NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

by JOHNNY TAN

Happy May Everyone ! Mother ’ s Day celebration is upon us , and I am always reminded how lucky I am to have had 9 Moms in my life ! Yes , there is no typo here , as I actually wrote a book , From My Mama ’ s Kitchen - “ food for the soul , recipes for living ” honoring my 9 Moms fifteen years ago , which won five awards and became a bestseller .

I was an adopted child at birth in Melaka , Malaysia , and later while attending college and working in the United States , I experienced and received motherly attention from eight nurturing ladies I coined my “ surrogate moms .” These women all share the exceptional , inspirational , motherly leadership qualities of being excellent teachers , coaches , and counselors . They always look through the Lens of Love , epitomizing , “ A Family Experience is Defined by Who Loves Us and Who We Love , rather than by our shared DNA .”

Over the years , when sharing my life journey in my keynote presentations and workshops , I likened it to a pot of the famous Louisiana Gumbo — continuously simmering , slowly cooking to perfection , with many ingredients in my delicious pot — a dash of this , a smidgen of that , and a pinch of unconditional motherly love from my 9 Moms . Who and where I am Today is the result of the delicate sprinkling of these ladies ’ teaching , coaching , and counseling , never missing a beat in sharing their motherly wisdom .

Like a professional chef who always has their secret ingredients and spices stash , I have been fortunate to have my private collection of moms with the correct credentials to help me decode my life ’ s journey and make sense of life ' s various challenges . Amazingly , whenever I needed the right spice of advice to give me the right flavor for

4 | Inspirations for Better Living • May 2024