mothers and daughters Archives - Kathleen Hassan

Grace Under Fire: Turning My Mess into a Message

Over the past twenty years as a professional speaker, I’ve had my fair share of speeches that didn’t go my way. But last week’s presentation to the National Charity League in San Antonio was an epic disaster. I was so excited because the NCL’s mission aligns so well with my message of fostering the mother daughter relationship and developing confident young women leaders, and 250 mothers and daughters would be there for my talk. Never in a million years did I imagine that weather would be a factor in traveling from Florida to Texas, but that day 50 mph winds prevented us from landing in San Antonio and we were diverted to Houston. My speech was at 4:00pm and it was already 12:30. As we sat on the tarmac, I kept telling myself, “God makes all things come together for my good,” even though things didn’t look so good. Then [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:02:22-05:00 February 6th, 2017|

One More Trip to the Mall is Not Going to Solve Your Daughter’s Self-Esteem Problem

“The only time my daughter wants to hang out with me is when it involves spending money and most often that means another trip to the mall.” Sound familiar? I've heard this over and over again from so many moms who keep caving in and resorting to the only strategy that seems to work. But does it really? There’s even a book, dedicated to beleaguered parents of teens called, “Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall.!” It may sound amusingly tongue in cheek, but the reality is that this is an all too familiar scenario for most mothers of teen girls. One mother, who’s daughter suffers from body anxiety and who was having full blown panic attacks each morning as she was getting dressed for school, readily admitted, “My current solution of ‘let’s go shopping’ has become an exhausting, monotonous, vicious [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:34:37-05:00 October 3rd, 2016|

Create Dangerously: As If Someone’s Life Depends On It

The other day on Facebook I read the transcript of a speech delivered by a girl from York PA. Her name is her name is Devon Hornberger and she gave the Valedictorian Commencement Address at her high school graduation ceremony. I was blown away by her speech that began by recounting the abduction of 276 girls from their dormitories in Chibok, Nigeria. They were kidnapped because their abductors believe that girls should not be educated. Her message to her fellow classmates was about the privilege of their education and how young people around the world are risking their lives for that same right. In her speech, she also sited a quote by Edwidge Danicat, an award-winning Haitian-American author: “Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. This is what I’ve always thought it meant to be a writer. Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:44:34-05:00 June 2nd, 2016|

One Mother’s Advice is the Answer to ALL Your Problems

The Monday morning after Mother's Day I crawled into yoga with an emotional hangover. It had been a long trying day and I was ready to put it behind me. “Hey Kat… How was your Mother’s Day?” asked Laurie, my yoga instructor. “Ugh,” was about all I could muster. After my less than enthusiastic response, Laurie moved on to the two women on the mats next to me — a mother and daughter who were taking the class together. “So how was your Mother’s Day?” she inquired. In unison, they both raved about what a wonderful day it was. Four generations had gathered together to celebrate and the grandmother was 92 and still going strong. I turned to both of them, bowed and jokingly said, “Namaste Bitches!” My own mother died when I was sixteen so Mother’s Day has always been a little tough. But this year, my sons were [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:45:46-05:00 May 18th, 2016|

I Got My Daughter Back!

“I got my daughter back!” Those are the very words I heard this week from a client who hired me to coach her daughter that had lost her way and was in crisis. Nothing brings me more joy than to see a girl begin to really understand her own worth and power while helping both the mother and daughter learn how to communicate more effectively while creating a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. I can’t think of a more perfect Mother’s Day gift than this. Today I am honoring and celebrating this most sacred relationship and over the next few months will be sharing some of the strategies I used to coach this amazing turnaround. Just two months ago, I received an email from a distraught mother, begging for help. Her fifteen year old daughter had been sneaking out of the house and getting into all kinds of [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:48:29-05:00 May 8th, 2016|

Mommy, I found your music box!

Happy Mother's Day! The word mother conjures up a vast array of reactions and emotions. For some, mother is synonomous with nurturing and uncondional love and for others (like me) the very mention of that word stirs up a deep longing for what we never got. One thing is certain, the relationship we have (or had) with our mothers has more than any other, shaped us into who we are today and affects every other relationship we have - most importantly - the one we have with ourselves. I never really understood my mother and she died when I was sixteen - long before I had enough life experience or insight to be able to see things from her perspective. But this past year I received a gift - a miracle that was 48 years in the making. We often think of miracles as something huge that happens to us, that is [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:23:14-05:00 May 9th, 2014|

Mothers and Daughters: What Happened to My Little Girl?

In my 15 plus years of working with girls and coaching mothers and daughters, I have observed, and have seen it played out over and over again, this deep desire to be acknowledged and to be heard. This morning, while listening to Deepak Chopra's 21 day Meditation Challenge, Oprah, in her introduction to the meditation, gave her #! lesson that she has learned in life. I hit the pause button, grabbed my pen and jotted down her quote (below) because when I heard it, I knew it in my core to be the truth. I started thinking about all the mothers and daughters that I've coached over the years, and felt a nudge from the Universe to write about this deep need to be noticed and appreciated. “If there is one lesson I have to say I’ve learned during my time on this planet it is this: the number one [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:43:00-05:00 August 18th, 2013|

New Workshop for Mothers & Daughters!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWg_9c0P1XM One of the most sacred and powerful relationships in the world is the bond between a mother and her daughter. It can also be a source of stress and frustration that can turn your home into a battle zone. Through this fun and interactive workshop, Kathleen Hassan will demonstrate the power and energy of love; to heal, strengthen and create a mother/daughter partnership that is based on mutual respect and understanding. This powerful alliance helps mothers shift from fear-based parenting and helps girls develop a sense of inner strength and self-confidence to better handle the challenges “out there.” Learn tools for transformation and communication to build self-esteem & confidence Develop a powerful bond of mutual trust and respect for healthy relationships Help our girls thrive despite a culture that brainwashes them to believe they are not enough - just the way they are. Kathleen Hassan, the Teen [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T14:22:21-05:00 January 15th, 2011|