Thank You, Mama

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 lesson...

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...

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...

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...

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 e...

  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...

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...

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 w...

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 anesthesiologis...

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...

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 t...

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...

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 a...

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 t...

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, a...

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 wit...

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...

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 i...

Welcome to episode 100! Trade unionist Tanja Vicas, shares lessons she learned from her Austrian/Canadian mom Ingrid, a prison guard and parole officer. We learn about how amazing we women are; being true to yourself; taking a break when you need one; being honest; being true to yourself and not letting anyone define who you are; and importance of education and financial independence. Tanja also t...

CEO and business consultant specialized in sustainability, Thekla Wilkening, is a co-author of "Bio-Pizza Dilema". Thekla shares lessons she learned from her German mom Heidrun on being a bold woman; living consciously; having understanding and patience for people; and Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative (act the way you want others to act). We also talked about sustainability and about cultura...

Book author, journalist and editor Joanna Czechowska shares lessons she learned from her English mother Christine on being a good conversationalist; being thrifty, making things and never wasting anything; being strong-minded and never following the "herd"; loving literature and words; and loving music. Joanna also talks about her mother's Catholic faith sometimes being too strict, which made her...

Karen C.L. Anderson, author of "Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters", talks about her work with complicated mother-daughter relationships, and shares her American mom Cynthia's lessons on being bold, spirited, unexpected, and getting what you want; not being afraid of traveling by yourself; being adventurous with food and cooking; and hating one's body and shaming oneself. Karen talks about wishing...

Prehistoric archeologist, Dr. Katharina Rebay-Salisbury, talks about her research on motherhood in prehistory and about our romanticized idea of giving birth in the old times; how our bodies have changed through evolution; the history of birth complications and c-sections; and the identity change when becoming a mother. Katharina shares her Austrian mom Monika's lessons on juggling work and family...

Witches, artists, activists, and perpetual students, Risa Dickens and Amy Torok are hosts and authors of "Missing Witches". "Missing Witches" is a labour of love, research, and web-weaving, dedicated to creating an intersectional, feminist history of ideas; and uncovering feminist and marginalized ideas about what is and what's possible; and helping to build communities of care with other magical...

Sarifa Moola-Nernæs, CEO of Ubuntu Coaching, is a Makhuwa woman, an African feminist, businesswoman, life coach and speaker with extensive experience in refugee services and social and economic inclusion. Sarifa talks about her South African mom Jamaila and her lessons on being grounded, being of service, and respecting and supporting others. Sarifa also talks about the Makhuwa matrilineal society...