#50 Jessica Galeas: The Book She Waited 20 Years to Write | Tia is My Mami

In this episode of The Padernacht Podcast: Brick by Brick, Steven Padernacht sits down with Jessica Galeas — a Bronx-raised early childhood and special education teacher who spent 20 years carrying a story she was finally ready to tell.Her debut picture book, Tia is My Mami, is 95% autobiographical — the story of a little girl raised by her aunt after losing her mother. It's on kindergarten shelves now. And it almost never got written.Jessica talks about teaching K–2nd grade for 15+ years, what social emotional learning really means for young kids, why blended and non-traditional families rarely see themselves in children's books, and what it took to finally stop being in her own way.Topics covered:[0:08] Introducing Jessica Galeas: teacher, mother, debut author[2:48] What teaching early childhood and special ed actually looks like[4:25] Social emotional learning (SEL) — what it is and why it matters[7:03] Why SEL surged after COVID[11:02] The books kids gravitate toward and why[14:03] Parent-teacher relationships and why they matter[17:03] How much extra work goes into being a teacher[18:52] "You don't leave at 3:00. We earned those summers."[21:22] Tia is My Mami — where the title comes from[23:37] Writing about grief and loss for young children[25:01] Steven reads the book — and the page that hits different[26:18] Why she decided to put her story out into the world[27:16] Writing as therapy and healing[28:18] How she made time to write with three boys, a husband, and a 15-year career[31:21] How her boys and husband reacted to reading the finished book[35:49] What she would tell her younger, fearful self[40:25] Growing up Puerto Rican and Dominican: strength, silence, and culture[44:50] Her Tia and Abuela: the women who raised her[48:22] Giving the book to her Tia over Thanksgiving[52:08] Triple Hearts Books: why the name matters[53:22] Are more books coming?[55:34] What success looks like[51:13] Who deserves credit nobody will think of: Jose[54:17] The book description read aloudFind the book on Amazon: search "Tia is My Mami" by Jessica GaleasInstagram: @tripleheartsbooks | Email: [email protected] Book a free consultation with Steven📞 (607) 669-3361Instagram: @steve_padSupport the show