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The Mama’s Den
232 EPISODES
Ladies welcome to The Mama’s Den! The Mama’s Den is an unfiltered community filled with authentic conversations and experiences all from a mama’s perspective. Join singer Melanie Fiona, entrepreneur and influencer Felicia La Tour, writer Ashley Chea, and CEO of Black Love, Inc. Codie Elaine Oliver every week as they come together to have honest conversations about everything from motherhood, race, sexuality, health, religion and dating. No topic is off-limits! Grab your wine, make sure the kids are away, and join us in The Mama’s Den.
EPISODES
SEASON 1
SEASON 1
season 1
47 min
Mamas! The new movie The Perfect Find produced by our very own Codie Elaine Oliver is out THIS FRIDAY on Netflix. Today we have the film's director Numa Perrier in the Mama's Den to chat all things motherhood! If you don't know Numa, let's get you caught up! She's a multi-talented actor, director, writer, and visual artist who has emerged as a premier voice in the film and television landscape with The Perfect Find being her feature debut. PLUS she's a mama to a soon to be teenager and a bonus mama! We dive into what it's like to follow your dreams while balancing motherhood. What it's like to come into a family dynamic as the step mother, and just what did her daughter think when her current husband was ready to pop the question?
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23 min
Ajike “AJ” Owens was a mother of four who was fatally shot after she reportedly knocked on the door of her white neighbor's residence to retrieve her child’s iPad, and the story has been weighing heavy on the ladies. What do you do when it feels like it's non-stop? What can we do as Black mothers to negate the feeling of hopelessness? Can we do anything? As the ladies discuss, sometimes the most revolutionary acts are finding the moments of joy in their corners of the world.
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28 min
Whew! We spent all of May talking with our Mama's and it was amazing to hear not only what raising our Mama's Den mamas was like, but how they feel about how they are raising their little ones! If you missed it, we'll give you some links below. Today, our mamas reflect on what it was like hearing from their moms. What surprised them the most? What made them feel validated in their motherhood journey? PLUS what did our mamas hear that has them looking at their children a lil differently?
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47 min
We are celebrating Mother's Day all month here at The Mama's Den and what better way to do it than to have our Mama's Den Mamas here! That's right we are bringing the Grandmamas into the Mama's Den all month long! Today we are wrapping up our Mama's mamas conversations with Somebody's Mama's Mama. That's right we got Felicia's mom in the Den! Mama Laurie is the youngest of our Grandmamas, but look she was not one to be played with! She shares what it was like being a single mom, what it was like raising Fee PLUS what does she admire about how Felicia parents her children?
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48 min
We are celebrating Mother's Day all month here at The Mama's Den and what better way to do it than to have our Mama's Den Mamas here! That's right we are bringing the Grandmamas into the Mama's Den all month long! Today all the way from Columbus, Ohio is Mama Laura! And yes, you can call her Mama Laura. Does she think she and Ashley are alike? What advice does she have for parents today? Also, Ashley asks what was the hardest part of parenting after losing a child?
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54 min
We are celebrating Mother's Day all month here at The Mama's Den and what better way to do it than to have our Mama's Den Mamas here! That's right we are bringing the Grandmamas into the Mama's Den all month long! Felicia is out taking care of her babies, but guess which mama came by to defend herself? That's right! Ready to hold it down TEN TOES DOWN it's Melanie's mama: The one and only Mama Donna! You think you know all the stories, but Mama Donna is here to share everything. Is there anything that we haven't heard yet? Does she have ANY parenting regrets? What advice does she have for parents now?
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64 min
We are celebrating Mother's Day all month here at The Mama's Den and what better way to do it than to have our Mama's Den Mamas here! That's right we are bringing the Grandmamas into the Mama's Den all month long! First up is Mama Renee, aka Suga, the Mama to Codie. Mama Renee is a mama of two, and a grandmama to all boys. What are her thoughts on how Codie is parenting? What was it like to be a parent and entrepreneur back in the day? What was it like co-parenting Codie after her divorce? PLUS what is it like to be on the other side now and enjoying the grandparent life?
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50 min
Mamas! We've got some of our favorites joining us in the Den today! Jamilah Mapp and Erika Dickerson are best friends, single mothers, and the creators of the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast! Now we can call them published authors with the arrival of their new book A Good Mom’s Guide to Making Bad Choices. Erica and Jamilah share how they met, the importance of Mom friends, their opinions on Mom Guilt and what you can expect in the book! They also have an amazing Mother's Day contest that you can enter! Plus, which one of our Mamas was Erica eying to join their podcast?
