If you lost your mom before age 21… You may be carrying a lifelong weight that others don't fully understand. Maybe you’ve found ways to move forward as an adult, and even thrive. Yet that early loss still echoes throughout your adult life in ways you can’t always name or explain. That’s why Motherless Daughters Retreats exist. 👉 To give you a place to learn how mother loss has shaped you, and where you can talk about it freely. 👉 To be guided by one of the world’s leading experts on early mot
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If you lost your mom before age 21… You may be carrying a lifelong weight that others don't fully understand. Maybe you’ve found ways to move forward as an adult, and even thrive. Yet that early loss still echoes throughout your adult life in ways you can’t always name or explain. That’s why Motherless Daughters Retreats exist. 👉 To give you a place to learn how mother loss has shaped you, and where you can talk about it freely. 👉 To be guided by one of the world’s leading experts on early mot
2.7K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
In moments of doubt, when an inner voice whispers that you’re not enough, that you don’t know what you’re doing, or that you don’t have what you need — in those moments when you feel the ache of “I need my mom” more than ever — remember this: You are the very essence and the evidence of your mother’s strength and love. Even when she’s not here, her courage, wisdom, and heart live within you, guiding you through uncertainty, and reminding you that you are more capable and loved than you realize.
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In moments of doubt, when an inner voice whispers that you’re not enough, that you don’t know what you’re doing, or that you don’t have what you need — in those moments when you feel the ache of “I need my mom” more than ever — remember this: You are the very essence and the evidence of your mother’s strength and love. Even when she’s not here, her courage, wisdom, and heart live within you, guiding you through uncertainty, and reminding you that you are more capable and loved than you realize.
246.9K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
When the book Motherless Daughters first came out, my dad was… worried. Well, that may be too mild a way to say it. Because really, he was angry and upset AF. He was worried about what the book revealed about our family, how these details would be received, and whether he’d be judged for choices he did and didn’t make after his wife died. But as the book found its readership, something shifted. Friends and relatives showed up not to point fingers, but to say, “We didn’t realize how hard it had b
0:36
When the book Motherless Daughters first came out, my dad was… worried. Well, that may be too mild a way to say it. Because really, he was angry and upset AF. He was worried about what the book revealed about our family, how these details would be received, and whether he’d be judged for choices he did and didn’t make after his wife died. But as the book found its readership, something shifted. Friends and relatives showed up not to point fingers, but to say, “We didn’t realize how hard it had b
5.2K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
What’s your relationship with safety? If your sense of safety was disrupted by early mother loss, it’s natural to crave stability and constancy in adulthood. In times of change and uncertainty, this can affect how safe we feel in the world. And it can lead to choices and behaviors that try to ensure safety, even when it can’t be easily found. Does this sound familiar? In Week Four of our Motherless Daughters Community Calls, we’ll: 💗 explore how early mother loss can shape our sense of safety,
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What’s your relationship with safety? If your sense of safety was disrupted by early mother loss, it’s natural to crave stability and constancy in adulthood. In times of change and uncertainty, this can affect how safe we feel in the world. And it can lead to choices and behaviors that try to ensure safety, even when it can’t be easily found. Does this sound familiar? In Week Four of our Motherless Daughters Community Calls, we’ll: 💗 explore how early mother loss can shape our sense of safety,
1.4K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
I’ve worked with thousands of motherless daughters over the decades, and listened closely to what they miss most after a mother dies: Being cherished. Being seen. Having a place where they always belong. And, like @nicolekidman says, losing the person who knew you every day of your life, remembers all your firsts, and is the keeper of your history. It’s hard to do these things for yourself, and impossible to replace. Nobody else can ever fully occupy that role. (Shout out to the dads and grandma
1:21
I’ve worked with thousands of motherless daughters over the decades, and listened closely to what they miss most after a mother dies: Being cherished. Being seen. Having a place where they always belong. And, like @nicolekidman says, losing the person who knew you every day of your life, remembers all your firsts, and is the keeper of your history. It’s hard to do these things for yourself, and impossible to replace. Nobody else can ever fully occupy that role. (Shout out to the dads and grandma
3.6K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
When you imagine someone describing you, years from now, what are three words you hope they’ll use to describe you and the impression you made on them? When we did this exercise in a recent Motherless Daughters Community Calls, not a single person said, “ successful” or “beautiful.” Everyone went straight to the really core qualities they most want to embody in the world. Kind. Generous. Loving. That’s the true legacy we hope to put out there in the world. As you think about the year ahead, choo
