Thank You, Mama Ana Tajder

Amanda Craig is a licensed marriage and family therapist in NYC and Connecticut, and the author of “Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Kid: Connect with Your Tween While They Are Still Listening.” Amanda talks about creating an early emotional connection with our children, about why she wrote a book about parenting tweens, and about her American mom Sharon, a single mother who worked three jobs to provide for her two daughters. Amanda shares lessons she learned from her mother about substance use and parenting, education as source of independence and self-confidence, about taking care of your finances, and the importance of finding your purpose.
You can find Amanda's book on Amazon. To connect with Amanda, you can find her on Instagram or LinkedIn. 
To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net
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https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/
https://twitter.com/tajder

Stay-at-home mom Arlyn Kostelac talks about her Philipino mom Felina’s life and lessons. We learn about harsh circumstances of being a working-class woman in the Philippines, about loss, sexual abuse in families, domestic violence, and femicide. From mama Felina, we learn lessons on resilience and hard work, self-sacrifice for your children, and being resourceful and creative. We also learn that we are stronger than we think, that we shouldn’t care too much about other people’s opinions of us, about being content, and about the importance of friendships. Arlyn also talks about her decision to be a stay-at-home mom, and about wanting her family to live a simple and mindful life.
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" and to subscribe to the newsletter, 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

Doroteja Gradištanac, Head of the Austrian radio station “FM4”, shares her Serbian mother Lola’s lessons. Lola finished medical school while pregnant with Doroteja, and moved to Austria together with her husband and older son for a job in an Austrian hospital - and a better life for her family - leaving eight months old Dodo behind for two years. She went on to build a career as an anesthesiologist, create a new life in a foreign country, raise two children, and successfully battle cancer. From mama Lola, we learn to not blindly follow group pressure; to not feel guilty about getting help as a working mom; to work hard and not allow failure as an option; to not depend on a man; to create a family as a safe space; and to be there for yourself, and not dependent on the recognition of others. We also talk about feminism, about the value system in the Balkans vs. the US, about the long road to self-discovery, and about the importance of how women are pictured in the society. Dodo also talked about learneing from her grandmother and her aunt, acknowledging the huge importance of ancestorial wisdom.
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" and to subscribe to the newsletter, 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

As a holiday special, instead of an episode, I’d like to give you a little gift in form of a guided meditation. Since I started meditating in 2000 as part of my tai-chi practice, meditation stayed my daily habit. It has helped me to stay sane and healthy through all these years marked by many challenges. If you’ve never meditated before, maybe I can motivate you to start. If meditation is part of your practice, maybe I can bring some new aspects to it. If you find my voice soothing, it’s a bonus - and a special gift for Tiffany, my dear friend who asked me years ago to record myself talking to help her fall asleep. I hope this meditation will help you relax, center yourself, and feel re-energized.
I wish you blissful holidays and a fantastic 2023, and I’m very excited about sharing more amazing women, their mothers, and lessons with you in the New Year. I am deeply grateful to you for sharing this journey with me.
To contact me, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net
For more about “Thank You, Mama" and to subscribe to the newsletter, 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
http://www.tajder.com

Gayle Brandeis is the award-winning author of the memoir “The Art of Misdiagnosis: Surviving My Mother's Suicide”, the novel in poems “Many Restless Concerns", as well as several novels, a poetry collection, and a writing guide. Her essay collection “Drawing Breath” will be released in 2023. Gayle’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Salon, and more. In this episode, Gayle talks about healing from her mother’s suicide, living with her delusions, and using writing to instigate change. From Gayle’s mom Arlene, we learn about using art and creativity as a source of meaning and joy, listening to your intuition, and knowing that your voice can make a difference. We also learn about the importance of setting boundaries, and the art of navigating conflicts.
Gayle mentions “American Foundation for Suicide Prevention” as one of the most important resources that helped her with her healing process. For more information, please visit their website.
For more information on Gayle and her work, please visit following links:
Gayle's website: http://gaylebrandeis.com Gayle's forthcoming book, Drawing Breath: Essays on Writing, The Body, and Loss from Overcup Books (February, 2023) An essay from the collection, "My Shadow son: A stranger insisted he was my child for more than a decade" Gayle's Twitter: https://twitter.com/gaylebrandeis 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" and to subscribe to the newsletter, 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

Dana Rimawi is the CEO and founder of A’myn, a company that promotes social justice through rugs designed and hand-made by local artisans and refugees. She talks about her Palestinian mother Fairuz who was forced to leave her home in West Palestine in 1948 and has since lived in Jordan, Syria, USA and Saudi Arabia. Mama Fairuz teaches us about being adaptable and flexible, reinventing yourself at any age, being financially independent, thinking positive and visualizing, having faith, growing from any given situation, and always learning and working. We talked about the experience of being a refugee, and how it becomes a generational trauma. Dana speaks about learning to stand to your identity, as difficult as it can be in some situations, and preparing your children for the real world, and real people, out there. She shares her own journey of a Palestinian American born in Kansas, raised in Texas and currently based in Jordan, and talks about her work with refugees, something she also learned from her mom.
You will find Dana's rugs on the A'myn webiste. 
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" and to subscribe to the newsletter, 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