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48 min
Alright Mamas we've gone from Destiny's Child to Destiny's Twins as Ashley is out working and Felicia is out sick, but Codie and Melanie are holding it down for you! Was Spring Break as long for you as it was for us? Have you figured out what you're doing to keep your children entertained for summer? Melanie and Codie discuss all the activities AND serve as your gentle reminder that NOW is the time to start looking at summer programming. PLUS, Codie needs advice when it comes to the twins which leads into a whole other conversation about how we have to learn not only what our children need, but how to regulate their emotions (whew!)
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37 min
There was a moment of...need... in the Mama's Den group chat. Ashley needed some advice(?), about her next excursion with her family. And let's be real here, this isn't just a normal trip for the Cheas. When they return, they will be returning to a new home. There are a lot of new moving parts with a lot of new stresses hence the need for her Mama village! In this episode the Mamas talk not only about what you can do to get the kids ready to travel, but what it's like to have kids that just aint ready to make that trip. Cause look...sometimes those littles one aren't about it.
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57 min
It's Black Maternal Health Week and the Mamas have brought in Kimberly Durdin who is a Licensed Midwife, Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Childbirth Educator and Doula Trainer, Plus she's a mother of six and grandmother of five! She and business partner Allegra Hill are co-owners and co-founders of Kindred Space LA, South LA’s only Black-owned Birth Center and hub for midwifery care, doula support and training, lactation consulting, education, parenting support group, enrichment and movement. So needless to say, she knows a thing or two about maternal health! Kim is here to give us some of the details about birthing that we just don't know. Things like the difference between a doula and a midwife, or what's better pain meds or natural? Should we as Black women be avoiding hospital births? We're not saying Kim has all the answers, but this is definitely a starting place for anyone who is asking questions!
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35 min
You've asked and our Mama's are here to answer! That's right it's listener question time, and y'all are getting straight to the point this time around. An anonymous listener in Chicago wants to know if it's wrong to cut off a bad friend? Crys_Shine (c'mon Instagram handle!) in Wilmington, DE wants to know how to handle tantrums. A friend (or foe) from Codie's home state of Texas wants to know just how far each one of our Mamas would go to stand up for their kids, and more!
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47 min
Hey Mamas! We've got a bit of a different situation this morning. Felicia is out doing mom duties and Melanie is tending to a house emergency so Ashley's best friend Tiffany O. aka Kyla's mom to help keep the Mama's Den going! Tiffany and Ashley have known each other since they were toddlers in Columbus, OH. However, their friendship truly started in high school just so you all know how long their bond goes back! PLUS their daughters have been best friends since out of the womb. Tiff and Ashley have been there for each other for just about every major milestone, including the unexpected loss of their siblings which has the ladies wondering are they in a space of thriving or surviving with the loss of their loved ones?
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47 min
Mamas, Felicia has a new experience with Zen and she needs to know if the rest of y'all raising little boys have experienced it... Morning wood. Don't laugh! Okay laugh a little, but today we are talking through it all! What do you tell your children when they first have those natural experiences? Is there a right time or a wrong time to talk to your children about their bodies? Have you been thinking about having this talk with your children since before you even had them like Codie? (She even read a whole article to try and prep herself) Plus, Melanie has finally watched a bit of the Parent Test and she's got some thoughts.
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44 min
Codie's best friend Kim is in town (and Felicia is out for the day) and the Mamas have all the questions about building a career before children. As you may (or may not know) our Mamas all had their children very quickly into their relationships/marriages. Kim and her husband, however, waited five years before having a child. What is it like to have children after climbing the corporate ladder? Do relationships stay the same? Get stronger? Fall apart? We ain't got all the answers, but Kim is here to share her personal story and we are fascinated.
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33 min
The reality of being able to decide to take all that on, both for your mental health, your body, your care, all the sacrifices that you have to make, should be a choice.
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41 min
Codie, Melanie, Felicia, and Ashley share what their journey to motherhood has been, and some of the surprises they found out along the way. The Mamas share what brought to them this space and the power in having a community of Mamas that understand what they’re going through AND are there to lift them up and support each other.
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