Motherless Daughters 4-Day
West Coast Retreat
For daughters who were up to age 21 when their mothers died
January 22-25, 2026
Mount Madonna Center
Watsonville, California
NOTE: This retreat is for daughters who were 21 or younger at the time of loss. You can be any age now.
!
Have you ever felt like:
A piece of you got stuck in the past when your mom died?
You’ve never grieved your mother fully, properly, or at all?
Other women know something you never learned?
You’re just a big kid cosplaying in an adult’s body?
You want to feel closer to your mom, but don’t know how to get there?
We can help.
A Motherless Daughters Retreat acknowledges the complexity of early mother loss while celebrating the power of your enduring connection with your mom.
After years — or even decades — of feeling alone with your loss, you’ll enter a room where you’ll be listened to and understood from the start.
You’ll become part of an intimate, intergenerational group of up to 24 retreat sisters, all of whom were up to age 21 when they experienced the death of a mom.
You’ll find validation and normalization for what you went through when you were younger, and also for how the ripple effects show up in your adult life today.
A Motherless Daughters Retreat is a 4 day/3 night experience of laughter, tears, healing, and deep connection with other women who’ll “get” you.
The women you’ll meet have faced (and still face) many of the same challenges and triumphs you have. Some will have histories very similar to yours. .
You’ll work directly with Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters, all weekend, plus a licensed therapist who has both professional and personal experience in the mother loss field.
You’ll be guided through a series of activities and discussions to help you reflect on the past, ground yourself in the present, and set new intentions and goals for the future.
Come as you are. Leave with a renewed sense of strength.
NOTE: All retreat participants must be 18 years or older now. At least 2 years must have passed since the death of your mother to qualify you for a retreat.
*Motherless Daughters welcomes all female-identified and daughter-identified participants.
Please note: Registration on this site is for your program fee only. Scroll down for the link that takes you directly to the Mount Madonna Center web site, where you will choose your accommodations and pay for that part of your retreat separately.
You’ll have the choice of either a double or single room. For double rooms, we match roommates based on age at time of loss, cause of loss, and current age now. We have a 99.9% success rate of making great roommate connections!
Four days to explore the long-lasting effects of early mother loss, in a community of like-minded others.
WHAT CAN I HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS RETREAT?
Most motherless daughters have never had the experience of sitting in a room of women who understand their innermost thoughts and fears. You’ll find that at a Motherless Daughters Retreat.
You’ll uncover links between your past and your present, and learn ways to release some of the coping skills you developed in the past. Especially ones that may have stopped serving you, and may even be harming you today.
You’ll learn new ways to re-connect and stay connected with your mom after her death, and to continue to honor her life and the relationship you shared moving forward.
Most of all, you’ll become part of a group that will support you long after the retreat ends. All of our retreat groups stay in touch and continue to lift each other up years later. The bonds that you’ll form will be strong and lasting.
Past participants describe our retreats as “life-changing experiences.” We’ll hope you’ll be able to say the same.
VIEW THE SCHEDULE
Click HERE for a SAMPLE schedule.
The schedule is subject to change.
Please note: This retreat — our 28th — will be a special one for two reasons:
First, after four years of searching for a West Coast retreat site that will meet our groups’ specific needs, we’re thrilled to have found Mount Madonna Center! This will be our first retreat at Mount Madonna, and we’re excited to partner with this beautiful, spiritual center that offers meeting space, accommodations, and dining all in one place.
Second, CBS Sunday Morning is hoping to do a segment on Motherless Daughters (amazing!) and would like to film a portion of one day, as well as speak with individuals who’d like to be interviewed individually. Participation is entirely optional — no pressure at all! But please know there may be cameras present for a portion of one of our days together. We promise to take care not to film the most sensitive portions of the weekend, and only to film participants who have given us their permission to be on camera. If you’d like to participate, it can be an incredible opportunity to share your story with a larger audience, and to help spread the word to others who do not yet know that such help exists.
YOUR RETREAT FEE:
Program fee: $1096 Early Bird Rate
Sign up before November 1 and save $300!
Want to pay in installments?
Before November 1, pay only your non-refundable deposit of $100 to secure your spot. Then pay three equal installments of $332 on Nov. 1, Dec. 1, and Jan. 1
After November 1: $1396 Program Fee
Accommodations and Meals:
Price Variable
Book directly with Mount Madonna for a variety of single and double occupancy rooms at different price points. You choose!
Your room fee, paid to Mount Madonna, includes 3 nights of lodging plus all meals.
Click below to choose your room.
Registering for this retreat is a two-step process:
1) Secure your spot in the 4-day program with us by clicking on the left button above.
2) Then click on the right button above to go to the Mount Madonna site to select and pay for the accommodations of your choice.
Your registration is not finalized until both steps have been completed.
WHAT’S INCLUDED (with both payments):
Single or double room accommodations for 3 nights;
Nine healthy, vegetarian meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Food allergies and sensitivities can be accommodated.
Please note: Mount Madonna is a meat-free environment. Vegetarian meals are the only option provided;Customized activities based on your group’s specific needs;
Private group yoga class;
All workshop materials;
A special gift bag upon arrival;
Access to a private WhatsApp group for pre- and post-retreat support;
Access to a private web page where all info and prep work is posted (no searching for old emails!);
A pre-retreat Zoom call with the group;
Three months of monthly, 90-minute follow-up calls to provide you with additional, post-retreat support;
One 30-minute, 1:1 coaching session with Hope within six weeks after the retreat ends (a $120 value!);
Priority access to future retreats and other offers;
A lifetime 10% discount on weekly Motherless Daughters Community Calls.
PLEASE NOTE: At least two years need to have passed since the time of your mother’s death to best meet your bereavement needs. Participants must have up to and including age 21 when they experienced the death of their mother.
Transportation to and from Mount Madonna is not included.
CANCELLATION POLICY (program fee only):
Up to 60 days prior to start date: fully refundable minus a non-refundable $100 registration fee.
Up to 30 days prior the start date: 50% refundable after the non-refundable $100 registration fee.
Less than 30 days from the start date: non-refundable.
We suggest you purchase travel insurance when you book airline tickets to avoid flight cancellation fees.
Your program fee must be paid in full by January 1, 2026, unless other arrangements have been made with us directly.
If you choose the installment plan and miss a payment, we will attempt to reach you three times by email and phone. If we are unable to connect and resolve the issue after three attempts, your registration will be cancelled and payments already made will be refunded according to the guidelines above.
Organizers reserve the right to cancel the retreat up to 21 days before start date if minimum enrollment has not been achieved. You would then receive a 100% refund, including the $100 registration fee.
WHERE YOU’LL BE CONNECTING, EATING & RESTING:
Mount Madonna Center in Watsonville, California
The retreat will be held at the beautiful Mount Madonna Center in
the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California, about 50 minutes south
of San Jose Mineta Airport (SJC) and 20 minutes outside of Santa Cruz.
“I didn’t really understand the impact this weekend would have on me until we were about a day and a half into it. I can’t really explain it, but for me, it was a magical experience. I guess a more grown up word would be “transformative”.”
“The opportunity to talk about mother loss with a group of women that really understand was amazing and the support that I continue to feel many weeks after the retreat is wonderful. I just wish I had done this sooner!”
Further retreat questions? Please send an email to info@hopeedelman.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A Motherless Daughter Retreat is a powerful and often life-changing event. We've compiled this detailed FAQ to answer common questions participants have before and after registration. If your question is not covered here, please contact us at info@hopeedelman.com.