For Mother's Day, a tale of a mom who inspired her daughter — and vice versa

Angela Thomas lives by a mantra that’s simple to state but tough to pull off: “Control your own destiny.”

“You’ve got to go with the flow, with your instincts,” Thomas says. “I try to do that as a woman, a single mother, and as a small-business owner. It’s not easy. It’s a process. It takes time. You’ve got to work at it. But it pays off.”

Thomas knows of what she speaks, both personally and professionally. Her daughter, Maia, was born with multiple congenital heart defects that required heart surgeries when Maia was three days old, two and a half years old, and 12. Thomas tenaciously advocated on behalf of and cared for Maia, who attended the Elisabeth Morrow School (which provided “a great support system”) and today is an 18-year-old freshman at Southern Methodist University.

“Maia is all good now, and thriving,” Thomas says. “But the diagnosis stopped me in my tracks and made me approach life very differently. Each day is precious.”

One of the more precious? Mother’s Day. Through that lens, Thomas and Maia are opening up about the relationship they share, the traits they admire in each other — and their hopesfor the future.

The same tenacity that saw Thomas through Maia’s health issues served her well when, right after 9/11, she decided to go into business for herself. Her Englewood Cliffs-based company, Prana Marketing and Media Relations, specializes in getting the word out about musicians, concert venues, corporations, and more.

Clients have included the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, LL Cool Jay, Jessie Armstead, bergenPAC, and Cypress Hill.

“I enjoy working within the arts, but I also enjoyed working with the staff at Grissini when they thought they won the Powerball jackpot,” Thomas says, referring to the time in 2016 when the staff of Grissini, a high-end Italian restaurant in Englewood Cliffs, thought they hit the jackpot but had the numbers from a different day. “They were everywhere, including Jimmy Kimmel and Good Morning America.”

She also worked with J-Byrd, the 11-year-old Green Bay Packers fan who had a smash hit on YouTube after he came up with the fan-song “Green & Yellow,” a take on rapper Wiz Khalifa’s “Black & Yellow.”

“That went viral, in 2011, before viral was a thing,” she says. “I still get a charge out of seeing something in print or a feature about a client.”

Growing up in the home that Thomas bought in Englewood three decades ago, Maia benefitted from having a front-row seat to watch her mother love what she does and excel at it.

“My mom has always been my best role model,” Maia says. “She puts me before herself, which just shows you how selfless she is. And I think her job is so cool. She’s always on top of everything, which I think is very impressive.”

Maia aspires to be a football coach in the future. Her mother’s marketing expertise might help her achieve that goal.

“Even though my plan never was to go into marketing before I coach, I want to do name, image and likeness deals with athletes,” says Maia. “My mom always says, ‘You have a PR and marketing brain’ and tells me how that will help me in the future. Of course, I learned it all from her!”

Much like her daughter, Thomas displayed ambition from a young age. Raised in Massachusetts, she worked at her family’s restaurant and at their Sahara Bread Pita Bread factory. She delivered newspapers, babysat and did catering. During college, she served as music director at WILD Radio, at the time Boston’s top urban station. Later, she landed a radio promotion job at MCA Records in Manhattan and ended up taking a friend’s apartment in Fort Lee. It wasn’t long after that she launched Prana Marketing and Media Relations.

Occasionally, Thomas finds her worlds colliding, such as when an act she supported during her days in radio or record promotion needs publicity for an upcoming show at NJPAC. It happened with the R&B group Dru Hill.

“That was the coolest, because I know how to find them, to get an interview done,” Thomas says. “Then they’re like, ‘Are you coming to the show?’ They’re so excited. Dru Hill’s the greatest example because I’ve worked with them from day one.”

Among her current projects is the North to Shore Festival. Governor Phil Murphy’s answer to Austin’s South by Southwest, the North to Shore Festival will bring music and technology to Asbury Park, Atlantic City, and Newark from June 10-30. Scheduled artists include Kevin Hart, Jhene Aiko, Matchbox Twenty, Gary Clark Jr., Prince Royce & Wisin, Bleachers, Keyshia Cole, Stephen Colbert, The B-52’s, Brothers Osborne, and Frankie Valli.

Thomas says she’s eager to see Aiko, Matchbox Twenty, and Prince Royce & Wisin perform, while Maia hopes to catch Aiko, Cole, and Brothers Osborne. In the meantime, Thomas is thrilled to be sharing the cover of (201) with her daughter.

“It means the world,” Thomas says. “I’m excited because Maia is young and vibrant, and she’s helped so many people. I could not be prouder. She’s the glue that holds her friends together. She’s the event organizer. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Mom & Daughter Favorite Haunts

For Mother’s Day, Maia will be home from Dallas, and mom and daughter will be celebrating, dining on the patio at Lefkes Estiatorio in Englewood Cliffs. “So pretty to be among flowers,” says Thomas.

Here are some other places they love to frequent in Bergen

ANGELA: I frequent The Shops at Riverside and Westfield Garden State Plaza. Maia and I love shopping in Westwood. We really like the Ginger brand stores, so that’s why we go to Westwood, and then we walk around to the other stores. I like Ridgewood, too. For eating, I enjoy Sofia, Lefkes and Axia Taverna

MAIA: My favorite places to shop are Ginger N’ Cream and Ruby and Jenna. I feel like they always have what I’m looking for. And I’m a huge foodie. My favorite restaurant is definitely Houston’s, but I also love Savini.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mother's Day 2024: Prana Marketing NJ owner, daughter open up