
Welcome ! Registration is now open for our
Fall 2025 Motherless Daughters Support Circles !!!
Are you looking for more connection, more healing exercises, and more knowledge about the long-term outcomes of early mother loss ?
Have you found yourself feeling stuck and also ready to work through it?
Are you feeling ready to look at your loss from new and evolving perspectives to see where it can lead you ?
You’re in the right place.
We warmly welcome you to our
Fall 2025 Support Circles
“The Support Circle Zoom calls were life-changing. Each week, I learned more about myself and felt a little bit more comfortable sharing my experiences. Many of the other women had very similar experiences which was so validating. I felt very connected to them and I'm so grateful that we were able to be vulnerable and bond with each other.”
— Ila, New York

Motherless Daughters Support Circles
Our innovative, live, 10-session virtual curriculum is based on 30 years of Hope Edelman’s work in the field of mother loss.
Scroll down for curriculum information
Hi, I’m Hope Edelman, the author of Motherless Daughters, Motherless Mothers, and The AfterGrief, and the founder and CEO here at MotherlessDaughters.com.
For the past eight years, I’ve been running programs that bring women together in person to share their stories.
In our weekly Community Calls, weekend workshops, and four-day Motherless Daughters Retreats, I’ve witnessed the magic that occurs when women come together in community to help each other heal.
You deserve to be supported. You deserve a place where you feel you belong.
And you deserve to find freedom from any outdated, internal messages of the past.
After a mother dies, it’s important to develop a story that makes sense to you.
Allowing that story to change over time is beneficial, too.
In fact, it’s good when that happens. Especially with gentle guidance and support from a community of others who understand.
Lots of research backs this up as a way to start feeling “unstuck”. And feeling stuck is the #1 reason why women come to our weekly calls, support circles, and retreats.
That’s why we developed Motherless Daughters Support Circles, to create a place for this to happen.
A 10-week Motherless Daughters Support Circle will help you:
Reflect on the past and revisit key moments in your story;
Ground yourself in the present with self-compassion and curiosity;
Project yourself into the future with actionable steps for creating a more empowering life story, while honoring what you faced in the past.
This small-group (max. of 16 women) experience gives you time to share and process and reflect on your story, and time to discuss and reflect on the exercises we do together.
A Motherless Daughters Support Circle is a perfect way to take a step forward on your healing journey; to build upon what you’ve already received at a retreat; or to supplement your weekly Motherless Daughters Community calls.
We can’t wait to see you in a Circle this Fall !
Watch our FREE INFO SESSION from last fall where we discuss Motherless Daughters Support Circles and answer frequently asked questions from attendees.
Learn more about how the Circles operate, what’s included, and how they differ from our retreats and weekly community calls.
“Participating in the Circle was a magical experience for me. I loved meeting women from various backgrounds who had experienced the loss of their mothers in childhood and adolescence. The intimacy and support of these women and the three facilitators was amazing. The Circle provided an opportunity to connect with others who truly seem to understand me in a way that I haven’t experienced before.”
— Janie, St. Louis, MO
This season’s two Support Circles are for Motherless Daughters who were between ages 0-21 (Mondays) and ages 22 - 40 (Tuesdays) when their mothers died.
Please note: You must be 2 or more years past your loss to join a Circle.
Scroll down for more details and program information.
Fall Support Circles details here:
MONDAY CIRCLE
For women who were between the ages of 0 - 21 when their mothers died.
Begins Monday, October 20, 2025
Meeting Time:
5:00-6:30pm PT / 8:00-9:30pm ET
Dates:
Oct 20, 27 ~ Nov 3, 17, 24
Dec 1, 8, 15 ~ Jan 5, 12
Weeks off: Nov 10, Dec 22, 29
Facilitated by Hope Edelman
TUESDAY CIRCLE
For women who were between the ages of 22 - 40 when their mothers died.
Begins Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Meeting Time:
11:00am - 12:30pm PT / 2:00-3:30pm ET / 7-8:30pm GMT
Dates:
Oct 21, 28 ~ Nov 4, 18, 25
Dec 2, 9, 16 ~ Jan 6, 13
Weeks off: Nov 11, Dec 23, 30
Facilitated by Zanne Hollingshead
Our Motherless Daughters Support Circles are designed
with your long-term healing and personal growth in mind.
