Episode 120: “My Mother Always Says” with Amy Goober and Gwen Borden

Posted on by Wynne Leon

Do you remember Baskin Robbins and their 31 flavors? It seems we have 31 flavors of positivity these days. There is optimism, hopefulness, toxic positivity, resilience, happiness, joyfulness, I’m positive this is going to suck, and on and on.

And then there’s the real deal. The been there, done that, lived through a bunch of challenging stuff, learned from it, and thrived kind of positivity. Speaking for myself, it’s the kind of positivity that can change my day, my outlook, and my willingness to take things on.

Vicki Atkinson and I were lucky enough to talk recently with a dynamic mother-daughter duo that captures this real deal. In this inspiring episode of the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, Vicki Atkinson and I talk with authors Amy Goober and Gwen Borden about their book: My Mother Always Says: 25 lessons for finding the silver lining.

Amy is an action coach. As she inspires people to make changes in their lives, she finds that she quotes her mom’s wisdom over and over again.

So she paired up with her ninety-three year old* mom, Gwen, to record the lessons for finding the silver lining in whatever life throws your way. Gwen has weathered the Great Depression, a polio epidemic, WWII, 9/11, and the early death of her husband. Her mantra remains: There are no bad experiences—only ones you don’t learn from.

Amy and Gwen bring their power mixture of personal stories and relatable anecdotes to help reframe the past, navigate relationships, manage the challenges of parenthood, define happiness, and flip the script on the obstacles we face in life. This is a fantastic episode featuring two amazing and inspiring guests on a mission to help others find their silver linings. The real deal – truly!

We know you’ll love it!

*Gwen was 93 years old when we recorded this but recently had a birthday and is now 94. Happy birthday, Gwen!

Takeaways

  • The book combines memoir and self-help, sharing life lessons.
  • Gwen’s experiences during historical events provide a unique perspective.
  • Mother-daughter relationships are timeless and impactful.
  • Modeling behavior is crucial in parenting and teaching.
  • Vulnerability is essential for personal growth and connection.
  • Optimism can be a powerful tool in facing adversity.
  • Learning from experiences, both good and bad, is vital.
  • Intergenerational wisdom enriches our lives and understanding.
  • It’s important to embrace change and reinvent oneself.
  • The journey of life is filled with opportunities for growth.

Here’s a sneak peak of Gwen’s incredible wisdom:

Here are some ways you can listen and watch to the full episode:

Episode 129: Wish I Was Here with Ilsa Rey – Sharing the Heart of the Matter

Wynne Leon and Vicki Atkinson talk with author Ilsa Rey about her book, Wish I Was Here that will be released on December 23, 2025. The conversation delves into the thrilling narrative where Anna's best friend Isaac invents an invisibility pill and is kidnapped for it. In a desperate attempt to save him, Anna takes the pill herself, leading to a race against time to find him and secure the antidote before she remains invisible forever.Ilsa tells us about her 10 year journey of writing the book as well as all the ways she used rejection and feedback to grow. We talk about writing in the zone as well as the research that goes into great books like Wish I Was Here.TakeawaysAnna's best friend Isaac invents an invisibility pill.Isaac is kidnapped for his invention.Anna takes the invisibility pill to save herself.She has one week to find Isaac and the antidote.Remaining invisible could lead to insanity and death.Anna must follow clues left by Isaac.The story explores themes of friendship and urgency.The narrative is filled with adventure and suspense.The invisibility pill serves as a catalyst for the plot.The stakes are high as Anna races against time.Links for this episode:For show notes and more great inspiration, please see https://sharingtheheartofthematter.comVideo Trailer for "Wish I Was Here": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Py-B0EbMMmEV3QBsxDHxVX4Pfr3d04wy/view?usp=sharingPurchase Wish I Was Here on Black Rose WritingIlsa's blog: Writing and Martial ArtsFrom the Hosts:Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/
  1. Episode 129: Wish I Was Here with Ilsa Rey
  2. Episode 128: This is Your Body on Trauma with Meg Bowman
  3. Episode 127: King Copper with Lauren Scott
  4. Episode 126: Cherry Whip with Michael Antman
  5. Episode 125: Jade's Broken Bridge with Michele Lee Sefton

Episode 120 transcript

Links for this Episode:

My Mother Always Says on Amazon

My Mother Always Says website

Amy Goober, Action Coach

From the Hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith; Blog: https://wynneleon.com/

26 thoughts on “Episode 120: “My Mother Always Says” with Amy Goober and Gwen Borden”

  5. We often don’t appreciate the wisdome of the adults in our lives until we become adults. Amy and Gwen are a dynamic duo. Gwen’s recall of past events is astounding.

    “I gave birth to Amy; she gave birth to this book.” Great line!

    I used to tell my students’ parents the same thing about their kids. They’re learning from us all the time, even when we’re not offering them explicit advice.

    By the way, I also wanted you to know I enjoyed your previous episode with Peter Samuelson (What a doer!) and will be finishing his book up tonight. Do you happen to have an email address for him because I was planning on writing him? If you don’t want to give it out publicly, you could send it to my email. petespringer77@gmail.com

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  8. Great book title! “My Mother Always Says” may be a great help for people facing challenges who struggle to see them as opportunities or life lessons. I got a kick out of Gwen’s succinct description of their book: “Optimism with a foundation and an explanation.” I had to chuckle when she added, “It’s not a Hallmark movie!” 🙂

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  10. What a great duo, Wynne and Vicki, and I love the title of the book. My parents have passed, but as I get older, I hear myself saying quotes that they said, mostly Mom. It’s so surreal. The journey of life is going to bring bliss and challenges, there’s no getting around that. But I love Amy and Gwen’s attitude in that there’s always something to learn. For me personally, I have to look for the silver lining, even if it’s faded, especially lately with some new health issues. I enjoyed this snippet and look forward to listening to the full podcast. Also, Happy belated birthday to Gwen! And thanks for the splash of positivity! 💗✨

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  14. I loved this conversation and such a treat to have a foursome chat and to have the mother and daughter perspectives.

    Writing with vulnerability and openness is a gift and as Amy noted, a way for us to face our personal anxieties and fears.

    Life lessons are also vital and failure is just a stepping stone to learning and growth in our life journey, as Gwen noted. 🥰

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