About Your Mother

 If you want to get to know your mother, have her on your podcast. I wrote a book about my mother's life and my own, and it was hard for her, naturally.

But people ask me, what does your mom think about the book? For this Mother’s Day, I invited my mother on my podcast to share her voice with my listeners and readers. 

Just like phone conversations, a microphone has the power to deepen personal relationships. I've witnessed...

As Mother's Day approaches, I find myself reflecting even more deeply on the women who shaped us—especially the woman who shaped me: my mother. Through hosting the About Your Mother podcast and writing my memoir, Both Sides of Then, I’ve learned that Mother's Day isn’t just about celebration—it’s also about reflection, curiosity, and connection.

At the heart of my work is one simple but powerful belief: "If you want t...

Mothering is hard, but we don’t want to admit that there is pain in everyday mothering. Why is that? Confessing to the dark moments of mothering keeps us from living up to the high bar of perfection that we–and society–has asked of mothers.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Margo Lowy, a psychotherapist and the author of Maternal Ambivalence, about why we need to embrace the light and dark moments of mothering. She shares how th...

Is your relationship with money inherited? What if, when it came to your finances, you mothered yourself? In this episode of About Your Mother, personal finance expert Elizabeth Husserl shares the radical redefinition of wealth that we all need to hear.

Elizabeth is the author of The Power of Enough, which she dedicated to her ancestors and the wisdom they instilled in her.

Resources Mentioned

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Manfred Max-Ne...

 What if you wrote something, something that was true and significant to you, and those words launched a media attack of shame and judgment that rendered you nearly silent - how would you feel? What would you do? 

Melissa Petro is a writer, a mom, and a wife. Her book, Shame on You, How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, is a brilliant examination of how society, and people in general, mortify women that we don't unders...

 Is there hope in loss? Yes. Absolutely. My conversation with copywriter turned novelist JJ Elliot is an exploration of her experience losing her mom to suicide, then having that open doors to her helping others.

Subconsciously, the loss of her mom led to her novel about a group of women who lose a friend by her own hand. Those friends take that loss to celebrate their own lives. JJ's goal in writing her book was to get people ...

Mother being a ubiquitous term, I've wanted to take the direction of the podcast in a way to celebrate the mother we all share, Mother Nature. I cannot think of a better person to launch this exploration than with Kevin Grange.

Kevin is one of those people that when he starts talking I can't stop asking questions or listening to his stories. A former paramedic in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Kevin has seen it all. He has b...

For nearly three years, I've been sharing stories of survival, hope, and love launched from the word mother, a ubiquitous term that is so deeply rooted in all of our becomings. This universal topic, the influence our mother's story has on our own life, has caught on with so many, and in many ways, this conversation has no limits. I truly believe if you want to get to know someone, ask them about their mother.

Tod...

Immersing ourselves in a culture is exhilarating and can change our view of the world. What happens when you are an American marrying into a Chinese family? What could go wrong? Good Chinese Wife is a memoir that explores Susan Blumberg-Kason's life integrating into a Chinese family and her thrilling search for agency.

Connect with Susan

susanbkason.com

Good Chinese Wife

Learn more about the podcast at byjennifergri...

Life changing conversations can happen at any time in our lives—but what if you are 14 and your mother reveals a secret that upends your adolescence and sends you on a decades long journey to untangle from the world she brought you in, the world you were happy to be a part of? Adrienne Brodeur's best selling book, Wild Game, examines the price she paid to be her mother's confidant and helper in an epic affair with her hus...

The experiences of our ancestors are passed down through generations. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in our connection with our mothers. Our mothers carry us, and we carry them in some ways. For Agata Izabela Brewer, it was living with her alcoholic mother that inspired a desire to know how hunger and trauma several generations ago shaped her mother's attitude toward nurturing.

In her memoir, The Hunger Book from Communist...

Christy Warren never imagined the unexpected twist her career would take. The weight of her experiences as a firefighter ultimately led to an unexpected battle with PTSD, but her resilience and honesty shed light on the often overlooked emotional toll that many frontline workers face. As she opens up about her journey, Christy's raw account brings to light the urgent need for comprehensive mental health support within the firs...

In the blink of an eye, Charlotte Maya's life took an unexpected turn when she lost her husband by suicide, leaving her grappling with a series of emotions. From empathy to rage to overwhelming guilt, she found herself navigating uncharted territory in the wake of tragedy.

Maya's story is one of resilience and hope, highlighting how being honest with our experience can help others heal. Amidst the darkness, a guiding light...

Do you long for the freedom of a sober lifestyle in a world that constantly celebrates alcohol? Laura McKowen joins us in this conversation to share her own experience and journey to sobriety. By unraveling the complexities of societal pressures, Laura will guide you towards a life of clarity, strength, and sobriety. Get ready to discover the solution that will empower you to thrive in a society that may not fully understand the be...

On this Mother's Day, I want to celebrate not only my guests, but also the lessons I've learned from having my show for almost two years. In my dozens of interviews with guests and casual conversations with people, I have learned that our mothers are the beginning of our identity, who we are is inherently linked to the woman who carried us directly and indirectly. The decisions they made in their lives shape our early exi...

Keshia Adeniyi-Dorsey is a family defender, educator, and activist who brings her experience with the foster care system into the heart of her work as a family defense attorney. Keshia tirelessly advocates for parents who risk losing their children to the system.

Past episodes in our What Happened Then series highlighted a time in history— at risk of returning— where primarily white single women were forced to relinquish their child...

Making it as a writer isn’t an easy task, but Linda Sivertsen has found the secret sauce. Known as the best writing coach, agent connector, and Book Mama, Linda has authored and co-authored eleven books, including two New York Times best sellers. Today, she joins us to share her journey to writing, what makes a good writer, and how she found herself sharing the stories of so many New York Times Best Selling Authors!

Plus, did you kn...

When adoptees search for their birth parents, it's the pursuit of identity. Where do I come from? Who gave birth to me? What is my medical history?  

AYM guest, Jan Beatty, wanted to know her name – not the one given by her adoptive parents, but the name on her birth certificate. This quest began a decades-long search. An experience documented in her memoir, American Bastard.

Connect with Jan
Jan Beatty Website
Red ...

Ann Fessler's critically accompanied book, "The Girl Who Went Away," gives voice to the millions of women forced to surrender their babies in the decades before Roe v Wade. As an artist and a teacher, listening to Ann tell her story feels like you are walking into a lecture hall about to learn something new, and you are.

Connect with Ann
Website
The Girls Who Went Away
A Girl Like Her

L...