Daughters Without Moms

Julia lost her mom very suddenly, six days after Mother’s Day, when she was 8 years old. It wasn't until her late 20s/early 30s that she actually began processing this immense loss, and coming to understand it as a trauma.   

Julia is now a Grief Support Specialist and Certified Grief Educator. She launched her Instagram community, Girl Meets Grief, over Mother's Day weekend in 2021.

Find Julia on Instagram: www.instagram.com/girl_meets_grief/ and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ggwampodcast

Julia's Take-Aways: I want to share these quotes from Anne Lamott that have helped me: Grief is "a lifelong nightmare of homesickness". It's hard to feel like you want to go home, but that person is no longer there. It also is hard to acknowledge that we will never be the same again, but as Anne says, "you learn to dance with the limp."

Julia's linktree page has links to her published writing and other podcast interviews: linktr.ee/girl_meets_grief

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

Content Note: This episode includes discussion about suicide. Please choose another story if these details may be unhelpful to you.

Dallis' mom died from breast cancer when she was 17. Her mom was first diagnosed when Dallis was 2, so she had cancer most of Dallis' life. Dallis had a messy and complicated relationship with her grief and for a period of time she really wanted to die.

Two years ago, Dallis got involved with empowerHER, which provides a network for girls and young women under 24 who experienced mother loss.

Here is information about the empowerHER organization: Website: www.empoweringher.org Instagram: @empoweringher

Info about our empowerHER everywhere event happening in person and virtually across the country on Sunday, October 23: www.empoweringher.org/everywhere-events

Dallis' Take-Away: You're going to feel a lot of things and its not always going to make sense. Let yourself feel them without judgment and frustration, and be gentle with yourself. Let yourself go through it. 

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

Priya's grief journey started in 2014 when she herself almost died of septicaemia. While Priya was still in the hospital, her mother suffered a brain haemorrhage.  Her mum’s recovery was rocky, and when she finally got to a place where she was starting to feel more like herself again, she received a diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer - on the same day that Priya's dad suffered a near fatal heart attack. Priya's mom died in February of 2020, on her dad’s 70th birthday. They then went into lockdown, and Priya was alone with her grief.

Priya's Take-Away: I was surprised by the feeling of gratitude about the timing of her death. If she had died 2 weeks later, I wouldn't have been able to be with her. Also, if trying to support someone in grief, just listen. Don't try to offer any advice. Allow people to grieve as they need to. 

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

Jenni was adopted when she was very young, by an amazing mum and dad who showed her what unconditional love really was. Due to her early traumas, Jenni struggled while growing up, but finally got things turned round and had a couple of stable years of relationship with her parents. Then BOTH parents were diagnosed with terminal cancer and they died 9 months apart; first her dad and then her mum. 

During the podcast, Jenni talks about the woodlands burial grounds. You can learn more about that here: https://www.green-burial.co.uk/

Jenni's Take-Away: Don't lose yourself completely amongst your grief. Try and do something for yourself every day. Its so easy to lose yourself and forget who you are. 

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

Lindsay's mom died suddenly in 2011. Lindsay was 20 years old at the time and was completely destroyed by her death. 

After being thrown into the world of grief, Lindsay experienced how little we as individuals and as a collective know about grief. Since 2019, she has dedicated herself to supporting others throughout their grief journey, as a Grief Educator & Bereavement Counselor. She is also working on publishing her first memoir, where she shares her experiences and challenges with her mom, their relationship, and her passing.

You can find Lindsay at lifeafterloss.co, and on Instagram @_lifeafterloss

Lindsay's Take-Away: Know that you are not doing anything wrong. You have every right to feel the way you're feeling. 

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

Rachel was 20 years old and in her 2nd week of college at a brand new school when her mom died. Her mother was her best friend, and when she died, Rachel fell apart. 

Rachel's grief consumed her and she felt very isolated. She also searched desperately for books she could relate to, and found very few. She decided to write a book about her experience. Her book is called Losing Your Mom When You're Twenty: My Personal Experience, and it can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

We also talk about the book I'm Dead, Now What. 

Rachel's Take-Away: Don't be afraid to talk about it. Once I started talking about it, I started healing. Find some way to talk about it, because keeping it inside is one of the most dangerous things you can do.

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

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 find Tracy on Instagram @tracyfixen and on Facebook @therevivedmom.

Tracy's Take-Away: Grief has it's own pace for everyone, you are not doing it too fast or too slow. You may not have the same feelings as those around you, and that's ok. Take care of yourself - you are not alone. 

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

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 about high-functioning co-dependency. To learn more, visit terricole.com. 

Gibson's Take-Away: You’re not alone. I know that you feel alone or lonelier now that your person is no longer with you— try leaning into seeing the ways that your person is still communicating with you. And use this time to figure out what you need by getting really honest with yourself. Most of the time, as humans, we’re distracting ourselves from hurt or hardship when there are lessons to be learned from that discomfort + pain. Grief is the type of pain that can make you grow — so dig deep, be strong and let yourself be.

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

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 books Motherless Daughters and The Aftergrief by Hope Edelman.

Rachel's Take-Away: It's way harder to be 32-years-old without parents than it was as a child. Check on adult children. I didn't think about how hard it would be for the rest of my life. Forever is a very-long time. Adults think that grieving is step-by-step. Kids grieve differently. They may not cry. They may show it in other ways and little changes. You can learn a lot of things from kids when you pay attention to how they grieve.

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call by sending an email to [email protected]

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com

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 (www.motherlessdaughters.com/support-groups) and Hope Edelman's book, Motherless Daughters (hopeedelman.com/books/motherless-daughters)

Sadye's Take-Away: Don't hide your emotions. Feel them and accept them. Grief is everlasting and unexpected. It's like the ocean, and the waves of grief can come and go. 

All of our stories are important! If you have a story to share, please send an email to [email protected]. You don't have to be a DWOM to share your story. All are welcome!

Would you like to talk about your grief journey? Sign up for a complimentary Connection Call here: https://calendly.com/daughterswithoutmoms/30-minute-connection-call

For more information on my thoughts on grief, please visit my website, www.yourgriefjourney.com