Nurturing Words: Voices of Experience

Send us Fan Mail Healing from the impact of loss is a major focus of the Motherless Daughters Ministry offerings. It requires work that is sometimes painful. In our humanity, we try to avoid pain. But when it cannot be avoided, we diligently seek to alleviate it. Painful memories, thoughts, and experiences get neatly tucked away under layers of coping mechanisms and routines. Over time, we become...

Send us Fan Mail What's holding you back from being free to be the best version of yourself possible? Do you have interests, hopes, and dreams that have been neglected? Sometimes our past can restrict the ability to discover who we are and grow to our potential.  Dr. Mary Ellen Collins, our Founder, uses vivid imagery to challenge us to free ourselves to grow forward.                        ...

Send us Fan Mail Childhood experiences may not get a label until well into adulthood. It may be years before we acquire the language to describe how our life has been impacted by our past. Even if the explanation is objectionable, it is tailor-made for us to wear. When we discover truths, it is upon us to decide how to respond. Dr. Mary Ellen Collins, the Motherless Daughter Ministry Founder, open...

Send us Fan Mail Healing from the impact of loss is a cyclical journey. Instead of a destination we acquire new knowledge and skills to manage grief and become our best selves. This episode is the continuation of Dottie Menkhaus’ story. It encompasses the last 2  parts of her 3-part blog about her journey toward healing from the impact of mother loss. The previous episode includes an interview upd...

Send us Fan Mail Healing from the impact of loss is truly a journey. There is no destination when it comes to grief. Every experience is unique because of our individual circumstances. It is impossible to create a timeline for this process because it  requires something  different for each individual. So, we describe the “journey” one story at a time. Today’s episode is Dottie’s story. Her “voice...

Send us Fan Mail Voices of experience are the best ones to share information about “The Journey Retreat.” Our flagship offering is designed to provide a personalized experience in a safe environment with women who understand. These four testimonies give a glimpse of the powerful purpose-driven design of this retreat.  The next Motherless Daughters Ministry “Journey Retreat” is June 6-9, 2025. Regi...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes taking a step out in faith can be challenging and scary! Today’s episode focuses on following God out of our comfort zone and into what He is calling us to do. This can be hard for motherless daughters navigating grief. But, remaining where we are may be missing out on extraordinary plans God has for us or others to whom we will witness.                                  ...

Send us Fan Mail   “The Journey Retreat’ is a residential retreat focusing on mother loss and its effect on your life. The evolution of this offering has created an experience that is transformative.  This interview brings together individuals who have attended and facilitated the event to provide inside  information helpful to those wishing to attend. Our Founder, Mary Ellen Collins, interviews 5...

Send us Fan Mail Grief often feels like something we wear every day that most people do not seem to notice. But, when you find someone who understands, they seem to notice right away. This episode is based on a blog post written by Sarah Lynn Wells, our Podcast Administrator.  Her focus is on the importance of community in the healing journey. A hidden picture serves as an effective illustration f...

Send us Fan Mail Our “Meet the Authors” series features writers who have published books focused on their mother loss stories. This episode features the work of Alice Cunningham, author of Daughters on the Journey . The book not only features her journey, but that of nine (9) other women. She provided a compassionate and safe environment to share their experiences, encourage other motherless daugh...

Send us Fan Mail Becoming motherless was not a choice, but everything after that becomes an opportunity to exercise that power. Making choices is not always an easy task.  Our feelings, emotions, people, and circumstances get in the way. However, some factors can facilitate our decisions. Julie Thompson is a gifted blog writer who has contributed significantly to our library . She shared her exper...

Send us Fan Mail The “Meet the Author” series is an opportunity to connect with some wonderful authors in our community. You may have already read some of their work.  Attending the live interviews gives you an opportunity to submit your questions to be answered during the interview. You can hear information from these interviews when adapted for the podcast format. The show notes contain informat...

