. Kevin explains that "it's where each of us c...

"It was all just about her," Lang explains. Her mom, Ann, was never  going to change. A mother who stuck to her routine whether it was taking a long bath, bike ride, going to the gym , it was all about he needs and wants and not her daughter's. Ann had a tough childhood, grew up in a strict household, so she was going to raise Diane the same way.  There are so many layers to this story, including...

Once Faith and I  had a confirmed our record date and time, Dr. Mitchell wrote saying "coincidentally this is Juneteenth.  What interesting alignment and a good opportunity to honor the ancestors who paved the way for so many of us today." And I couldn't have agreed more. Ophelia, My guest's mother and one of twelve children, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Faith shares stories of her m...

AJ is the youngest of three children. The eldest, Gary was born in Belarus and about three years old when the family emigrated to the United States. Tamara didn't have your typical childhood.  She was born in the former Soviet Union. During turbulent times, when Tamara was a young girl, she lost many family members, including her mother at the age of five. Though very young when her mom died, she...

Elinor is definitely driven professionally and personally. She's been studying, exploring and researching how or why she feels as though she had lost her true self, and now she's doing something about it. She's written several books, won many awards for her approach and understanding of bringing "the best of you" forward and getting the best payoff possible.  This approach has helped many  persona...

I've attached many of the links below that will take you to Edel's artwork and designs. He's highly regarded and is recognized nationally  and internationally for his works. His childhood and childhood memories lends itself to his creations today. He has gone back to Cuba a number of times to see his remaining family members and truly  understands all that his parents gave up for he and his older...