HWS News
6 November 2025 • Alums The Empty Nester’s Gifts
Meredith Madden ’99, P’29 has authored a new interactive book for empty-nesters.
When Meredith Madden ’99, P’29, dropped her son off for his first year at HWS this fall, she officially joined the ranks of “empty-nesters.” In the days that followed, the longtime educator and author turned to writing to make sense of the mix of emotions and expectations that came with this new phase of life.
The Empty Nester’s Gifts is not a “how-to” guide but an intentional space that blends affirmation, reflection and practice, Madden says. Each of its 52 weekly entries combines guided affirmations and prompts to encourage mindfulness, purpose and peace during the transition to an empty nest.
The book is organized into four sections, each representing a different stage in the empty-nest journey: letting go with grace, reclaiming your space and spirit, reconnecting with purpose and nurturing what’s next.
“Society often pushes the narrative ‘fill the space, do the next thing,’” Madden says. “It’s a lot of pressure to put on people. We’re all gently becoming new versions of ourselves. And there’s no rush. The book is really an invitation to pause, reflect and journal during this season of life.”
Still navigating her own journey, Madden is journaling through the pages of The Empty Nester’s Gifts herself while creating online spaces for others to reflect and connect. Through her Facebook and Instagram community, Empty Nesters: Full Nest Living, she invites readers to share insights, discuss journal themes and support one another along the way.
At HWS, Madden majored in sociology and minored in Russian area studies, and spent a semester studying abroad in Galway, Ireland. Now, as a parent, her HWS connection has deepened. “It felt like, my son is leaving home, but he is going to another home,” she says. “When I dropped him off for football preseason, I knew he would be in such great hands.”
Madden has been an educator in higher education for two decades. She holds a doctorate from Syracuse University School of Education’s Cultural Foundations of Education program and is the author of Dear Students: 10 Letters to Empower and Transform Your Higher Education Journey, a book that shares insights and best practices for thriving in college.
