Daughters Without Moms

Tracy was 24 years old and newly married when her mom was killed in a workplace accident. Tracy spent over a decade with deep pain, but has learned to take care of herself physically, spiritually and mentally so that she can be her own best advocate. Tracy talks about using the Shaklee nutrition plan in her health routine, and you can find more about that here (pws.shaklee.com/tracyfixen). You can...

Gibson's mom died unexpectedly in the summer of 2020. They spoke daily as her mom was her go-to person no matter what. As she's adjusting to life without her mom, Gibson has done a tremendous amount of soul searching and has learned a lot about herself. During the podcast, Gibson talks about having a playlist of her mom's favorite songs. She shared that @itsandrewhorn inspired her to do so! I talk...

Rachel was 8-years-old when she came home from church and was told her mom died in a car accident the night before. That day, her dad called her his brave little girl, and she lived up to that expectation. No one would see her cry until her dad's death. Rachel says that hearing about the passing of her mother is what made her human. It shaped her entire world view. Rachel highly recommends the boo...

Sadye's mom fought metastatic breast cancer for 6 years, and then she lost her mom when she was 12.  Next she lost her dad when she was 23 to a heart attack. She's the youngest of 4 children, and even now, at 30, her grief and loss affect her significantly. Sadye recommends these resources for parent loss as a young adult: The Dinner Party (www.thedinnerparty.org), Motherless Daughters Group...

Do you consider grief to be a 4-letter word? I think it is, but probably not the 4-letter word you are thinking. I'd love to hear your thoughts after you listen! All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to daughterswithoutmoms@gmail.com. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome! Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sig...

Michelle's mom suffered with schizoaffective disorder, which made her a complicated woman and mother. Since her mom passed in 2013, Michelle has learned even more about her mom and at times it has left her feeling guilty about how she felt about her mom over the years of their relationship. Michelle is currently writing a memoir, and you can find more information about the Michelle and her memoir...

June 12, 2022 was the date of the 50th Annual American Cancer Society’s Bridge to the Beach Bike-A-Thon. It was my 2nd year riding 67 miles in honor of my sister, mom and many others who have had and do have cancer.  To be honest, after the ride was done, I went in to a funk for a couple of days. I think it is normal after you look forward to a big event for so long and then it comes and is o...

Today I'm re-sharing my thoughts on loss, shame and a pandemic. I wrote a blog about this in January of 2021 (yourgriefjourney.com/2021/01/27/the-grief-and-shame-of-2020), and this podcast was originally aired in May of 2021.  It's a topic I'm passionate about and have done a lot of research on how the pandemic has amplified our feelings of loss and shame. I also discuss toxic positivity and...

Unnati is a bereaved daughter from India, who lost her mother to cancer when she was 16. She shares about how she has dealt with this grief while in a grief negligent society and having no support.  Unnati's Take-Away: Grief can also affect you mentally and physically. You have to face the reality of your loss, and allow yourself to feel and accept your grief. Denying it only makes it worse....

Rebecca and Katie first shared on the podcast in June of 2021. I'm sharing it again, because it's important to recognize that if you are a caregiver, you experience the loss of that role in addition to the physical loss of your loved one. It can be a lot to handle.  All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to daughterswithoutmoms@gmail.com. You don'...

In addition to being a DWOM, I'm also a daughter without a dad. My dad died in July of 2018. His birthday is coming up this week, followed by Father's Day. In this episode, I share more of the story of my dad. He was a man of few words, and I loved him with all of my heart. I still do. My take-away: Are you being realistic in your expectation of your relationship with your own dad? With your mom?...

This podcast is a safe place to share stories of grief, hope and resilience. Karalyn was diagnosed with anorexia when she was 14. As an athlete, she did a good job of hiding it for a while. But once she was "caught", she knew she was scared and needed help. She couldn't stop what she was doing because she was addicted to her disordered eating, and felt like she didn't know who she was without it....

Sadie's dad passed away when she was 11. He was in Turks and Caicos with his friends and dislocated his shoulder. He went to the hospital and they gave him a pain medication he was allergic to. He was med-flighted back home and was in a coma for a week but ultimately the brain damage was too much. Sadie struggled a lot with this throughout middle and high school, with not having people to relate t...

