Echoes Of Her - Adell Coleman On Grieving Her Mother & Finding Community

In this episode of Grief Out Loud, we talk with Adell Coleman about her mother who was killed when Adell was just 24 years old. Adell reflects on the closeness of their relationship and how her mom's death radically shifted her sense of safety in the world. She shares how the circumstances around her mother's death, including being the person who found her, has made it difficult to remember how her mom lived, without reliving how she died.

Adell also talks about what it's been like raising two daughters who never met their grandmother, but somehow carry her presence in surprising and meaningful ways. She reflects on anniversaries 14 years later, the exhaustion of grief, and how becoming the family "grief expert" interrupted her capacity to engage with her own grief.

The conversation closes with Adell describing how community, therapy, boundaries, and creative work - including her documentary and podcast, Echoes of Her: To Mom With Love - have helped her find language, connection, and space for her grief.

We discuss

• Losing a mother in young adulthood and feeling "not ready" to be an adult
• How violent death and trauma impact grief and memory
• The challenge of accessing good memories when you are dealing with traumatic imagery
• Parenting while grieving and helping children connect with a grandparent they never met
• Anniversaries, emotional exhaustion, and grief over time
• Becoming the family "grief expert" and having to put off personal grief
• Finding community after loss and why the right support can take time
• Creating meaning through storytelling, connection, and creative projects
• Adell's documentary and her new podcast, Echoes of Her: To Mom With Love

Connect with Adell
Instagram: @iamadellcoleman
Podcast: Echoes of Her
Threads: @iamadellcoleman
Documentary: Echoes of Her: To Mom With Love
Substack: On My Momma