Our top priority is to provide you with a compassionate, supportive, and trauma-informed environment.
Weekly exercises will help you create meaningful connections between your past, present, and future.
Every exercise has been approved by a clinical consultant and tested in multiple small-group settings. You can rest assured that everything you encounter in a circle has been carefully designed with your best interests in mind.
Your Support Circle will include the following:
10 weeks of live curriculum;
Recorded links to re-watch your weekly Circle sessions, and catch up on any you miss;
A WhatsApp group set up and administered for Circle members to stay in touch and communicate between sessions;
Access to a private website page just for your Circle, where all readings, activities and information will be posted;
Email access to Hope and Zanne throughout the 10 weeks;
10% discount on ongoing weekly Motherless Daughters Community Calls after your Circle ends.
Please Note: Program Director and Certified, Trauma-Informed Coach Zanne Hollingshead will facilitate the Circle sessions on Tuesdays. Zanne has years of experience working with motherless daughters and is part of the team that developed and facilitated previous Support Circles.
“My mom died suddenly when I was 11 and my dad 3 years later. For most of my grief journey, I have felt stuck in the emotions of my younger self. This support group and the rereading and thorough discussions relating to the book have given me new insights and perceptions that I can see, feel, and understand as a mature adult. Additionally, hearing the tender, intimate, brave sharings of the group members, especially those of a similar age now, has been so rewarding and humbling.”
— Jenni, Liverpool NY
How Will We Spend Our 10 Circle Sessions Together?
Each week of a Motherless Daughters Support Circle curriculum will be loosely based on chapters from Motherless Daughters. We will discuss that week’s topic, do activities together, and share what comes up for us in the process.
Between sessions there will be brief, optional exercises to complete, including journal prompts for self-reflection and activities to prepare you for the next week’s session.
For detailed information about each week’s topic, click on the plus (+) sign next to each session title below.
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Meet your facilitators and the other women taking this journey with you, and start sharing your story with them. We’ll also cover the basics and let you know what to expect in the next 14 weeks.
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In Week Two, we’ll unpack the messages you receive(d) about grief both then and now, and explore how those messages have impacted you. We’ll help you develop a healthier and more empowering relationship with grief moving forward.
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Age at time of loss matters – a lot. In Week Three, we’ll look at the developmental tasks associated with each age group, reflect on which ones may have been skipped or scrambled after your mom became ill or died, and learn how to start filling in those gaps today.
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How a mother died is important to a daughter’s long-term adjustment. Your mother may have died suddenly, from a long-term illness, or from a combination of the two. We’ll discuss the difference between PTSD and Complex PTSD, and help you distinguish between stories of a death and stories of loss. You’ll have an opportunity to revisit and rewrite some influential moments in your past.
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Numerous studies show that what happens after a mother dies can have as much effect on a child as the loss itself. Support from a warm, consistent, loving adult is critical after a parent dies. We’ll look at how relationships with fathers, grandparents, siblings, and other family members changed when a mother died, what coping strategies we developed to feel safe, and how we navigate our family relationships today.
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Mother loss is a relational trauma. It can affect our adult interactions with romantic partners and friends. In Week Six, we’ll learn more about different attachment styles, discuss separation anxiety and separation sensitivity, explore what “being alone” means to us, and discover what helps us feel emotionally safe when we’re in relationship with others.
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When a mother dies, a daughter's relationship with her becomes frozen in time. Maybe you still feel a living connection to your mom in the present, or maybe you don’t feel one at all. Either way, Week Seven offers a deep dive into the art of Re-Membering and introduces new ways to welcome your mom back into your story.
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Daughters who lose mothers frequently have heightened fears of falling ill and dying young. In this session, we help you identify your specific fears, find ways to stay grounded and manage thought spirals, and learn tips for reducing anxiety.
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Mother loss is painful and often tragic. Mother loss also can inspire a profound new sense of meaning and purpose. Both things can be true. In Week Nine, we turn our gaze to the future and the stories we want to write ourselves into moving forward.
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In our final week together, we’ll reflect on what we’ve learned both individually and from each other. We’ll bear witness to each other’s intentions for whatever next steps we now hope to take.
“With the book Motherless Daughters as a framework, Hope and her team have crafted an amazing, thought-provoking 10-week course– one that is full of compassionate insights and honest discussions about life growing up as a motherless daughter. I look forward to learning and exploring more.”
