A Motherless Daughters
Near-and-Here Retreat
Online Oct/Nov 2026 • In-person Nov 6-8, 2026 • Venice Beach, California
You’ve been living without your mom for a long time now.
Decades have passed since your world turned upside down.
Everyone expects you to have gotten “over it” by now. Yet this loss keeps showing up in new and different ways.
As you reach and pass her age at time of death.
As you move into and through years she never got to see.
As your body changes. As your kids move on. And as friendships shift.
This phase of life offers all kinds of new challenges. And if you find yourself missing your mom and wondering why, you’re not alone.
We get it.
It’s why we’ve created this special retreat just for you.
Growing older as a motherless daughter — and as a woman who didn’t get to see her own mother age — often feels like stepping into the unknown.
Making new friends at this age is different. It’s hard to find people to talk to, really talk to, about how losing a mom when you’re young affected you … and continues to affect you, to this day.
Imagine spending time with 13 other women who truly understand what this time in life both offers and asks of us, and how early loss can continue to play a role.
We’re experienced. We’re wise. And we don’t waste time on small talk.
We’ll be refreshingly candid about what midlife motherless women face today.
In an intentional space where honesty prevails and laughter rules … we’ll talk about marriage, dating, divorce, empty nesting, menopause, sex, financial (in)security, adult orphanhood, retirement, parenting adult children, and aging. No topic will be off limits.
The new “Near and Here” format means the retreat starts online, continues in person in Venice Beach, California, for a 3-day immersive experience, and then finishes up online — making it as easy as possible for you to attend. ,
You’ll join a group that supports you long after the retreat experience ends. Retreat groups stay in touch for years beyond their time together, continuing to lift each other up through all of life’s moments, large and small.
Past participants describe these retreats as life-changing.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to say the same. ❤️
*Motherless Daughters welcomes all female-identified and daughter-identified participants.
Please note: the retreat does not include accommodations or transportation to and from the site. We provide a list of hotels within easy walking distance of the retreat site. There are also a limited number of rooms available on site, for an additional cost. Please contact jessica@hopeedelman.com to inquire about this option.
WHAT CAN I HOPE TO GAIN FROM A MOTHERLESS DAUGHTERS RETREAT?
A Motherless Daughters Near-and-Here Retreat acknowledges how losing a mother when you’re young affects your past, your present, and your future. Your story will be held gently and with care.
After years — or decades — of feeling alone with your loss, you’ll enter a room where you’ll be listened to and understood.
You’ll find validation and normalization — both for what you went through when you were younger, and also for how the ripple effects show up in your adult life today.
You’ll become part of an intimate, intergenerational group of up to 14 retreat sisters, all of whom were up to age 25 when they experienced the death of a mom.
You’ll meet women who faced (and still face) many of the same challenges you did — some of whom will have histories very similar to yours.
You’ll work directly with Hope Edelman, author of Motherless Daughters, all weekend, and Allison Durant, LPC-S. a licensed therapist with both professional and personal experience in the mother loss field.
You’ll be guided through a series of activities and discussions tailored specifically for this phase of a motherless daughter’s life. (We’d love to tell you what they’ll be, but each retreat is custom-designed. Every activity will be carefully chosen to meet the unique needs of your retreat group!)
YOUR RETREAT FEE:
$1895 per person Early Bird price
(before 9/1)
$2095 after 9/1
For registrations in August either pay in full
or
$100 deposit in August, plus first installment of
$450 (upon signup), then 3 payments of $450 each
on Sept 1, Oct 1, and Nov 1.
Please note: Your retreat free does not include accommodations or transportation.
We have one single room and one double room available on site for Friday/Saturday/Sunday nights. The cost is $250/nt for the single and $150/nt per person for the double. If you’d like to stay on site, please contact jessica@hopeedelman.com to request one of these rooms.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
2 two-hour Zoom sessions before we gather in person, held on Monday, Oct, 26 and Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Three days of meeting time in a stunning architectural home in Venice;
Dinner on Friday plus breakfasts and lunches on Saturday and Sunday
(5 meals total);Coffee and tea all day;
Customized activities based on your group’s specific needs;
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 hunting for past emails!);
free access to our 24/7 online Motherless Daughters community for 3 months after the retreat;
2 two-hour Zoom sessions after our California weekend to finish the retreat on Wednesday, Nov. 11 and Monday, Nov. 16;
Priority access to future retreats and other Motherless Daughters offers.
PLEASE NOTE: Participants must be at least 50 years old by the first group meeting, and must have been up to and including age 25 at time of mother loss.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Up to 60 days prior to start date: fully refundable minus your 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.
Organizers reserve the right to cancel the retreat up to 14 days before the first virtual meeting if minimum enrollment has not been achieved. You would then receive a 100% refund, including the $100 registration fee.
OUR RETREAT WILL TAKE PLACE AT A BEAUTIFUL, PRIVATE
RESIDENCE IN VENICE, CALIFORNIA
When we gather in person, we’ll meet at a private home in Venice Beach, California, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean and only a 15-20 minute ride from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — easy to take a taxi or an Uber.
The retreat site features a large meeting space, an outdoor fire pit, a roof
deck with a view of the ocean, a full kitchen, and every amenity we can hope for. Plus — it’s an easy walking distance from multiple hotels and restaurants!
(Exact location will be shared upon registration.)
“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
Meet Your Facilitators
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.
Allison Lindsey Durant
Allison Lindsey Durant is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice and a Certified Grief Professional. She approaches therapy through a grief-informed lens, recognizing that growth and change often require mourning what we leave behind. Through her own therapy in her 40s, Allison realized she had not grieved the death of her mother when she was 18. This put her on a path to return to school and obtain her Masters. She opened the New Orleans Grief Center in 2020, a safe therapeutic space for healing. Allison is passionate about normalizing grief in all its forms and helping others navigate life's transitions with compassion and resilience.
Beyond her clinical work, Allison is committed to serving the New Orleans community through nonprofit leadership and advocacy. She is a member of the Survivors Rowing Club, where she promotes exercise and connection as part of breast cancer survivorship, and has competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta. She also served four years on the board of Wake, a nonprofit dedicated to providing affordable and equitable deathcare, including terms as Treasurer and President, and now serves on its Advisory Committee.
When not working, you will find Allison enjoying pickleball, needlepointing, reading, and looking for ice cream. Her greatest joy is spending time with her three daughters, Lindsey, Addie, and Field.
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.