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PODCAST

Thank You, Mama

Award-winning author and journalist Ana Tajder talks to women from all over the world who share most valuable lessons they learned from their mothers. This biweekly trip around the world should allow the colorful experiences and wisdom of global mothers to inspire, empower, and maybe teach the listeners a lesson or two.

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All Episodes

31:47

Of Lessons, Books, and Seasons: Why Thank You, Mama...

Thank You, Mama ·

2026/02/03

Since launching Thank You, Mama on International Women's Day 2020, I've had the privilege of speaking with extraordinary women from around the world—artists and scientists, CEOs and stay-at-home moms, bestselling authors, pop stars, retirees, and entrepreneurs—about their mothers, their legacies, and the lessons that shape who we become. Across 183 episodes, these conversations have shared deeply personal stories and hard-won wisdom, revealing how universal our experiences are as women, daughters,

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45:13

Heading East to Reach the West: Mitra Jordan on Not...

Thank You, Mama ·

2026/01/21

Originally published in 2021, I'm replaying this remarkable interview in solidarity with the courageous women of Iran and to offer you historical context for the protests unfolding today. Retired preschool teacher Mitra Jordan reflects on the life and legacy of her mother, Sattareh Farman Farmaian - widely regarded as the mother of social work in Iran and author of Daughter of Persia (highly recommended). Sattareh was raised in a royal harem as one of 36 children born to the ruling prince of the

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38:06

Honor Life: Elodie Ferchaud on Loving Life;...

Thank You, Mama ·

2026/01/07

Elodie Ferchaud is a co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Boundless Life, where she helps families slow-travel the world while ensuring their children receive a high-quality education. A mother of four raising her children across borders, Elodie is building a global company while juggling school runs, bedtime negotiations, and night feeds. She speaks about her mother, Françoise, a music teacher who successfully balanced her passions and career with being a deeply present parent, and who showed

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40:23

Replay - Learning from Mary, Mother of God: Dr....

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/12/23

It's Christmas, and we're celebrating the birth of Jesus, so it's the perfect time to think about his mother, Mary. While she is omnipresent in Christianity - especially in Christian art - we know very little about her. This is why I was very excited to learn more about, and from, her through my guest, Dr. Christine Valters Paintner. Christine is the author of Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal. She has a PhD in Christian spirituality, is an abbess, and is the

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38:31

Brave is Beautiful: Ana Hebra Flaster on Courage; the...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/12/09

Former software engineer Ana Hebra Flaster has written extensively about Cuba and the Cuban-American experience for major U.S. publications including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe, as well as on her acclaimed Substack, @CubaCurious. Her memoir, "Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town," traces her family's remarkable journey from post-revolutionary Havana to a snowy mill town in New England. In our

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42:26

The Guise of Perfection: Amy Weinland Daughters on...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/11/25

Sports journalist and author of Dear Dana: That Time I Went Crazy and Wrote All 580 of My Facebook Friends a Handwritten Letter and You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened, Amy Weinland Daughters, shares the life lessons she learned from her American mom, Sue: the danger of hiding behind a "perfect" façade, the trap of letting others define who you are, and the inspiring fact that your current chapter isn't your whole story — because the best may still lie ahead. She also speaks

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32:20

Don't Stay Stuck: Dacia Moore on Depression; Work...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/11/11

Dacia Moore, licensed counselor and founder of Second Wind Counseling & Consulting, has dedicated her career to helping African Americans understand the benefits of therapy, take a proactive approach to mental wellness, and become their best selves. She's the author of Why Are So Many Students So Angry? and the forthcoming From Stuck to Unstoppable. In this episode, Dacia traces her mission back to her Jamaican mother, Dorothy, whose struggle with depression became a living picture of what it means

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44:03

Ignore It: Sairan Aqrawi on Midlife; Trust and...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/10/29

Engineer and Midlife Business Strategist Sairan Aqrawi shares her inspiring journey from Iraq to a new life in the United States—and the extraordinary story of her mother, Sidika, who was married at 14, became a mother at 15, and went on to raise seven children. From Sidika, we learn the power of patience and trust in divine timing; the wisdom of letting go of small grievances; the importance of choosing grace over noise, and of not seeking validation from others. She reminds us that not

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32:27

Where Does Your Validation Come From?: Julie Cobalt...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/10/14