— Suzanne, Malibu, CA
How is a Motherless Daughters Support Circle Different
from a Retreat or the Weekly Community Calls?
The Circles are an intimate, weekly group setting with a maximum of 16 women. Everyone has a chance to share each week, usually multiple times.
In a Circle, you’ll build even deeper, ongoing relationships with the facilitators and with other women in the group.
Weekly topics are discussed in-depth and enhanced by additional activities, readings and reflective writing in the weeks in between.
Unique exercises are included to add to your experience.
These exercises intentionally link your past, present, and future to help you release old messages and create a new and more empowering life narrative moving forward.
MEET YOUR CIRCLE TEAM
Hope Edelman
The bestselling author of Motherless Daughters and Motherless Mothers, Hope is widely considered one of the world's foremost
experts on early mother loss. Working with bereaved daughters is both her passion and purpose, as well as her life work for 30 years. In the 1990s Hope helped launch support groups for motherless daughters in 30 cities, and in 2016 she co-founded Motherless Daughters Retreats. Through Motherlessdaughters.com she brings psychoeducation and support to thousands of women every year, both in person and online. In her free time she loves to travel, knit hats, take yoga challenges, and cook for large numbers of people at once.
Zanne Hollingshead
Facilitator, MD Support Circles Program Director, Certified Life Coach and Trauma Support Services Provider.
Fellow Motherless Daughter Zanne lost her mom to brain cancer when she was 10 years old. As a lifelong seeker and supporter who leads with a compassionate heart, Zanne believes that deep healing and transformation can happen through courageous, intentional, exploratory inner-work coupled with therapeutic modalities and peer support. She is a midlife wellness advocate, Martha Beck-trained life coach and group facilitator, dedicated to harnessing her experience of mother loss, sibling loss, and peer loss to walk alongside others, helping them navigate life's great challenges. Zanne also co-facilitates the Tuesday and Thursday Motherless Daughters Community Calls with Hope, and provides 1:1 support for private clients in a coaching capacity. She is ever-captivated by the healing power that community and peer support brings.
Victoria Mercado
MA, LPC-S, Clinical Advisor for MDSC Curriculum
Victoria is a licensed trauma therapist in Dallas, Texas. She worked with Hope and Zanne to create Motherless Daughters Support Circles and make sure they follow a trauma-informed curriculum. At age 15, Victoria and her mother were involved in a car accident that left her mother a quadriplegic. Then at age 23 she lost her mother to complications due to pneumonia. Finding solace and encouragement within the Motherless Daughter community through a nearby support group inspired Victoria to pursue a career as a licensed professional counselor. Victoria has also attended and co-facilitated Motherless Daughters Retreats.
What is the Cost of a Fall Support Circle?
Early Bird Price ~ until Aug 31 only!
$100 non-refundable deposit upon registration
4 monthly installments of $199 charged on October 1, Nov 1, Dec 1, Jan 1
Regular Pricing begins on September 1
$100 non-refundable deposit upon registration
4 monthly installments of $239 charged on Oct 1, Nov 1, Dec 1, Jan 1
For any payment inquiries, please email Sabrina at info@hopeedelman.com
Cancellation policy for Support Circles:
Your commitment to the Circle is a valuable investment in yourself. You will become part of an intimate group based on trust and safety. This sacred space starts forming as soon as Circle participants sign up. Our time together is short but meaningful, and deep relationships form. We ask that you trust in this process and commit to following it through to completion to receive the maximum benefit. We have waiting lists for our Circles, and your enrollment secures a space we cannot fill after the Circle begins. For this reason, after the first session there will be no refunds or payment plan cancellations.
Refund Policy for Support Circles:
Initial payments are fully refundable until 14 days prior to the start date, minus the $100 non-refundable deposit.
From 14 days prior to start date and up until the first weekly session, 50% of your first payment will be returned and your credit card will not be charged moving forward. The $100 deposit is non-refundable.
After the Circle begins, there will be no refunds or payment plan cancellations.
Please note: If you have to miss the first 3 sessions in a row, we regret we will not be able to accommodate you after that point and will have to end your Circle participation. The 16- person small group format allows for trust and safety to build quickly. For this reason we cannot start new members after the 3rd Circle session. However you will still be responsible for any remaining installment payments, as we will not be able to enroll someone from the waiting list at that time.