Behind the Scenes: To read how this interview even occurred check out the post, Did Jesse Itzler Just Start My Podcast, about my encounter with Jesse Itzler. This was my first real interview for the podcast and I did it at home in my kids’ play closet which is under the stairs with notes taped to the wall, blankets, and pillows working as sound absorbers and I was as nervous as you can imagine. Elese’s kindness put at ease quickly and I became so engrossed in her sharing about her life as a momma.
Elese shares how she raised a two-time New York Times Bestselling author, Jesse Itzler, along with his 3 incredible siblings, Jill, Jana & Peter. With a thoughtful & warm tone Elese proudly discusses how she raised her family in a calm home, with very little yelling and a supreme focus on being supportive of her children and present in all the precious moments.
Elese didn’t require her kids to have jobs and chores, but she and her husband, Daniel, did expect her children to take responsibility for themselves. Our conversation quite possibly reveals Jesse Itzler’s very first job, which was warming up the bed for his dad on cold days for .10 cents!
Elese raised two boys and two girls and she talks about the importance of giving children a good self-image. She said, “If they have a good self-image it will carry them through life.” That has certainly been true for her son Jesse who has sold one company to Warren Buffet and another to Coke-Cola.
More great advice came from Elese when we discussed clothes shopping with her daughters in their teen years. “She and her daughters agreed on a rule that is brilliant, “If I like it and you don’t we won’t buy it. If you like it and I don’t we won’t buy it.” That is a shopping rule that could save many mothers and daughters from shopping arguments!
Her parenting moto is “Keep the faith and keep the family” and in our discussion, it was evident that Elese is an amazing momma who has lived her parenting moto every step along the way! She exudes love for her family and you can hear in her voice how proud she is of her family. Her warmth and calmness illustrate what type of supportive, encouraging, and above all loving mom she still is to this day.
Listen to Elese Itzler Now!! Part 1 Part 2
