Widely known as the “Mother of Mindfulness”, Dr. Ellen Langer is a foundational figure in the study of mindfulness outside of meditation traditions. Dr. Langer is the first woman to ever receive tenure in psychology at Harvard, where she has researched, in her own lab, mindfulness for over 40 years. Dr. Langer has published well over 200 research articles and 13 best-selling books, (“Mindfulness”, “The Mindful Body”, “The Art of Noticing”, “Counter Clockwise”, and “The Power of Mindful Learning”) in which she has written on the illusion of control, aging, stress, decision-making, and health without meditation. In our interview, Dr. Langer talks about these topics, and also shares lessons she has learned from her American mom Sylvia.

To learn more about Dr. Langer, visit her website here.

To order her latest book, visit here. 

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A mother, a US Marine Corps combat veteran and a Navy psychologist, Dr. Julienne Shin, talks about lessons she learned through her difficult relationship with her Filipino mom Corazon. We learn about the impact of a mother's relationships with her child at a young age, about not holding on to your parents’ pain; and about the importance of emotional intelligence. Julienne also shares some amazing things she learned through writing her dissertation about mothers in combat.

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Authors of “What To Do When I’m Gone” and “What to Do When You Get Dumped”, a mother-daughter team, share their mothers’ lessons. Suzy Hopkins is a former newspaper reporter and magazine publisher. Her daughter Hallie Bateman is a freelance writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles whose work has been published by The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Awl and others. Suzy talks about her mother, a soft-spoken librarian, and mother of six, who suffered domestic abuse and managed to leave the marriage after 30 years - only after she found out her husband had a mistress. We learn about leaving the moment somebody lifts a hand to you; about asking for help; talking about elephants in the room; and knowing what you have the right to expect from a relationship. While Suzy learned what not to follow, Hallie learned from Suzy’s example: how important it is to talk about everything; the power of unconditional love; and turning the sense of discovery and question-asking into art. Suzy also talks about recovering from grief after her husband or 30 years surprisingly asked for a divorce, a process which took four years, during which she wrote highly inspiring and comforting “What to do When You Get Dumped”.

To learn more about Suzy, follow her on Instagram here. 

To learn more about Hallie, visit her website here. 

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Project Associate at UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and co-founder of Diaspora Creatives, Audrey Kodjo tells us about her mom Lucy, who, in spite of having the status of a queen in Benin, had to master many obstacles both in her childhood and adulthood – from being a foster child to facing marital challenges. We learn about Benin, and what it means to be a queen there, but we also learn many life-lessons about teaching your children values and strong roots; why women are the backbone of a family; the eternal split between family and your dreams; the power of spirituality; and why it’s important to take risks.

To learn more about Diaspora Creatives, visit their website. 

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To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

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Psychodynamic psychotherapist, Alejandra Wild Proano, talks about her Ecuadorian mom Desiree, and shares her inspiring story. Desiree went from the first female guide through the Amazon to finding herself widowed, with two small children, a foreigner in the US. Not giving up, she took classes and became a licensed psychotherapist. We learn many wonderful lessons from Desiree: to follow your path and never give up; to see the invisible - the spiritual, energetic, magical side of our existence; to protect our relationships by cherishing what’s important and letting go of small things; and to not see things in black and white. Alejandra and I also talk about many different phases in a woman’s life, and about allowing our mothers – and ourselves - to be different things at different times. 

To learn more about Alejandra, please visit her website here.

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To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

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Dr. Briana Chen is a postdoctoral neuroscientist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she researches sex differences in stress resistance and psychiatric disorders. Briana is particularly interested in developing sex-specific treatments for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. She won numerous awards for her scientific work and was included in Forbes 2023 list of 30 under 30. Briana shares her Chinese mom May's lessons on the value of education, continuous learning, and curiosity about the world; about how important it is to question things and to always try understanding the “why” – as Briana explained, this helps her to find motivation for her scientific work and for pursuing grants and awards for her research. Finally, we learn about giving back – for Briana, it meant using her research to support those who are often overseen by the scientific and medical establishment – in her case, women.

To learn more about Briana and her work, please visit her website here. 

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To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

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Career and leadership coach based in Paris but originally from New York, Zeva Bellel, talks about her mom Karen, an artist from Brooklyn. Karen teaches us about becoming interesting people by following our curiosity; not getting hooked on a specific goal because it seemed right and good to others but thinking about choices that would expand our perspective and personality; building a healthy relationship with money; and recognizing what we want, and knowing that we deserve it. Zeva also talks about coaching and why it offers help our friends and family cannot provide. She also talks about always knowing she wanted to live and Paris and making the big move - which made her dreams come true.

To learn more about Zeva and her work, please visit her website. 

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To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

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Founder of “Carrie’s Touch”, a non-profit supporting Black women during their breast cancer battles, Tammie Denyse, talks about her mom Carrie, whom she lost at the tender age of 11 to domestic violence. Tammie shares Carrie’s lessons on unconditional love, faith, and the power to say no, and to leave painful relationships. Tammie also talks about her own experiences which turned her into a survivor. We’re learning from her not only about surviving life’s biggest challenges, and the incredible strength we carry inside, but also about the power of forgiveness, about faith, community, and the importance of supporting others. 

To learn more about Tammie and "Carrie's Touch", please visit their website. 

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To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

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Grief specialist and psychotherapist with multiple degrees in psychology, psychotherapy, and international healthcare, public policy, and economics, Adina Belloli is also the founder of the international charity “In-Visible” (which served 1.7 mio meals to children in the Philippines), founder of the “Motherless Mothers” community, and host of “Motherhood Beyond Books” podcast. Adina tells us the incredible story of her American mom Marilyn who did the impossible to be able to marry the love of her life, but was tragically killed in a car accident by a drunk driver when Adina was only six months old. Marylin was such an exceptional person, that even in her absence, she taught Adina some of life’s most important lessons. Adina talks about bravery, which can help us achieve the impossible; about being aware of the impermanence of life and thus living with intention, gratitude and appreciation; about the power of the full spectrum of emotions; and about loving fiercely, and intentionally communicating our love.

To learn more about Adina and her work, please visit her website. 

Subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter here. 

To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: [email protected]

To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.

For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net

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Reinvention coach, author of "Uncaged" and "A Great Move", speaker, and meditation teacher, Katia Vlachos was - before her own reinvention - a security and defense analyst. Katia talks about exiting the “good girl” mode, which often functions as a cage, about reinventing ourselves, especially if we feel stuck, and about self-mothering. She shares her Greek mother Natasha’s lessons on nurturing others (but she warns this can lead to self-sacrifice); resilience and discipline; and self-validation – which, as she explains, doesn’t necessarily equate with self-love.

To learn more about Katia, her coaching and her books, please visit her wesbite here. 

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