Melanie Fiona Talks “The Mama’s Den,” Motherhood, and More

Melanie Fiona has had a life-changing few years. 

The 40-year-old singer-songwriter welcomed her first little one, son Cameron, in 2016, privately married husband Jared Cotter in December 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, welcomed her second little one, daughter Kaia, in December 2021, and celebrated her third anniversary in December 2023 with a stunning wedding ceremony ceremony in her yard. Evidently, Fiona has been busy.

The Toronto native’s journey to being a mom and spouse was not with out its challenges, nevertheless. Fiona, who appeared on season six of “Black Love,” now accessible to observe on Black Love’s Amazon Freevee channel, says that she initially felt remoted when she first grew to become a mother in 2016. The singer didn’t have a neighborhood round her in Los Angeles to help her transition from single, single girl to a married mom of 1. That’s, till she found “The Mama’s Den.”

Fiona says that when good friend, fellow mother, and “Black Love” Co-Creator Codie Elaine Oliver invited her to take part in a motherhood podcast in the course of the early days of lockdown, she lastly discovered the sisterhood and help she wanted. 

“It was actually engaging to have an outlet, to have connection, once we weren’t allowed to have connection [during COVID],” Fiona explains. “It grew to become this ritual that I wanted so desperately throughout that point, however I didn’t even understand it.” 

Fiona joined Oliver, Ashley Chea and Felicia LaTour as a full-time host of “The Mama’s Den,” which is now accessible to observe on Black Love’s Amazon Freevee channel. The love and connection between the hosts continued to develop because the years went on, permitting Fiona to have much-needed “woman time” and secure house to be weak.

“I knew that it was going to work out actually nice as a result of I felt like every particular person was chosen with intention, and I used to be excited in regards to the position we may all play as a collective,” Fiona says. “It’s one thing that I genuinely sit up for doing each single week. It’s my reprieve. I get to go and simply be with my women. It’s assured girlfriend time, which I feel that numerous occasions mothers and fogeys basically overlook to prioritize. I do know that the work we’re doing isn’t just for our profit. What we’re creating and what we’re bringing to different individuals is why it’s so vital.”

Along with serving to others, “The Mama’s Den” podcast has additionally allowed Fiona to “present up constantly with a voice and a wealth of expertise, which has allowed me to grasp my identification higher.” The mom of two, who refers to herself because the “huge sis” of “The Mama’s Den” crew, has leaned into self-exploration and love. On the podcast, she’s been in a position to broaden her abilities as a frontrunner and course of her emotions. 

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“With the ability to share knowledge and in addition studying from different girls on the similar time, it helps me evolve,” Fiona says. “I get to take little nuggets and from what I hear, what I skilled and what we’re requested on the podcast, and I get to use that. I get to talk to fellow married girls weekly about how I can higher present up as a spouse and a mom in these very arduous occasions, the place there’s obstacles or challenges or battle. It’s been actually fantastic to be round that. It helps me present up as a extra grounded mom, girl and inventive. It offers me a way of consistency. It offers me a way of help and security. I’ve been in a position to simply actually step into the fullness of being a supply of knowledge for myself and everybody in my life — my youngsters, my husband and my girlfriends.”

“The Mama’s Den” not solely offered Fiona with a supportive setting, but it surely was additionally the catalyst for her to welcome her second little one, daughter Kaia Love. The singer tells Black Love that she all the time felt that she was “one and finished” when it got here to youngsters. For years, Fiona mentioned that she was content material with just one little one and had no plans to grow to be a mom of two, because of an absence of neighborhood help. However engaged on “The Mama’s Den” allowed her to “say sure” to having extra youngsters. 

“Once we began the podcast, Ashley bought pregnant shortly into recording. Shortly after, I bought pregnant,” Fiona explains. “Our daughters are actually a month aside. I really consider that my willingness to say sure [allowed me to have my daughter]. Say sure is my mantra and the factor that I’m main with in 2024. Say sure to all of the miracles and prospects of what may very well be for your self. We focus a lot on saying no and setting boundaries. That’s nice for self-development, safety and therapeutic. However to have the ability to be in an area of security, to say sure, to obtain no matter comes your method and know that it’s for you. Saying sure to doing ‘The Mama’s Den’ podcast, I really consider manifested my daughter. I lastly felt like I had a neighborhood of help to undergo this new season of motherhood.” 

That neighborhood of help and chemistry between the podcast hosts has been evident from the beginning, and their camaraderie has transferred into rising success for the present. “The Mama’s Den” has now launched over 76 episodes, has hundreds of devoted listeners, a well-liked Instagram web page, and is gearing up for its extremely anticipated 2024 return. 

Fiona shares that the brand new episodes will replicate how the hosts are evolving as moms, but in addition as girls. 

“We’ve collectively been creatively discussing how can we evolve ‘The Mama’s Den?’ How can we give extra to our neighborhood? How can we broaden what we’re constructing right here for ourselves?” Fiona says. “I’m actually wanting ahead to it. It’s already been a lot enjoyable. This season goes to replicate much more about us as girls, not simply moms. We’ve all actually been planting seeds. I feel that it’s going to be thrilling to share how this stuff are blooming in actual time for every one in every of us and the way we’re evolving.”

Now a fortunately married spouse and mom of two, Fiona is saying “sure” in all points of her life, together with her creativity and music. After affected by artistic blocks for years, Fiona now feels free to create artwork her method with out worrying about public notion or naysayers. The singer credit her household and her women for permitting her to let go and file new music. 

“I’m actually attempting to not overthink it,” Fiona says. “I’m retaining my artistic faucet on by getting again within the studio and writing new music, and seeing what comes out on this model of my life and this season of my life, and permitting it to be sincere. Not having [the music] be pushed by a metric of success or what different individuals are doing, extra so it being true to who I’m. I feel that that’s the factor that I really feel actually enthusiastic about is that every little thing that I create on this season of my life, I don’t ever need it to be a disingenuous model of myself. That’s very liberating in itself and in addition very weak. However I really like vulnerability.”

She continues, “Over these previous couple of years, [my journey] has ignited a brand new want to develop. I see my husband rising. I see our household rising. We now have two youngsters. My daughter has been an enormous catalyst for my refocus on private growth, development, expression and success. It’s actually been a blessing to have a accomplice that I can journey by life with, who’s supportive, who understands what I do, who’s in the identical world. My son, who’s a deep clever sage that has taught me a lot about myself. My daughter, who’s coming to show me extra about myself.”  

The singer additionally credit her age — she celebrated her fortieth birthday in 2023 — for permitting her to be open to new artistic expression. Fiona refers to her 40s as her golden age, a “launch pad” for brand spanking new artistic endeavors and sense of function in life. 

“We’re so hyper centered on magnificence and preserving our youth and never getting older and never having enjoyable. It’s like your life can evolve. Perceive that getting old and getting older is the reward. It’s a reward as a result of it is a chance to expertise extra life and create and proceed to develop.”

“I’ve this reinvigorated feeling of what do I need my life to seem like for the following 40 years, now that I’m 40?” Fiona explains. “It’s given me this function of what would you like your youngsters’s lives to seem like? What does that really feel like? That, to me, appears like peace. It appears like freedom of selection. It appears like journey and good meals and happiness and well being. On this season of my life, I really feel invigorated to work and create all of the issues that reside inside me in order that I can go together with my household and obtain all these issues I simply talked about. I really feel energized. I really feel stronger and a lot extra optimistic.”

This interview has been edited for size and readability.

New episodes of “The Mama’s Den” are actually accessible to take heed to on varied podcast platforms, together with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, and watch on the Black Love YouTube channel.