Thank You, Mama Ana Tajder

Professor of Psychology and author of numerous books incl. “The Positive Shift”, Catherine Sanderson, teaches us that although some of us are born “not happy” (something she’s witnessed with her mother), we can change this by making conscious decisions. As a special treat, Catherine  shares her tips on how to do this in this episode. Connected to this, she talks about her research on courage and healthy ageing. Catherine tells us the story of her American mom Judith who bravely faced all challenges life served her to build an impressive career while being a mother of two. We learn from Judith about perseverance and not allowing challenges to define us; the value of family or community; and the importance of writing well.
To learn more about Catherine 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: info@thankyoumama.net
To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.
For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net
Connect with Ana on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
https://twitter.com/tajder
 

A nurse and expert on tissue regeneration, co-Founder & CMO of FetTech, a biotech company specialized in the healing process, Danielle Fette shares her American mom Jill’s lessons. Jill grew up in extreme poverty, married her high-school sweetheart and had a perfect family life until her husband betrayed her. Now in her 70s, Jill is living her best life with her partner and her two daughters and their families in Florida. From Jill, we learn that the second act can be our happiest; that there will always be challenges and we just have to deal with them; about unconditional love for our children; that money doesn’t buy happiness; and about people pleasing and setting boundaries.
To learn more about Danielle and FetTech, visit their 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: info@thankyoumama.net
To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.
For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net
Connect with Ana on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
https://twitter.com/tajder
 

Internal medicine physician, work-life integration researcher and author of “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity”, Saundra Dalton-Smith talks about burning out when she became a working mother, which inspired her to write her book about the seven kinds of rest and become an advocate for restoring wellbeing in workplace.
Saundra lost her birth-mother during childbirth and was raised by her American great-grandmother Fanny, who lived to be 103. Fanny teaches us about having a strong sense of self; about listening to your body and eating well; and about enjoying nature and the still moments of meditation, nature, prayer and “listening to the wind.” We also learn from Saundra’s birth-mother Sarah, who teaches us that we never know when our time will come so every moment is precious and we should leave nothing unsaid, and most importantly: we must always express our love to our loved ones. We also learn that our hearts are big enough to have multiple mothers who come in different forms – on top of being raised by her great-grandmother, Saundra also had a step-mother who was an important mother figure to her.
To learn more about Saundra, her work and her book, 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: info@thankyoumama.net
To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.
For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net
Connect with Ana on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
https://twitter.com/tajder

Award-winning writer, mythologist specialized in Celtic Studies, and a psychologist, Sharon Blackie, is also the bestselling author of “If Women Rose Rooted”. Sharon talks about her work with the feminine in myths, fairy tales and folklore and how these traditions can help us deal with issues we women are dealing with such as menopause, burnout, and the mother-daughter relationship. Sharon also talks about her mother Doris with whom she had a difficult relationship due to Doris’ alcoholism and controlling nature, and how she managed to distance, and heal, herself from this relationship, partially through learning how to fly a plane. She shares Doris’ lessons on tenacity, daring to be authentically yourself, and accepting that you’re not the center of every story.
To learn more about Sharon, her books 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: info@thankyoumama.net
For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit here.
To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.
Connect with Ana on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
https://twitter.com/tajder

Therapist, coach and teacher specialized in mother-daughter relationships Rosjke Hasseldine, is also the author of “Mother-Daughter Puzzle” and founder of Mother-Daughter Coaching International. She talks about the major topics she deals with in her work: mother blaming and estrangement, mapping your mother-daughter history, patriarchy and culture of female service, and identifying your needs and voicing them. She also talks about her mother Tineke who was born in Indonesia, raised in the Netherlands, spent two years in a Japanese camp during WWII, and later immigrated to New Zealand.  Tineke was a mother of five who sacrificed her teaching career to take care of others. As Rosjke describes her, she was a stoic and emotionally silent woman who carried her martyrdom as a badge of honor. We learn from her to avoid a life of self-sacrifice for others and instead to find what we need and claim it for ourselves. We also learn that martyrdom isn’t actually good for anyone – it is more valuable to find your talents and joy, and share them with the world. We also learn that caregiving should be a two-way street of giving and taking.
To learn more about Rosjke and her work, 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: info@thankyoumama.net
To learn more about "Thank You, mama" creative writing workshop, visit here.
For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net
Connect with Ana on social media:
 https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
 https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
 https://twitter.com/tajder

Dunja Bonacci-Skenderovic is an independent consultant for elimination of violence against women. In the beginning of our interview, Dunja gives us an overview of types of violence women globally are facing today (from domestic violence, rape, trafficking, to femicide), shares some statistics, and shares what we can do to prevent violence against women - not only as women, but also as mothers. Dunja also talks about her Croatian mother Tanja, a mom of three, who was a rare female professor of engineering in former Yugoslavia (now Croatia), had a drivers license when her husband didn’t, always insisted on all domestic work being shared with her husband, and who faced her cancer treatment with enviable rationality and determination. Tanja teaches us about independence, about hard work and persistency, about tackling problems. But we also learn how important it is to be able to do nothing, to show emotions, to tell our children how proud we are of them, to celebrate small things in life, and to teach our daughters about their bodies and sexuality.
To learn more about ending violence against women, visit the UN Women website here.
To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here. 
To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net
For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net
To connect with Ana on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
https://twitter.com/tajder