Stephen DiJoseph and his mother Angelina had a wonderful relationship. Stephen credits both his parents for all of their support especially when it came to allowing him to follow his passion for music. It was Angelina who wanted Stephen to follow his musical interests because it was something that she was unable to pursue throughout her life. A mom's love for her son, lead her on a search for ten years, trying to get an accurate diagnosis of his tics/fidgeting condition. Tourette Syndrome is...

This week on SHLTMM, my guest, author and poet, Anthony McDuffie Jr, shares stories of his childhood struggles beginning after the loss of his father and looking for love and support in the wrong places. His mother, Shottie, had several children to take care of and was distraught as well. She tried to guide her son, but it took fifteen years in prison before she saw her son turn his life around. He now understands that his mother was trying to help him, but he wasn't ready to listen. Now...

My Guest, Moksha, is the founder of Sovereign Eats, a wellness and raw food company where she advocates for health and wellbeing. Born and raised on the Caribbean island Country, Grenada, just north of Trinidad and Tobago, her relationship with the earth and indigenous foods of Grenada are still dear to her heart. When you hear Moksha's stories you'll find that from a very young age she thought outside the box, outside of the traditions of her culture and I admire that quite a bit. She held...

"When I was a young kid it was great having lots of family around, someone to hang out with," says Kevin Jerome, "but getting evicted and moving over and over again got old." Hear the stories of my guest, Kevin Jerome, who learned at an early age that he may just have to figure things out on his own regardless of his large family.

My guest, Costas Schuler, was born and raised in the suburbs of Athens, Greece. As a young boy he would summer with his family on the Greek Island Ikaria. Ikaria is where his mother, Lemonia or Lemon, spent many years as a child and an adult in the village at the top of the Island. Costas says, "she was a farmer. She grew up in the land. She grew up on the land and in the land." You'll hear stories of how Costas's parents met in Australia and their life in Greece and America.

This is the story of a mom who was a dreamer and a rebel. She's one of a large family raised during the depression, so she knew well enough about hard work and empty stomachs. And according to my guest, Robert W. Norris (Bob), his mother Kay, was very, very fair to others, she was a great listener and didn't judge people.

*As a note of caution, this episode of "Should Have Listened To My Mother," contains graphic content that may be disturbing. My guest, David Thomas is many things, but modest, he is not. He'd be the first to tell you that he's not modest, he's made mistakes and he's still trying to figure out life. A very successful public speaking coach, a former fireman and a best selling author from Halifax, Yorkshire, England, Thomas did not have an easy childhood. His abusive mother and step-father,...

Sean Kelly did not have the typical upbringing. He was an illegal alien living in Germany with his parents by age 11. Though his parents were no longer in a stable relationship, it was his mother, Linda, who was the salt of the earth.

My guest, the eldest of three daughters, Gina Mundy, says her parents where way tougher on her then her younger siblings. And Gina also says she always wanted to be a lawyer and her mother, Sue, was always there to support her. We'll hear more about Sue and how "she's one of the kindest and most non judgmental person you'll ever meet," says Gina. But my guest says she and her two sisters learned how to have fun by watching her mom interacting with her own sisters.

Born and raised in South Carolina and subsequently moved to Philadelphia, Lyvita Brooks and her mother were very close even though there was always a bit of friendly competition between the two women. Raised by a single mom, Lyvita was always very protective of her 'one on one' time with her. Her mother, Verdell, was the youngest of nine children and a Physical Education teacher loved by all.

Russell Andrews, my guest is an Olivier Award winning actor and he and his mother, Dorothy were best friends. Russell has a magical story to share about his mother and grandmother and the lessons shared and learned. It's crazy how life circles back around and presents itself in a new way, one that you see perhaps more clearly the second time around. Russell is also celebrating the release of his recent book "Shoes." Enjoy the show.

Dr. Susan Landers is a retired neonatologist with 34 years experience helping babies, mothers and families through trying times. Raising three children while practicing medicine full time was her inspiration for her book "So Many Babies" sharing the hard truths about juggling the roles of a working mother. It was her mother, Margaret, who she credits for the love of reading among other things. Dr Landers now realizes her mother taught her a lot more than she's given her credit for.

