Thank You, Mama

Sheena Yap Chan, the host of "Tao of Self Confidence" talks about her Chinese Filipino mom Didi and her lessons on adjusting to new situations, not letting age to define you, learning new skills, and doing what makes you happy. Sheena also shares lessons she learned from interviewing 809 amazing Asian women for her podcast, and talks about the Philippines. You can listen to "The Tao of Self-Confid...

Maruska Strah, Executive director of World Space Week Association, talks about her Slovenian mom Zlatka's lessons on working on love; always expanding your knowledge; spreading kindness and only saying good things about people; and loving and respecting yourself. From Maruska, we learn about space law, about ex-Yugoslavia, and about the importance of teaching our daughters about finances and to re...

It's Thanksgiving and I wanted to reach out and say "Thank you" to you, dear listeners, and celebrate the global success of "Thank You, Mama" with you: only 40 episodes in, we have listeners from 57 countries, guests from 24 countries – and two international awards. You made "Thank You, Mama" into a global platform for women to connect and inspire each other, which is especially valuable during th...

A former Lieutenant Colonel and Commander in the US Air Force, Dr. Uchenna Umeh is a pediatrician, global activist on youth suicide prevention, bestselling author and mother of three. Uchenna talks about her Nigerian mom Ngozi, an accountant and mother of six. From Ngozi, we learn about using our voices, and about understanding our children, treating each child as an individual and being present f...

International Spa Consultant Paola Restrepo-Moya talks about her Colombian mom Ruby and her lessons on the importance of dealing with depression; marrying a person you can grow up with; accepting that sometimes love just goes away; staying independent within a marriage; and teaching our daughters about their bodies and sex. Paola also shares her experience of living in many different countries and...

Jessica Ashley, a newly divorced mom who just launched her podcast "Stay Calm Mom", talks about her American mom Donna, with whom she shares her birthday, but also her college days - Donna enrolled in college together with her daughter. From Donna we learn lessons on making decisions, willing in what you wish for, resilience, courage, kindness, and thinking outside the box. Visit   www.thejessicaa...

This episode is a bit different, because in this episode you host Ana Tajder will tell you her guest's mother's story. Because of technical difficulties with recording between US and China, the recording of the interview turned out blank, but Ana believed mama Chen's inspiring story must be shared, so she shared it herself. Ana's guest is the Beijing based artist and industrial design professor Xu...

Personal chef Ana Kasparova talks about her Armenian mother Margarita who lost both of her parents at a very young age, and had to escape her home in Azerbaijan under very dramatic circumstances because of ethnic cleansing. Today, Margarita runs her very successful bi-lingual school in Bellevue, Washington. We hear about her lessons on strength, focus, determination, hard work, modesty, and gratef...

Rev. Michelle is a metaphysical minister, family constellation facilitator, and a clinical hypnotist helping women to heal their "Mother Wound". Michelle talks about her mother Karen who was an addict and lost her three children to foster homes, and shares the very profound lessons she learned from her: that we have to find compassion for the full woman our mother is, that we are inter-dependent w...

Psychologist, author and homicide survivor, Dr. Jan Canty, talks about her mom Lou's lessons on seeing setbacks as an opportunity, remembering there's always someone that has it worse then you, being grateful, and treating others how you want to be treated. Jan also talks about her experience of being a homicide survivor, her battle with cancer, adopting her special needs daughters, her inspiring...

France Winddance Twine is a sociology professor and author of "A White Side of Black Britain", which examines interracial parenting among white English and Irish mothers of children whose fathers are  of African-Caribbean heritage. Winddance talks about her mother Lois and her many lessons on embracing diversity, value of cultural capital, women's friendships, enjoying life, discipline, self-relia...

This special episode deals with the academic discourse on modern motherhood. Social anthropologist Dr. Charlotte Faircloth, author of "Militant Lactivism", talks about her research on attachment parenting, about how (and why) motherhood has changed through history, about the intensity of modern motherhood, and shifts in parenting culture. Charlotte also shares very practical lessons she learned fr...

