Many motherless daughters lost their moms too young to ask the kind of questions an adult woman would need answers to, and many of us have now reached and passed out mother’s age at time of death. This is a powerful rite of passage, and one that deserves acknowledgment.

At a Golden Girls Retreat, you'll be encouraged to share your story and ask questions of other women. Together, we’ll piece together a road map for living beyond a mother, and embracing aging in a way we didn’t get to see our mothers do.

Our three-day retreat will look like this:

Day 1: Breakfast at 9:30 a.m., daytime program from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a 90-minute lunch break midday (lunch included).

Day 2: Breakfast at 9:30 a.m., daytime program from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. with a two-hour lunch break midday (lunch included) .

Day 3: Breakfast at 9:30 a.m., daytime program from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.

The group will be a diverse collection of women who have lost their mothers to death at various ages and from many different causes. Many will have attended a four-day Motherless Daughters Retreat in the past. All participants will be 50 or older on the first day of the retreat.

Motherless Daughters Retreats does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, neurodiversity, or marital status in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants and, whenever possible, choose retreat sites that are ADA compliant.

We’re sorry, but no. This retreat is for women who are at least 50 years old on the first day of the retreat and we must remain firm about this cutoff. Please come back in a few years, when we’ll hopefully still be offering this unique program! In the meantime, you will always be welcome at a regular Motherless Daughters Retreat, which takes place several times each year.

We acknowledge and appreciate the many forms of mother loss that exist and the unique pain that results from each of them. However, the long-term effects of a relationship that is disrupted or damaged due to abandonment, rejection, addiction, mental illness, or other forms of absence can be substantially different from those that result from an early experience with death. For that reason, at this time Motherless Daughters Retreats are offered only to women who have lost their mothers through death. For a list of recommended resources for women who have experienced other forms of mother loss, please contact us at info@hopeedelman.com.

We strive to create an environment in which each of our participants feels safe, secure, and supported. Group leaders and assistants can be available for brief individual consultations on-site if needed. But your most helpful support is likely to come from the women in your group. You’ll find them to be enormously caring and attentive to each other, and conversation typically flows freely. We encourage you to reach out to them during the weekend.

On the registration form, you will be asked if you have any food allergies, sensitivities, restrictions, or preferences in your diet. We will be offering a menu to choose from for lunch each day, and there will always be vegetarian, vegan, and tgluten- and dairy-free options.

Topanga Canyon has several local restaurants where you can have dinner after the retreat ends each day. We will have printed menus available on the premises.

Typically, several group participants live within driving distance from a retreat and can either carpool together or offer a ride to someone who’s flying in. Other participants may all be arriving at the same airport at the same time and can either rent a car together or share a shuttle. About two months before the retreat we’ll set up a WhatsApp group where participants can introduce themselves and post their flight information to start organizing carpools. Upon registration, we also send out information about arrival, departure, and transportation between nearby airports and the retreat site.

Every retreat group "pays it forward" by starting a scholarship fund for the next group. Motherless Daughters and outside donors contribute to this fund as well. We can typically offer one to three partial scholarships (up to one-half of the registration fee) per retreat for women seeking financial assistance. Special preference is given to single mothers; women of color; LGBTQ+ individuals; college students; and women in financial distress due to health crises. For information about financial assistance, please email melissa@hopeedelman.com.

You’ll want to pack exercise clothes and comfortable walking shoes for afternoon walks/hikes an body movement activities. Also please bring a photo of your mother for a display table. We supply all materials for the workshop. And we provide plenty of tissues.

At the end of the retreat, we discuss re-entry to home life, including how to explain the retreat to loved ones and how to engage in helpful self-care. Approximately two weeks after the retreat we hold a 90-minute conference call where everyone can check in and share stories from their post-retreat weeks. The WhatsApp group remains active so the retreat group can stay in touch and offer support and advice long after the weekend ends. Participation in weekly Motherless Daughters Community Calls at a special discount rate is also encouraged.

Up to 60 days prior to the start date: refundable minus a $200 registration fee.

Up to 30 days prior to the start date: 50% refundable minus the $200 registration fee.

Within 30 days of 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 21 days before the start date if minimum enrollment has not been achieved. You would then receive a 100% refund of the registration fee.

We regret that we cannot issue refunds due to sickness, including COVID-19. All attendees are responsible for their own health and safety, and we encourage anyone who wants to wear a mask to do so.