A mother’s love knows no limits, and Lesley Hu’s story on this episode of About Your Mother perfectly illustrates that.

Content warning: this is an incredibly emotional and painful story that contains an episode of violence that is hard to reconcile with our conscience. However, it’s also a story of hope and a mother’s love that is tested beyond comprehension.

Five years ago, to the date this episode was released, on January 13, 2021, Lesley Hu’s son, Pierce, was killed by his father in San Francisco. It’s a multi-layered story of divorce, custody, madness, and violence. Lesley bravely shares her story with us today.

Connect With the Guest

Pierce’s Pledge

Lesley Hu

Pierce's Pledge IG

Oftentimes, our fears are our best guide. The things we don't understand can be our greatest teachers. In this episode of About Your Mother, we examine the mother we all share: Mother Nature.

Today, we reflect on Mother Earth through one of her most misunderstood teachers, the wolf. For a long time, I've been following the story of Takaya, the lone wolf. He found himself alone on an island in Canada.

We've been taught to fear predators, and yet when we pause long enough to look honestly, we begin to see that humans have become the true apex predators on this planet. Wolves don't take more than they need. They live in balance. What we fear in them often reflects what we struggle to face in ourselves.

I'm joined today by Cheryl Alexander, photographer, filmmaker, and the storyteller behind Takaya: The Lone Wolf. Through years of quiet witnessing, Cheryl invites us to see a wolf, not as a threat, but as a teacher, and to consider what it might mean to protect what we've long been afraid of.

Resources Mentioned

Jane Goodall

Women For Wolves

Joe Rogan’s take on wolves

Cody Robert’s wolf story

Take Action for Wolves

Connect With the Guest

Instagram: instagram.com/takayalonewolf

Website: takayaslegacy.com

Cheryl’s books: takayaslegacy.com/books

Takaya the Movie: A Story of Survival Against the Odds

 Since I was in my twenties, I've read the New York Times Sunday edition in a particular order: the style section is first, plus I read the modern love piece every time. I remember reading what Shamu taught me about marriage, and I remember reading, “Those aren't fighting words, dear.” It didn't take Laura Munson weeks or even months to write them either. It was less than an hour. Why? Because she had hit the vein of truth and it just poured out of her.

Her dreams of publishing a novel first were dashed because when that piece came out, it was a memoir that she sold. She had created a firestorm with her essay. Laura is someone I have watched for years. Now that I am in the publishing world, Laura and I are one degree from each other in several directions. What I have found in this new world is there are women like Laura who guide, lift, and build other writers up. That is what she does innately.

Her new book, the Wild Why is about honoring your creativity. Creativity is Laura's core. She has written dozens of books, some that sit on the shelves collecting dust, but she is always creating. This conversation on About Your Mother touches on writing, but it is about so much more. It is about setting yourself free, finding awe, and living your truth. Here is a listen on what it means to honor what lives inside of you.

Resources Mentioned

• Gertrude Stein: “There is No There, There”
• The Craighead Brothers
• Kelly Corrigan
• Naomi Shihab Nye
• Jim Harrison
• Brooke Warner
• Brené Brown
• Miami Book Fair
• Dani Shapiro
• Maria Shriver

Connect With the Guest

• Website: https://lauramunson.com/
• Book: The Wild Why
• Writing Programs and Retreats
• Modern Love Essay

 Chance meetings can lead to the most incredible connections. While I was doing a ski clinic this winter, the instructor overheard a conversation I was having about publishing my book. Later that day, she approached me, “I heard you're an author! So is my mom, Jane Green, do you know her?”

Of course, I know her. Jane Green is a national bestseller. Today, Jane joins me to share about her journey from journalist to novelist and offers her best tips to aspiring writers.

She also gets transparent about self-acceptance, her midlife reinvention, owning the mistakes she’s made as a mother, and more. Finally, after trailblazing the chick lit genre, she shares with us her most recent project: writing a memoir. You’re going to love this conversation with Jane.

Connect With the Guest

• Website: janegreen.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/janegreenauthor
• Daily Mail Column

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 this countless times as I've developed friendships with people I've interviewed, and it is true of this conversation with my mother.

My connection to my mother's story was the inspiration for launching my podcast About Your Mother, where your story begins as well as the foundation from a mother-daughter memoir, Both Sides of Then, available wherever books are sold. Well, listeners and readers, here she is… Anna!

Through it all, she counts her blessings and credits the women who stepped in as mothers in her life. I hope you love this special episode just in time for Mother’s Day.

Resources Mentioned

• Both Sides of Then
• Superhero: A Biography of Christopher Reeve

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 to truly know someone, ask them about their mother."

After years of heartfelt interviews, personal exploration, and writing, I’m excited to share something special with you: a selection of carefully crafted prompts designed to help you better understand the woman your mother was before she became your parent—and in doing so, to better understand yourself.

Download the Mother's Day Reflection Prompts here >>

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 the complicated moments can fuel our love, help us practice self-compassion, and model forgiveness to our children.

Resources Mentioned

Torn in Two by Rozsika Parker

Happy Event film

The Hedgehog film

Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman

Ladybird film

Connect With the Guest

Maternal Ambivalence by Margo Lowy

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-Neef

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Scarcity Brain

Connect with the Guest

The Power of Enough book

The Wealth Mandala

Website: elizabethhusserl.com

Instagram: instagram.com/elizabethhusserl