Send us Fan Mail The Motherless Daughters Ministry serves women who have become motherless by any means.  Most people think of a motherless daughter as one whose mother has passed away but rarely is suicide raised as a topic of discussion. This episode features the story of Danyetta Najoli , author and life coach. Resources   MDM Individual Coaching with Danyetta Najoli: https://calendly.com/conve...

Send us Fan Mail As we start a new year, we are looking back at an insightful perspective shared by one of our talented blog writers, Christine Fishel, as she opened the door to 2018. It is a journey worthy of recall to help us avoid overlooking pearls in our midst. Christine shared her experience of surviving a tough year of multiple losses. As the year drew to a close, she revisited the difficul...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year! We are starting the 2025 podcasts by celebrating our 100th episode! Listen in as our Podcast Administrator, Sarah Lynn Wells surveys the top five (5) episodes of 2024. Hear clips from each one. "Nurturing Words: Voices of Experience" was launched in March of 2021 with an episode about the origin of the ministry. It was presented by our Founder, Dr. Mary E...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode kicks off a new series, Meet the Authors. In this series, we will interview women who have written books about their mother-loss experiences. We will learn about their writing process and their mother-loss stories. Our first interview is with Chelsea Ohlemiller, the author of Now That She’s Gone. Resources Chelsea Ohlemiller’s website, Hope and Harsh Realities: htt...

Send us Fan Mail   The world of mother loss is filled with grief, a sea of emotions, confusion, pain, and sometimes hurt feelings. Whatever the cause of mother loss, it is never an easy journey. When it involves emotional absence, narcissism, and estrangement, it touches the lives of everyone nearby. Healing from the impact of mother loss looks different for each of us and starts by taking the fir...

Send us Fan Mail It’s almost the holiday season which means busy schedules and often lots of expectations. This season can be challenging to navigate for anyone, but especially those grieving a loss or coming to terms with estrangement/emotional abandonment from a parent. Many end up struggling with a lack of patience during this “most wonderful time of the year”. This episode is based on a blog f...

Send us Fan Mail Chicken Soup has long been associated with comfort and healing. Its history goes back to the 2nd century BC. Medical and other healthcare personnel have written about its benefits in multiple areas of health. It can provide social, emotional, and physical comfort while supplying supplements that promote health. This episode shares part of Danielle Ilaqua’s journey through layers o...

Send us Fan Mail Looking back at memories can give us a different perspective. When we are right in the center of experiences, it is hard to acknowledge educational value and silver linings. All our energy is needed to keep up with the changes. Hindsight can bring the legacy into view. This episode highlights Laura's life experiences. By recounting her life stories, she was able to see things...

Send us Fan Mail When we experience the heartbreaking loss of a mother through death, emotional distance, or estrangement, it can be hard to figure out a path forward. The world offers many distractions or ways to drown the pain instead of processing it.  However, it doesn’t have enough to offer for your mother’s loss. But there is a solution. Today’s episode looks at how we can truly find unexpla...

Send us Fan Mail A motherless daughter can be defined in many different ways. Of course, some become motherless daughters when they lose their mother through death. But, others are motherless daughters through the loss of nurturing from a mother. This may happen for a variety of reasons, but one of those is narcissism. Today’s episode focuses on the story of a motherless daughter of a narcissistic...

Send us Fan Mail As motherless daughters, we tend to focus on the struggles of being without a mother. But, working through our grief is affected by relationships with other family members. Mother loss can highlight the benefits or deficits in those other connections.  For many motherless daughters, the relationship can be challenging with our father.  This episode is a good reminder that God neve...

Send us Fan Mail In our busy lives, rest is often something completely overlooked and undervalued. But rest and restoration are so important. Some of the essential components of getting rest are staying hydrated, restful sleep, and good nutritional intake. Rest promotes good physical and mental health as well as motivation. The benefits include injury prevention, improved performance, and facilita...

Send us Fan Mail Fond memories of annual traditions can trigger grief. Mother loss may become a filter for everything that follows. This episode focuses on two motherless daughters sharing their summer traditions and memories. While they both deal with the change in summer after mother loss, they find ways to continue those traditions. The episode reminds us how quickly time can pass and how impor...