Nurturing Words: Voices of Experience
Episodes
134 episodes
Mother's Day
This episode reflects on how Mother’s Day brings a mix of emotions for those who have lost their mothers, blending grief with cherished memories. We share a story of a motherless daughter who honors her mother’s lasting influence, especially th...
Welcome to the Club, Revisited
Life events can send us reeling into club memberships we never wanted. These associations are not ones we want to acknowledge and highlight among our accomplishments. Our Founder, Dr. Mary Ellen Collins, leads by example in tackling the hard wo...
Raincoat in the Storm
Life’s hardest moments can feel even more isolated without a mother’s presence, especially during experiences of grief, rejection, and major life milestones. This episode features a blog written by our Founder and Board Chair, Dr. Mary Ellen Co...
The Power of Your (Hi)Story
Those who document historical events, also, have the power to drive perspective. As motherless daughters, our stories may have been muffled or muted to accommodate the authors of the “published” version. Dr. Mary Ellen Collins, our Founde...
Connection & Conversation Circle Interview
The Motherless Daughters Ministry (MDM) strives to provide a variety of avenues for women to explore any concerns regarding mother loss and discover their unique path to healing. In this podcast, Maika Lansing interviews Danyetta Najoli, MDM Ex...
Losing My Mother
Mother loss comes in many forms, but most people do not think about dementia. Learning the different forms of mother loss besides death is an eye-opening experience. Many of us never understood that we were motherless daughter...
Interview with Dr. Lacrecia Dangerfield
Navigating loss requires a holistic approach to address all in our life that seems to be out of order. It affects us emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. This episode features Dr. Lacrecia Dangerfield being interviewed by our Exe...
Journey Experiences
As we gear up for our 2026 flagship retreat, we are re-sharing an interview with a panel of women who are part of our ministry. Each of the panelists attended or facilitated the Motherless Daughters Ministry’s Journey Retreat. Y...
One Word Challenge
This time of year many of us are considering making some changes in one or more areas of our lives. Maybe you’ve made New Years resolutions. Or maybe you’ve tried your hand at a ‘One Word” challenge. Today’s episode looks at one motherless daug...
A Second Chance
What happens when a second chance at having the family you always wanted falls apart? A motherless daughter describes her experience of losing that dream after the passing of her beloved mother-in-law, after dealing with the absence of nurturin...
2025 Year in Review
As we wrap up the year 2025, we looked back over all the 25 podcasts that were published. There were 3,434 downloads --- the most we’ve had in one year since we started in 2021. Our formatting included more interviews and panel discussions as w...
Offering Condolences Over the Holiday
Navigating the holidays as a motherless daughter can be a mix of emotions. There’s an expectation of a Norman Rockwell-style family celebration that just doesn’t live up to expectations for so many grieving a loss or dealing with a strained rel...
Celebrating 25 Years
The Motherless Daughters Ministry is celebrating 25 years of helping motherless daughters. This episode features a discussion with Motherless Daughters Ministry founder, Dr. Mary Ellen Collins, on the past, present, and future of the ministry. ...
The Hidden Volcano
Motherless daughters deal with grief in different ways. Today’s episode focuses on a story from one of our blog writers, Dottie Menkhaus, who, at the time, struggled to face reality and deal with her grief. Instead, she tried to ignore it, as s...
Creating New Traditions
The “holiday season” is filled with traditions at every turn. While they anchor us and provide familiarity and predictability, they can also be the source of stress and trigger deep sadness and grief. However, because they create a sense ...
Going Home for the Holidays
The “holiday season” is characterized by family gatherings, festive decorations, gift-giving and feasts that include a large variety and amount of food. Minds and hearts are void of negativity and replaced by the spirit of kindness, generosity ...
Mothering Without a Mother
We never outgrow the need for the love, support, and nurturing of a mother or a mother figure. This is true during life’s special times and milestones. Entering motherhood is such a time. This episode features a conversation about mothering wit...
An Interview with Vanessa West
Our "Voices of Experience" are the best ones to tell you about the Motherless Daughters Ministry (MDM). Healing from the impact of loss is different for every individual. While our experiences are unique, there are common threads that bind us i...
A Motherless Daughter in "Wicked"
Sometimes, when you watch a movie or read someone’s story, there are parts of it you overlook. This episode features the experience of Sarah Lynn Wells, Podcast Administrator and blog writer, as she watches the movie “Wicked” with fresh eyes. S...
When the Storm Hits
Getting hit by a storm and trying to deal with the aftermath is a lot like what many of us deal with when losing someone we love. Finding community and experiencing the power of presence from others is crucial in navigating grief. Sometimes wha...
It's Not Supposed to Be This Way
It is natural for us to set up expectations. But when things don’t go the way we expect, what determines how we respond? It’s different for everyone. But the earlier we learn how to control that response, the better. This episode fe...
Peeling Back the Layers
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 i...
Free To Be Me
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...