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