As the "mother" of motherless daughters, Hope Edelman is the author of eight nonfiction books, including the bestsellers Motherless Daughters and Motherless Mothers, and her most recent book, The AfterGrief. Her books have been published in 17 countries and 11 languages and have sold more than 1 million copies. Motherless Daughters, often considered required reading for any woman who has lost a mother, is now in its third edition and has been in print for nearly 30 years.
Hope speaks at venues and conferences all over the world and has appeared frequently on television, including Today, Good Morning America, CNN, KTLA, CBC, and Good Morning Australia. Trained as a life coach by Martha Beck International and with additional training in narrative therapy, she also does one-on-one work to help individuals explore loss as a means of personal growth.
Hope has two daughters and lives outside of Los Angeles (with summers in Iowa City).
A message from Hope:
Hello! It’s so very nice to meet you here.
As you may already know, I was 17 when my mother, Marcia, died after a long struggle with breast cancer. Few services existed back then for families who’d lost a loved one, and very little information existed about how to support children or adults in their grief.
It took me more than a decade to understand what I’d been through and how it would continue to affect me for the rest of my life. The most important step was finding other women like me.
When I met other motherless daughters, I could breathe freely again. I didn’t have to explain myself. We even shared the same type of dark humor.
That’s when I discovered other women who…
>Knew the messages we had received about grief were often unhelpful or just plain wrong.
>Felt like a piece of us got stuck in the past.
>Wanted to stay connected to our moms but didn’t know how.
>Felt out of sync with other women who still had their moms.
For more than 25 years, I’ve been researching and writing about the long-term effects of early mother loss. At workshops, retreats, and on my weekly Community Calls, I’ve listened closely to thousands of stories of loss, love, and growth.
I’ve watched women’s lives change when they revisit, re-examine, and revise their stories in the community. I want you to be able to experience that, too.
xo Hope
Hope Edelman, Founder and CEO
Kristina Kury, Marketing Director
Whenever you see a post on social media or download a gorgeous graphic, chances are Kristina has created it. Kristina’s Los Angeles-based marketing firm, Sprout Creative LA, ensures that all of the relevant news and details about Motherless Daughters events, offerings, and programs get to those who need to see them.
Kristina has over 12 years of experience in the marketing industry with brands such as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Wolfgang Puck, and Sky Zone.
Zanne Hollingshead, Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Circles and Program Coordinator for Motherless Daughters Support Circles
Fellow Motherless Daughter Zanne Hollingshead lost her mom to brain cancer when she was 10 years old. She’s been an active member of the online Motherless Daughter's Community since its inception, and has been co-faciliting the weekly Tuesday Community Calls with Hope since early 2023.
Zanne is a wellness advocate, life coach and group facilitator dedicated to using her experience of mother loss, sibling loss, and close friend loss and learnings from many therapeutic avenues to walk alongside others through life's great challenges. She completed life coach training in 2023 and specializes in coaching women who are navigating loss, change and healing.
Zanne is a seeker and supporter who leads with her heart, and believes that healing and transformation is possible through courageous, intentional, exploratory inner work coupled with peer support. The greater MD Community has been of immeasurable value to Zanne. From participating in childhood mother loss retreats and traveling to Peru for 2022 Motherless Daughters service trip, to co-facilitating and coordinating the new Motherless Daughters Support Circle Training Program, she is captivated by the power of peer support and is a huge advocate of its contribution to healing.
Michelle Michicoff, Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Circles for Recent Loss
My path to grief work has been deeply shaped by both personal loss and a longstanding interest in human behavior, attachment, trauma, and healing. I lost my mother at the age of 14 after she endured a two-year battle with breast cancer.
I know how disorienting and isolating grief can feel, especially in the early years after losing a mother, and I also know the importance of having spaces where grief can be witnessed with compassion, honesty, and connection.
Today I work as a licensed psychotherapist specializing in trauma, grief, and attachment, with experience supporting survivors of trauma, neurodivergent children and adolescents, LGBTQ+ clients, and adults living with severe and persistent mental illness. I have also pursued specialized training in grief and mother loss through Motherless Daughters under Hope Edelman and Claire Bidwell Smith. I am a native speaker of Spanish, and I’m always happy to incorporate it into our conversations if it feels natural to do so. I’m honored to co-facilitate the Recent Loss Circle.
Natalie Freeman, Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Circles for Early Loss Tuesday
Natalie is a fellow motherless daughter and member of the Motherless Daughters community. She has been working as a Licensed Mental Health Therapist in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, IL, for over 10 years. Natalie’s work has centered around identity development, existential and spiritual exploration, mindful self-compassion, and infusing trauma awareness into everyday wellness.
She came to this work and community after losing her Mother when she was 15 to Ovarian Cancer. She identifies as a previvor, and with a BRCA 1 mutation, she has felt deeply seen and supported by other Motherless Daughters connecting on all the unique ways losing our mothers has changed us. She believes deeply in the healing power of wonder, curiosity, creativity, and connection. She has been amazed at the stories and lives she’s been privileged to engage with while a member of the community, and recently attended a Motherless Daughters retreat at Mount Madonna in CA in January of 2026.
Jessica Roche, Retreats Coordinator.
A fellow motherless daughter and member of the motherless daughters & motherless mothers community, Jessica was 22 when her mother died from colon cancer. She has found tremendous support and love from sitting in community with other women who lost their moms to cancer, those who were in their 20s when their moms died, and those who are navigating being a mother without a mother. She has been an active member of the Motherless Daughters virtual and in person communities since 2021 and most recently attended a Motherless Daughters retreat at the Guest House in CT in November of 2023.
Jessica is passionate about helping other women find connection and support by creating events and retreats for them to be in community with other women who have experienced mother loss, share their stories, and ultimately find solace and healing.
She is a former special education teacher, attorney, and summer camp director who lives in Wayne, PA with her husband and their two sons.
Sabrina Davis, Program Assistant
Sabrina is a seasoned project manager with more than 17 years of experience in the tech industry. As Program Assistant, she brings her deep passion for customer support to every interaction with clients, helping to streamline your experience with Motherless Daughters. Sabrina, based in Panama, is bilingual in English and Spanish. She believes in the power of community to heal, connect, and uplift—and she’s here to ensure you feel supported every step of the way.