Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anne-Marie Mawhiney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Anne-Marie , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
When I was 18 months old I almost died from an illness that resulted in convulsions. It left some physical and cognitive challenges that I was not aware of, although I learned as a young adult my parents were, that meant I would struggle with physical (gross motor) movement and cognitive issues, giving me an odd way of walking and absent minded vibe. My parents helped me to focus on my strengths, like my musical abilities, which likely helped my brain to develop so that I was, over time, able to overcome some of my poor coordination and short attention span.
The most recent challenge I faced was a serious traumatic brain injury at age 55. I was told I might never be able to return to work. For weeks I was in a complete haze but I kept telling myself it would take time and effort. I worked with experts, had lots of support, and was able to return to work with workplace accommodations after 18 months of rest, physical and cognitive therapies. The day to day expectations of my new work led to further cognitive improvements. After my brain injury it took me three weeks to read a book I previously would have read in a day. Now I have published two novels.
Through a series of these and many other life challenges I have learned that resilience draws on several elements: a strong self-identity and self worth, most often fostered in the early years; an understanding that some experiences take time, often years, to overcome; a supportive network of positive and caring family and friends; and a society that accepts its role in supporting in all ways people with challenges that would leave many people barely able to breathe let alone function without the other elements that support moving forward.
It is crucial to understand resilience is not enough in all circumstances, for it places all expectations on the person. This is often not fair or realistic, because many people don’t have access to the requisite elements listed above to withstand the enormity of what they face. In an ideal world our society would provide supports and services as well as basic human needs to help create conditions where it is possible to develop resilience. Let’s work together to make that happen.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I retired from a career as a university professor in 2018 and, like everyone else, became caught up in the pandemic in early 2020. Before long, in the first lockdown, I realized that resilience could only take me so far in dealing with the chaos I was seeing through social media. I started to write and my first novel, Spindrifts, emerged from my fingertips as I sat for hours each day at my laptop. I self-published with the services of Friesen Press. Spindrifts was shortlisted for three book awards. My second novel, a stand alone sequel called Spelldrifts, was published in August 2023. Both stories take us to a future world where every person and living thing on the planet thrives and everyone makes contributions as equals in ensuring the planet survives the past. While not a perfect world I am hopeful readers will think about the future world they want to live in, and takes steps to help it become a reality.
I have met many readers and a community of authors through social media, as well as at book events like signings, visits, markets and giving talks to interested audiences.
I am just starting a new novel that will take four people on adventures that will challenge their very lives. You can find out more at www.ammawhiney.ca
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three personal qualities that brought success in my career and my new life as an author are determination, focus, and a personal quest to help build a world where everyone thrives, whether through teaching students about social issues and ways of creating change to address inequities, or by designing a fictional world to explore equality, climate action, collaboration, and kindness.
For those who are early in their journey, I would recommend they decide what gives them passion that can carry them forward in their career, their personal life, and in improving their community. Then map out how to acquire the knowledge and skills to achieve what they want to accomplish, keeping in mind that life circumstances and interests can change so they want to build in flexibility and be open to new and even more exciting opportunities.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents nurtured my life-long passion of reading, first by reading to me as a very young child, and then by making books available to me through the local library. Reading opened my mind to the whole world, to different lives, and to challenges people faced. Reading kept my mind occupied and enthralled so I never felt lonely or alone. It is almost impossible for any day to pass by without me reading for a few hours, no matter how busy I am.
My parents had an unusual philosophy about their children reading. We were allowed to read anything we picked up. My parents believed we would only read stories and articles that interested us and that any book had inherent worth that would develop critical thinking, so no book was ever banned regardless of our age or the topic.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ammawhiney.ca
- Instagram: @ammawhiney
- Facebook: Anne-Marie Mawhiney
- Twitter: @ammawhiney
Image Credits
My headshot credit goes to Laura Stadiotto. Other images require no credit as they are my own.
