For a  photo of author Amy Tiemann, click here.

Author Amy Tiemann Shares The Insights of a Mojo Mom
On North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday, September 18, at 5 PM

Amy Tiemann's new book Mojo Mom is designed to help every woman explore the essential question, "Who am I, now that I am a Mom?"Covering topics that are vital and relevant for new and seasoned mothers alike, Tiemann shares how moms can take loving care of themselves right now, as well as plan for new interests as their children grow older.

On the upcoming episode of UNC-TV's local literary series North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday September 18, at 5 PM, Tiemann addresses the unrealistic expectations that society has placed on mothers and shares with host DG Martin the many ways women can reclaim what she refers to as "Mojo"-that feeling of being at your best as a mother and as an individual.

After earning her doctorate in Neurosciences from Stanford University, Amy Tiemann combined her love of science with her love of teaching when she took a position at an independent high school in San Francisco.  After three rewarding years of teaching, in 1999 she took on a new role as, what Tiemann calls an "applied developmental neuropsychologist"-in other words, Mom to a newborn daughter.  This transition surprised her by becoming a full-blown identity crisis. While she loved her baby deeply, she found that she had no idea who she was now that she was a Mom.

"Before I had my daughter I really knew who I was. My identity was built quite a bit through my career. I was 'Dr. Tiemann, science teacher,' says Tiemann. "When I had my daughter, suddenly I was at home, in a neighborhood where I didn't have many friends. No one called me 'Dr. Tiemann' and no one even knew what I had done before. I really had to reinvent my sense of self and figure out who I was at my core-deciding which parts of my old self I would keep and which parts were ready to move on to a new life and new interests."

All of her life experiences and reinvention helped her create her latest book, Mojo Mom.  Through her book, seminars, and the MojoMom.com website, her goal remains to empower all mothers to reconnect with their essential selves, and to teach families to respect women's needs as important.

"For me, 'Mojo' is power, energy and the spark that makes each one of us special as people and as a mother," says Tiemann. "The book [Mojo Mom] came from a need to tell women how to take care of themselves, how to build a support system.and how to deal with the gap between expectation and reality."

Don't miss DG Martin's all-new interview with Amy Tiemann on North Carolina Bookwatch, Sunday, September 18, at 5 PM, only on UNC-TV!

During this season of North Carolina Bookwatch, guests also include: Shannon Ravenel (New Stories from the South, 2005), Emily Herring Wilson (No One Gardens Alone), Randall Kenan (Walking On Water), Ann B. Ross (Miss Julia's School Of Beauty), Lawrence Earley (Looking for Longleaf), Peter Perret (A Well-Tempered Mind), Timothy Tyson (Blood Done Sign My Name), Moreton Neal (Remembering Bill Neal), Quinn Dalton (Bulletproof Girl), Henry Petroski (Pushing the Limits),  Bill Morris (Saltwater Cowboys), Robert F. Irwin (Robert F. Irwin 40 Years), Tommy Hays (The Pleasure Was Mine), Mary Kay Andrews (Hissy Fit), Jerry Shinn (Loonis! Celebrating a Lyrical Life), Michael Parker (If You Want Me to Stay), Lawrence Naumoff (A Southern Tragedy, in Crimson and Yellow), Martha Witt (Broken As Things Are) and Gerhard Weinberg (Visions of Victory: The Hopes of Eight World War II Leader).

Funding for North Carolina Bookwatch is provided by UNC-TV members and by Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh's independent, full service bookstore, bringing readers and writers together since 1984.

North Carolina Bookwatch is part of UNC-TV's ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina. UNC-TV is the statewide 11-station broadcast network of the University of North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

For more information about North Carolina Bookwatch and UNC-TV's other local productions, please visit our website at www.unctv.org.

-UNC-TV-