Dr. Zsuzsa Berend, a sociology professor at UCLA and author of "The Online World of Surrogacy", talks about her Hungarian mother Rosa, who at 14 was the only Holocaust survivor in her family. Zsuzsa shares Rosa's touching story of abandonment, survival and depression, and talks about lessons she learned from her: the consequences of not dealing with trauma, the danger of believing in fairy tales,...

Ambi Kavanagh, author, astrologer, reiki master and sound healer from Los Angeles, talks about her Sri Lankan mom Rajeswary's lessons on faith, rituals, discipline, self-care, humility, getting help, and owning a home.  Ambi's website: https://alchemywithambi.com/ For more about Ana and "Thank You, Mama": http://www.tajder.com/ To contact Ana, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net

Ashura Kayupayupa, a lawyer from Tanzania specialized in human rights, talks about her mother Rose, who, after her husband was killed in a car accident, was disowned by his family. In this episode, we learn about widow abuse, a problem that's still widespread in Africa. But mama Rose prevailed, and from her, we learn about hope, endurance, hard work, patience, and focusing on your life. We also le...

Annie Averett is a mom of three from Seattle where she runs a small teaching and children's safety business. She talks about her mom Grady who runs her own HR consulting company. Grady taught Annie not to fall in love with the mirror, to be kind to others, and if failing - to fail with pride. For more information about Annie, please visit her business website: https://teaching-hands.com/ For more...

Sloane Ketchum is a business tycoon, best-selling author, coach and public speaker from Hawaii. Sloane talks about her mom Shelley who grew up in traditional Chinese culture, and her lessons on changing oppressing traditions, determining your future, and getting out of hard situations. Sloane also talks about her experience of being a teen mom, about not letting your circumstances to define you, a...

Intuitive and creative coach, Mara Marchesi, shares lessons she learned through healing herself in order to change her relationship with her mom. We learn that we need to accept people as they are (including their limitations), that we can only change (or heal) ourselves, not others, that we can change old patterns by managing our emotions before responding, and that we have everything we need ins...

Sophia Wise One, a singer, speaker, teacher and transformational storyteller, shares her mom Grace's lessons on loving your body, applying yoga to your life, making decisions, and accepting change. From Sophia, we learn about empowering stories behind yoga poses, ancestral healing, chronic fatigue syndrome, letting things roll off your back, and saying "No". More about Sophia:  https://www.sophiaw...

Hamidah Thanawala, a financial consultant from New Jersey, talks about her Burmese mama Zubeda, and her numerous lessons. We learn to be content with what we have, to give, to celebrate life, that we are the owners of our experience, that trouble comes our way to teach us something, and that believing is achieving. We hear a very unique marriage story and as a little extra, we also learn how to pr...

Writer, co-author and editor of several life-style books, and a true New Yorker, Caitlin Leffel, talks about her mom Victoria, whom she lost when she was only 23. From Victoria, we learn to value our happiness, turn our passion into a profession, and that children do not guarantee happiness. Caitlin also talks about her experience of losing a mom, facing death with respect and dignity, the process...

Psychiatrist and coach Dr. Soniya Hirachan talks about her Nepalese mama Asha ("hope" in Nepalese) who grew up in the Himalayas, and every summer walked for a week to the nearest city to help her father sell the produce from their farm. Later in life, Asha built a profitable restaurant business and sent her children to the best schools in Nepal, India and the US. She teaches us about resilience, h...

Leisa Peterson is a money and business coach, and author of "The Mindful Millionaire" (coming out today!). Leisa talks about her mom Jacquie, who was a hippie in Berkley during the '70s. Jacquie faced many struggles but always worked hard to support her children. We learn from her to not let the past dictate your future, to be independent and do whatever it takes to provide for your family, to be...

Susan Moylan-Coombs is an Australian First Nations woman, and an advocate for social justice. A member of the Stolen Generations, Susan talks about lessons she learned from both her adoptive mother and her biological mother. We learn that some situations are often not about you - it's about others, that sometimes you should just walk away, and to not allow trauma to dictate who you are. We also le...

School counselor Rev. Dr. Marisha Stewart talks about her mother Rev. Patricia, and her lessons on believing in yourself, finding your faith, having courage, helping the ones who are forgotten by the society, and being a great mother. Marisha also shares her beautiful wisdom on raising a son.  For more information on "Thank You, Mama" please visit www.thankyoumama.net