Episode #27: Building a Business While Grieving the Life You Imagined with Hope Alcocer
September 13, 2026
Click to watch on YouTube.
You Can Be Grieving and Still Be Building Something Meaningful
Episode Summary
What happens when life changes in ways you could never have prepared for, but the business you've spent years building still needs you to show up?
In this episode of The Building Well Podcast, Amanda Magho sits down with Hope Alcocer, founder of Wonder Woman Media and co-founder of the Mia Joy Foundation, for a deeply personal conversation about entrepreneurship, grief, motherhood, and learning to redefine success.
With 15 years of experience in marketing and public relations, Hope knows what it means to navigate the unpredictable seasons of entrepreneurship. From starting her career as a freelance writer to building a marketing consultancy serving female-founded businesses and nonprofits, her journey has included financial setbacks, corporate detours, and the ongoing challenge of recognizing her own value.
But her perspective on building changed profoundly after experiencing the loss of her daughter, Mia, followed by the loss of her mother just four days later. Through unimaginable grief, Hope and her husband found purpose in creating the Mia Joy Foundation, an organization supporting families navigating NICU experiences and infant loss.
Together, Amanda and Hope explore what it looks like to continue building while carrying grief, why success must include peace and fulfillment, and how releasing the pressure to do everything perfectly can create space for a more meaningful life.
This conversation is a reminder that entrepreneurship doesn't happen separately from life. Sometimes, building well means allowing yourself to experience joy and sorrow, ambition and exhaustion, and progress and uncertainty at the same time.
3 Key Takeaways
Grief and Growth Can Exist Together
Grief doesn't always mean the loss of a loved one. It can also come from unmet expectations, major life transitions, and the future you imagined unfolding differently. Hope shares how learning to hold grief alongside the responsibilities of entrepreneurship has helped her approach life and business with greater compassion for herself.
Success Should Include Peace, Not Just Revenue
After 15 years in business, Hope has learned that financial success means little if the work constantly leaves her anxious or resentful. She's become more intentional about the clients she accepts, the rates she charges, and the relationships she builds through her marketing consultancy. Her experience challenges entrepreneurs to consider whether their definition of success reflects the life they actually want to live.
Structure Creates Room for Life to Happen
Between running her business, supporting her family, and navigating personal grief, Hope has learned that structure can help reduce everyday overwhelm. From Sunday meal preparation to separating client meetings from creative workdays, she shares how planning ahead helps her protect her energy. Rather than expecting every day to go perfectly, these routines give her family a practical foundation when life becomes unpredictable.
Guest Bio
Hope Alcocer is the founder of Wonder Woman Media, a marketing and public relations consultancy serving female-founded businesses and nonprofits. With 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, she specializes in content creation, social media strategy, writing, and social data analytics, helping organizations communicate their stories and better understand their audiences.
Hope began her career as a freelance writer before expanding into social media management, marketing strategy, and event-related services. Her professional experience includes work in the music industry, and her client portfolio includes businesses in the mental health and wellness space.
She is also the co-founder and president of the Mia Joy Foundation, established with her husband in honor of their daughter, Mia. The foundation supports underserved neonatal intensive care units and families experiencing infant loss through practical resources, volunteer support, and grief concierge services.
Beyond her professional work, Hope is a wife and stepmother of three who openly shares her experiences navigating entrepreneurship, family life, and grief.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
Entreprenista League of Female Founders
Some links above may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission from purchases to support this show.
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