Nurturing Words: Voices of Experience

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 for grief. 

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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 daughters, and celebrate their mother’s legacy. Their stor...

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 experiences that others may find their way toward healing f...

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 information about their work.

We are pleased to introduce Mer...

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/conversationswithdanyetta/individual-coach...

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 difficulty of navigating overwhelming grief and how she was a...

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 Ellen Collins, PhD. We are grateful for her...

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: https://hopeandharshrealities.com/about/

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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 first step of the journey. 

This episode of “Nurturing Wo...

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 from Mary Ellen Collins, our Founder, and looks at so...

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 of emotions as she tried to adjust to life without he...

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 in a different light. After finding the ne...

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 unexplainable peace through Jesus, which is much better tha...

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 mother. Her story is one of hardship and grief, but...

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 never stops working on us and sometimes peace and healin...

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 facilitating recovery from stress. This episode looks at the...

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 important it is to live in the moment.

Resources...

What does peace sound like? The answer is different for every individual. Each of us is unique and may find peace in a different way anytime it is needed. Our guest, Gina Ellis, is a blog writer and shares her unique story of finding peace when needed.  She concludes by helping us list our unique pathways to peacefulness.

Resources
Podcast Episode highlights blogs by Gina Ellis:
https://www.motherlessdaughtersminis...

In our ministry, we are blessed to have the opportunity to work with so many women navigating their grief journey. Whether through emotional absence, narcissism, or death, the common denominator of mother loss creates a strong bond throughout our community. This episode shares one story of a Motherless Daughters Ministry participant turned leader. Cathy DiBella's testimony is an encouragement that healing is possible.