Julie Cobalt is an attorney with over 25 years of experience as a Conflict Resolution Expert with 1,200 successful mediations accomplished. After many years of working with large companies, Julie is now supporting families in resolving their conflicts, and offering workshops on navigating challenging times such as divorce. Julie shared a story of her mom who was always seeking validation through helping people outside of her family. This led to a fascinating conversation about the balance of taking

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51:57

Breaking the Cycle: Becky Barnicoat on Achieving Your...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/09/16

Sometimes, on occasions that are getting rarer and rarer, Instagram can be a place of great discoveries, and Becky Barnicoat was one of those for me. A cartoonist published by The New Yorker, Grazia, The New Statesman, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, New York Magazine, Private Eye and Netflix, she had recently published her deeply funny and touching graphic memoir “Cry When the Baby Cries”. For years, her observations of daily life and motherhood made me burst out laughing (often when I needed it the most)

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34:17

Replay - Raising Amazing Women: Wanjiku Kiarie on...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/08/19

Wanjiku Kiarie, an accountant and podcaster from Kenya, talks about her mama Frasia, a teacher who raised and supported her four daughters during her husband’s battle with drinking. The episode is bursting with lessons on finding God; forgiving and giving; working hard, saving and investing; raising amazing women; and honesty. 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: info@thankyoumama.net For more about “Thank

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12:22

Replay - Get Up Where You Fall Down: Xue Hongyan on...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/08/05

This episode is a bit different, because in this episode you host Ana Tajder will tell you her guest’s mother’s story. To Ana’s big shock, because of technical difficulties with recording between US and China, the recording of this beautiful interview turned out blank. But Ana believed mama Chen’s inspiring story had to be shared, so she shared it herself, using notes she took during the interview. Ana’s guest is a Beijing based artist and industrial design professor Xue Hongyan. Xue talks about her

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30:43

Replay - The Mom & The Bhagwan: Ronit Plank on...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/07/22

Author and podcast host Ronit Plank, author of “Home is a Made-Up Place” and “When She Comes Back”, talks about her mom who left six year old Ronit and her four year old sister to move to India and follow guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the center of Netflix documentary “Wild Wild Country”. In this incredible story of personal development, Ronit shares how she forgave her mother and created a strong relationship with her. We learn that while most people don’t change, some do; that the way people treat

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28:21

Replay - Nevertheless She Prevailed: Ashura...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/07/08

Lawyer from Tanzania specialized in human rights, Ashura Kayupayupa, talks about her mother Rose, who, after her husband was killed in a car accident, was disowned by his family. Ashura tells us about widow abuse and witch-hunt, a problem that’s still widespread in Africa. But mama Rose stayed strong, re-built her life and started her small agricultural business. Rose teaches us about hope, endurance, hard work, patience, and focusing on your own life. We also learn not to ponder on why something

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47:26

You Decide What “All” Is: Jenn Hildreth and Aimee...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/06/24

Emmy-winning ESPN broadcaster Jenn Hildreth and FOX Sports Senior Vice President Talent Relations Aimee Leone, talk about “Tough as a Mother: Women in Sports, Working Moms, and the Shared Traits That Empower Us All”, their anthology offering an intimate look at the lives of iconic women in sports and their journeys of balancing family and career. Jenn also talks about her mom Sandra, from whom she learned to love, have courage and strength, always do her best, and find her own way of doing things

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56:42

What Belongs to You: Nida Sophasarun on Finding Your...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/06/10

A published poet, author of “Novice”, and mom, Nida Sophrasarun talks about how her poetry is influenced by her family on two ends: on one end, it was her family’s inability to communicate emotions that lead her to finding her voice in poetry. On the other end, the birth of her son lead her to finding herself again through writing. Nida talks about her Thai mom Kobkua, “a tiger”, as Nida describes her, from whom Nida learned important lessons, in spite of their challenging relationship. Nida talks

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56:57

Make Your Decision Right: Dr. Ellen Langer on...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/05/28

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

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34:02

Replay - It’s not Your Pain: Dr. Julienne Shin on...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/05/13

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. Subscribe to Ana's new

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47:53

Compassion for Yourself: Suzy Hopkins and Hallie...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/04/29

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

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30:57

Take Risks: Audrey Kodjo on the Importance of Values...

Thank You, Mama ·

2025/04/15

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

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188 results

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