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When you imagine someone describing you, years from now, what are three words you hope they’ll use to describe you and the impression you made on them? When we did this exercise in a recent Motherless Daughters Community Calls, not a single person said, “ successful” or “beautiful.” Everyone went straight to the really core qualities they most want to embody in the world. Kind. Generous. Loving. That’s the true legacy we hope to put out there in the world. As you think about the year ahead, choo
195 views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
If you’re here, there’s a good chance it’s because you’ve lost your mom. If that’s the case, I’m so incredibly sorry. It’s a loss like no other, and my heart goes out to you. And if you did lose your mom, I’m also so glad you’re here. For the past 30 years, I’ve been working with motherless daughters and creating programs and services for this unique population. On this page, and at motherlessdaughters.com, you’ll find a variety of community-based offerings that I hope will bring you a sense of
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If you’re here, there’s a good chance it’s because you’ve lost your mom. If that’s the case, I’m so incredibly sorry. It’s a loss like no other, and my heart goes out to you. And if you did lose your mom, I’m also so glad you’re here. For the past 30 years, I’ve been working with motherless daughters and creating programs and services for this unique population. On this page, and at motherlessdaughters.com, you’ll find a variety of community-based offerings that I hope will bring you a sense of
93.4K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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My mom was 42 years old when she died. When I was 17, that seemed old to me. When I was 40, it felt like, “Whoa, 42 is really young.” And when I turned 42 I realized, with a crushing burst of awareness, that my mom only got to live half a life. For the longest time, I couldn’t imagine myself living past 42. I just didn’t have a role model for the years beyond that age. I’m 61 now, which means I’ve lived almost 20 years longer than my mom. It takes my breath away to say that out loud. Twenty year
302.2K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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The holiday season can be a period of mixed emotions, especially for those of us who’ve lost a mother recently, or who celebrate an anniversary or birthday during this time. It can also be complicated for those who are navigating a major illness, or a breakup or divorce, or an estrangement in the family. It’s no secret that “shoulds” like to surface at this time of year. As in, I “should” have a large, welcoming family. Or I “should” be having fun even though I’m grieving. Or I “should” have a p
1.4K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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When women arrive at a Motherless Daughters Retreat, we go around the room to each share a word that describes how we’re feeling right now. The words that first night always include “apprehensive,” “curious,” “anxious,” and “scared.” It takes courage to join a circle of strangers and talk about an event in your past so big that it shaped everything that followed. But then women begin to share their stories, and you can feel the energy brighten and lift in the room. On the fourth and last day, wh
44.7K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:15
If you’re about to start your first full calendar year without your mom, you may be feeling a special kind of sorrow. It’s the sadness of knowing you’ll have experiences she won’t know about. That the world will change in ways she couldn’t predict. That she won’t get to know who you’re becoming without her. It’s natural to have these feelings at the start of a new year. The grief will come in waves, when new things happen, both happy and sad. We’re here to support you through all of them. Our Th
28.2K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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For all the motherless daughters for whom the holiday season can be particularly challenging… Sending love to all of you at this time of year, especially: ❣️Those who lost their loved ones around the holidays; ❣️Those who are spending their first December without their moms; ❣️Anyone who’s estranged from family members; ❣️Everyone who doesn’t have extended family to spend time with; ❣️Anyone who’s limiting their social media exposure to avoid seeing the parade of photos of happy families and fee
471.9K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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There’s a certain kind of stuckness that lives in the chest of a motherless daughter. It’s an invisible cord that ties you to moments you can’t rewrite and to questions you can’t answer. It often surfaces in the small, everyday moments. You wonder if your mom would have laughed at your joke, been proud of your accomplishment, or held you tightly when the world hurts too much. If you’re an early loss survivor, this can be especially true. You may feel like a big kid in an adult’s body, sensing a
543.4K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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Not all morning routines start with green juice and productivity hacks. (As if!) Some begin with longing. Some begin with memories. Some begin with grief. And still, we rise. Follow @hope_edelman for support and sisterhood for motherless daughters. #HopeInGrief #Motherlessdaughters #GriefAndLoss #GriefSupport #GriefHealing #WomenSupportingWomen #CopingWithGrief #MotherLess #MissMyMom | Hope Edelman
