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
Melissa Vincel, Chief Programming Officer & Writing With Hope Co-Facilitator
Whether you are signing up to write your story, meeting future sisters at a retreat, or want to connect with women across the globe about mother loss, Melissa brainstorms, develops, and implements programming that will help meet your needs. She is a writer, mother, and wife who balances her full life in Cleveland, Ohio, with making sure that all aspects of Hope’s offerings run smoothly for retreat participants, writing clients, fans, and readers.
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.
Kristina Kury, Marketing Director
Christine Meyer, Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Community Calls
Christine Meyer is the Founder and President of She Climbs Mountains, a non-profit located in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, serving women and girls ages 8-18 (Girls Rise Up) who have experienced mother loss through death at any age. Christine has extensive experience in program development, curriculum writing, and facilitating workshops and gatherings through She Climbs Mountains, Girls Rise Up, and Hope Edelman’s Motherless Daughters community.
Christine was 15 when her mother died from ovarian cancer at the age of 44. She believes that when grievers join together in community, the loneliness and isolation that often accompanies grief begins to soften, and a new path to connection and healing is revealed. Christine lives in Roseville, MN with her 4 children and her sweetest dog, Jordan, a nod to her favorite basketball player and the City of Chicago where her mother was born and raised.
Zanne Hollingshead, Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Community Calls and Program Coordinator for Support Circles and Peer Training
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.
Devin Brinkley, Marketing Associate and Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Community Calls for Recent Loss
Devin Brinkley experienced the profound loss of her mother in 2021, a mere month following her father's passing due to complications from diabetes. She found solace and support in the Motherless Daughters community, which played a pivotal role in her healing process and inspired her to become more involved in the community.
Passionate about supporting others dealing with parent loss, Devin extends her empathy and experience to women and children facing similar challenges. She also plays a vital role as a mentor and Program Coordinator at Empower, a non-profit dedicated to mentoring children and young adults who have experienced the loss of a parent.
Devin resides in Southern Maryland with her family, which includes her husband, their two sons, two beloved dogs, and a tortoise.
Angela Schellenberg, LMHC , Co-Facilitator of Motherless Daughters Community Calls for Recent Loss
Angela Schellenberg is a licensed Mental Health Trauma, Grief, and Loss Psychotherapist.
Angela specializes in addressing the complex challenges associated with trauma, grief, and loss. She is trained in attachment, EMDR, TF-CBT, and Trauma Certified.
Angela is a “Mother Hunger” facilitator, drawing from the insightful work of therapist and author Kelly McDaniel. She co-facilitates Motherless Daughter retreats with Hope Edelman.
She came to this work after losing both parents by the time she was 22, her father to gun violence when she was 16and 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 constant work and you are worth it.
Victoria Mercado, MA, LPC-S, Clinical Supervisor, Peer Training Program
Victoria Mercado is a licensed trauma therapist and yoga instructor based in Dallas. She works with Hope Edelman as a Clinical Supervisor to help create trauma-informed support circles and trainings for both facilitators and the women they serve.
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 is dedicated to aiding women and children who have faced the loss of their mothers, endeavoring to offer compassionate and supportive help. She lives in McKinney, TX with her husband, daughter and 2 dogs.
Head to Victoria's website for more information: bloomcounselingandwellnesstx.com
Jessica Roche, Retreats and Event 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.