Reid's dad died by suicide in 2006, and his stepdad died from cancer in 2016. When his stepdad died, Reid thought he was good because he'd already experienced the loss of his father 10 years earlier. He couldn't have been more wrong, and struggled with loneliness throughout the journey to healing and integration again. From this experience, Reid felt a calling to help the grieving find peace and p...

Rebecca first shared her story on the podcast in April of 2021. I'm sharing it again, because it's important to recognize that not all daughters have healthy relationships with their moms. Rebecca was also one of the daughters who shared in the Mother's Day Circle event that I released on the podcast last week. Rebecca shares raw and personal stories about how she missed feeling loved by her mom,...

This is a recording from the 2021 Mother's Day Circle hosted by myself, Rebecca, Lauren and Patricia. We are 4 daughters without moms who have very different stories: Beth: Lost my mom as a teenager, developing self-love in her absence Lauren: Recent loss of mom, single, filling void with purpose Patricia: Recent loss of mom, motherless mother of 3 children Rebecca: Complicated relationship with m...

Amber's first loss was a friend that committed suicide when she was 10 years old. In 2013, her mom was brutally murdered by her neighbor. 3 years later, her grandparents were in a car accident after her grandfather had a transient amnesia episode, and her grandmother died in the accident.  Amber has written a beautiful book called If Grandma Were Here: A Book of Memories . You can find m...

Cinda and Cristi share the story of their mom, Jeanne. They both say that she was the best mom there ever was - just like June Cleaver. She was given 3 months to live, and lived another 8 days. Cinda's Take-Away: Everybody grieves differently and there's no right or wrong way. Don't let anyone tell you have to grieve.  Cristi's Take-Away: When you lose someone, it sucks, and you are goin...

Lindsay's mom was murdered when she was 13 months old. Even though she has no explicit memories of her mom, being a Daughter Without a Mom has had a tremendous impact on her personal journey. You can find Lindsay on Instagram @thejoyfuljewelrybox . If you click on the link in her bio, you will find lots of grief resources. You will also find the link to her Etsy shop in her bio, or you can find it...

It's been over a year since I started the podcast and I wanted to share my story again. This podcast was originally shared in April of 2021. I’ll share about losing my mom at 13, and how that affected the relationship I had with her mom and dad, my grandparents.  My Take-Aways: 1. Don't believe the stories in your head 2. Share your story with others 3. Learn to love yourself All of our stori...

Deborah shares about how she felt like her mom "left her" when she died, because she didn't take care of herself after being diagnosed with adult onset juvenile diabetes. Deborah stuffed down her grief for 30 years, and is just starting to recognize the damage caused by her unresolved grief. Deborah's Take-Away: Don't spend 30 years with unresolved grief. Running away from it does more damage. We...

This week is my birthday. I'll actually be 52, but I wanted to share 50 of my favorite quotes and life lessons with you. Many of these are not my own, but are words that have influenced me and my journey.  What is your favorite quote or life lesson? All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to daughterswithoutmoms@gmail.com. You don't have to be a DW...

Emily is my first daughter without a dad to share on the podcast. The podcast is being released on the fifth anniversary of her father's death. She created her Instagram account, @theinvisiblewounds , 2 years into her grief journey. It was her outlet and continues to provide her, and others, with support and encouragement, as there are times when people in real life still struggle to understand he...

Note: This episode includes discussion about mental illness and suicide. Please choose another story if these details may be triggering for you. In this episode, Tera shares about her mom, and how she grew up in an environment with physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Her mom escaped that by packing up her belongings and moving to the mid-west to start a new life. She was diagnosed with multiple...

Andrea was first on the podcast in Season 1, Episode 38. Since then, she has gotten married. She came back to share the things she did to honor and remember her mom on her wedding day. Make sure you stay until the end when we talk about her funeral for her 20's! You can find Andrea's blog at https://motherlessdaughtermind.wordpress.com Staten Island residents may request to join Staten Island Moth...