If you’ve been reading Elephant for a while, you’re probably familiar with her writing, but let’s hear her voice: Janis Isaman.

When Janis started writing, her goal was to share her personal story and inspire others to do the same. As a lone parent, she discusses the difficulties she encounters in daily life but aims to offer support to all those who are in a similar position.

Instead of seeing herself as a victim of circumstances, she wants to encourage readers to take their life into their own hands and overcome traditional gender roles.

One of her main goals is to overcome patriarchy and expectations of perfectionism that harm our well-being. She shares her experiences as a parent who is dating but also building her own business while raising a son.

She is well aware that not everyone agrees with her take on motherhood, feminism, and mindfulness when dealing with snarky comments on social media. Instead of taking criticism personally, she tries to use the interaction with readers as an inspiration for her writing.

When asked about the most challenging part of being an author, she shares simple but valuable advice: “Just hit the publish button.”

We hope you enjoy this interview with Janis Isaman: