How do you discover your sense of belonging when your culture and background have been erased?

In this episode of About Your Mother, I’m joined by Brittany Penner, author of Children Like Us: A Métis Woman's Memoir of Family, Identity and Walking Herself Home. She shares her story of being adopted as an infant, the history of indigenous children being taken from their families in the Sixties Scoop, and her struggle with finding where she belongs.

Brittany also shares about her writing process, how writing her memoir changed her, and how she writes about traumatic experiences. You’ll love this honest conversation about rediscovering your roots and integrating each part of your identity into a whole person.

Resources Mentioned

• The Sixties Scoop
• Percentage of Indigenous Children in Foster Care in Manitoba
• 2021 Canadian Census Report
• Truth and Reconciliation Day

Connect with the Guest

• Brittany’s Book: Children Like Us

We've pulled a special episode from the vault for you to take a listen to! One of my favorite stories I've had the honor of sharing on About Your Mother, is that of Peter Mutabazi — a remarkable human being who survived a traumatic childhood, only to use that experience to transform lives.

This episode originally aired in May of 2021.

He ran away from an abusive father at the age of ten and was homeless on the streets for four years until a stranger asked him his name. That gesture changed his life forever. However, that isn't Peter's story. His story is so much more than that.

He has used his experience to lift the lives of those who need our help most. It started with global relief efforts, and now he has been a foster dad to sixteen kids. His mission is to make sure every child is known.

Prepare to be in awe of Peter Mutabazi: his courage, empathy, and will to change the lives of the four hundred thousand foster children in our system.

Joining me during this episode is my partner in Adoption/Foster Stories, Jeff Forney. If you want to learn more about Jeff's story and work, please listen to episode 010.

Connect with Peter
Website: NowIAmKnown.com
YouTube: @nowiamknown
Instagram: @fosterdadflipper
Facebook: fb/fosterdadflipper

Learn more about the podcast at byjennifergriffith.com/category/podcast

In honor of Valentine’s Day, my husband Mark joins this episode of About Your Mother for an honest conversation about messy and imperfect love. We’re sharing one of the most profound lessons about love we learned on a trip to France this summer, when a lovely Brazilian couple shared the secret to lasting love with us.

I’ll be honest: our marriage hasn’t always been easy - what union is? If you’ve been part of a blended family, your parents divorced, your mother was a tad crazy, or you’ve experienced sudden loss, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned

• Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
• Grit by Angela Duckworth
• Both Sides of Then by Jennifer Griffith

Is determination and skill innate? There are athletes… and then there are the stories that shape them. A young boy who didn’t like the rules of youth team sports. A mom who brings home a flyer for a local BMX track. And a path that changes everything.

For Connor Fields, that path is as remarkable as it is far-reaching. A three-time Olympian (2012, 2016, and 2020), each Games brought a new chapter—new pressure, new triumphs, and new heartbreaks. He entered all three as a favorite, ultimately leaving with gold. But along the way came disappointment, setbacks, and a near-death experience that reshaped his entire outlook on life.

Yet Connor has always believed he was destined to be a champion. When you hear the moment he knew, you’ll understand exactly why he’s been able to persevere and achieve the extraordinary.

In this episode of About Your Mother, Connor shares the highs and lows of being an Olympic athlete in an emerging sport. He talks about how his parents’ support made his dream possible, what his accident taught him about resilience, and what life looks like after the Olympics. Trust me—you’re going to love Connor’s story, his unique perspective, and his heart.

Resources Mentioned

• Donate to Team USA
• Team USA Shop

Connect With the Guest

• Speaker Demo Reel: Hire Connor
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connorfields11/
• Website: connorfields.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConnorFields11/
• Instagram: instagram.com/connorfields11

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