Prior to Jeannine's adoption, her adoptive parents had lost several babies over ten years and had suffered tremendous loss. Though she had been provided a home and plenty to eat, things were by no way perfect. At 17, my guest, had had enough. She left home and didn't know what her future would bring. You'll get a chance to hear about both Jeannine's adoptive mom, Carol and her biological mother, Ellyn.

"Big Mama" was the term the kids lovingly used to refer to their mother. Though she was petite, they knew, "she was in charge" says Father Jim Worth, the youngest of the seven children. "She would give you the shirt off her back and she made all the decisions" says the pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Maplewood, NJ. Renea, or mom, had to start making decisions at a young . Her father died suddenly and she took over the role of mother as her mom was overcome with grief.

John R. Miles and his mother Elizabeth, or better known as, Betty, are featured in this week's episode. John is host of "Passionstruck with John R. Miles," the #1 Alternative Health" podcast and author of the book, "Passionstruck-12 Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life." Betty was instrumental in helping John recover from a traumatic childhood injury, one that still at times effects his life today. My guest is a Navy Veteran, Peak Performance Coach,...

It has been brought to the attention of SHLTMM Podcast, that Sara Chana's mother, Enid, passed away shortly after this conversation was recorded in December 2023. Sending our most sincere condolences to Sara and her entire family. It's such an honor to share this story of Sara's mother and the indelible impact that she had on her daughter's life. It was such a pleasure speaking with Sara Chana Silverstein. Talk about a bundle of energy. Don't know how she does it with seven children and her...

"She always made me believe that I could make it. That I could come to America and make that dream come true," says Thierry Oliva about his mother, Leila. Both of Thierry's parents were born in Morocco, then moved the the Ivory Coast, Africa, where my guest was born. This is a wonderful episode with whispers of different cultures and home it all comes together while cooking and spending time with family

Consuelo Rivera was a pregnant Mexican Immigrant in her 20's who had one sister to rely on for support in the United States. Unfortunately, much of Ms. Rivera's story is lost because the family members who had the details, have also passed. With a middle school education and a new child, she turned toward someone who was physically and emotionally abusive and NOT an ideal male role model. Hear stories of her daughter, Ritzy Periwinkle, who at a young age felt that she had super powers to...

My guest, Cormac Thompson, is a British, at the time of this interview, fourteen year old former Treble (Soprano) singer. He's been singing since he was eight years young. He expresses his gratitude for his mother, Alison, for the significant things she's taught him including good manners, humility, kindness, hard work, etc. But Cormac is genuinely grateful to both his mom and dad because he knows how hard it is to launch a singing career. Cormac's new album, "A Borrowed Gift" is out now and...

My guest, writer Kristina Cappetta, is a mom, a writer and a personal blogger. She contributes regularly to many media outlets. She loves being a mother to her two daughters based on her wonderful role models -her mother and maternal grandmother. As a child she loved baking with her mother and reading with her grandmother. Kristina always knew that her mother had her back and allowed her the freedom to find her way.

My guest this week on SHLTMM, is Edward Di Gangi, who just completed his first book which is a memoir titled "The Gift Best Given," exploring his passed to find out more about his biological mother and the reasons for surrendering her baby in 1948. A Son's Search - A Mother's Journey A story of adoption, search, discovery, and reunion, set against the backdrop of the glamorous ice skating shows of the 1940s.

This week on SHLTMM, you'll hear the endearing story of a son who came home to take care of his mom. Mark Steven Porro packed up his belongs and moved back home to New Jersey to become the full time caregiver for his aging mother, Genevieve. He's written a wonderful book, "A Cup of Tea on the Commode," chock full of memorable stories of his childhood and his relationship with his mother and becoming a parent for the first time as the solo aid to his elderly mom.

This week on SHLTMM, you'll be introduced to Janice Wiggins. Janice is the founder of the family support organization, Sheltered Journey based out of New Jersey. Sheltered Journey helps parents and caregivers, all over the world, who have children with emotional, behavioral, developmental and intellectual challenges.

Eddie Minyard is a retired Disaster Response and Emergency Management expert. He's traveled the world in order to help people after natural disasters strike. My guest attributes his "ability to bring a sense of calm and clarity to a scenario that's otherwise very chaotic and difficult to deal," to his mother, Barbara Joyce.