54.4K views11 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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Loss doesn’t happen the same way for everyone. Some mothers are taken in an instant: sudden, shocking, and unimaginable. Others leave slowly, their departure happening slowly and in stages, as illness changes your life little by little. The way a mother dies matters a lot. It’s a leading factor in how a daughter responds both in the short and long-term. How did your mother’s cause of death affect you? In Week Two of our Motherless Daughters Community Calls, we’ll hear from women who’ve experienc
4.5K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:06
I’ve heard this from so many women over the years, and I’ve felt it myself: the strange ache of becoming someone your mother never got to meet. You grow, you change, you survive things she never saw. And still, somehow, she’s there—in your voice, your choices, your strength. It’s one of the quietest kinds of grief, and one of the most profound. Follow here for information and inspiration. I’d love to get to know you. 🫶 Grief and loss • Motherless Daughters • Grief journey | Hope Edelman
58.8K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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No matter how a mother died, her raw absence feels similar to all motherless daughters over time. But there are still different long-term effects between losing a mom suddenly versus losing her to a long-term illness. If you’d like to explore how the cause of your mom’s death may have affected you, I’ve highlighted six of the big ones in a FREE guide. This can help you understand how sudden and expected loss differ and help you find clarity along your own path. 💗 Here is the link to download it
3.1K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
1:04
So I just had my annual flip the coin for mammogram-or-MRI day today (this year was an MRI) which is always dreadful, and necessary, and over now. if you’ve lost a mother or another loved one to breast cancer, you probably know how nervewracking these days are every year. And if you’re a breast cancer survivor, even more so. This is just my little Friday, day after Christmas PSA reminder that it’s hard to do the scary stuff and sometimes we also need to do the scary stuff. Because early detectio
2.1K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
1:09
Your identity changes when you outlive a parent who died young
323 views5 days ago
YouTubeHope Edelman
0:58
There’s a moment at every Motherless Daughters Retreat when someone looks around the circle and says out loud, “I didn’t know it was possible to feel this understood.” And just like that, you can see it in her face, how the weight she’s been carrying for years finally starts to lift. If you were 21 or younger when your mom died, you might know about this weight. The kind that comes from feeling like a piece of you got stuck back there, in the Before. That comes from the belief that you never gri
1.5K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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Short videos

0:39
If you lost your mom before age 21… You may be carrying a lifelong weight that others don't
2.7K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:07
In moments of doubt, when an inner voice whispers that you’re not enough, that you don’t
246.9K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:36
When the book Motherless Daughters first came out, my dad was… worried. Well, that
5.2K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:10
What’s your relationship with safety? If your sense of safety was disrupted by early mother
1.4K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
1:09
Your identity changes when you outlive a parent who died young
323 views5 days ago
YouTubeHope Edelman
1:21
I’ve worked with thousands of motherless daughters over the decades, and listened closely
3.6K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:43
When you imagine someone describing you, years from now, what are three words you
195 views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:15
If you’re here, there’s a good chance it’s because you’ve lost your mom. If that’s the case,
93.4K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:08
My mom was 42 years old when she died. When I was 17, that seemed old to me. When I
302.2K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:07
The holiday season can be a period of mixed emotions, especially for those of us
1.4K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:23
When women arrive at a Motherless Daughters Retreat, we go around the room to
44.7K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:15
If you’re about to start your first full calendar year without your mom, you may be feeling a
28.2K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:09
For all the motherless daughters for whom the holiday season can be particularly
471.9K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:10
There’s a certain kind of stuckness that lives in the chest of a motherless daughter. It’s
543.4K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:13
Not all morning routines start with green juice and productivity hacks. (As if!)
54.4K views11 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:07
Loss doesn’t happen the same way for everyone. Some mothers are taken in an
4.5K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:06
I’ve heard this from so many women over the years, and I’ve felt it myself: the strange ache
58.8K views8 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:09
No matter how a mother died, her raw absence feels similar to all motherless daughters over
3.1K views5 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
1:04
So I just had my annual flip the coin for mammogram-or-MRI day today (this year was an
2.1K views6 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
0:58
There’s a moment at every Motherless Daughters Retreat when someone looks around
1.5K views7 months ago
FacebookHope Edelman
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