Speaker
Diana Thompson
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Diana Thompson's mother attended Scottish country dancing every Thursday for four months without missing a session, despite language barriers and unfamiliarity with the dance.
Diana's mother was forcibly displaced to a country where she barely spoke the language at the age of 56, following the destruction of her architectural practice and loss of family members.
Diana had lived in London for eight years as a Syrian, while her mother had been there for about five years.
Diana's mother was nominated for best improving student in her English class and was to be awarded at a ceremony in the town hall.
When Diana and her mother walked into the Scottish country dancing open evening, the average age of attendees was about 65.
Diana's mother lost her architectural practice when it was destroyed by a bomb during the Syrian war.
Diana's mother lost her architectural practice to a bomb, lost family members, and was forcibly displaced to a country where she barely spoke the language — all at age 56. Yet here she is, dancing with her head held high in suburban London.
At the tea break, strangers approach Diana's mother. Diana braces for the inevitable: three-part interrogation that follows every Syrian in post-war London. She describes the shift from blank stares to loaded questions after the war made Syria a household name.
Diana's mother is nominated for best improving student at her English college and recognized at a town hall ceremony. Diana, 31 and unsure about parenthood, discovers that parental pride isn't only for parents.
After a chaotic evening of ruined dances, Diana reaches for the flyer thinking they might think about it. Her mother grabs her hand and says: 'We're signing up now.' No debate. No hesitation. Pure determination.
Diana Thompson's mother insisted on attending the open evening of a Scottish Country Dance Society in suburban London. Neither of them could follow the steps, and every dance they joined fell apart — but mom signed up on the spot anyway.
Karen Crowley took a clerical job at a youth residential treatment program simply because it was on her husband's commute route. Within months, she had volunteered her way into counseling sessions with troubled teens — and loved every second of it.
Karen always feared someone would eventually wake up and realize she had no college degree. When she was assigned to supervise a master's-level clinical intern named Brian who drove a BMW and came from generations of educated professionals, she was certain the jig was finally up.
A 17-year-old with a history of violent crime stands on a dining table slashing at himself with a stolen steak knife. Karen's master's-degree intern steps up and begins analyzing the boy's abandonment issues. Karen realizes the intern knows what's going on — but not what to do.
When Brian's clinical framing fails to reach Jimmy, Karen steps forward and simply says what she knows to be true: 'Jimmy, what the hell are you doing?' Jimmy stops, hands over the knife, and sits down. Karen realizes she has always had the right to be there.
Host Dan Kennedy opens with a meditation on anxiety, comfort zones, and the surprising discovery that when you stand up straight, the water isn't as deep as you feared. Two first-time Moth storytellers are about to prove it.
Analysis
What they talk about
- Society & Culture 100%
Connections
Shows they appear on and people they share episodes with. Drag to explore.
