Named one of the “Top 10 Producers to Watch” by Variety and heralded by Oprah as “a different kind of Spiritual Teacher,” DeVon Franklin is the driving force behind some of our favorite feel-good films and the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers.

He produced the inspirational Miracles from Heaven and Breakthrough and wrote The Success Commandments: Master The Ten Spiritual Principles To Achieve Your Destiny. Recently, he worked alongside director Eva Longoria to produce Flamin’ Hot for Disney. The soon-to-be-released film chronicles the journey of the Mexican-American Frito Lay janitor responsible for turning Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into the cultural phenomenon they are today.

His past projects have inspired millions, but when we sat down together recently, we discussed a much more personal project. DeVon’s new audiobook It Takes a Woman, released on April 21, offers a personal twist on the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.” After his father’s untimely death, a village of women surrounded him and his two brothers, shaping them into the men they are today.

His new audiobook is a 4.5-hour candid conversation with his “village of love”– his mother, Paulette, and his five living great aunts, Aunt Nuna, Aunt Ida, Aunt Enis, Aunt Sondra, and Aunt Donna. Their wisdom helped DeVon tap into his inner resilience, and his audiobook ensures their legacy will continue to encourage others, too. The topics span dating and marriage to money, regret, and death. Nothing is off the table, and their genuine conversations reveal an unbreakable family bond that encourages readers to fortify their own familial relationships.

For some, it takes a village to raise a child. For DeVon, It Takes a Woman. Mother’s Day is coming up, and *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* It Takes a Woman is a perfect gift for the mother or mother-like figure in your life.