Welcome to the first Northern CA Mother Loss Retreat, for women who lost their moms before age 21
From January 22 - 25
at Mount Madonna Center in Watsonville, California
HELP US PLAN THE PERFECT RETREAT FOR YOU!
Every retreat program is custom designed for each group of attendees. The details you provide help us get to know your story, and also tailor the program to best meet the needs of all members.
LIABILITY FORM
Please note the photography release clause in the liability form. If you do not want your photo used in our marketing or promotional materials, please reach out to kristina@hopeedelman.com.
WHAT CAN I HOPE TO GAIN
FROM THIS WEEKEND ?
Most motherless daughters have never had the experience of sitting in a room of women who understand their innermost challenges, triumphs, and fears. You’ll find that at a Motherless Daughters Retreat.
You'll be listened to and supported. Your story will be received with curiosity and compassion. No one will judge how you’ve responded, either then or now. You’ll find validation and normalization — both for what you went through when you were younger, and how the ripple effects are showing up in your adult life today.
You’ll uncover links between your past and your present, and learn ways to undo some of the coping skills you developed in the past. Especially ones that may be harming you today.
You’ll learn new ways to stay connected to your mom after her death, and to continue to honor her life and the relationship you shared moving forward.
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 the schedule.
This schedule is subject to change.
PRIVATE WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT
The private WhatsApp group chat will be created about 1-2 weeks prior to the retreat. This will be a place to connect for ride-share needs and to introduce yourselves in advance.
NOTE: The WhatsApp group is a place to share a few details about yourself and your story, but we do not recommend in-depth, pre-retreat meetups without the presence of a trained facilitator. Please consider that while everyone coming to the retreat has something in common, we all have very different backgrounds and experiences around mother loss. The retreat is carefully designed to be trauma-informed, with boundaries and activities that ensure all of the members’ safety and comfort. Chat comments can be misinterpreted without in-person context, so please tread gently prior to meeting in person at the Guest House.
RETREAT LOCATION:
445 Summit Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076
WHERE WILL WE MEET?
Meet Your Facilitator
Hope Edelman
FACILITATOR
The bestselling author of Motherless Daughters, Motherless Mothers, and The AfterGrief, Hope is widely considered one of the world's foremost experts on early mother loss. She has been working with bereaved daughters for 30 years and knows the experience from the inside, having lost her mother, Marcia, to breast cancer when she was seventeen.
In 2016 Hope co-founded Motherless Daughters Retreats, which has now served more than 500 women at 26 retreats in the US and UK. As the founder and CEO of Motherlessdaughters.com she brings psychoeducation and support to thousands of women every year, both in person and online.
Hope’s articles and essays have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Parade, CNN.com, Glamour, Real Simple, Writer’s Digest, and more. She speaks at bereavement and writing conferences worldwide.
She is a certified life coach and a Certified Trauma Support Services Provider, with additional training in Narrative Therapy, Hope lives in Los Angeles and spends every summer in Iowa City, Iowa.
Meet Your Co-Facilitator
Angela Schellenberg
Angela Schellenberg is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in the complex challenges associated with trauma, grief, and loss. She is trauma certified and trained in attachment, EMDR, and TF-CBT.
Angela is also a certified Mother Hunger facilitator, drawing from the insightful work of therapist and author Kelly McDaniel. She regularly co-facilitates our West Coast Motherless Daughter retreats with Hope.
Angela came to this grief work after losing both of her parents by the time she was twenty-two: her father to gun violence when she was sixteen and her mother six years later after a long struggle with mental health and trauma.
Angela is no stranger to learning how to navigate grief and loss. She finds that it’s possible to process your grief and create a beautiful life after trauma. It’s ongoing work, and you are worth it..
